Voice that led people into the light
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This is a Pentagon rescuer’s uniform worn on September 11, 2001, by Federal K-9 officer Sgt. Isaac Ho‘opi‘i (a native of Hawai‘i), which includes a shirt with insignia, trousers, boots, and name tag. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Federal K-9 officer Sgt. Isaac Ho‘opi‘i and his dog Vito finished their morning inspection at the Pentagon’s lawn and were heading over to take Vito to the vet. Shortly after, Ho‘opi‘i hears a report on his patrol-car radio about the terrorists’ attack on the Pentagon. Ho‘opi‘i hurried back to the destroyed section of the building. He immediately realized that many people were trapped inside and were disoriented by the thick smoke. After carrying a number of people to safety, he courageously went into the smoke-filled building, calling out in his roaring deep voice: “This Way! Come towards my voice.” Ho‘opi‘i is credited with saving many lives.
Following the September 11 attacks, professional photographers such as Richard Avedon engaged in documentary projects. Avedon contacted Pentagon police officer Isaac Ho‘opi‘i after a Washington Post article featured Ho‘opi‘i’s heroic efforts to rescue people from the blinding smoke of the Pentagon fire. The photograph was taken for inclusion in the American Red Cross Heroes of September 11 campaign that appeared originally in USA Today. He received the Pentagon’s Office of the Secretary Medal of Valor distinction for the lives that he saved on September 11, 2001.
The term “hero” is used so loosely at times. But few people truly put their own lives at risk for the sake of others and without regard to their own. We are blessed to have such people in our lives. I am proud to call him “cousin” and “friend.”