Former FBI agent salutes America in song
Amid the wreckage and acrid smoke in the moments after American Airlines Flight 77 plowed into the Pentagon, John Guandolo saw sights that haunt him to this day.
A decade after the Sept. 11 attacks, his response to those indelible memories finally is available. It's one that could help make a difference to soldiers who have suffered attempting to ensure that a repeat of that terrible day never occurs.
Guandolo, 45, is a Washington, D.C., counterterrorism consultant with family roots in Beaver County. In 2001, he was an FBI agent assigned to recovery and investigative duties at the Pentagon following the attacks.
"Like many people at the time, I was very angry," he said. "I was confused over how we could have let something like that happen."
Small victories were had in the ruins. Guandolo found a Naval Academy ring belonging to one of the victims, Capt. Robert Dolan, who headed the Navy's Strategy and Concepts Branch.
"It's almost impossible to convey the emotions I felt when I was able to return the ring to his family," he said.
Months later, Guandolo picked up a guitar and channeled those emotions into songwriting. One of his ballads, "America," was an ode to the nation's spirit, which Guandolo believed would endure despite the devastating blow it had suffered.
In 2009, Guandolo played a demo of the song he had recorded for Kelly Pidgeon, KDKA-AM's creative services director. The pair met as teens while attending the Kiski School in Indiana County.
"I heard it and I immediately told him, 'This is a great song,'" Pidgeon said. "I said I'd like to take a shot at producing and playing on it."
Guandolo was agreeable, so Pidgeon spent the next two years tinkering with the tune. In addition to adding other instrumentation, Pidgeon supplied haunting atmospherics by dropping in sound bites from 9/11 newscasts.
The resulting effort, both poignant and patriotic, was released on Thursday on iTunes and also is available on www.cdbaby.com. Guandolo said it will be included on the upcoming inaugural CD release of the band he and Pidgeon have formed, Boats Against the Current.
A portion of the proceeds from the song's sales will go to Operation Restored Warrior. The Colorado organization assists members of the military suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and combat-related stress.
"It's a program that seeks to spiritually restore our returning combat vets," Guandolo said. "The members of the ORW team include two former Air Force command master chiefs, the former operations officer from Delta Force, a SEAL Team 6 team leader and others."
Writing the song proved cathartic for Guandolo. While not everyone was as close as he was to 9/11's devastation, Guandolo hopes it can have a similar effect on those contemplating those horrific events as the 10th anniversary looms.
"The song is just so motivational and emotional to me," he said. "I want it to be for other people, too."
