APOPKA, Fla. — Monday marks 22 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington D.C. and over Pennsylvania. 

Though the tragedy changed the face of the United States forever, many first responders stepped up that day to help victims and their nation in unparalleled acts of patriotism. One of those heroes now calls Central Florida home.  

“It opens up a lot of wounds even though we’ve never forgot about it,” said Luis Morales. 

Some memories are so vivid it is like you can reach out and touch them.

A retired New York Police Department detective, Morales can touch those memories as he grasped a panel from the 82nd floor of the World Trade Center. 

“We all came together, we didn’t lose faith in each other so it's very impactful. It hits my heart pretty hard because I know there are some people that we never found or we never recovered,” said Morales. 

The panel, like Morales, now resides in Apopka. 

Morales says seeing it brings him right back to the morning of 9/11 in New York City, when he was among the first responders called to help as the Twin Towers collapsed, sifting through the rubble. 

“It’s so surreal because I dealt with it. I was at ground zero for four days without going home, doing the search and rescue and all that stuff, and we handled a lot of pieces like this just in the beginning by hand just removing them searching for victims, searching for survivors," said Morales. 

He shared that it was the hardest day of his life but the desire to bring people home kept him going. 

“We did get a lot of people out and I know the team I was with we got out about two or three, to me that is a success,” said Morales. 

Now, 22 years later, the anniversary brings up tough flashbacks for him. He retired from the NYPD in 2004 and moved down to Florida, but he holds on to what he can from his service nearly two decades later. 

“That goes above my badge … it’s just to show that we never forget,” he said, showing a 9/11 flag pin he wore above his NYPD shield.

He has one single photo he took at ground zero.

“We just started moving things and digging, we used the bucket brigade, we threw things in buckets and passed it a long and just kept digging,” said Morales, looking at the photo. 

While the experience left him, and so many others, fighting with pulmonary disease, PTSD and depression, his only regret is that he had reached out for help sooner. 

“If you ask me, if we had to do it again, would we do anything different? No. We would go down there and we serve, we follow God’s will and we serve,” said Morales. 

“I don't think anybody will ever forget 9/11 but we wish that nobody does," said Morales. 

The Apopka Fire Department and Apopka Police Department will have a 9/11 memorial ceremony Monday morning on the steps of city hall, near that piece of the World Trade Center remembering those who died in the terrorist attacks. The flag was lowered to half-staff.