Navy SEAL heroes assist during Pentagon/WTC attacks - Around the Fleet - Craig Powell, Pete Berardi

Tragedy such as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 can cause great pain and sadness. But tragedy can also breed great heroism, such as that shown by Navy SEALs (Sea, Air and Land) CDR Craig Powell and LCDR Pete Berardi. Without hesitation, these men completely disregarded their own safety to help when and where they were needed most -- in the dark and smoke-filled chaotic "ground zero" spaces of the Pentagon and World Trade Center.

The morning a plane crashed into the Pentagon, Powell who had recently reported to Washington, D.C., for duty, was taking a test for an acquisitions course on the fifth floor' C ring when he noticed that President Bush was addressing the nation on television.

"The president was saying 'God bless America, the families and the victims' when the building rumbled and a shock wave went through the room, he stated. "We were just on the outer edge of the impact area, and were forced out of the office immediately."

Taking the stairs to the first level, Powell arrived at ground zero to see walking wounded coming from an interior passageway. "I saw a female lieu tenant junior grade stumbling around, soaking wet, and she indicated that others were trapped inside the Navy Command Center." Smoke billowed from the direction in which she pointed. As he started to enter the dark passageway alone, Powell decided that it would be best to alert someone of his whereabouts and turned back toward the outside of the building.

The scene he met was distressing. Numerous individuals had been forced to a window on one of the above floors by thick, black smoke and were desperately trying to figure out how to exit the building. Recognizing the need for decisive action, Powell enlisted bystander participation to form a "human net" to cushion the fall of the trapped personnel as others encouraged them to jump out of the window. As people jumped, the Navy SEAL's strong carriage took the majority of the weight, causing him to pull a quadriceps muscle.

When a stepladder arrived, Powell joined with other rescuers to push a large metal trash bin under the window in order for the ladder to reach a height from which the remaining personnel could be evacuated. CDR Jeff Stratton, also a Navy SEAL, arrived a few moments later with a cart to help remove the injured from the area.

With the situation at the window under control, Powell quickly returned toward the direction of the ruined Navy Command Center, where he discovered a small opening in the destruction that might lead to trapped individuals. After briefing the senior officer present, Powell wet a handkerchief, placed it against his face to block the smoke, and proceeded into the turmoil.

"I went up into the hole -- I couldn't see anything and really couldn't get down low because I had hurt my leg earlier and couldn't squat down," he commented. "I proceeded to move anything I could grab and pass it out to clear the area."

With an Air Force lieutenant general and an emergency medical technician at his side, Powell forged ahead into the space as fire and smoke billowed. "As I was clearing the room, others were looking for more people. I saw the mesh screen of the roof sagging, so I held it up and told the others to get out because the roof was going to come down." When it appeared as if everyone inside the space had exited, he and the other rescuers got out just before the entire area collapsed.

While Powell was making his fiery escape, Berardi was just beginning to realize that America was under attack by terrorists. Working in nearby Crystal City, Va., as a SEAL liaison to the Naval Sea Systems Command, word was starting to spread around the building that airplanes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York.

"Like most Americans, I don't think I believed it at first said Berardi, a native of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., located about an hour north of New York City. "But then we all hear a loud boom, and as I looked out my office window, I could see black smoke starting to rise from the area of town where the Pentagon is."

As Berardi began to worry about friends and colleagues in the Pentagon, his thoughts quickly turned to his family and friends in New York -- including many NYC firefighters.

"My best friend in the world just retired as a New York City firefighter, so I immediately called him," said Berardi, who learned that his friend was OK. Sadly, however, many NYC firefighters died in the rescue attempts just after the attack, and they needed all the help they could get.

"Like everyone else, I felt like I needed to do something -- anything to help," said Berardi. "Knowing I was a SEAL, my buddy was able to get permission for me join the other rescuers in the search for survivors. My boss was totally supportive as well, so I hopped in a car and drove up to New York as fast as I could."

The next day, Berardi met his friend just a few blocks away from the World Trade Center. After going through several checkpoints, Berardi arrived at ground zero and was introduced to the team of rescuers that he would work with for the next few days. After donning protective gear, Berardi and his new teammates attempted to get into the bowels of the WTC to look for survivors.