Local Resident Volunteered At Ground Zero After 9/11

TRINITY, FL — It’s been 20 years since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and retired New York City police detective and former New York resident Fred Mack can remember the day vividly.

Mack, who now lives at The Watermark at Trinity in Pasco County, was living in Florida at the time. Three weeks after the terrorist attacks, he received a letter asking him to volunteer to sift through the remains to help identify the victims.

"When you're digging for a friend, it's a little bit different than digging for a stranger," said Mack in an interview with ABC Action News.

Mack, a retired marine, spent 10 days volunteering at ground zero and a landfill on Staten Island called "The Dig" where they had moved debris from the World Trade Center.

He said it was the first time he saw the whole city – and the United States – come together. Something he hopes the country can get back to it for the sake of his grandchildren.

For more of Mack’s story, see his interview with News Channel 8.