On September 11, like any other morning, most of the Secret Service employees were either settling into their offices or still making their way to work. Others were about to attend meetings to prepare for the upcoming meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. At 8:48 a.m. their offices in Building 7 shook and the lights flickered. Most of them stopped for a quick moment but quickly returned to their work.
However, after realizing that a plane had hit the north tower of the World Trade Center, they very quickly went into an alert mode. Although most other tenants started to evacuate the building, the men and women of the Secret Service instinctively grabbed first aid trauma kits and other emergency equipment.
Special Agent in Charge, Steve Carey, and other managers ran from one floor to another, and room to room, to ensure that everyone was moving to safety. Once outside, they saw the sky engulfed by flames and smoke. Some of the agents ran into the north tower to assist in the evacuation process. Others began to execute the emergency medical skills that they had been trained to perform and set up small triage units on West Street to assist the injured.
Tragically, as the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Otter) has said, the Secret Service lost an employee, Master Special Officer Craig Miller. Officer Miller was on a temporary assignment in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and was nearby at the Marriott Hotel when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Although the hotel was evacuated, it appears that Officer Miller stayed behind to help. Because of his military background and extensive emergency medical training, those who knew Officer Miller believe his life was taken while trying to assist the wounded. In fact, some of the medical equipment was later found in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel that that particular officer had in his possession.