The Okaloosa County School District is bridging the generational gap between current students and the events of September 11, 2001, through a video series that brings personal stories from community members directly to the public.
- Deputy John Wohlfarth, currently serving as a School Resource Officer with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office at Edwins Elementary, recently shared his powerful firsthand account of that fateful day when he was a New York Police Department officer.
“From 2000 to 2005, I was a New York City police officer, at which time I worked the event of 9/11,” Wohlfarth said. “On the morning of 9/11 ,it was supposed to be my regular day off.”
Wohlfarth’s day began with an urgent call from his cousin, also a police officer, urging him to turn on the news. They watched as the second plane crashed into the World Trade Center, realizing the gravity of the situation.
- “He said ‘go ahead and pack a bag, because we’re going in, and I don’t know when we’re coming home‘,” Wohlfarth recalled.
Despite living almost 50 miles from his command, Wohlfarth made the challenging two-hour commute into work after all NYPD officers were recalled. The chaos and traffic of the day complicated travel throughout the city.
“My command was probably about 15 miles from actual ground zero,” he said. “I could see the smoldering smoke in the air, but I couldn’t actually see the buildings or the actual ground zero itself.”
In the immediate aftermath, Wohlfarth’s duties focused on maintaining a visible presence and assisting those in need. “It was just getting out onto foot patrol posts and being highly visible and just helping anybody that we could help,” he explained.
Wohlfarth emphasized the remarkable unity that emerged following the attacks.
- “It was just the cohesiveness and the togetherness of the community. Everybody came together. It was amazing,” he said. “People from all different facets of life that you wouldn’t expect to be hugging one another or associating with each other just all came together.”
The school district’s initiative aims to educate current students, none of whom were alive on September 11, 2001, about the day’s profound impact on the United States. Through stories like Wohlfarth’s, students gain a personal connection to historical events that shaped the nation.
Wohlfarth concluded with a message for students:
“I would ask that you be aware and conscious that things like that can happen here at home,” he said. “And to remember those innocent lives that perished on that day. And also, I would like you to remember all of those that still fight for our freedom to this day.”
