When the events of Sept. 11, 2001 come to mind, most people picture the horrors endured by the victims of the hijacked airplanes, inside the Twin Towers and at the Pentagon. They also recall the brave first responders at Ground Zero, the lifelong trauma of both survivors and victims’ families, and the heavy toll paid by soldiers who fought overseas in the resulting war on terror.
However, unseen in public memory is the story of Lt. Colonel Daniel “Nasty” Nash — an F15 fighter pilot who, on the chaotic morning of 9/11, was tasked with scrambling into action from Otis Air National Guard Base off Cape Cod, Mass. with his wingman, blasting into supersonic speed to intercept what was believed to be a hijacked commercial airliner.
Although the attacks on American soil ended that day, their effects on Nash, a La Grange native and 1984 graduate of Lyons Township High School, did not.
In a powerful new documentary created by Nash’s high school classmate and friend, John Scaletta, “Nasty: The Battle After the Mission” shares with audiences the story of Nash’s local background, his heroic efforts on the day of the deadliest terrorist attacks in history, and the lasting personal impacts of that day, including the struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder which ultimately cost Nash his life.
After being warmly received at film festivals across the country, including the film’s screen debut at La Grange Theatre in May, “Nasty” has been selected for screening at the Oak Park – IL Film Festival, along with a nomination for best long-form documentary.
Scaletta, the owner of Motion Source Film Studio in Brookfield, teamed up with his wife, Stephanie (a former staff member for outreach with Oak Park Township), who served as executive producer, to create “Nasty,” recalling both the harrowing details of what Nash witnessed on 9/11 and stories of the man behind the uniform from those closest to him.
The idea for the film came after Scaletta, a high school friend of Nash, was inspired to create a float for the annual La Grange Pet Parade in 2021 in Nash’s honor.
Initially, Scaletta was going to create a randomly themed Evel Knievel float for audiences. Instead, as Scaletta found out about Nash’s untimely passing at age 54 that June, his idea pivoted from a float of fun to one of honor, building an F15-themed float dedicated to Nash.
When Scaletta began building the float, he considered making a short documentary of the float’s creation.
“When you’re doing a documentary, you’re kind of just filming everything and everybody around what’s happening, and then at the end, trying to make something out of it,” he said. “I thought, ‘Let’s just film the building of the float and see what we get.’”
But when Scaletta’s good friend and Motion Source business partner, Craig Bass, suggested pivoting the film’s focus to telling Nash’s story, the wheels turned from creating a light-hearted film to one honoring the life of a local American military hero.
Originally planned to be a 10-minute short film, Scaletta’s project quickly expanded into a 42-minute biographical film on Nash — an ambitious five-year undertaking which was supported by the help of over 50 people.
“The intention was always to be a short documentary, but as I started to film and then interview Dan’s brother, Brendan, I realized we needed more interviews — and it just grew and grew,” he said.
“Nasty” maps Nash’s life growing up in La Grange and his early military career to recalling the moments which led Nash to being one of two pilots scrambled on the morning of 9/11 — exploring how those events ultimately led to his death.
“Some people were fine after 9/11, and some people weren’t,” Scaletta said. “Dan was one of those guys — he was never the same after that day. He had PTSD and was never able to shake it.”
Shortly after 9/11, Nash began drinking heavily. As Scaletta says, Nash’s life “quickly spiraled out of control.”
While Nash eventually received an honorable discharge from the military, the effects of his service on Sept. 11 lingered. Nearly 20 years after the attack, Nash died, leaving behind three children, his mother, three siblings and countless extended family, friends and former Air Force comrades.
“His brother, Brendan, was very receptive to be a part of the project to honor his brother,” Scaletta said. “We really wanted to highlight Dan as a hero, because he was for what he did for the country. Brendan said it best: over 20 years later, 9/11 took his brother. That interview was a poignant moment of the film. It was true — had 9/11 not happened, we don’t think Dan would have ever started drinking.”
Upon the film’s completion, Scaletta says first sharing the film in May with local audiences in Nash’s hometown — and with a hyperlocal audience — felt like a profound, emotional homecoming.
“It meant a lot to me, and I know it meant a lot to his family, to have the film premiere at the La Grange Theatre because Dan lived just down the street on La Grange Road and used to see films at the theater when he was a little kid,” he said. “We thought it was pretty special for the film to come full circle back to the La Grange Theatre.”
Scaletta says there was not a dry eye in the theater when Nash’s family, friends and even strangers first saw the film.
“There were a lot of people who didn’t know Dan’s full story, including myself, until we had all these interviews from talking to different people,” he said. “To put all of that into one film was pretty powerful.”
While 9/11 is still in the memory of those who were alive to remember the day’s catastrophic events and its resulting global effects, Scaletta hopes “Nasty” helps audiences both reflect on a local hero’s story from the day and give younger audiences the opportunity to learn the significance of the day, along with the story behind someone whose life was forever changed because of it.
“The whole idea is to get as many people to learn about Dan and his story and the 9/11 angle,” he said.
Including La Grange and Oak Park, so far, “Nasty” has been picked up by 16 film festivals across the U.S. The film will screen on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 10:30 a.m. at Madison Street Theater, 1010 Madison St.
