War on Terror David W. Karnes (born December 12, 1958) is a United States Marine who, with fellow U.S. Marine Jason Thomas, located and helped rescue two police officers of the Port Authority Police Department trapped in the rubble from the September 11 attacks after the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001.
"[2] According to a Slate magazine profile, Karnes drove to a local church and asked the pastor and parishioners to say a prayer that God would lead him to survivors.
Karnes instructed Thomas to position himself on some high rubble for visibility and to guide any responding rescuers to the trapped men.
After Karnes called his wife and sister on his cell phone with instructions to relay to the authorities his whereabouts, he and Thomas were able to find two survivors.
In the 2006 Oliver Stone movie, World Trade Center, which tells this story, Karnes is played by Michael Shannon.