By Ashley Tusan Joyner, as published in the Belleville News-Democrat.

Five years ago, Air Force Maj. Jim Cusic of Fairview Heights led his coworkers out of the burning Pentagon that had been struck by a terrorist-piloted airline the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

A trained paramedic, Cusic had served only two months as a special operations officer at the Pentagon before American Airlines Flight 77 struck one side of the building where he worked.

"I can't recall if I really heard it or felt it. My initial reaction was someone's going to be hurt, I need to go," said Cusic, now retired after 22 years in the armed forces. "All I had to say was 'Let's get out of here,' and everybody went."

Cusic, 46, not only coordinated evacuation routes, but he also treated victims in a provisional triage area, cared for overheated firefighters and ventured back into the burning building to hunt for survivors.

He attributes the lifesaving tactics employed on that day, which were responsible for saving three lives and have since earned Cusic numerous military and organizational honors, to years of Red Cross first aid training and Air Force schooling in war zones such as Rwanda, Kenya, and Liberia.

"For the average person that sees a car accident, they're horrified," Cusic said. "I won't say I live for it, but I'm trained for it."

In 2002, Cusic left the Air Force to join his wife and four children, who had stayed in Fairview Heights while he served at the Pentagon. He currently works full time at Scott Air Force Base as a civilian intelligence analyst.

Today, five years after the events that Cusic says sparked a national interest in the idea of homeland security, he's still a man who stands up to serve.

"I've always been about helping out," Cusic said. "One of my talents is to be able to teach and share my skills with other people."

As a volunteer first aid, CPR and disaster preparedness instructor at the Red Cross in Fairview Heights, Cusic spends time in classrooms educating volunteers about rescue methods.

In February, Cusic, along with four others, saved the life of Jim Corsi, of Belleville, whose heart had stopped while he exercised at a local branch of the YMCA.

It was the first time Cusic had to use CPR techniques in an actual emergency.

"People always ask me "What can I do? What's my part?" he said. "I tell them to volunteer and get trained in CPR and first aid. You never know when you're going to use these skills, even in a civilian world."

Throughout the year, and especially on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Cusic is invited to share his life experiences with others. He will do so at the Shiloh War Memorial at 6 p.m. Monday.

"I have a first-person perspective, and because of it, I'm able to give truth and tell a history lesson that talks about human nature," Cusic said. "The programs, the speeches, they stir all the memories back up. We have to remember so the memories don't get stale. As soon as you forget, something else will happen."