Arkansan, former Manhattan firefighter reflects on journey of healing following 9/11

HOUSTON, Ark. – An Arkansan and former Manhattan firefighter was one of many first responders rushing to the scene of the World Trade Center to save lives on 9/11.

Lazerus Thompson was 21 years old. He woke up and went to work like any other day, ready to fight fires from the Manhattan Fire Station 2.

“It was just a regular day, and then it was like breaking news,” Thompson said.

That was until he heard the fire tone ring out for the World Trade Center. They then turned the sirens on without fully understanding what they would be driving into.

“We geared up, took off and we did what we had to do to help the people out of the building,” Thompson said.

It was later determined that at 8:46 a.m., hijacked Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center; as evacuations began, hijacked Flight 175 hit the south tower at 9:03 a.m.

As first responders were on the scene, the south tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m., and the north tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m.

“It was terrifying,” Thompson said. “Everyone was rushing to find safety, and it was just chaos.”

The ash and smoke filled the air even more as the towers collapsed, killing even more innocent and heroic lives.

“It’s hard, lost a lot of brothers and sisters,” Thompson said.

“Search and rescue afterward, and all that there, it was gruesome,” Thompson said.  “I was angry, I wished I could do more, I wished I could find so and so.”

According to Thompson, he still gets flashbacks to this day.

After weeks of search and rescue, Thompson decided it was best to return to his home state of Florida to try to process all of his emotions and deal with the guilt of being able to walk away alive.

“I was in Florida drinking and consuming alcohol, drinking all the time, numbing the emotions,” Thompson said.

Thompson ended up with a DUI. That’s when he began running from the pain and sorrow.

He made his way out to California, where he met his wife and had four children, but more tragedy struck after he lost them all in a car crash.

Thompson said he found himself on and off the streets, being homeless. He said he eventually rode a bicycle from LA to San Diego, Arizona, New Mexico, El Paso, Fort Worth, Dallas, and ended up in Arkansas.

That is when he found Renewal Ranch on Sept. 11, 2023, and he entered the program.

“I came here on 9/11 of last year,” he said. “It’s a personal anniversary,” Thompson said.

Thompson began learning to deal with his emotions through Christ.

“The Bible, that’s what helped me get through my emotions,” Thompson said.

Each day, there are little reminders of the first responders who lost their lives at ground zero, but now he is living his life with purpose for them.

Thompson reminds people always to remember and never forget.

“I gotta remember the ones who paid the ultimate sacrifice, they are the real heroes,” Thompson said.

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