Its been three years on this Saturday that the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked. I spent some time this week remembering events of that day and the weeks that followed. I took these photos from a job site I had been working on the Hudson River across from the WTC. I was later assigned to the Ground Zero clean up.





I did'nt take any photos at Ground Zero out of respect, in fact, I only kept my security pass and the respirator I used. But alot of mental images will be with me forever. I was a volunteer EMS for 17 years for my hometown, and now a volunteer fireman, but nothing I've seen in the past compares to the massive burning rubble, seven stories high in places, that had to be searched though and removed. These are some of my memories:

The grammer school blocks away that was our meeting and staging area. The chairs and tables were for small children and we were using them for planing the days/nights events. The class had a a large schedule posted of their day which was stopped at 9:00am. I could only wonder what those children were thinking when they heard the explosion and were evacuated.

The Russian Orthodox priest, dressed in formal orthodox clergy garments (with a huge cross around his neck) with a hardhat and construction boots. He was standing under Building 5's overhang near the former courtyard where workers were retreiving and bagging body parts. The overhang was was not too stable as pieces were hanging off of it. He was silently praying for the workers and the victims for most of the night.

The surveyors that were scattered around the site, one on top of FDNY 10 house. They had to survey multiple points in the rubble day and night to send warnings that the pile is shifting unexpectantly.

The young girl who was carrying and offering drinks to the workers. She forced me to drink an orange juice even though I insisted I did'nt want one. It wasn't about the orange juice, she just wanted to show that she cared.

The numerous dog search and rescue teams. I love to see the teams work, handler and dog. Thank God we have them. Those dogs went into some impossible places and alot of them came out injured with cuts. They inhaled alot of dust/smoke, they could'nt wear respirators. The vets at the animal infirmory took good care of them but I felt bad for the injured dogs.

There are many more memories, too many to post. I think about how this event affected so many lives and hope that something like this will never happen again. This week please remember the victims of this attack, the innocent people who were just going to workthat day and the rescue personel who died trying to save them. Also please remember those in the milatary who are fighting to keep our world safe.

 

Very well said

I take it you where working in Jersey City?
I remember watching the towers fall, like it was yesterday. Three years later, when driving on the NJ Turnpike, looking at lower Manhattan............there's a terrible void in the skyline.

There where many hero's that day, many behind the scene's, that did what they knew they had to do.

UA Steamfitter

 

I was in class that day... and from where I was you could actually see the towers from a distance. We all went outside and pretty much watched it all.
My sister is a firefighter in Carteret, and she had a lot of friends who were FDNY firefighters, and about half of them didn't make it.

 

srfd44,

Excellent post and I agree that 9/11 is something that should be remembered forever for those that were brave and made the ultimate sacrifice as well as remembering there are evil killers out there who still to this day wish great harm on this great country…