On Saturday, April 13, 2002 Loren Knauss attended a reception at the Iowa State Capitol Building. The invitation was extended by Governor Tom Vilsack, First Lady Christie Vilsack, and Lt. Governor Sally Pederson.
The reception was held in honor of "Iowa Special Heros", and paid tribute to the Iowans who responded to the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11th, 2001. Many of the attendees served as volunteers at or near ground zero in the week and months that followed the tragedy. Knauss, a Council Bluffs Police Officer and member of the Loess Hills Chapter of the American Red Cross, volunteered for assignment to the Ground Zero area as a Red Cross security officer and liaison to the New York Police Department. With a leave of absence approved by Police Chief Keith Mehlin and Mayor Tom Hanafan, he left on October 17th. His service in New York lasted over three weeks, and was the subject of a two-part series in The Daily Nonpareil.
