Story by Delanie Stafford
September 10, 2026 at 12:46PM The images of Sept. 11, 2001, are familiar to generations of Americans - the collapsing towers, the smoke rising over lower Manhattan, firefighters moving toward the devastation and the massive recovery effort that followed.
Less visible was the enormous logistical operation required to keep the disaster response moving.
The following accounts are from Marilyn Mikula and Dave Holley, two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District employees, who shared their experience as first recorded in December 2001 from an assignment unlike any they had experienced before.
They are among seven U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District employees to support search and recovery efforts whose experiences are being highlighted again today as part of a short series in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The attacks claimed 2,977 victims and required one of the largest disaster response efforts in U.S. history.
Both deployed shortly after the attacks and supported the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the New York City Fire Department and other agencies involved in the search and recovery effort.<br /><a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/news/574294/looking-back-ground-zero-part-2-personal-accounts-omaha-district-employees-who-joined-disaster-response-following-9"><img src="https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2609/9924313/250w_q95.jpg" width="250" alt="Looking back at Ground Zero, Part 2: Personal accounts of Omaha District employees who joined disaster response following the 9/11 attacks" /></a>
