Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Rainbow Elementary hosts ceremony
David Cucchi shares how 9/11 led him to serve
VALLEY » A Rainbow Elementary School parent who was inspired by the 9/11 attacks and joined the military, was among those honored, as students at the school held a remembrance ceremony in honor terrorist attacks on America.
Rainbow Elementary School students, faculty, township police and local firefighters participated in a flag raising ceremony on Monday at the school. The Boy Scouts began the ceremony and raised and lowered the flag to halfstaff. The Boys Scouts then presented flags to guest speaker David Cucchi, Valley Township police officers, Westwood Fire Company firefighters. Cucchi is a parent of a Rainbow student, in the Coatesville Area School Distirct, and he has a story of strength, compassion and character.
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Cucchi was in route to New York City with a colleague for a special project to assist a vice president of the company doing contract work. They had plans to meet in an office on the second floor of one of the Twin Towers, which came under attack of terrorists that day.
As they listened to the radio, they heard the news that a plane had crashed into the Twin Towers. They noticed a trail of smoke in the clear blue skies. At that point, they parked their vehicle as a second plane hit the other tower.
Along with other motorists standing outside of their cars alongside the turnpike, they watched in horror as the towers were engulfed in flames. Then the first tower collapsed. At that point Cucchi realized that people who had been unable to get out of the towers had died in the collapse. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks on the towers and the Pentagon.
Cucchi said he felt the need to help, and he wanted to swim across the Hudson, but he realized it was not possible. The city had been blocked off for safety reasons and to allow more first responders in to assist at the incident.
Cucchi and his colleague were detoured south, and they went home to their families. Cucchi said he realized that there was nothing that he could do for his fellow Americans.
Several months later, Cucchi felt a burning need to pay his respect and to serve those who had lost their lives. He joined the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and served for 10 years. He was recognized by former Gov. Tom Ridge as a founding member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, along with others.
His first deployment was to assist during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. He has served in every other major disaster up to and including Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey in 2012. After his first deployment, Cucchi was recruited by Homeland Security and Management and he has served just less than 10 years there as well. Cucchi was recently called upon again and will get deployed for Hurricane Harvey in Houston.
Rainbow Elementary School officials said they were proud to participate in the Patriot Day Ceremony, and they are grateful for their first responders assisting their community members.