September 11, 2008
Seven years later it is hard to find something to say about September 11, 2001 that you haven’t already heard, or to show you something you haven’t already seen.
If you haven’t yet come to terms with what the events of that tragic day mean to you as a citizen, or as a firefighter or other first responder, I have no great insight to offer that will guide you.
What I am going to offer you today are just two things, plus links to our blogging fire and EMS brothers.
First up is the video at the top of the page. It was apparently made public two years ago by a couple who lived not far from the World Trade Center and rolled their video camera. It is interesting to me because it is not news coverage. Instead, just some citizens watching the horror and trying to make sense of it. Here is the write-up with the video:
9/11/2001 : What we saw
‘Never forget’
This was personal camcorder footage from someone who lived near the World Trade Center, and was only recently released to the public. There are very few edits…it’s mostly just a half hour of really high-quality footage of the events of that day, along with the unguarded comments of a few people who were walking it happening right in front of their eyes. Not for casual viewing.
On September 11, 2001 I ended up in front of the Pentagon helipad about 5 minutes after the impact of American Airlines Flight 77. The first shots from my home video camera show traffic still moving on Washington Boulevard.
In October, 2001, at the request of a fellow journalist editing a book about the news coverage of 9-11, I put together a chronological account of the day. Only a couple of excerpts were used in the book. You can read my log from September 11 by clicking here.
Below, I have pulled one excerpt. It comes at the end of my chronology and sums up my thoughts from that day.
You may also find it relevant to today and the economic woes facing fire departments all over the country.
October 27, 2001
11:15 PM: As I am looking back at September 11th, I have just spent a week covering the deaths of two Washington, D.C. postal workers, from inhalation anthrax. Others are hospitalized because of anthrax that was sent through the U.S. Mail. No one knows how this story will play out.
There is a lot of uncertainty since September 11th. Our war efforts, our security in public places, our ability to travel safely by air, our economic future. Like all parents, Hillary and I worry over what this will mean for our young son.
This much I’m sure of. Through the thick smoke hanging over New York and Washington, it became clear that some remarkable people walk among us.
Some are just ordinary citizens who put other people’s lives ahead of their own. Staying behind, trying to make sure everyone gets out.
Others are paid to protect us. But I don’t think anyone believes for a moment that a police officer, paramedic or firefighter’s modest salary is enough to encourage someone to walk into the places that these men and women did on September 11th. It takes much more than money. It takes heart, and courage, and a belief you can make a difference.
I know firefighters the best. Six years in a busy volunteer company during my youth, and almost 30 years making the fire service my beat as a reporter, have given me some perspective.
In many big cities, including our Nation’s Capital, the fire departments have long taken a back seat when it comes to funding. Citizens who can tell you how many times the police patrol car comes down their block, or how many officers are walking the beat, have no idea how many firefighters are on duty in the neighborhood fire station. Political leaders know this to be true and through the years have made drastic cuts in fire protection, often without protest from the public.
Through the years, I have reported many stories where citizens and firefighters have died because of these cuts. Just last week an understaffed ladder company became an issue in Houston, Texas, after a fire captain died in a high-rise apartment building fire.
Firefighters are can-do people. Their skills at making things work under adversity often hides from the public the shortcomings in their staffing, equipment and facilities.
Some of the good that has come from the sacrifices made by the 343 members of FDNY who died on September 11th, is the recognition, by the public, of what firefighters really do.
A recent trip to Arlington County Fire Station #2 brought this home. The firehouse is covered with cards and letters from all over the world. Many are from school children, with drawings of the firefighters in action at the Pentagon and World Trade Center. All say thanks.
Veterans of more than 20 years in the fire service are astounded by the reaction these days as they drive through local streets. People stop and wave. When the firefighters walk into a building in uniform, they are applauded.
On October 7th, I was at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Just 2 hours before military action in Afghanistan began, President Bush told the stories of some of the 99 domestic soldiers who died in the line of duty in the United States last year. I watched as spouses and children received a flag and a red rose, and heard a bell toll in honor of their loved one, our hero.
I have forced myself on most days since September 11th to read the New York Post, Daily News and Times and the accounts of the daily funerals of New York firefighters. It is difficult to read about the pain their wives and children are going through. It is the least, though, that we can do. It is important to remember this unbelievable sacrifice.
My hope is that people all over the United States are paying very close attention to these same stories of heroism. My hope is that they don’t forget these stories when someone is trying to save a little money and close down their local firehouse.
Right now when Sam sees a fire truck he says, “Evan”. “Revvin’ Evan” is the animated fire engine on that “Jay Jay the Jet Plane” cartoon show he loves. When Sam is old enough, I will make sure he knows a lot more about firefighters. I will make sure Sam understands exactly who those people were climbing up the clogged, smoke filled, stairways, as he sat in his hi-chair, watching the first pictures transmitted from New York, at 8:52 AM, on September 11th, 2001.
Chief Billy Goldfeder’s coverage on FirefighterCloseCalls.com
