News>Through Airmen's Eyes: Airman carries legacy from ground zero to Bagram
Photos
Master Sgt. Frank Berlanga, 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Reaper Three squad leader from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Security Forces Squadron, stands next to an American flag which he has flown all around the world in memory of his close friend and teammate, Staff Sgt. Jerome Dominguez, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Sept. 10, 2012. Dominguez, a member of the 105 SFS as well as the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit, gave his life on Sept. 11, 2001 while helping evacuate people from the World Trade Center. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Raymond Geoffroy)
Staff Sgt. Jerome Dominguez, a security forces Airman with the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Security Forces Squadron, and member of the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit, gave his life on September 11, 2001 while helping people evacuate from World Trade Center Tower One. (Courtesy photo)
Master Sgt. Frank Berlanga, a 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron squad leader from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Security Forces Squadron, addresses members of the 455th ESFS during a ceremony to honor his close friend and teammate, Staff Sgt. Jerome Dominguez, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Sept. 10, 2012. Dominguez, a member of the 105th SFS as well as the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit, gave his life on Sept. 11, 2001 while helping evacuate people from the World Trade Center. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Raymond Geoffroy)
Members of the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron salute a flag flown in honor of Staff Sgt. Jerome Dominguez, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Sept. 10, 2012. Dominguez, a member of the 105th SFS as well as the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit, gave his life on Sept. 11, 2001 while helping evacuate people from the World Trade Center. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Raymond Geoffroy)
Staff Sgt. Jerome Dominguez, a security forces Airman with the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Security Forces Squadron, and member of the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit, gave his life on Sept. 11, 2001 while helping people evacuate from World Trade Center Tower One. (Courtesy photo)
by Capt. Raymond Geoffroy
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
9/12/2012 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Sept. 11, 2001, was a day of sacrifice, grief and heroism. It was a day in which time seemed to stand still as America watched events unfold in stunned silence.
More than a decade later, the mention of the date still invokes powerful emotions, memories and stories. An Airman currently deployed to Bagram Airfield has one of those stories...
Staff Sgt. Jerome Dominguez, a security forces Airman with the New York Air National Guard's 105th Security Forces Squadron, and member of the New York City Police Department's Emergency Services Unit, gave his life on 9/11 while helping people evacuate from World Trade Center Tower One.
Few understand Dominguez's sacrifice better than Master Sgt. Frank Berlanga, a squad leader with the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron here. Dominguez and Berlanga were assigned to the 105th SFS together. They were also life-long friends from the Bronx.
"Jerome and I met when we were 12 years old in an organization called Sea Cadets," said Berlanga. "We became best friends from that point on.
"We did everything together: went to school together, went to college together," Berlanga continued. "He was the best man at my wedding. I was the best man at his wedding. He's the godfather of my children."
As they grew up, Dominguez and Berlanga also shared the drive to serve others.
"There came a time in (Jerome's) life where he wanted to join the military," Berlanga said. "We had the opportunity right after high school, but he was a robust kind of guy and he couldn't lose the weight in time. So I went to the Marine Corps, became a Marine Corps reservist."
Dominguez and Berlanga continued to serve together as NYPD officers, but Dominguez's desire to enter the military lingered. After Berlanga completed his time with the Marines, the two had an opportunity to join the New York Air National Guard, so Dominguez took it upon himself to lose the weight and become and Airman with Berlanga.
Berlanga said Dominguez's "can-do" attitude and positive spirit earned him respect among his peers in the ANG and NYPD.
"He was very outgoing. He would have a passion to do as much as he possibly could in a short period of time. He would always find a way to help you. He would give you his last dollar. He was just that kind of guy," Berlanga said. "So when he became a cop, it was perfect for him because it gave him a purpose, to help people. And he was very passionate about that."
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Dominguez and Berlanga were having a conversation over the phone when Berlanga heard the first reports over Dominguez's radio.
"Our plans were to get together that day for breakfast or to do something that evening for my birthday," Berlanga said. "I called him when I got out of (night shift) late. ... As I'm taking to him, I hear the chatter in the background on the radio. He goes, 'Ah, a small plane just went into the World Trade Center.'"
They had heard of accidents involving small aircraft in the city, so they were not overly concerned about the news. Dominguez was tasked to respond, so they agreed to meet for a meal afterward and Berlanga said goodbye to his best friend without a second thought.
It wasn't until Berlanga made his way into the city that he realized this was not a small accident.
"As I'm going over the bridge from Queens in the Bronx, I can see in the distance the World Trade Center, the black billowing smoke coming off the north tower, and I knew in my heart that was not an accident" he said. "There was something more to it. By the time I got to the other side, the other tower was in flames."
Shortly after that, Berlanga and his entire 105th SFS team were recalled and activated. In the aftermath of the towers' collapse, wing leadership authorized a team of 25, including Berlanga, to join rescue and recovery operations at ground zero. At the time they were tasked, Berlanga and his team hadn't heard a word from Dominguez.
"Whether it was recovering (Jerome), recovering other victims, or just going through the debris, that's what we did," Berlanga said. "It was very emotional to say the least. The first couple of days were difficult because we were working 18 hours and sleeping on the rubble, the streets, wherever we could. The group that went down there became very tight-knit because we all knew Jerome personally."
Despite two weeks of tireless search, all that could be found of Dominguez was his helmet. The loss of Dominguez sent shockwaves through his squadron and the entire New York ANG.
Dominguez's brothers-in-arms vowed to keep his memory alive.
"While we were at ground zero of the World Trade Center searching for him and other survivors, back at the home station, a Master Sergeant O'Neil requested that a flag be flown in honor of Jerome. So he requisitioned a flag and it was flown," said Berlanga. "When we got back to the base, he presented the flag to me. He said 'This is his flag ... to keep his memory alive.'"
Berlanga has done just that. He has sent that flag around the world and with it the tale of Dominguez's heroism and sacrifice. Since the earliest days of the global war on terror, the flag has flown over destinations around the world, to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and now Afghanistan.
Eleven years after that terrible day, defenders from the 455th ESFS here gathered under calm blue skies to hear Berlanga tell Dominguez's tale and to honor all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of freedom.
For Berlanga, there can be no higher calling than to carry his best friend's legacy ... and his flag.
"My goal is to pass on his legacy, to inspire other Airmen to be, if not better than him, just as good as him," Berlanga said. "(Dominguez) inspired many people -- not to do good, but to do your best. Not for 100 percent, but for 110."
Comments
9/11/2012 5:10:09 PM ET As a retired USAFSP I can say there is no greater loss than a brother in arms. Thanks to all who have served and to those still serving. Hooah
