I spent from 4pm Sunday to 1am Monday at our branch on Hudson and Franklin Streets, about 10 blocks north of World Trade Center, or "ground zero" as the press has taken to calling it. We were one of three round-the-clock shifts at this and one other branch near WTC (three were destroyed/condemned as a result of the destruction down there) handing out sandwiches, coffee, water, eye drops, handi-wipes and as many "thanks, guys" as we could manage.
After spending about nine hours downtown, here are my impressions of the City:
Firefighters: Shaken to the core. They had the first funerals Saturday, including that of the FDNY Chaplain, who died while giving last rites to a fallen firefighter. One hundred sixty-eight firefighters were promoted today, all deserving, but for the worst reasons possible - the deaths of so many of their peers. "Silent heroes" doesn't even begin to encompass it.
As the number of "missing, presumed dead" among this relatively small group of public servants continues to seemingly spiral endlessly upwards, their shock seems to deepen. Don't get me wrong, these (mostly) men continue to pour water onto the rubble, clamber over the wreckage and search for signs of life, but they're sleep-walking through their 15-17 hour shifts, mindlessly chewing the food that volunteers or restaurateurs hand to them during their rare breaks. After a few minutes of rest, they shoulder their gear and walk back to the smoking pile that was WTC. I don't know how they
do it.
My local firehouse on the Upper East Side lost nine men, all of them family men. The neighborhood has started a fund for the families, but no amount of money can replace fathers, husbands, brothers, sons.
Cops: Angry, frustrated, weary, determined. I spoke to a lieutenant for about 30 minutes. They lost some officers, but not nearly as significant a number or percentage as the firefighters. They want to "get their hands dirty" in the rescue and recovery efforts and stop playing traffic warden and babysitting people like me across downtown. They know that while there's any (dwindling) hope, they need to stay out of the way of the iron workers and heavy equipment operators while they lift, listen, dig, lift, listen, dig, but it doesn't assuage their feelings of frustration and anger.
Reservists: Shocked, frustrated, angry. There are Air Guard and Army Reserve members from all over NY and NJ, mostly civil engineering and military police units. The guys who we spoke to have been called out for duty during times of crisis and after natural disasters, but nothing like this. Most of them are not engaging in their specialties due to the presence of so many civilian specialists on site. Most have been engaged in site security, traffic control and the like. Many are firefighters, cops, construction tradesmen, etc. and they want to contribute in ways that are more in line with their skills, but will do their duty as ordered. They know that it's necessary duty but it's not what they want to do in order to, like the rest of us, feel useful.
Workers (for lack of a better description): They're working as long as the firefighters, usually wielding cutting torches, operating cranes and other heavy equipment, restoring power, water and phone service or waiting to relieve those on duty. Most would sell their souls for four hours of uninterrupted sleep but won't leave the site until they're forced to.
Most are hard-core New Yorkers, the kind who yell "Pontvin sucks!" at Rangers games, who heckle Boston and Philly fans mercilessly because, well, they can, the guys who go shirtless at Jets games in December and who think that the Islanders *might* pull out a winning season sometime - the guys who people like me shy away from on the subway as though we'll catch something from them, as though I'm really better than them. That's been proven wrong every day since Tuesday, September 11, 2001. These guys are past anger and are simply determined to clean up, rebuild and tell those responsible, well, you can imagine it better than I can write it.
Residents: Rebounding remarkably well. They all look up and see a cloud of smoke instead of two 1000 ft + towers, shake their heads and go on with life as best they can. People are going out to dinner, picking up their cleaning, walking their dogs, getting drunk, going to the bank and everything else that they usually do.
Naturally, everyone talks about where they were "when it happened", who they knew in the WTC area when the planes hit, who got out and who's missing and what they think we should do, both at home and overseas in order to make sure this doesn't happen again. Firm resolve underlies the words and expressions of all of the residents, even the happy drunks who passed by to chat on their way home from dinner.
This city will rebuild and recover. Our nation will adjust to the new reality and will eventually be victorious in this new war. And I can't think of a time when I've been more proud to be an American - or a New Yorker.
And I don't know when I've ever been more proud of Chris.
If remembering those who died in those tragic attacks, or those brave souls who worked, hoping against hope, for hours to try to find them or save them, never knowing if or when the whole pile of rubble would collapse, doesn't bring a tear, or as in my case, many tears to your eyes, then I simply do not know what to say to you. We must never forget.
Recent Comments