'This can't be happening'

"Once their feelings of anger slowly began to ebb, Kitsap citizens, much like the rest of the U.S., wondered what they could do to help the thousands of victims caught in the terrorist attacks on the East Coast last Tuesday.All the while, Kitsap County Chief Deputy Coroner Don Ursery quietly wielded his years of training as a forensic specialist to aid in what became an overwhelming rescue and recovery mission at the Pentagon, just hours after a hijacked commercial airliner knifed through the famous military command post and two others slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. He had no time for anger.I feel very patriotic about what we were able to accomplish, Ursery said shortly after returning from his seven-day stay at a command post that lay near the burned-up Pentagon. You could say I was in the right place at the wrong time.And perhaps this chance placement of one of Kitsap's most underrated public servants can lend some comfort to local folks who wanted to help, still want to help, have helped in some way or feel they can never help enough.Ursery was standing in the halls of the Congressional Building in D.C. when a secret service agent informed him of the attacks. Moments later, military officials whisked Ursery to the Pentagon and a nearby staging area where rescue efforts were underway.Kitsap County officials had been planning to dispatch Ursery to Washington, D.C., where he could court local senators and representatives for the funds necessary to build a 14,000 -square-foot coroner's office at what will become the Emergency Readiness Center in West Bremerton. Everything just happened so quickly, said Ursery of his time at the nation's capital. It did look like something out of a movie, and I had to remind myself that this was actually occurring. My biggest memory was just thinking, 'This can't be happening to this military facility.' All that was there was a gaping hole in the ground. It was beyond imagination.Ursery invested the seven most difficult days of his career at the site as part of the search and rescue team. But, because his expertise doesn't generally involve survivors of an incident, he arguably had a tougher time than some.His duties included documenting and photographing what was left of the victims found in the rubble that once was part of Pods I and II of the Pentagon. Recent reports indicate there are 126 people still missing in the Pentagon attacks, with initial reports showing there could be up to 800 lives lost when all is said and done.Ursery said he dealt well with his duties and the unfortunate situation on an analytical level, but it will take years to overcome the emotional turmoil.Before leaving his post, Ursery, like so many of his colleagues at the site, availed himself of the chaplains stationed near the rescue effort's staging area and was allowed to get a lot of emotions off of his chest.Now that he's back on duty in Kitsap County, and has been since this last Wednesday, Ursery is certain he will call on a counselor the county contracts out on behalf of the coroner's office and it's employees.You'll never forget an experience like that, he said. This is something that will stay with me.Even as a trained forensic specialist, nothing could have prepared him for what happened to the thousands of American civilians on the East Coast and, in turn, to all those who tried to save them.We've had emergency exercises back at home and I was involved in the North Ridge earthquake that hit California, he said. But those were not of this same magnitude.Even as Ursery struggles to deal with his inner turmoil, his thanks and prayers go out to all of those involved in the tragedy. His thoughts have turned more than once to the passengers on the west-coast bound flight that crashed in Pennsylvania.We heard later that that plane was headed for the Capitol, he said. I have a lot of prayers and thankfulness for the efforts of those passengers who helped sabotage the terrorists' intent.Even with all the terror and the fear, Ursery never doubted he was fated to be in D.C. at the time of the attacks - although he prefers the whole tragedy never happened, of course. But perhaps he was placed there, at one of the most devastating scenes to be written in our U.S. history books because he could help, and help others helpthe victims and families affected by the attacks.I believe in fate, since I've gone through quite a bit, he said. I was forced to retire from police work in California after being shot in the line of duty. Shortly after, I moved up here and started work with Kitsap County.Everything has a purpose to it, said Ursery, his voice calm, tired. "

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