The week was mostly a blur, filled with mental images of young service men digging through the rubble, rescue dogs suffering anxiety attacks and survivors refusing to reenter the building.

"There is just so much death there," Digby-Berry said of the massive structure. "I've worked other plane accidents, but nothing like this. You can't believe the carnage."

The Pentagon was struck on the morning of Sept. 11 when terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, slamming it into the massive five-sided structure.

The physical suffering and mental anguish has not been limited to humans. Rescue dogs become depressed after finding no survivors.

"The dogs were suffering from high anxiety and hypertension because they couldn't find anybody alive," she said. "Because the human remains were basically burned in the wreckage, human scent was everywhere. One poor dog died as a result of it."

Digby-Berry, who received her doctorate in counseling psychology from Ball State, was astounded by the innocence of the young members of the military assisting at the scene.

"I was looking at very young men who were working hard in the search for survivors," she said. "They were about the age of a typical Ball State student. I have a 21-year-old grandson and these men were younger.

"They are wonderful young men who never expected to be doing something like that. But, they did their duty."

Digby-Berry, who has been a member of the Ball State Board of Trustees since 1999, is one of two local counselors assisting in Washington as part of the American Red Cross mental health disaster team.

Robert Hayes, a member of the Ball State counseling psychology department, arrived within days of the Sept. 11 disaster.

Before returning to Muncie to attend a family member's funeral, Digby-Berry was assigned to the Pentagon to help workers cope with the situation.

"I think people involved will suffer from post-traumatic stress and survivor guilt for many, many years," she said. "They need to have support available in order to gather their coping skills to get on with their lives."

Once family matters are completed, Digby-Berry plans to return to her role as counselor - no matter where the Red Cross sends her.

By Marc Ransford, Communications Manager