The American Red Cross responds to a disaster every eight minutes, around the clock, 365 days a year. But our humanitarian work wouldn't be possible without our tireless volunteers, who constitute 97 percent of our total work force. Nearly 50,000 responded to the September 11 tragedy. Thousands still remain on the scene, and will remain there as long as there is a need.

Red Cross "everyday heroes" come from all walks of life and from all age groups. Everyone has something special to offer and everyone has an inspiring story to tell. There are many faces of service, and these are their stories.

Volunteer Counselor Brings Peace to N.Y. Paramedic

Written by Mason Anderson, Staff Writer, Redcross.org

Mariln Vallejo, right, meets with Scott Beloten, a survivor of the World Trade Center collapse, and his daughter to discuss the traumatic event.

March 14, 2002— A New York City paramedic was trapped in the debris of what was once the south tower of the World Trade Center, trying desperately to find his way out. Meanwhile, an American Red Cross volunteer raced to LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports to set up counseling services for the thousands of stranded crews and passengers who were terrified by the morning's events, unable to get home to their families.

Scott Beloten, a paramedic for Malmonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, and Marilyn Vallejo, a Red Cross mental health counselor and professional social worker, had never met. Yet, six months later, the two exemplify how the extraordinary events of Sept. 11 brought people together and turned strangers into friends.

The Nightmare

During his 10 years of experience as a paramedic, Scott Beloten had grown accustomed to being one of the first responders to a wide range of emergency situations, from gas leaks to gun wounds. After arriving at the World Trade Center shortly after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower, Beloten and his fellow emergency personnel acted as if they were responding to a typical emergency and raced inside to treat the injured.

"We saw the flames and knew that hundreds of people were going to die that morning, but we also knew we had to help the people who were trapped," recalled Beloten. "It never occurred to any of us that the building could collapse. It just wasn't a possibility. It was the World Trade Center - it would be there forever."

On his way inside, Beloten was struck by a falling piece of debris that sliced open his hand, forcing him to stop and treat it before he followed his friend, Rick Quinn, into the building. After locating a safe entry, Beloten followed Quinn, just moments behind him. Then he heard a noise he will never forget.

"There was this rumble, and immediately my coworkers and I all turned around and started to run. The faster we ran the faster the noise came — it was like it was chasing us. I dove behind a potted tree, and the noise just surrounded me. Then there was complete darkness and, after that, this eerie silence," recalled Beloten.

Unable to breathe because of debris in his mouth, Beloten struggled to free himself of the rubble before he suffocated. "I knew my time was running out," said Beloten. "Then I heard a fireman and together we found our way to safety. My friend, Rick Quinn didn't. His body was found on January 22."

The Recovery

Like Beloten, Marilyn Vallejo had dedicated her life to helping fellow New Yorkers sort through emotional turmoil. The assistant director of program operations at Creedmore Psychiatric Center, a state facility designed for people seeking mental health counseling, Vallejo also serves as the co-chairman of disaster mental health services and chairman of volunteer resources at the American Red Cross Nassau County Chapter. Experienced in providing counseling to those affected by all types of disasters, from hurricanes to plane crashes, Vallejo responded immediately to the Sept. 11 attacks and, within an hour of the first attack, had set up counseling services at both LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports.

"Everybody there was extremely anxious and scared," recalled Vallejo. "We talked to pilots and stewardesses who felt like they had lost control and passengers who were going to have to get on a plane soon who were just terrified. We helped them in different ways so they wouldn't panic. For example, the crews really just wanted information about what happened. There were so many different reports that morning that it helped them to have us explain exactly what had occurred. For the passengers, we tried to set up a buddy system among those who would soon have to fly. Feeling alone was one of the scariest things for them — having a buddy, whether it be a fellow passenger or a stewardess, made them feel better."

Marilyn Vallejo was featured on News 12 Long Island for its Women's History Month series.

Since that morning, Vallejo and her team have provided counseling to more than 6,000 New York residents, including Scott Beloten. "It was hard for many emergency workers to cope with what happened on September 11 because we aren't the kind of guys to open up," said Beloten. "The things we saw, though, we just can't get out of our minds. It's like a nightmare that won't go away, especially when the footage is replayed on days like the 6-month anniversary."

Not wanting to subject his family and friends to the terrifying feelings that he needed to unload, Beloten turned to Vallejo for assistance. "She's been incredible," Beloten described. "There's something about her that makes you want to open up — she's just that type of person. Even though I'd never met her before, she immediately became one of the most wonderful people I've ever met. It's really helped me sort things out to have somebody to talk to."

Beloten finds her own source of comfort in her family. To help her cope with the stories she hears each day, she spends time with her three children — Steven, Christopher, and Dawn — and her two young grandchildren, Amanda and Harley. "My grandchildren would send me letters each day encouraging me. When I needed to escape, I would take them to the park or just spend some quiet time with them."

Part of Vallejo's understanding of what emergency workers and their families are experiencing comes from her own personal situation. "My son, Christopher, is a firefighter with Hose 3 in the Village of Hempstead. He responded that morning so I know what it feels like for the families to have had a loved one down there."

For Beloten, this understanding has been invaluable. "As an emergency medical worker, I started recognizing symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder in myself, but I couldn't stop them. I began acting in a way that wasn't fair to a lot of people," Beloten recalled. "Marilyn has helped me sort through these feelings — she really knows how I'm feeling. I would recommend to anybody, especially the workers down there that morning who don't usually open up, to seek counseling. For a lot of them, the feelings won't go away until they do."

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