Police officer says faith helped him though Sept. 11 ordeal

Published: 2006-12-01

SPARTA, N.J. (CNS) -- Recalling his fight for life underneath the rubble of the south tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, New York Port Authority police officer Will Jimeno said he called on God in his darkest, most desperate hour of need. "I started saying a prayer," Jimeno told more than 100 people recently at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta. "I was at peace with God. I thanked him for a good life and for my wife and my family." The Colombian-born Jimeno spoke on "Blessings From Tragedies"; his talk was sponsored by the Paterson diocesan Catholic Charities' Partnership for Social Services Family Center in Franklin. The retired police officer urged people everywhere to learn from the lessons of the Sept. 11 tragedy and "make the world a better place." Jimeno's Nov. 10 talk came a month before the Dec. 12 release of the DVD of the movie "World Trade Center," directed by Oliver Stone. The film -- critically lauded for its emotional bite and reverence for the Sept. 11 terror attacks -- details the ordeal and eventual rescue of Jimeno and his commanding officer, Sgt. John McLoughlin, who were trapped for 12 hours in a small cave of space formed by the rubble.

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