I was working on an office in White Plains, Westchester Co., NY that day. As I sat at my desk, my mom called me constantly with news of the events. First it was reported as a small commuter plane, then the Nation watched on live television as the second plane hit. I remember commenting and asking her if the towers had fallen. We all huddled in my manager’s office listening to news reports on the radio. When the company released us from work early that day to go home to be with our families, it took me 4 hours to drive a normal 45 minute commute because everyone was attempting to flee the City.
I responded as part of the 9/11 Disaster Relief efforts working to provide 24-hour oversight of dredge disposal operations on the lower Manhattan shore front. Dredging operations were required to get the barges into the Manhattan piers to offload building debris as part of the rescue and recovery efforts. I recall docking our boat next to USCG vessels with deck-mounted 50 cal patrolling the waters around Manhattan.
Photos from that time, the top most image looking back toward Manhattan where the towers stood.
We would get off the disposal events and walk through the building debris that was staged in Jersey City, NJ. We knew this was part of our Nation’s history and would shape the future of our County.
A bolt from the WTC Building Debris and a piece of granite slab that may have been part of a lobby/entranceway recovered from the debris.
A document from Morgan Stanley Dean Witter dated February 24, 1999 from Two World Trade recovered from the debris.
The events of 9/11 shaped my life for the better in public service. I spent six years in search and rescue operation from 2006-2012, and have maintained my first responder and SAR credentials since. Proudly, part of that training included completing the USAF Rescue Coordination Center National Search and Rescue School BISC as one of the few civilian participants.Since 2012, I have changed my career to a focus on public service, having left private-sector consulting. Now on the dawn of the 20th Anniversary, I just completed my training requirements for USAR.
9/11 impacted my life, as it did many. While many Americans might agree that 20+ years ago we could not imagine the events of the present-day, I’m still proud to have played a very, very small part in history, and I stand ready to continue to serve my Country.
God Bless these United States of America.