Dispatcher During San Bernardino Terror Attack To Be Guest At State Of The Union Address
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) – The dispatcher, who directed the emergency response during the San Bernardino terror attack, has been invited to be a special guest at President Obama's State of the Union Address next week.
Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona, invited Annie Teall to be her guest at the event. The congresswoman said: "As panic spread throughout the region, she and her team coordinated a swift, effective emergency response to what is likely the greatest tragedy our community has ever suffered."
Teall said she endured one of her most challenging 12 hours on Dec. 2, 2015 in her career 27-year career. "To me, I do better under pressure," she said.
But that is not to say she has not carried those little moments of that horrible day with her.
"Hearing bullets being fired as officers are trying to talk on the radio, it brings back the humanity to the job," she said.
"You could hear her voice. She was extremely calm. She did her job, and she did it very, very well," Torres said. The lawmaker also knows all about tough calls after having been a dispatcher herself for 18 years.
That is why she felt it is necessary to recognize the unsung hero by asking Teall to be her guest at the president's State of the Union Address.
Ironically, the dispatch supervisor, who stayed so calm in such chaos, said she is nervous about going to Washington, DC. "I'm a little nervous that I will say the wrong thing to the wrong people."
But she is glad to know a fellow dispatcher (Torres) will be by her side on Tuesday.