Charleston 9/11 Heroes Run: 'Guests of Honor' to share first responder stories at September 10 event
Laura Siebuhr Mendola was scheduled to work the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift on September 11, 2001 in lower Manhattan. For the former medic with the Fire Department of New York’s Battalion 45, it began like any other day.
“My alarm went off and that’s how I started off,” recalled Mendola, who now resides on Daniel Island with her husband, Michael, and their children.
But less than two hours after reporting for duty, Mendola and her partner were urgently called to the corner of West and Vesey Streets near the World Trade Center.
“We got there eight minutes after the first plane hit (the North Tower),” she added. “…We knew it was an MCI, which is a mass casualty incident. And we knew that having one ambulance wasn’t enough resources.”
Mendola and her partner quickly got to work at the base of the South Tower, where a triage station had been set up, tagging victims based on the severity of their conditions. Patients were put on city buses to be transported to area hospitals.
“My role was to do what I was trained to do,” said Mendola. “If somebody wasn’t breathing, breathe for them. And if somebody was bleeding, apply pressure. If somebody was in distress, your job was to do your job and just follow protocol.”
Just 17 minutes after the first building was hit, an additional plane few into the South Tower, about 75 floors above where Mendola and her partner were stationed.
“All you heard was this low hum,” she continued. “And then just a smash and an explosion…My partner heard it, too. He hit me and I kind of looked up, and he said, ‘Run!’”
Once outside the building, they were separated. But Mendola attempted to make it back to the scene to find out if her partner was safe. In the process, someone grabbed her and told her to flee the area. She doesn’t know the identity of the man, but she credits him with saving her life. Within moments, the South Tower collapsed.
“They teach you what impending doom might feel like,” said Mendola. “I may have caught a glimpse of that. When I started running, I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is it!’”
“It was awful,” she continued, when remembering the scenes she encountered. “What you saw on TV, the magnitude of it was so much worse, just being there…You couldn’t really capture what was happening.”
Fast forward 15 years to 2016. Another first responder found herself in harm’s way, this time here in the Charleston community. On February 26, Corporal Kimber Gist was working the overnight shift as a deputy with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department. According to news reports, at about 12:30 a.m. she stopped to investigate a suspicious vehicle behind a shopping center on Red Bank Road. After taking one of the vehicle’s occupants into custody, a fight ensued and she was reportedly shot multiple times. The suspect took his own life hours later in a police stand-off at his home.
Gist has spent the last six months recovering from her injuries.
“My recovery is going well,” said Gist, who holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Charleston Southern University (CSU) and is now pursuing a master’s degree. “I am currently still in physical therapy for my foot, but otherwise I am coming along well.”
Gist, Mendola, and retired FDNY Battalion 35 EMT Michael Dell’era will all serve as guests of honor at the upcoming Charleston 9/11 Heroes Run, a 5K event to be held on September 10 on Daniel Island. During the opening ceremonies, each will share stories of their experiences in the line of duty.
“We want these first responders and true American heroes to feel the love and support of the community,” said Race Director Theresa Faircloth. “…This event is not just a fundraiser, it’s not just a 5K. It embodies so much more than that. It’s showing support for those that put their lives on the line.”
“I was really taken aback (at the invitation),” said Mendola, her eyes welling up. “After all this time, 15 years…all of these emotions kind of rushed in…When it was initially presented to me, I felt very blessed…because I am here to talk about it, because I got that second chance.”
“I was shocked,” added Gist, when asked about her reaction to being named a guest of honor. “At first I was wondering why they wanted me. Why was I so important? I still feel that way today. People come up to me all the time, and tell me how much of an inspiration I am. I honestly feel like I was doing my job. Protecting. You have to have the will to survive and fight back. Always fight back. And once I reminded myself that there were so many officers that did not get a chance to fight back, that is when I started to understand why I was asked to be a guest of honor. It is an honor to be able to speak for all of my fallen brothers and sisters.”
Mendola said she still questions why she made it to safety on 9/11, when so many others were not as fortunate. She also shares Cpl. Gist’s sentiments that serving as a first responder simply means being ready to serve when you are needed.
“One thing I want to portray…I’m not a hero,” added Mendola. “I just went to work that day. That’s what I did.”
But organizers of the Charleston 9/11 Heroes Run see Mendola’s contributions a little differently, and are eager to spotlight the important role she and other first responders played on that fateful day.
“With it being the 15th anniversary of 9/11, we wanted to find someone who was there, on the ground, and really try to feel the experience through them,” added Faircloth, who said Mendola is the first 9/11 emergency responder to serve as a guest of honor at the Charleston race. “Just to remind everyone that while for the rest of the country 9/11 is just a one day remembrance anniversary, for the people that were there while it was happening…it sticks with them every day. They carry that burden every day…Having heard Laura’s story personally, it’s a real honor to have the opportunity to be able to allow her to share her experience and to show her that the community has not forgotten.”
Faircloth also pointed to Gist as another shining example of what men and women in uniform selflessly do on a daily basis when called to serve.
“We were just so touched by her story,” she said. “She is a local hometown hero who faced a very difficult situation while on duty one night. Just the strength and determination she displayed in fighting back, through her recovery process, and her overwhelmingly sweet attitude since that happened. It was just really inspiring to us. It says so much about her dedication to her community and that she’s willing to put that uniform back on and get back out there.”
So far, registrations for race day are up from this same time period last year, added Faircloth. More than 400 people have signed on thus far to take part. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the event benefit the Travis Manion Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering our nation’s veterans and the families of fallen heroes. Another fifty percent will benefit Berkeley County EMS, Charleston County Volunteer Rescue Squad, and the James Island Public Service Department (fire department). Since the race began five years ago, more than $55,000 has been donated to a variety of organizations serving first responders, veterans and active duty military, as well as 9/11 victims and their families. Faircloth encouraged people of all ages to join the event, either as a race participant or as a supporter.
“Get involved and get there,” she said. “Be a part of it. …We would love to see the town just come out in red, white and blue. We want to feel the support of Daniel Island and have our guests of honor feel that support!”
5th Annual
Charleston 9/11
Heroes Run
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Daniel Island Fire & Police Station
Opening Ceremony with remarks by
Guests of Honor - 8:30 a.m.
Race starts – 9 a.m.
Show your true colors,
Daniel Island!
Paint the town in red, white and blue! Members of the Daniel Island community are encouraged to line the race route with American flags and signs of support. This includes Daniel Island Drive, from Seven Farms Drive to Beekman Street; Seven Farms Drive, from Daniel Island Drive to River Landing Drive; and River Landing Drive, from Seven Farms Drive to the
Daniel Island Sales Center.
To register, or for more information:
Visit www.911heroesrun.org or the
event’s Facebook page,
911 Heroes Run – Charleston SC