Marine veteran's heroic actions helped save officers trapped in rubble on 9/11

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Sgt. Jason Thomas had just retired from the Marine Corps about a year earlier. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, he was dropping his daughter off at his mother's Long Island home when she told him planes had flown into the twin towers.

Thomas quickly made his way to Lower Manhattan where he witnessed the tower’s collapse. Thomas had to take cover. He remembers the debris, dust clouds and glass falling from the sky.

“I knew the city needed help," Thomas said.

Thomas ran into danger and into the rubble to help trapped people get out.

Thomas ran into another Marine veteran, Staff Sgt. David Karnes, and together the two searched for survivors.

"Is anyone down there? United States Marines!" Thomas yelled into the crevice.

At one point, Thomas fell into a hole, but he was able to pull himself out. The two Marines found two Port Authority officers in the hole. William Jimeno and John McLoughlin were both alive but in bad shape.

Thomas was able to help get the officers out, saving their lives. His heroism is something that remains an inspiration to many others.

While navigating through the debris, Thomas set up a camera at the highest point. He had taken several pictures for his family just in case he did not make it out.

The camera got lost in the rubble, but a firefighter found it and placed it in a box in his basement until years later when Hurricane Sandy hit and the basement was flooded. The firefighter developed the pictures on the camera and returned them to Thomas.

Thomas said if he had to do it all over again, he would, as his mother always taught him he is his brother's keeper.