MEN with BRASS BALLS chasing GHOSTS

Fenway Park (Photo by John Bonaccorso)

The day after Osama bin Laden was killed, John Bonaccorso (The Drowning Frog, The Chocolate Starfish) was at a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park.  Just before game time the announcer asked everyone to rise for a moment of silence.

34,000 fans in the stadium stood and watched as a giant American flag was lowered over the famous Green Monster wall in left field.  “During that moment of silence,” John said, “You could have heard a pin drop.”

This has been a week for reflection  . . . and a temporary, collective sigh of relief.  It’s been a week to talk with friends near and far about about the events and emotions that have shaped us since 9/11.

Like most Americans I watched from the sidelines as 9/11 and its aftermath unfolded.  Over the next ten years I followed the news stories about the rise of Al-Qaeda and the search for Osama bin Laden.

But some of the friends I talked with on the phone this week did more than observe.

When I knew these friends in college they were just regular guys.  Many of them worked with me at the first bar I managed, The Mug in Cortland NY.  The bartenders and doormen were all from my fraternity (Beta Phi Epsilon; SUNY Cortland) — even the cleaning guy was a Beta buddy.  Jim “Cowboy” Van Wormer was a starting defensive end on the football team; he mopped the place up early each morning before heading to classes.

But when they left college, a lot of these buddies took jobs that led them directly into the tidal wave of events that followed 9/11.  Talking with them this week was like that first chill from the headlines — all over again

At the time of 9/11, Mike Galvin was Commander of a SWAT Unit in Florida while other fraternity brothers were with the FBI, or were State troopers and police officers — and all of their jobs took on a new and heightened dimension following the attacks.  Matt Quinn was with one of the largest banks in America, and the department he headed quickly switched it’s focus from tracking potential money laundering by organized crime to tracking the finances of terrorist groups.

Ground Zero NYC on 9/11 (Photo by Charlie “Buff” Kerrigan)

Charlie Kerrigan was at Ground Zero on 9/11.  With extensive training in “confined space and high angle rescue”, Charlie and his men from the Rockville Centre Fire Department on Long Island were called to the World Trade Center immediately after the attacks.

Charlie’s nickname is “Buff”, short for “Buffalo.”  At 6’5″, 250 lbs., he was an offensive lineman for the Cortland State football team, big number “75″.  He was blocking the opposition as Billy Shear kicked his historic field goal during the homecoming game against Hobart College.  (Shear’s 61-yard field goal was the first ever “over-sixty” kick recorded in football at any level — high school, college, or professional.  The first “60-yarder” in the NFL wouldn’t come until four years later, in 1970.)

For as long as I’ve known him, Charlie has been the big/quiet type.  His emails are short, typically only a sentence or two, sometimes only one word.  (Like”OK”, or “No.”)  But I’ll never forget the email he sent us after being thrust into the carnage at the WTC towers.  He wrote about thinking that he was on another planet, in a different world.  He said that the devastation was the most horrible scene he’d ever witnessed, and that he prayed he would never see anything like that again.

Bob Guzzo became US Navy SEAL after leaving Cortland State, and it was speaking with Bob this week that for me really put a human face on all of this — all the work and sacrifice it took to bring to justice the most wanted man in the world, Osama bin Laden.

In his 25 years as a SEAL commando, Bob served in places like Croatia and El Salvador.  “I‘ve been all over the world,” he said, “There aren’t many countries I haven’t been to.”

Bob was assigned to the Navy SEAL’s “Red Cell” Team which conducted terrorist attack scenarios as well as vulnerability assessments for the Department of Defense on a world-wide basis.  (As we talked, he explained the difference between “anti-terrorism” which is working to prevent a terrorist attack, and “counter-terrorism” which is responding to such attacks.)

Late in his active career Bob was seriously injured and had to have both hips replaced.  “I figured it was time to give up the night missions,“ he told me, “Time to give up jumping out of helicopters and being a gunslinger.”

Bob’s new assignment was to the Pentagon as an Anti-terrorism Officer.  He and his team secured office space and were setting up the necessary equipment — they didn’t even have computers installed yet.

Some of Bob’s team members were still checking in when the Pentagon was struck during the 9/11 attacks.

The Pentagon on 9/11 (Photo by Mike Garcia)

One hundred eighty-four people were killed at the Pentagon that day.  As Bob rushed out to help secure the area and attempt to rescue survivors, his friend and fellow Anti-terrorism Officer Mike Garcia took this photo of the devastation.  (“Mike probably took 60% of the photos you see from the Pentagon that day,“ Bob told me. “Some of his photographs are in the Smithsonian.“)

Bob was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism for his efforts on 9/11.

For the next year Bob worked for the newly-established Pentagon Force Protection Agency, then spent a year at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency before being promoted to Deputy Chief of the Anti-terrorism and Force Protection Branch of the Security and Counterintelligence Directorate.

“We were running around like crazy after 9/11,” Bob recalls of his counterintelligence work in those days, “It was like chasing ghosts.”

When the 9/11 attacks occurred, Bob’s son Rob Jr. was in college at his dad’s alma mater, Cortland State.  Rob had also joined his father’s fraternity, Beta Phi Epsilon.

“On the night of 9/11 Rob called me called me from the (Beta) house,” Bob Sr. said, “He told me he wanted to join the Navy SEALS after graduation. He wanted to go after these guys.”

“He’s my son,” Bob said, “And I was concerned about him getting involved . . . there’s no guarantee when you go in that you’ll come out alive.  But I supported his decision.”

Rob Guzzo Jr. during the Iraq War

Rob Jr. was in BUD/S class 251, and became a member of Navy SEAL Team 5.  Upon graduation he was awarded his dad’s old SEAL Trident, the first medal the commandos receive when they complete their training.

Rob Jr. went into battle at Ramadi, Iraq in 2006. His buddy Marc Lee lost his life there, the first Navy SEAL killed in the war.  Marc and Rob had gone though SEAL BUD/S training together.  (In background of the picture you can see the name LEE — the camp at Ramadi was renamed CAMP MARC LEE in Marc’s honor.)

Rob Jr. made it through the Iraq war and he’s back home now. He’s pursuing a career in acting (in action films, go figure.)

Picturing Charlie K at Ground Zero on 9/11, and talking with Bob Guzzo and Rob Jr. who were actively engaged in combat in this war on terrorism, I thought their lives have been so different . . . it’s a little scary.

I’ve never thought of myself as living a quiet life. During my years behind the bar, I’ve had my share of confrontations and scuffles, and I’ve had a few heart-pounding moments.

One night at The Mug, a guy walked up to the bar and pulled a gun on me.  He cocked the hammer back and put the end of the barrel against my forehead.  I remember weighing my options sort of calmly and analytically — then I took the gun away from him and knocked him down with a blow to the side of the head.  I wasn’t scared until after it was over.

“But that was simply reacting to something I couldn’t avoid,” I told Bob.  “I don‘t think I’d have the balls to do what those Navy SEALS did . . . to willingly jump into the shit when you could just as easily choose not to get involved.”

This wasn’t a movie or a video game.  Those Navy SEALS flew in under the radar, unannounced in a foreign country.  Two dozen of them repelled from their helicopters into darkness; they lowered themselves inside the enemy compound of the world’s most feared terrorist.

They knew they’d be facing enemy fire, but didn’t know when or where it might come from. They had to get in — win a life-or-death gun battle — and then get out without being shot down on the return flight by Pakistani fighter planes.

“They were just doing their job,” Bob said, “They were doing what they’d been trained to do.”

“On a mission,” he explained, “You’re not thinking about whether or not you’re going to make it back home.”

“You train and train,” he told me, “It’s unbelievable how difficult and tortuous the training is . . . but when the time comes, your body reacts.  You simply do what you have to in order to complete the mission.”

“An hour later, maybe two days later, you might think, “Holy Shit!” . . . but at the time you’re completely focused on the mission.”

That makes sense.  I can understand how it works . . . but I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I don’t know if I’d have guts to do it.  These guys are different; they’re flat-out heroes.

I can’t remember recent conversations that I’ve enjoyed more than talking with Bob Sr. on the phone this past week.  There were times as we talked that I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

Bob Guzzo Sr. and Rob Jr. at their daughter/sister Danielle’s wedding

And throughout our conversations I heard the same thing time and again.  I heard Bob’s great pride in America and his willingness to put his life on the line for his country if he had to.

During one conversation he stopped and said, “I am very proud to be an American, a Navy Seal and a Beta man.”  His son Rob said the same thing in a follow-up email.

I guess it’s out of fashion nowadays to talk about your college frat — but I am proud to be a member of Beta Phi Epsilon and I’m proud to know these men.

Our fraternity is best known for its long string of All-American athletes, Olympic medalists and National Hall of Fame coaches.  It’s known for it’s high school and college teachers and administrators, and for outstanding contributions in many fields.   (I exchanged more emails this week with Beta alumnus and long-time friend Joe McInerney.  He spent two decades teaching and writing books on human genetics before becoming executive director of NCHPEG – the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics. He helped educate state and federal judges about genetic evidence and the law after the O. J. Simpson trial.)

But being jocks at heart, many from our fraternity went into the military, law enforcement and served as firemen — and that got them directly involved in the dedication and sacrifice that led to the events of this past week.

Today my hat is off to this group especially . . . these guys just have balls made of brass.

(Ed. note, 5/12:  Mike Garcia just sent us more photos.  Here are three of them.  Please feel free to leave a comment on this post below.)

Aerial view of the damage. (Photo by Mike Garcia)

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32 Responses to MEN with BRASS BALLS chasing GHOSTS

  1. Charlie Kerrigan says:

    Dunny I certainly appreciate the mention but it does disservice to the Seals to compare what I did to what they do. God bless our military.
    Buff ’68

  2. Mike Q says:

    Charlie (Buff), … I don’t think it’s a matter of comparison, but the fact is you risked (and continue to risk) your life for the rest of us in times of crisis. Whether it’s at ground zero, or operating the “jaws of life” at an accident, or being in charge of a fire station and making sure that your team is ready to react — that’s something worth commending.
    (Dunny) Mike Q

    • S. Dickens says:

      Mike Q – Came across the article after doing a search on 9/11. How can I get a hold of the individuals you talked about in “Men with brass balls chasing ghost” (Bob Guzzo Sr., Mike Garcia, and Charlie Kerrigan). Would like to talk to them about a possible speaking opportunity. Please contact me via email for more info. Thanks

  3. Starbucks8294 says:

    Those are some kick-ass guys. I’m glad they are on our side. Very inspiring story, I enjoyed reading it after what transpired. Like you said it put a human face of what those Seals did.

  4. Hank says:

    We’re not supposed to celebrate anyone’s death but that man was as evil as Hitler. If he had gotten access to any power like Hitler did imagine what he would have done. I’m glad that Osama Bin Laden will “never walk this earth again.” Good post this week. Thanks.

  5. Llylak says:

    You definitely put a human face on these men. In light of recent events this is one of your better posts.

  6. JakeShell says:

    The guy had both hips replaced so he went into counterintelligence? Man, those Navy Seals are the toughest son-of-a-bitches anywhere. They deserve the thanks and gratitude of all Americans.

  7. Dan says:

    Thank you for the “up close and personal” look at some modern American heros.

  8. Jim Desisto says:

    I started reading your blog a few weeks ago. Nice post. Makes you want to chant “USA, USA!”

  9. Susan P says:

    Thank you for telling this inspiring story.

  10. Joshua says:

    This a great portrait of some of the heros of 9/11. What they went through deserves more recognition and I’m glad you went that way with this post. I certainly enjoyed it.

  11. Teri says:

    Heroes indeed! Your post had me cheering! God bless our troops!

  12. Prime says:

    Nice blog keep up good work.

  13. Great write-up. I’m a regular visitor of your blog and appreciate you taking the time to maintain the nice site. I will be a frequent visitor for a really long time.

  14. mark albrechta says:

    2-1-2 Dunny, thats one hell of an article on charlie, guzzo and the rest of the brass ball class. Where was I when the gun episode happened in the mug? I saw bob guzzo mid july and he is elated about the article and the speaking engagement he and charlie are getting from it. This only delays my getting my long deserved paddle from my only wormy I ever had. Whats another excuse, its only been 36 years in the making.

  15. MikeQ says:

    Mark, … good to hear from you bro! I don’t think you were in town for the gun episode. Joe (the owner) wanted to keep it as quiet as possible for business reasons, so it was pretty much a one night thing. I gave the cops the gun, the guy was barred for life, and that was pretty much it. We didn’t press charges. The speaking engagement at the US Air Force Academy is the type of recognition these guys deserve. (Ed. note: Back at The Mug my name was Mike Dunford, my college buddies still call me Dunny — see the post “How I got my name” for the long version of why I’m now Mike Q.)

  16. dan coan says:

    hey nice article mike,….glad to see the brothers of 36 tompkins st stiill doing great things. you guys seem to be a bit younger than myself , i don’t recall “the mug”,..when I was around…..god bless the military veterans, young and old for taking care of our past, present,…and future of the great country.
    2-1-2 tcb D Coan (fall 89′)
    NYPD ESU #2

  17. Beta class of January 1975, Bob Guzzo, Joe Corcoran,Gerry Finn, Jim Reardon, Dave Dengler, Jacob Stomieroski. Bob and Gerry both left early to join the Navy, I still remain in contact with Jake, Dave, the late Bob Jacovino, Bob Bingelli, Tom Cashmore. The last 3 all graduated class of 1978, I was their pledgemaster.

  18. Denis Keating says:

    Proud to be assocatied with these men of Beta.

    For those that understand no explaination is needed.
    For those that don’t understand no explanation is possible.

    No one remembers the Good.
    No one forgets the Bad.

    212 TCB Keating FDNY L32

  19. Josh Morris says:

    Great article Mike, I am Honored and Proud of my Beta Brothers!

    Josh Morris
    212 TCB
    Spring 95

  20. Brian McAvan says:

    Awesome article makes me proud to be a Beta brother.

    Brian McAvan
    Fall 93

  21. Bob LaCasse says:

    Great job Dunny! May the brothers of Beta Phi Epsilon continue to do great things.

    212 TCB
    Bob LaCasse
    Fall ’95

  22. Mike Galvin says:

    Dunny,

    I just came upon this site. I am honored that you would even mention my name with the brothers that are SEALs and other military operational types. Being a SWAT commander is totally different than what these really brave brothers do. You are right about Buff though, he will hardly say anything unless he’s drinking and playing cards!

    Mike Galvin
    2-1-2

    • MikeQ says:

      Mike G: You and Charlie are a lot alike in the way you downplay what you do. Being a SWAT commander is not your everyday job … most people don’t go to work highly trained in police tactics, fully equipped and armed, ready to put their lives on the line to protect the rest of us. We owe all you guys our sincere thanks. Good to hear from you … be calling you this week.
      212

  23. Connie says:

    Rob Guzzo (Jr) took his own life on Nov 11, 2012 after losing his battle with PTSD. A memorial page has been set up on Facebook @ Rob Guzzo Memorial. May he rest in peace.

  24. Vaughn Sherwood says:

    I am also proud to be a Beta man, and extremely proud of my fraternity brothers. Good memories from our years together at Cortland. Tank66

  25. Dennis Doherty says:

    Proud to have been a brother it has definitely defined my life in the best way possible
    2-1-2 forever.

  26. Andrew P Scherer says:

    Proud of my Beta brothers…2-1-2. ‘78

  27. Michael Garcia says:

    Nice story first time I am seeing it
    I can’t believe that this Sept will be 20 years…….my how times flies!
    But I am proud of what Bob and I did that day and what other First Responders did …..and ran towards the FIRE
    Just wanted to say to everyone thank you for supporting US

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