WEBVTT 00:14.883 --> 00:16.251 (mumbles) 00:23.117 --> 00:24.273 - [Interviewer] Say your name. 00:24.273 --> 00:25.962 - Allan Donaire. 00:28.934 --> 00:30.410 - [Interviewer] One more time. - Allan Donaire. 00:32.755 --> 00:35.027 - [Interviewer] One more time. - Allan Donaire. 00:35.027 --> 00:37.238 - [Interviewer] All right, just put this on your belt. 00:37.238 --> 00:39.596 Yeah, just leave it like that. 00:40.239 --> 00:42.851 Can you hold it, what I want... 00:42.851 --> 00:45.597 Because you're tapping the table and I don't want 00:45.597 --> 00:48.251 your tapping the table to disrupt the sound. 00:48.251 --> 00:50.022 - Do you want me to just keep my hands over there? 00:50.022 --> 00:52.285 - [Interviewer] No, I don't want to stop you from doing what you're doing. 00:52.285 --> 00:54.625 A lot more (audio cuts out) like this. 00:55.552 --> 00:58.727 Okay, so, 00:58.727 --> 01:02.809 again, it's Monday afternoon. 01:02.809 --> 01:06.312 Storm's coming in, stuff's flying off the building. 01:06.312 --> 01:08.450 And what happens from there? 01:08.450 --> 01:11.576 - Like I said, once we started to 01:11.576 --> 01:14.488 see the debris flying off the building, we wanted to make sure everyone else 01:14.488 --> 01:17.705 was aware, so we went inside the building and told everyone 01:17.705 --> 01:19.990 hey, you know, don't go outside. 01:19.990 --> 01:22.675 There's metal flying all over the place. 01:22.675 --> 01:25.600 So if you do go outside, make sure you have flak and Kevlar. 01:25.600 --> 01:27.989 But we didn't want anyone...I wanted to be in control and make sure everyone was safe. 01:27.989 --> 01:29.560 and I knew where they were. 01:29.560 --> 01:32.206 We had everyone get their vehicles from outside 01:32.206 --> 01:35.065 and put it inside the building because there wasn't that many of us. 01:35.065 --> 01:37.423 So it was easy to keep the vehicles inside the building. 01:37.423 --> 01:41.296 At that point, when we went inside the drill deck, 01:41.296 --> 01:45.082 we started to notice a lot of the drill deck flying off. 01:45.082 --> 01:46.257 We have some of it on video. 01:46.257 --> 01:48.960 That's how we knew it was started to get really, really bad. 01:48.960 --> 01:51.045 And that's when the storm was picking up. 01:51.045 --> 01:54.864 At that point, shortly after that, 01:54.864 --> 01:57.366 that's when Detective Frank Pinto showed up. 01:57.366 --> 02:01.138 And he showed up to the front requesting for assistance. 02:01.138 --> 02:04.367 He was asking us if we had any vehicles that help him, 02:04.367 --> 02:08.482 because none of the vehicles they had could make it through the water 02:08.482 --> 02:10.914 that they had already had over there 02:10.914 --> 02:12.787 in the Rockaways. 02:12.787 --> 02:16.471 So at that point, I contacted the people up my chain of command, 02:16.471 --> 02:20.956 let them know the rescue team was looking for assistance. 02:20.956 --> 02:22.844 And they were specifically 02:22.844 --> 02:24.894 requesting 7-ton vehicle support. 02:25.095 --> 02:27.644 - [Interviewer] Now what did you know about 02:27.644 --> 02:29.624 what was going on out in the Rockaways? 02:30.224 --> 02:33.587 - I just knew geographically that it was a really bad place. 02:33.587 --> 02:35.937 You know, I had looked earlier and saw that 02:35.937 --> 02:38.643 it was a mandatory evacuation site. 02:38.643 --> 02:41.753 And if you looked at it, it was just such a skinny piece of land. 02:41.753 --> 02:43.795 And it went from the ocean to the bay. 02:43.795 --> 02:46.796 So I knew if there was 02:46.796 --> 02:50.666 if the conditions were starting to worsen, that that was going to be a really bad place to be at. 02:50.666 --> 02:51.938 I knew that. 02:51.938 --> 02:54.656 And then when they came looking for assistance 02:54.656 --> 02:56.833 and we saw how bad it was getting at the battalion at that point, 02:56.833 --> 02:58.963 like the waves from the bay, 02:58.963 --> 03:00.959 were now on the compound. 03:00.959 --> 03:04.205 So we had water really high, a couple feet of water already 03:04.205 --> 03:07.371 in the battalion as it was. 03:08.731 --> 03:10.246 - [Interviewer] Describe where your battalion is, 03:10.529 --> 03:13.703 on Long Island or at the end of Brooklyn. 03:15.164 --> 03:17.240 - It's right across the bay, so it's 03:17.240 --> 03:20.652 the bridge between Queens and Brooklyn. 03:22.220 --> 03:25.504 And the compound itself is several hundred yards 03:25.504 --> 03:29.568 between the actual bay and our compound building. 03:29.568 --> 03:32.442 And it still made it all the way up there, 03:32.442 --> 03:34.110 all the way to the front 03:34.110 --> 03:35.759 in a couple feet of water. 03:35.759 --> 03:37.217 - [Interviewer] And were you expecting it to be bad? 03:37.217 --> 03:39.277 Or what were you expecting to see at the battalion? 03:40.984 --> 03:43.019 - To be honest with you, I didn't know what to expect. 03:43.019 --> 03:45.817 I'd been there all morning and I saw the winds. 03:45.817 --> 03:48.123 And I never saw any winds that bad. 03:48.123 --> 03:52.693 You know, it was legitimately throwing us left and right. 03:52.693 --> 03:54.418 Because I had to keep watch on the compound, 03:54.418 --> 03:57.394 so I kept walking and touring the area. 03:57.394 --> 03:58.768 I didn't expect it to be that bad. 03:58.768 --> 04:01.986 And they kept telling us the storm was coming. 04:01.986 --> 04:03.838 It wasn't even there yet. 04:03.838 --> 04:07.173 So I figured, all right, when it gets bad, I expected rain. 04:07.173 --> 04:09.418 And it wasn't any rain at all. 04:09.418 --> 04:11.588 So what happened is all the water from the bay and the ocean, 04:11.588 --> 04:13.382 that's when it started to come over. 04:13.382 --> 04:15.994 And that's when I got the real picture 04:15.994 --> 04:18.287 of how much damage this was going to do. 04:18.287 --> 04:19.862 At that point, it was already too late. 04:19.862 --> 04:22.335 - [Interviewer] So Detective Frankie, where is he from? 04:22.335 --> 04:25.915 - Detective Frank Pinto is from the (inaudible) Bayfield area 04:25.915 --> 04:27.446 from what I understand. 04:27.446 --> 04:30.655 - [Interviewer] And so he came asking for help, asking for your 7-tons. 04:30.655 --> 04:32.874 What did he need help with? 04:33.520 --> 04:37.047 - From what he told us, they had rescued people that were down 04:37.047 --> 04:39.043 and no one could get to them. 04:39.043 --> 04:41.639 So I guess, from what I understand, they had people 04:41.639 --> 04:44.638 that were out there rescuing people that were stranded out there, 04:44.638 --> 04:46.474 and they ended up getting stranded themselves. 04:46.474 --> 04:49.431 And their own vehicles couldn't get out there to help them. 04:49.431 --> 04:51.414 Because the water was already starting to swell up. 04:51.414 --> 04:54.003 Because this was getting towards the height of the hurricane. 04:54.003 --> 04:57.546 So he specifically requested if we had vehicles 04:57.546 --> 05:00.200 that were capable of getting through that. 05:00.200 --> 05:01.955 And we did. 05:01.955 --> 05:04.144 He knew it, we knew it. 05:04.144 --> 05:06.598 - [Interviewer] And so your boss signed off on it and 05:06.598 --> 05:09.509 so what did you guys end up doing? 05:09.509 --> 05:11.681 How'd you get up there and what did you guys do out there? 05:11.681 --> 05:13.857 - Well after I contacted the chain of command and let them know 05:13.857 --> 05:16.263 this is the situation, there was no hesitation. 05:16.263 --> 05:19.243 The colonel 05:20.360 --> 05:22.006 authorized us to go out there. 05:22.006 --> 05:25.380 Once he gave us the go ahead, we made sure we set up communication, 05:25.380 --> 05:28.028 in the right way. 05:28.028 --> 05:29.751 And we started to head out there. 05:29.751 --> 05:31.764 We had to make a couple stops real quick, you know, 05:31.764 --> 05:33.526 get in touch with their people. 05:33.526 --> 05:36.281 And then once we did that we made our way across the bridge. 05:36.281 --> 05:39.530 As soon as we got over the bridge, that's when 05:39.530 --> 05:41.354 everything set in. 05:41.354 --> 05:44.300 As we were leaving the battalion, we were crashing through waves at our battalion. 05:44.300 --> 05:47.585 But it was nothing compared to what was on the other side. 05:47.585 --> 05:51.170 Once we actually got to the Rockaways, that's when we started noticing. 05:51.170 --> 05:52.742 Because we had to go right underneath the bridge. 05:52.742 --> 05:56.132 As soon as we got underneath that bridge, that's when it got really scary 05:56.132 --> 05:58.104 because the water was really high. 05:58.104 --> 06:00.643 I mean, like, dangerous levels in a 7-ton. 06:00.643 --> 06:03.570 So once we went underneath that bridge and, you know, 06:03.570 --> 06:05.930 it just got worse and worse. 06:05.930 --> 06:07.157 It progressively got worse and worse 06:07.157 --> 06:11.476 to the point where I didn't feel safe in the 7-ton at that point. 06:11.476 --> 06:14.958 - [Interviewer] And so what does the area look like? 06:15.534 --> 06:18.705 It's nighttime but anyone else on the road? 06:18.705 --> 06:22.164 It's two 7-tons going out there 06:22.164 --> 06:25.265 is the place just abandoned, or what do you see out there? 06:25.265 --> 06:29.417 - Since I know the area, I used to run out there during the morning, 06:29.417 --> 06:31.977 you couldn't recognize it really. 06:31.977 --> 06:34.391 It's complete darkness, there's no streetlights. 06:34.391 --> 06:36.628 So it's really eerie when you go over there because 06:36.628 --> 06:39.580 there's nothing out there, all you see is darkness. 06:39.580 --> 06:43.466 The wind was out of control, so it was hard to hear anything or see anything. 06:43.466 --> 06:45.801 And then with the waves that were so high up. 06:45.801 --> 06:48.630 It was kind of covering our lights. 06:48.630 --> 06:52.209 So even the lights we had on the 7-ton, it was hard to see anything. 06:52.209 --> 06:56.063 So with no power in the whole city, it was really, really difficult 06:56.063 --> 06:59.328 to see or get a picture of what it was. 06:59.328 --> 07:02.950 - [Interviewer] So how long did it take you to get to the Rockaways? 07:02.950 --> 07:05.280 And how's that compare to normally trying to get out there? 07:05.280 --> 07:07.323 - We got over there really quick 07:07.323 --> 07:11.124 just because it's probably a two minute, three minute drive with no problems. 07:11.124 --> 07:15.781 Obviously there was no one on the road, so we got over there really quick. 07:15.781 --> 07:19.711 There was no one in our way, so we got over there really quick. 07:19.711 --> 07:21.661 It was just once we hit the Rockaways, 07:21.661 --> 07:25.103 that's when a mile probably took an hour. 07:25.103 --> 07:28.570 - [Interviewer] So you get out there, you get your 7-ton, 07:28.570 --> 07:31.306 what happens, what do you guys do and 07:31.306 --> 07:34.605 what do you see out there, the people that need to be rescued? 07:34.605 --> 07:36.950 - When we first got out there, as I said, we see 07:36.950 --> 07:39.950 cars just floating in the water. 07:39.950 --> 07:42.621 And by cars, definitely not regular cars. SUVs. 07:42.621 --> 07:46.112 We saw the tops of SUVs just bouncing up and 07:46.112 --> 07:49.429 down in the water so all you could see is the top of the roofs, the color. 07:49.429 --> 07:51.374 And then they would disappear. 07:51.374 --> 07:52.857 So we saw a lot of that. 07:52.857 --> 07:55.143 There was nothing else that we could see at that point. 07:55.143 --> 07:57.127 No trees or anything. 07:57.127 --> 07:59.501 The guides that we had were the two lampposts. 07:59.501 --> 08:01.969 We knew that we were on the highway 08:01.969 --> 08:04.367 and if we stayed in between the two lampposts that we were good. 08:04.367 --> 08:05.981 So that was our main goal. 08:05.981 --> 08:07.935 The first 7-ton was way in front of me. 08:07.935 --> 08:10.207 He ended up getting too far in front of me, 08:10.207 --> 08:12.126 I would say probably about half a mile in front of me. 08:12.126 --> 08:16.256 And at that point we were having a whole lot of resistance. 08:16.256 --> 08:19.633 The waves were crashing against the 7-ton. 08:19.633 --> 08:22.436 The water level at this point was on top of the hood. 08:22.436 --> 08:24.787 Not a whole lot, you know, 08:24.787 --> 08:28.959 just on the top of the hood which was pretty scary. 08:28.959 --> 08:31.191 But the water wasn't getting inside of the cab at this time. 08:31.191 --> 08:35.165 But then because the beach was to the right and the bay was on the left, 08:35.165 --> 08:36.199 the waves were coming from the right. 08:36.199 --> 08:37.578 So every time a wave would come, 08:37.578 --> 08:40.402 it would completely cover the windshield, 08:40.402 --> 08:42.160 you couldn't see anything for three to six seconds. 08:42.160 --> 08:45.524 So at that time, you know, 08:45.524 --> 08:47.837 I realized we were in a lot of trouble. 08:47.837 --> 08:49.982 And the vehicle in front of me is way too far. 08:49.982 --> 08:53.294 And the police had radios. 08:53.294 --> 08:55.723 So we were in constant contact with them. 08:55.723 --> 08:59.004 At one point they called us to tell us, hey, you know, 08:59.004 --> 09:01.799 we're stuck, you've got to come get us. 09:01.799 --> 09:05.393 But the situation for us was getting the same, 09:05.393 --> 09:07.757 was getting dangerous, it was getting really scary. 09:07.757 --> 09:10.032 And I didn't feel comfortable, I didn't feel safe. 09:10.032 --> 09:12.078 Neither did anyone in the vehicle. 09:12.078 --> 09:15.938 To include Sergeant Negron and Detective John Kenny. 09:15.938 --> 09:18.812 So at that time we had to make a decision 09:18.812 --> 09:21.312 of either going out there and saving them right away, 09:21.312 --> 09:25.489 or standing by until we knew that it was okay to get out there. 09:25.489 --> 09:28.527 So we made the decision to find a high road, which we did, 09:28.527 --> 09:30.351 thank goodness it was right there. 09:30.351 --> 09:34.592 We waited there until probably about three hours later, which we 09:34.592 --> 09:38.401 decided we'd wait here until the water went down and we'll go in and rescue them. 09:38.401 --> 09:42.499 - [Interviewer] So you guys are just staying...You guys are off to the side 09:42.499 --> 09:45.068 three hours, waiting to get into the Rockaways? 09:45.068 --> 09:47.055 - No, we were already in the Rockaways at this point. 09:47.055 --> 09:51.011 - [Interviewer] You were outside of where the folks needed to get rescued from. 09:51.011 --> 09:54.103 And you're watching that area for three hours? 09:54.103 --> 09:56.481 - Right, so we're in the truck three hours, 09:56.481 --> 09:59.581 the wind is crazy, the water is still pretty bad. 09:59.581 --> 10:02.256 Can't see anything, the only thing we can see at this point 10:02.256 --> 10:04.703 are transformers blowing up left and right. 10:04.703 --> 10:06.288 Lighting up the whole sky. 10:06.288 --> 10:09.776 We've got a fire to the left, which at that point was Breezy Point. 10:09.776 --> 10:11.551 And to the right of us was the fire 10:11.551 --> 10:14.158 that we ended up rescuing the other people at. 10:14.414 --> 10:17.525 At that point it was just a small fire, we didn't even really know 10:17.525 --> 10:21.047 it was a fire, but after three hours it just kept getting bigger and bigger. 10:21.047 --> 10:22.480 And we didn't know what it was. 10:22.480 --> 10:25.553 We heard on the radio that the power plant, which was on 100th Street, 10:25.553 --> 10:26.876 that that was on fire. 10:26.876 --> 10:29.328 We thought it was that, but it was actually another fire 10:29.328 --> 10:31.196 which was the one at 130th. 10:31.196 --> 10:34.102 - [Interviewer] So what are you thinking then about the folks? 10:34.102 --> 10:36.076 Because you went out there to rescue people 10:36.076 --> 10:37.898 and now you're sitting there waiting. 10:37.898 --> 10:40.034 An hour goes by, two, three hours go by. 10:40.034 --> 10:41.786 You're waiting to go get to them. 10:41.786 --> 10:44.139 What are you guys in the vehicle thinking about? 10:44.139 --> 10:47.508 - At that point, myself, I'm sure Sergeant Negron 10:47.508 --> 10:49.933 and obviously John Kenny, 10:49.933 --> 10:52.515 we were really concerned with the Marines 10:52.515 --> 10:55.005 and the Sailors and the police that we 10:55.005 --> 10:56.249 originally had gone out there with. 10:56.249 --> 10:58.499 That was my main concern 10:58.499 --> 11:00.959 because at that point we didn't know that they were safe. 11:00.959 --> 11:04.018 And we were on the radio with them, 11:04.018 --> 11:07.897 so we kept hitting them up on the radio. 11:07.897 --> 11:10.355 We didn't know how bad their condition was 11:10.355 --> 11:12.220 so we just wanted updates. 11:12.220 --> 11:15.447 So there was a time where I was worried that they were gonna get washed away. 11:15.447 --> 11:17.791 Just because I knew how bad the water was. 11:17.791 --> 11:19.617 And that's why we didn't go out there. 11:19.617 --> 11:22.167 If I had felt safer going out there, I would have driven out there and got them. 11:22.167 --> 11:25.090 But it would have made no sense for us to go out there 11:25.090 --> 11:28.137 and try to rescue them and get stranded ourselves. 11:30.369 --> 11:33.397 So I was definitely worried about their well-being. 11:33.397 --> 11:35.250 And making sure they were all right. 11:35.250 --> 11:39.214 And at one point they told us that they had to get up on top of the 7-ton 11:39.214 --> 11:41.020 because the water was coming too high. 11:41.020 --> 11:43.140 So we were really worried at that point. 11:43.140 --> 11:45.645 - [Interviewer] Hold on one second. 11:52.154 --> 11:54.969 So three hours go by 11:54.969 --> 11:57.182 and you guys can get into the Rockaways 11:57.182 --> 12:00.148 and you can go out and get the people you went out to go get. 12:00.148 --> 12:02.109 What was that scene like? 12:02.109 --> 12:05.379 - That was a little better than when we first got out there. 12:05.379 --> 12:07.598 Now, we had a... 12:07.598 --> 12:10.072 Me and Sergeant Negron kept running down the hill 12:10.072 --> 12:12.828 to see where the water levels were. 12:12.828 --> 12:16.427 Once the water levels were, we could see that they were going down a little bit, 12:16.427 --> 12:18.287 that's when we were like, let's go try. 12:18.287 --> 12:21.306 We were on the radio with those guys and we were like, hey, did the water go down? 12:21.306 --> 12:24.006 They weren't saying that the water was going down drastically but 12:24.006 --> 12:26.071 they said it had gone down a little bit. 12:26.071 --> 12:27.899 So we were like, screw it, we've been out here long enough. 12:27.899 --> 12:30.054 I know those guys are freezing cold right now. 12:30.054 --> 12:31.746 So we decided to just truck it. 12:31.746 --> 12:35.677 So we started to get out there and at a certain point, they could see us now. 12:35.677 --> 12:37.332 They could see our lights. 12:37.332 --> 12:38.963 They were guiding us as well. 12:38.963 --> 12:42.227 They were letting us know how far we were 12:42.227 --> 12:43.694 and they could see our lights. 12:43.694 --> 12:45.896 Sometimes we would be driving to them 12:45.896 --> 12:49.700 and our lights would go out, the water would cover our lights and they would tell us to hold on. 12:49.700 --> 12:51.879 And if we waited, maybe the 12:51.879 --> 12:54.261 swells from the waves would go down 12:54.364 --> 12:58.867 and they could see our lights again, so that was their guide for us. 12:58.867 --> 13:01.816 So when we finally got out there, it took a while. 13:03.063 --> 13:06.105 They guided us, we ended up seeing signs that they couldn't. 13:06.105 --> 13:07.789 Particularly that the road split. 13:07.789 --> 13:10.950 That road sign they didn't see. 13:10.950 --> 13:14.407 And that caused a problem because that's probably why they got stuck in the first place. 13:20.187 --> 13:21.634 - [Interviewer] Just a couple more questions and then we'll get out of here. 13:21.634 --> 13:23.239 - [Donaire] No problem. 13:25.015 --> 13:27.176 - [Interviewer] What was it like when 13:27.176 --> 13:31.623 you got to them and you got the first 13:31.623 --> 13:35.007 person that was stranded out there into the back of your 7-ton? 13:35.007 --> 13:36.486 What was that like? 13:36.486 --> 13:37.306 - You're talking about the Marines? 13:37.306 --> 13:39.844 - [Interviewer] No, when you got out to 13:39.844 --> 13:42.680 the Rockaways, you're being guided out there 13:42.680 --> 13:45.957 and after you grabbed (inaudible), 13:45.957 --> 13:48.581 you're out there in the Rockaways and 13:48.581 --> 13:51.112 you're finally getting close to the folks that need help. 13:51.112 --> 13:55.167 What was it like when you first got the first person into your 7-ton? 13:55.167 --> 13:57.649 When you were finally pulling them up. 13:57.649 --> 13:59.538 - It was awesome because it feels like 13:59.975 --> 14:02.124 we didn't waste a trip and that we actually 14:02.124 --> 14:05.708 could provide something to help. 14:05.708 --> 14:08.366 You know, we didn't want to feel like we were going out there 14:08.366 --> 14:10.194 not accomplishing anything. 14:10.194 --> 14:13.181 We wanted to help the cops out as much as they wanted to help out everyone else. 14:13.181 --> 14:15.110 So it felt really good. 14:15.110 --> 14:17.535 And it was good because we didn't know who was getting saved. 14:17.535 --> 14:21.079 So it put a face to the people we were saving. 14:21.079 --> 14:22.949 So that was pretty cool. 14:24.515 --> 14:27.082 - [Interviewer] Do you remember seeing their faces or hearing them 14:27.082 --> 14:28.326 say anything as you were... 14:28.326 --> 14:31.290 Were you on the bed of the 7-ton pulling them up? 14:31.290 --> 14:34.260 - Absolutely, at that point they... 14:34.260 --> 14:37.235 Everyone was in the shock, you could see it on everyone's face. 14:38.645 --> 14:41.405 They were a little reluctant to get on the truck because 14:41.405 --> 14:42.482 they were leaving their home. 14:42.482 --> 14:44.344 They just watched their house burn down. 14:44.344 --> 14:47.232 It was covered in water at the same time. 14:47.232 --> 14:50.623 If you can imagine seeing that. 14:50.623 --> 14:52.581 They definitely didn't want to leave their home. 14:52.581 --> 14:55.279 They wanted to see it through. 14:55.279 --> 14:56.911 And they didn't get that opportunity. 14:56.911 --> 14:58.632 So they were a little concerned with that. 14:58.632 --> 15:01.992 Not all of them had warming layers. 15:01.992 --> 15:04.940 So thank goodness the police had blankets and things like that. 15:04.940 --> 15:07.076 So there was that too. 15:07.076 --> 15:09.800 - [Interviewer] You were telling me on the way to the barbershop about 15:09.800 --> 15:12.750 the dad and the kid. 15:12.750 --> 15:15.670 Tell me about that. - That was the last group that we saved. 15:15.670 --> 15:19.009 We saw the flashlights in front of the truck. 15:19.009 --> 15:22.107 Let the police know there's someone right there. 15:22.107 --> 15:25.378 And then as they started getting to the headlights of the 7-ton, 15:25.378 --> 15:28.261 we saw this gentleman who had the flashlight 15:28.261 --> 15:30.382 had his daughter on his shoulders. 15:30.504 --> 15:33.723 And then his wife had another daughter on her shoulders 15:33.723 --> 15:36.100 and another daughter in her hand. 15:36.100 --> 15:38.808 And you could see in his face, he was just in complete shock. 15:38.808 --> 15:42.810 And he was just like a walking zombie. 15:42.810 --> 15:44.417 - [Interviewer] How high is the water? 15:44.417 --> 15:46.321 - At that point, it's probably waist-high for him. 15:46.321 --> 15:48.296 Maybe a little bit more. 15:48.296 --> 15:52.768 So as soon as they see him, they went right away, grabbed him up, 15:52.768 --> 15:55.141 and brought him in the 7-ton, no questions asked. 15:55.141 --> 15:59.871 - [Interviewer] What was it like when you got them there, back to safety? 15:59.871 --> 16:01.581 What was that feeling like? 16:01.581 --> 16:05.961 - I dunno, I'd say that I have a whole lot of feelings but it felt good if anything. 16:07.658 --> 16:10.632 Everything felt like 16:10.632 --> 16:12.275 we were doing something. 16:12.275 --> 16:14.114 I can't really remember to be honest with you. 16:14.114 --> 16:16.497 I just know that it just felt like it was 16:16.497 --> 16:18.294 part of what we were supposed to do. 16:21.688 --> 16:25.663 - [Interviewer] Thinking back on it, was there a specific moment 16:25.663 --> 16:28.486 from that whole experience that really stuck out in your mind as a memory 16:28.486 --> 16:31.062 from what you guys did and what happened? 16:34.095 --> 16:37.358 - Just riding around with the police officers. 16:37.358 --> 16:39.928 They had a really good attitude about them. 16:39.928 --> 16:42.621 So they kept the mood up, 16:42.621 --> 16:45.779 because you could tell it was a huge disaster. 16:45.779 --> 16:49.308 No one was sugarcoating that. 16:49.308 --> 16:52.845 Everyone knew it was pretty bad but the fact that they had positive 16:52.845 --> 16:55.001 mental attitude about it and 16:55.001 --> 16:57.347 they kept reassuring us that hey, 16:57.601 --> 16:58.971 you guys are really a big help. 16:58.971 --> 17:00.859 Even though I didn't feel like we were. 17:00.859 --> 17:02.112 That felt good too. 17:02.112 --> 17:05.474 If they felt like we were helping them, 17:05.474 --> 17:06.437 then it felt good for us. 17:06.437 --> 17:08.195 And that's probably it. 17:08.195 --> 17:10.417 - [Interviewer] Why didn't you feel like you guys were being a big help? 17:12.927 --> 17:14.992 - I don't know, I think you always do more. 17:18.281 --> 17:21.127 - [Interviewer] Looking back on it, what surprised you the most about 17:21.127 --> 17:23.437 everything that happened that night? 17:26.471 --> 17:28.605 - I guess the way the policemen 17:28.605 --> 17:30.377 and the firefighters were so relentless. 17:30.565 --> 17:34.225 No hesitation, no caution 17:34.225 --> 17:35.821 in regards to themselves. 17:35.821 --> 17:38.787 Just relentless in wanting to 17:38.787 --> 17:41.636 keep going on there and helping everyone out. 17:41.636 --> 17:45.509 - [Interviewer] You were helping some firefighters and some other rescue folks out there. 17:45.509 --> 17:47.425 What do they look like? 17:47.425 --> 17:49.899 - In the zone. 17:49.899 --> 17:51.851 They were in the zone. 17:51.851 --> 17:54.710 - [Interviewer] Had they been in the water for a while? 17:54.710 --> 17:57.234 Like were they drenched from being in the water? 17:57.234 --> 18:02.263 - Yes, they had some good gear with them 18:02.263 --> 18:04.242 so they were covered head to toe in rubber. 18:04.242 --> 18:06.530 But I'm sure they were freezing wet, cold. 18:06.530 --> 18:09.383 But it didn't affect them. 18:09.383 --> 18:12.099 You couldn't tell that they were affected, if they were. 18:12.099 --> 18:15.174 I'm sure they were hungry, cold, wet, tired, 18:15.174 --> 18:18.197 but you could just see it in their eyes, 18:18.197 --> 18:21.802 they were just relentless and ready to keep going. 18:23.641 --> 18:24.813 - [Interviewer] Last thing is 18:24.813 --> 18:27.661 give me your rank, your first and last name. 18:27.661 --> 18:29.529 - Sergeant Allan David Donaire. 18:29.529 --> 18:31.074 - [Interviewer] And where are you from? 18:31.074 --> 18:32.929 - Elizabeth, New Jersey. 18:32.929 --> 18:35.867 - [Interviewer] And your unit. - 6th Communication Battalion, Brooklyn, New York.