ROCHESTER, N.Y. – There are first responders in this community who responded on 9/11, 23 years ago. 

Some remember like it was yesterday. 

News10NBC’s Eriketa Cost caught up with one of those heroes during a ceremony at Highland Park.

Monroe County Legislator Paul Dondorfer started his first gig in law enforcement with NYPD in 2000. A year later, he’d be getting the call, and going into the rubble.

He was working the night shift when on the day of the attacks.

Driving home from work that morning, he looked up at the sky, and reflected on the beautiful day ahead that he planned to sleep through.

“A good friend of mine who I still talk to every year, called and woke me up because I work nights,” he said. “So he woke me up, I started watching the news like everyone else, saw what was going on, and said, ‘I think it might be time to get up and head into work.'”

Was he fearful in that moment, driving towards Manhattan in a van full of his fellow officers? Not at all. Dondorfer said no one thought about the risk they were taking or potential health threat they might face because of it in the future. The main focus was finding people who were still alive.

“We had every hope in the world that there were air pockets of people trapped in that rubble, and that was our job to get them out,” he said.

Some first responders lost their lives that day; others, years after in the war. Loved ones in attendance Wednesday morning at Highland Park shared their stories.

“Army Sgt. Heath McMillan was killed July 26, 2003 in Iraq. His unit reported to Ground Zero as soon as it happened, so they worked down there, and then he was eventually deployed to Iraq,” said Katherine Quinones.

“This is my son, Cpl. Reynold Armand. Obviously his name is up on the wall of War on Terror with the Marines. He enlisted after high school in 2004. He did come home, but unfortunately he came home in a casket in 2007,” said Miriam Velez.

Dondorfer said he has some lingering health issues from his work on 9/11. But he’s thankful to be standing alongside his fellow first responders, 23 years later. 

Today, he’s doing investigative work with the Rochester Police Department. 

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