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Benjamin Luft collection of 9-11 first responders' oral histories

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Series 1: Oral History Interviews, April 9, 2010 through November 4, 2016 (continued)
Moving Images
2 mov interview clips (combined runtime 1:00:03)
Manuscripts
1 pdf transcript
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 313 John F Scalesi Jr oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, May 14, 2015
John grew up in Queens, and because of an early fascination with the fire department, became a junior fireman. Living only a block from his neighborhood fire house, he spent a lot of time there, and in his words “grew up in the firehouse.” These early influences certainly inculcated a strong sense of duty and service. Later he served in the Army, but was injured, and suffered a TBI. John also had to overcome a lifelong stuttering problem, an issue he still struggles with. Despite these handicaps, John was present at the WTC site, through his local fire station, and helped with the bucket brigade. Later he would serve with the Red Cross, working tirelessly in their warehouse. John tells viewers that there is a job for everybody, and even people with a handicap deserve a chance. John embodies this devotion to duty, and his actions and perseverance are a model for us all.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (0:59:47)
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 314 Freeman Thornton oral history interview conducted by Avalon Mason, May 18, 2015
Freeman was a long-term employee of the New York State Department of Transportation, working first as a traffic agent, and then later as a bus driver. He considers himself a Manhattanite, even though he now lives on Long Island. Freeman is the father of 5 children. On the morning of 9/11 Freeman was working his usual shift as a bus driver, driving the express route in Manhattan. As he sees the same people every day, he came to see them like members of his family. Saw second plane hit on television set at dispatcher’s office. Freeman was driving his route after collapse of towers, and states main roads like a “ghost town” but police allowing buses to pass through. Freeman is a licensed minister, and as some of his regular passengers know this, they had conversations about nature and cause of attack. How could this have happened? Why? Freeman relates, poignantly, a story of a passenger’s spouse who died on 9/11. Every day Freeman would see a devoted husband put his wife on the bus, each morning, before going to work at the WTC. The man died in one of the buildings. Freeman tells listeners how strange it is not to see this man every day. Freeman also explains his persistent unease and insecurity following the attacks. On the Saturday after 9/11 attacks, Freeman was tasked with the job of ferrying NYPD and FDNY workers at WTC site. Describes WTC site, debris and smoke and ash. On second Saturday, Freeman was nearby when workers pulled out steel I-beams shaped like a cross. When right up to it and stared, captivated by the view. But soon after 9/11 Freeman opted for early retirement, his sense of trust and security now broken. But despite this Freeman feels God is holding onto him, and this is a profound source of comfort.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (0:53:27)
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 315 Deirdre McCormick oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, May 19, 2015
The responder was a paramedic on site, and had recently graduated from paramedic training. She had previous experience being an EMT, but had never responded to a disaster on this scale before. She was responsible for check-ups and physicals on the workers in the pit, but was not in it herself. She was struck by the magnitude of the response, with donations, volunteerism, and sympathy from the community vastly outstripping her expectations. She was amazed by the scope of the debris, and relates that on the first night she was there(9/14) dust was falling out of the sky with the rain, bathing the site and making it seem like an active warzone. She feels her term as an EMT desensitized her to the horror at the site, so she wasn’t too emotionally affected by it. She was particularly struck by the Police and firemen assemblage when they recovered the bodies of one of their own. Her final takeaway was her pride to be there, an American citizen, and to be a New Yorker.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (0:47:07)
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 316 Michael Sartorelli oral history interview conducted by Avalon Mason, May 27, 2015
Michael was a member of NYPD’s Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU) and was involved with search and rescue at WTC site, as well as taking videos and still photos as part of his responsibilities. Michael is a NYC native, growing up in Brooklyn. He entered police academy on 1990, graduating in 1991. Worked in various capacities, but transferred to TARU in 1999. On day of 9/11 was on duty, working a day shift. Heard radio call of small plane striking first tower, and assumed it was a small plane. Headed to site, heard report of second plane strike while still in car. Parked 1 one block away. Michael describes scene of falling debris, streets littered with pieces from planes, as well as human body parts. Was at One World Financial Center when he heard rumbling noise, and saw first tower collapse. Located and helped other police officers get out of building, and immediately covered in dust. Started moving towards other tower to render aid, and saw second tower implode. Moved away from site, regrouped with fellow officers, and returned to site to aid in search and rescue/recovery. During his time at WTC site his team lowered microphones down into debris to listen for trapped survivors. Also, captured WTC site with videos and photos as part of his job. Was present at this site for 2-3 months, on a daily basis, working 12 hour shifts. Sometime even longer. Michael also expresses concern about levels of contamination during his time at WTC site. Michael also worked at other sites, including landfill. Soon after 9/11 Michael developed significant health problems, including cancer and respiratory problems. Medically retied from NYPD. Respiratory problems a daily reminder of 9/11: just climbing a flight of stairs renders him breathless. Michael offers a vivid account of the collapse of the towers, and chaos on the streets surrounding the WTC. Importantly, Michael captures the health-related concerns of first responders, and their ongoing efforts to maintain a normal quality of life.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (0:49:47)
Manuscripts
1 pdf transcript
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 317 Richard L Raimo oral history interview conducted by Christina Rodriguez, June 1, 2015
Richard grew up with a very mixed background compared to other kids his age in the 60s and 70s. He was born in Floral Park (Queens) and his grandparents whom he frequently visited lived in Springfield Gardens. Richard came from a very mixed ethnic background of all races with his grandparents being of European descent as well as Native American as well. This largely affected him in life because he was different then most kid his age. Also, seeing as his parents divorced right before high school, he had to deal with two very distinct social classes of friends. In Nassau where he originally lived, he had all white friends but where he moved to in Queens with his mom, it was all African American. So for Richard, growing up as the only white person in a black neighborhood was rough but what was harder was having those two different types of friend groups. But things got better for him as following his high school graduation; Richard immediately flew down to South Carolina to begin his Marine Core training. This brought a sense of pride for him as his entire family on both sides had been apart of the armed forces and he was following right in their footsteps. Unfortunately for Richard, his military career was cut short upon his arrival in North Carolina when the doctors found high levels of protein in his kidneys and the doctors weren’t sure if it was fatal or not hence his release from the armed forces. Upon his return home he kept busy earning himself a volunteer firefighter position as well as other numerous jobs until he gained a job with the New York Transit Authority. This job maintained his true connection to 9/11 and how he became involved on that tragic day. On the morning of 9/11, Richard was working as a Bus Operator whose bus ran right through the Battery Park tunnel. On September 11th though, he was working in the bus depot going over inventory, making sure buses had fuel etc. Someone else was driving his route and his bus was there when the towers hit. He will never forget the bus operator of that bus because said bus operator was a coward according to Richard. The bus driver stopped the bus full of people on Cortland Street, told them to “get out” and then he himself ran out of the bus. Thankfully they all ran out but to this day, Richard still holds contempt over him. While this was happening in the Battery Park area, Richard was watching the towers slowly decimate before his eyes. Upon the second tower get hit by the second plane he just knew that something was truly wrong. So, he turned to his head to his head of union and depot and just pointed to the towers. All they said to him were “Be careful, call home” He immediately drove to Ladder 168 and Engine 245 where he met Chief McCormack who looked at him and said “I need a bus.” So, Richard drove back to the bus depot, pretty much stole a bus, and drove back to the firehouse. He loaded up 30 firefighters both from the house and volunteers and off they went to the towers. On the way they picked up medical supplies and firefighters finally arriving at Ground Zero. When they got there, anywhere Richard could be, he went. It was complete chaos everywhere you looked. For him, he couldn’t think about the lives lost, he just had to keep working. As he continued to work, he compared it to Death Valley due to the stillness at times and the dust. Finally, someone came up to Richard and asked him if he had gotten in touch with his wife. When he replied with a no, someone told him to contact his wife. Truly the only reason he went home was because of his daughter. He had found a picture of a baby and realized that baby was missing their parent now. That picture reminded him of his daughter which gave him a reason to go home and to work even harder when he was down at the sight. For Richard, 9/11 was a time of loss, reminders, and of realization. He learned so much from this tragic day and now has so much to share to others because of it. 9/11 is the reason Richard went on to gain his masters and join FEMA as part of his own recovery from what he saw that day. It gave him hope, and a new look at life but like many others it still left him with questions and a hole in his heart that has yet to be filled.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (1:49:03)
Manuscripts
1 pdf transcript
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 318 Eileen Mosca oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, June 11, 2015
The responder is a retired police officer who was mobilized on 9/11, along with her firefighter husband. The majority of the interview focuses on family and loss, since both of Eileen’s sisters worked in the World Trade Center towers when they were hit. One survived, but only because she was late to work on that particular day. Eileen relates that she and her sister refused to believe their third sister had been killed, and had survived in a caveat within the superstructure of the building. They only gave up after over two weeks of fruitlessly searching for her. Their deceased sister’s remains were positively identified more than two years later. Eileen relates that the event has had a profound effect on her life, and the lives of her loved ones and comrades. She and her sister both fell into depression after the attacks; though Eileen says she has escaped it, her sister still feels survivor’s guilt from being one of only a handful of her cohort who survived. Her husband refuses to talk about the attacks still, and prefers to bottle up his emotions. Both Eileen and her husband have lost many friends to cancer after the hazardous cleanup effort, and Eileen herself has suffered from tumors. Her ultimate take away from the event is that it made people band together and help one another, and she hopes that spirit can be maintained without the need for a major tragedy.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (0:50:23)
Manuscripts
1 pdf transcript
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 319 Andrew Boss oral history interview conducted by Christina Rodriguez, June 18, 2015
Andrew grew up in a small town in Upstate New York with his parents and an older brother. Going to College at SUNY Plattsburgh post high school to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology. His parents retired down to North Carolina but his brother stayed in Upstate New York and currently works for West Point. Andrew always knew that he wanted to be a cop, thought it was so interesting and wanted to catch the bad guys. His parents were always very supportive of him and his brother going into the law enforcement and military fields. Andrew started his career off in law enforcement working for the Bureau of Prisons then moved onto Immigration and Naturalization Services which then lead him to work for Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which is where he is till this day. Andrew met his wife while working a case with her for ATF, as she is a Federal Prosecutor and they now have two young children together. Andrew’s office was located in Lower Manhattan at 6 World Trade Center, so the morning of 9/11 he was leaving his house in Upstate New York to head into the city. Right as he was leaving, he heard on the news that a small plane had hit the tower, right then he knew that he would be working a long day because his division worked with explosions and they were very close to the North tower. On his way into the city, his partner called him and gave him the update that a second plane had hit the South tower and that’s when Andrew put his lights on and headed full speed into the city. He felt this sense of urgency that he needed, wanted and had to get downtown to be there to help. By the time he had gotten downtown, the South tower had already fallen. He recalls getting his equipment out of his trunk and hearing the jumpers. Andrew and a few of his colleagues were waiting to meet with their other co-workers and they saw a firefighter running around the corner yelling “the tower’s falling”. They ran for their lives towards the Hudson River, trying to get away from the smoke and debris funneling towards them. After the towers had fallen, there was a sense of calm in the air, like what else could happen? Andrew was able to get in touch with his co-workers via a radio and they were told to meet up at Chelsea Pier. Before heading to the pier, the ATF agents that were able to muster together paired of in teams of two to walk around lower Manhattan in search of other agents. They made their way back to Chelsea Pier and they were brought over to Brooklyn so they could get cars to go back home. Andrew headed home for the night, only to be back in Brooklyn by 4AM the following day. Starting the next day, they were tasked to set up and start the rescue efforts. Andrew and his team were on the bucket brigade for about three weeks plus. He describes his time down on the pile being horrible and putting a lot of things into perspective, especially understanding what they were pulling out of the pile and realizing its human remains. At the time they didn’t take being around all that smoke seriously but looking back on it, he realizes they should have been more careful. He wound up working down at the site for about three weeks before they were switched over to Fresh Kills landfill. He spent time working the conveyer belts, removing essential items from the belts and recalls it being a very sad necessary place. After 9/11 Andrew volunteered to work security at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Being out there, he realized the change in how everyone views have changed and how outsiders can be very compassionate. They also sent agents down to Louisiana to help with Hurricane Katrina efforts. Andrew doesn’t want the terrorist attacks to be absorbed with the rest of history. He believes that the more people that are looking out for the bad guys, the more likely they can stop something else on this scale from happening again.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (1:20:26)
Manuscripts
1 pdf transcript
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 320 John Burke Simpson oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, August 27, 2015
The responder is a retired member of NYPD precinct 10 who was present at ground zero just after the collapse of the twin towers. He describes that he was involved in a similar disaster, the Hyatt hotel collapse in Kansas City in 1981. Though not intentionally made disaster, he says the response among volunteers was similarly touching. After his experience in Kansas City, he returned to New York and joined the NYPD in 1984. He retired early in 1994 due to a personal injury, and went back to school for nursing—which is how he experienced 9/11. He remembers being stunned at the horror of watching the second plane hit the tower, and watching people leap from the tower to escape the inferno. He was called as a responder a few days after the attack, and was an ambassador to a “Management Support Team,” who were unfamiliar with the city but needed a way to plan logistical support. He also recalls the delivery of bodies to the city morgues, including the family members who lined up to see if their loved ones were among the dead. He feels that firefighters and other responders were not adequately protected from hazards at the site, and that they have since received far less assistance than they deserve.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (1:54:25)
Manuscripts
1 pdf transcript
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 321 Robert Schneck Jr. oral history interview conducted by Christina Rodriguez, July 13, 2015
Bob grew up in New Jersey but always wanted to be a New Yorker. After traveling the world, Bob finally settled in Battery Park City in the late eighties. He recalls the building of the World Trade Center, when the excavations started to take place, they were putting all the dirt and gravel removed into the Hudson River, essentially adding acreage onto the end of Manhattan. People used to go out there and use it like a beach since it was just open landscape. Bob worked for a company called Aon as a Media Inventor and worked on the 102 floor of the World Trade Center before moving to another company called Willis before 9/11. From his office windows on the 102nd floor, Bob could see his apartment. He had a longer vertical commute then he did horizontal. On the morning of 9/11, Bob and his wife Cora went to the World Financial Center to vote in the primary election, which was right across the street from World Trade. While standing in line, they felt the tension of the room change and when they looked outside and saw what they thought was confetti coming down. Bob and Cora walked outside, noticing chunks of concrete were falling down, looked up to see the hole in the side of the building. Bob, an amateur photographer, had a camera with him and started to take pictures within two minutes of the first plane hitting Tower 1. They went back to their apartment to get Cora a camera they were over on the North Side of World Trade Center and they could see an American commercial jet fly over buildings and into the side of Tower 2. Bob knew while watching the plane hit the tower that it couldn’t have been an American Airlines pilot flying the plane. He knew at that moment the world had changed. Bob immediately started to think of his old coworkers and if they were in the building. They went looking for all the people they knew but they were gone. While the buildings collapsed, they were trapped within all the smoke and debris circulating downtown. While trying to make it back to their apartment in Battery Park City, Cora and Bob were stopped by National Guardsmen and were shuffled onto a police boat headed towards New Jersey. They had no choice but to leave the area. After receiving medical clearance in New Jersey, they took an Amtrak train down to Philadelphia, where they had friends they could stay with. Bob and his wife Cora dealt with breathing problems post 9/11. Cora was effected immediately and Bob was effected later on. He speaks heavily on the health issues that surrounded the smoke and the air everyone was breathing in. When the government was telling everyone the air was safe, Bob knew something was wrong. For about a month or two after the attack, Bob’s friend let them use his apartment in Greenwich Village and they were able to commute downtown to their jobs. While they were displaced, they were given a group number of when they were allowed back into their apartments. They were allowed about five minutes, two or three times over the course of a month, to grab their belongings (though, they weren’t supposed to remove anything) and were escorted by the National Guard before they opened the building back up. Bob went back into the apartment without his wife and said it was covered in what he called it “crematorium dust”. He took a couple of pictures of his apartment, describes how it looked and how long it took to clean all the dust off of the complex surfaces. They weren’t given any breathing protection when they were allowed back into their apartment building. They used breathing masks for about a year or more after 9/11 while walking to and from work, being able to see the remanence of dust all over the buildings and streets. Bob is now a Community Board Member and a member of the Survivor Steering Committee. He wants to make sure that the survivors, residents, undocumented workers, any one effected is taken care of. That they are provided with the medical care that they need and to make sure that these types of programs don’t disappear with time.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (2:02:43) and 1 mov video slideshow (0:03:20)
The images in the slideshow, depicting scenes from 9/11 and the days after, are different from the images donated as part of this interview
Graphic Materials
12 jpg
Manuscripts
1 pdf transcript
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 322 Andrew Banahan oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, February 29, 2016
Andrew was born in Brooklyn, but was raised in New Hyde Park, LI with his two older sisters. He studied Criminal Justice at St. John’s University for 2 years and then worked for the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau (TRPB) tattooing race horses with identification numbers. He eventually took the NYPD exam just to see how he’d do, not really planning on becoming a police officer, but was offered a position in the NYPD and accepted it. Andrew started in Queens on the “mounted unit”, where he worked for a couple of years, then was promoted to a precinct in Brooklyn, and then promoted again to a “plain clothes unit” and eventually to a detective squad in 1989. He worked in the anti-crime unit and the robbery identification program (RIP). Andrew was living on Long Island with his wife and two sons at the time of the September 11th attacks. That morning he had just finished his night shift in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and was scheduled to start work again at 8AM. Another officer told Andrew what was happening and the two of them went up to the roof of their building to get a better view of the World Trade Center, where they watched as the second plane hit. They went downstairs with the rest of the officers to turn on the city-wide radio, where they could hear other officers who were in the buildings calling for help. At first, Andrew’s unit was assigned to an area hospital to assist with injuries, but once they realized there would be no survivors with injuries they worked their way closer to the site. For one week Andrew worked at the Medical Examiner’s station to help coordinate the incoming victims’ remains and helped with identification. He recalls the memory of the emotions and tension that broke out whenever remains were found wrapped in a fireman’s jacket. After that, he arrived to work at Arthur Kills landfill, where he described the scene as “surreal”. There, he helped separate and organize the debris from the attacks. Wearing only a paper mask to cover his face, Andrew was concerned about the “toxic brew” that he was breathing in. Eventually, the location became more sophisticated with food, filtered air, and a decontamination area for the workers. In the 8 months that Andrew worked at the landfill he noticed they weren’t finding any of the typical debris you would find in an office, like computers or desks, but instead found personal items like photos, wallets, jewelry, and dolls. He said that everyone working at the site had a sort of “quiet rage” about what had happened and the devastation. Andrew retired in 2002, shortly after 9/11, believing that his involvement with the clean-up may have pushed him to do so. He doesn’t talk much to his family about his work during 9/11, unless they ask him questions. Today, he feels that this experience has changed him as a person and how he views society, and he hopes that people won’t forget this historic event. He wants future generations to remember the human part of the attacks and remember the real people involved. He believes that they’re all victims; those who worked in the World Trade Center buildings, who responded to the attacks, who helped clean-up, and those who are now getting sick with illnesses related to their work at ground zero.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (0:51:50)
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 323 Joseph Blozis oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, March 11, 2016
Joseph “Joe” served 30 years with the NYPD, retiring in 2008. He worked for many years as a detective, and most importantly, as Crime Scene Supervisor, processing over 2,300 crime scenes and 1,000 homicides. Transferred to the Forensics Lab, Joe played a key role in the development of the DNA database, now so important to police investigatory work. Joe graduated from St. John’s University in 1976, and after a brief stint with the FBI, was hired by NYPD in 1979. Joe started as a patrol officer (foot patrol), with an eventual promotion to detective. Later transferred to forensics, gaining expertise in evidence/DNA/crime scene processing. On 9/11 Joseph was in his office, finishing a double shift. Learns of plane strike, followed by the second, and drives to site with colleagues. Arrives to find Emergency Services Unit on site, as well as NYPD. Soon after, hears radio chatter warning of imminent collapse, and climbs under truck for protection. Afterwards, assists fellow officers and FDNY with search and recovery efforts. Joe provides vivid descriptions of the Ground Zero, before and after tower collapses. Reminds viewers that this has to be treated like any other crime scene, albeit on a larger scale, and provides insights on this matter. This interview also contains powerful moments, as when Joe describes the steps rescue workers took after finding a body (or body part) in the rubble- whistle sounds, work stops, body is covered with flag, and everyone salutes as it is carried past. Joe’s professionalism and dedication is clear. This video is a must-watch.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (1:15:26)
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 324 Victoria Youngaitis oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, March 15, 2016
Victoria grew up in an Irish/German area of Brooklyn, New York. Growing up she wanted to be a Veterinarian but ultimately went into Engineering at City College. When she graduated, there were few female engineers so there were many jobs. Sometime after the field began to slump and jobs got smaller while the benefits were less. Vicky knew she needed stability and wanted a union pension so she started working for the New York Transit Authority. She dealt with some tensions of being a woman but pushed through four years of working the night shift to finally getting transferred to run hardware, software and technical writing in Manhattan. The morning of 9/11, Vicky was working in Manhattan near Trinity Church, sitting on a bench outside doing paperwork. She heard a muffled crash and a turbine engine winding down. Watching people looking up, Vicky walked over and saw the plume of debris coming from the World Trade Center. She saw paper on the ground, the edges were burnt and it smelt like diesel fuel. Vicky heard on the radio that a second plane had hit tower 2 and she started walking towards the towers to make sure the clerks were out of the booths. She was able to get the clerks out of the booth and check in with her shop, who told her to go back up to Wall Street. While she was walking uptown, she saw lights flash and she thought it was an advanced shock wave of a bomb, next thing she knew Vicky was running down stairs to get away from the cloud of debris that was funneling toward her. At the bottom of the stairs she was banging on a locked door and a hairdresser let her in. Shortly after when the dust was settled a bit, Vicky went back out into the streets, she saw three cops walking towards her covered in dust and debris, she was able to get them into the hair shop and they were able to clean their faces. Once they were all ok, they went back out into the streets and she remembers it being like Nuclear winter, everything was white and quiet. Vicky remembers walking around a lot that afternoon, going into a church to get cleaned up and just needing to get back to her shop. Once she arrived there, she signed up for a double shift to repair the metro card machines. Transit was allowing passengers to ride for free and she remembers no one wanted to walk through the open gates, people were too used to paying. She remembers the unity of the people, how everyone came together to help one another. The feeling of camaraderie and how everyone was acting selflessly. She had no fear for herself, Vicky just wanted to help who she could and everyone came together that day. Vicky still works for Transit, dealing with a lot of ups and downs after the attacks. The one thing Vicky would like to come out of her story is human nature. How everyone cooperated and helped one another. It showed such a beautiful side of human nature and commonality. She wishes that good positive side of human nature was shown everyday by people. Vicky lives at home on Long Island with her fur babies.
Moving Images
2 mov interview clips (0:22:28 and 0:51:30)
Graphic Materials
11 jpg
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 325 Seymour Schenker oral history interview conducted by Dr. Benjamin Luft, March 16, 2016
Seymour was born in 1926 and grew up in New York City. He grew up next to a Fire house and was a runner for the Firemen, getting them their beer and sandwiches. He knew all this life that he wanted to be a Fireman and thought that he was put on this Earth for a purpose. He believed he got his warm heart from his mother, who always took care of everyone. Seymour joined the Navy in 1943 during WWII as a gunner on a torpedo bomber in the South Pacific. After spending time being stationed in Hawaii, Seymour knew it was time to come home. In 1952, he became a New York City Fireman. He was stationed in Brownsville, Engine 231 Watkins Street, which was rated at the time, the worst firehouse in the world for the number of fires responded to. They were called to as many as 35 fires a night, but the men loved what they did. He helped deliver two babies and saved countless people’s lives. While he was in the FDNY he drove a Chief, so he got to know a lot of the Firemen across NYC and the boroughs. Seymour also worked 3 jobs at the time, including being a fireman, an exterminator and an air conditioner repair man. The exterminator business stuck and his son still runs that business till this day. Seymour retired from FDNY in 1989 and moved down to Florida for a brief time before coming back up to New York. Now Seymour helps take care of people within his community by bringing them to the doctors and to other appointments, giving him a sense of purpose well into his 90s. The morning of 9/11, his wife Shelia told him about a plane hitting the tower so they turned on the TV. They watched the second plane hit and he knew that this was an attack on American soil. He told his wife that he was going in and headed into the city and at his age, he didn’t think twice. So at 75 years old, he traveled into his old station in Brownsville and reported down to Ground Zero. Once he arrived downtown at Ground Zero his mindset went from anger to the need to find a body, the need to find something. While down at the pit, Seymour wanted to work but with his age and knowledge of the city, they teamed him up with an FBI agent named Debby and they went around looking for plane parts, which they found multiple affects. The FBI was staged at Chamber Street, so they brought whatever they found over to them. When he wasn’t working with the FBI, he helped with the bucket brigade, sleeping downtown 2 nights on then head back home for a day before turning around and going right back. Seymour worked down at Ground Zero about 10 days recalling the unity and bond that responders and civilians were sharing. He recalls how close firemen are and how they were able to continue on, working for months because they had to. One of Seymour’s grandchildren, Robbie, joined the service and followed in his grandfather’s footsteps. He served in Afghanistan and received multiple medals for his heroism. He now works as a Suffolk County Police Officer, continuing the family line of service to the community. Though Seymour and his family have given a lot to their communities, they are a very proud family of their service and the need to help others. Although Seymour may never come to peace with 9/11, he recalls how he never came to peace with flying over Pearl Harbor and seeing the Arizona fuel still leaking into the harbor. He never was able to forgive the Japanese for Pearl Harbor and he will never be able to forgive the people that orchestrated and carried out the attacks on 9/11.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (1:22:58)
Graphic Materials
54 jpg and 6 pdf
Manuscripts
1 pdf transcript
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 326 Christopher Rickard oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, April 7, 2016
Chris is from Fairfield Connecticut. He was born in 1960. His family owned a trucking business for one-hundred years in Bridgeport. Chris went to college in the eighties. While attending college Chris was a part of a band and did a nine country tour through Europe. He has two sisters who are both working in the healthcare field. Chris went to Central Connecticut State University where he earned his biology degree. A friend of Chris’s sent him a catalogue about a chiropractic degree from one of Oregon’s leading universities. Chris pursued this career path and became a chiropractor. A week before the events of 9/11 had occurred, Chris went into New York City but didn’t have enough time to visit the Twin Towers. On the day of 9/11, Chris heard the news on the radio while he was heading to work. At first, Chris thought it was an accident. It wasn’t until he saw the second plane hit the other Tower on the news that he knew something serious had occurred. Chris went down two days after 9/11 and was overwhelmed by the devastation. He discussed how the streets around the area were very desolate and all you could hear were sirens and firetrucks. When Chris was walking down Canal Street there was a debris cloud overhead and there was a distinct smell like a stale campfire surrounding the area. A friend of Chris’s notified him that chiropractors were being sent to St. Paul’s Chapel to do relief work. There were two chiropractors working per shift. In order to get to the site there were police checkpoints. At these checkpoints Chris had to show proper ID, and the police searched his car as part of the security measures. Chris arrived to St. Paul’s Chapel and noticed that it was untouched. However, the building next door had its windows blown out from the event. When Chris was at the Chapel a lot of people didn’t know that chiropractors were there. While Chris was working at the site he had heard stories about the Mob hijacking debris trucks in order to make a profit off of the debris especially steal. Chris had numerous stories about how many people were able to relax and breakdown after the chiropractors and massage therapists had treated them. As the clean-up crews were removing the debris Chris noticed that many of the bodies were fused to their seats. A friend of Chris’s who was living across from the Verizon Building saw people jump to avoid from being burned to death. While at St. Paul’s Chapel there was music playing to ease and calm down people there. St. Pauls was the only place where people who working continuously had a place to sleep and rest. Chris was very motivated to help with the aftermath of 9/11. He worked at the site from October 4, 2001 till June.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (1:42:30)
Graphic Materials
134 jpg
Manuscripts
1 pdf transcript and 1 powerpoint presentation
The powerpoint is a presentation of the images collected for this interview. It contains some limited descriptions of the images.
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 327 Gregory O'Brien oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, May 24, 2016
Greg grew up on the North Shore of Long Island in Kings Park. His father was a Navy commander and later worked on the New York Stock Exchange. Growing up in a large Irish family with 5 siblings, they spent a lot of time on the water fishing. Greg has four children, 2 girls with his first wife and 2 sons with his second wife and have 4 grandchildren. Greg owned a repair shop with his brother on Long Island and after they decided to close down the shop, his brother went into the Ironworkers union and Greg began working for Century Petroleum in Manhattan working on construction equipment. The morning of 9/11, Greg had only been working in the city for a year. He worked with heavy construction equipment, which had a contract with Con Edison to fuel their needs. While standing on the Williamsburg Bridge they could see the fire billowing from Tower 1. They couldn’t see the second plane hit Tower 2 but they could see it come out the other side. Right after they got the call to get all trucks off the bridge and head back to the yard to get ready to start fueling Emergency equipment when the call came in. Greg, along with his coworkers, watched both towers fall and he remembers they went down in the blink of an eye. The morning after they went downtown to start filling the fuel for the emergency machines. The feeling of disbelief, bewilderment and anger overcame them. When first seeing the site, it was gut wrenching so they focused on getting the job done. They spent the first couple of days just cycling through the big generators making sure they were fueled. Greg spent 21 days down at Ground Zero before he finally went home. Con Edison needed to provide power to the buildings in lower Manhattan, which had them laying power lines in the street. Keeping these power lines up and running was one of the most important fueling projects they had while being tasked downtown. Another big project that had to be taken care of was making sure that the slurry wall, which was holding back the Hudson River, didn’t cave in and completely flood the Ground Zero site. Greg and his team worked around the clock to make sure that all the machines that were involved in the multiple projects going on at once downtown were fueled and running. Another large concern was making sure that Wall Street, Mercantile Exchange and Cantor Fitzgerald stayed up and running. Greg made sure that one of his fueling trucks was parked on Wall Street 24/7, allowing them to refuel the generators when needed to keep those companies up and running. Greg worked at the World Trade Center site until November 26, 2014. He watched the entire transition from recovery, to clean-up, to the rebuild. Greg and his team of drivers were the life blood of keeping everything working and running via fuel, day in and day out. Everyone down at the World Trade Center sites became one big family, always helping one another when they needed it, no questions asked. He recognized the comradery that brought everyone together. One of the biggest things that Greg wants people to know is that he never wants to see this type of thing happen again. He’s worried about his children and grandchildren living in a world where they’re waiting for something like this to happen again. Greg is now retired and living in Delaware with his wife Abby.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (1:14:25)
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 328 Stanley Rybak oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, September 21, 2016
Every story holds a new piece to the puzzle and Stan is one of those missing pieces. For him, 9/11 is a time of loss like so many others but it’s also a time of questions. Before that dreaded day though, let’s back up to happier times. Stan grew up in East Meadow, which is located on Long Island with his twin brother along with two brothers and two sisters as well. They all lived that typical American life in the 60’s and 70’s of loving families, athletic fun, and laughter in the household. In 1973, Stan’s family moved to South Florida where Stan attended the local college but soon moved back up to Long Island with his grandparents, as Florida wasn’t for him. He soon became involved with the Fire Department through his uncle with whom he worked for. Said Uncle whom was also a fireman told him to take the test, so in between working at his other uncles deli and the construction business he took the physical and test for the department. On January 10th of 81 he was hired and was placed in 90 Engine in the Bronx during Probie School. As most firemen say “Welcome to the life you love” that’s exactly what happened to Stan. He loved everything about being a firefighter. From being transferred to Brooklyn which was a busy area until he was transferred over in August of 91, every single second he loved his job. That August, he was given order to go and cover Hazmat, which is the hazardous waste products firehouse unit. Following his transfer, he would stay in that firehouse until he retired, working with the Chief of HAZMAT Operations Jack Fanning until the day Chief Fanning passed away. On 9/11, Stan had just completed his 20th year on the job and had decided that he was going to go on for 25 years, as his kids would have finished college by the time that he would be out. On that tragic day, he still remembers the clear blue sky as he reported in for his shift at Randall’s Island, which the firefighters located, there nicknamed “Hells Gate.” Upon his arrival at the firehouse, he overheard on the radio the broadcasters questioning what had happened. So, Chief Fanning and Stan responded in to check it out. Before they left the house, they told their crew to stay behind, as they had no idea what they were responding to yet. One major point that Stan emphasized was that Chief Fanning wanted to drive because he had his gear in his car. As they drove across the Triborough Bridge and down the FDR, they saw the second explosion. Stan describes it as a bubble but a fire bubble. At the time they didn’t know that the second plane had hit the South Tower. Upon arriving at Vesey Street and truly viewing the scene, Stan turns to Chief Fanning and goes “ It’s going to be a long day” All around him, it was lot to take it from the burning towers above, to the people running away from the towers to the first responders rushing in. You would see one firefighter and the next moment they would be gone and that’s exactly what happened to chief fanning. Stan and Chief Fanning got separated and unfortunately that drive to the Trade Center would be their last drive together. As Stan tried to look for Chief Fanning, he ran into other chiefs and firefighters who were asking him questions and giving him directions. But for Stan what truly stuck out was when firefighters asked him “ What do you want me to do?” He felt so useless at that time when the firefighters asked him that because he didn’t know what they should do at all. As the time clock for the towers slowly was ticking down, Stan headed back in the direction of the Towers to see if he could a. Find Chief Fanning and b. See if he could do anything. The only reason why Stan didn’t rush into the tower in the first place was because he didn’t have his bunker gear with him leaving him outside the towers hearing the bodies of those trapped above jump to their deaths. Now as he recalls it years later, right before the tower fell, more and more bodies seemed to be hitting the ground before the mushroom tunnel began which the last attempt for those trapped. As he looked above when the sound of the crash began and saw the “mushroom tunnel” coming for him, he sprinted for the World Financial Center. At first he couldn’t open the glass doors because the pressure was so great from what was coming on above, but finally he able to pry it open with both hands and make it inside. Due to the force of the collapse, like so many of the buildings on the site, all of the glass windows were completely blown out which sent Stan flying into a wall. When he finally came to, he thought he was dead because he was in total darkness. The only thing that kept him sane was that there was a red light flashing indicating he was in the basement. As he got up and started walking around, he heard a voice calling for 217, and it happened to be the lieutenant of the house Tom McGuff searching for his guys. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find any of them, but he did find Stan. Finding his way out of the center, his main focus became finding survivors, whether it is civilians or first responders. But, he didn’t find any. Fortunately for him, his crew finally arrived with his bunker gear giving him more protection as the North Tower was due to collapse any moment. When the rumbling started again, he started running but was pulled behind a concrete wall by Charlie Wells who had a breathing mask which came in handy as to Stan, the second collapse seemed to be a lot hotter then the first. Following both towers falling, Stan realized how hard he was thrown into the wall when his head began pounding and the adrenaline rush wore off. Finally receiving treatment and care, he began to process what truly just happened. With the realization of what happened, Stan and the FEMA team along with the rest of the Hazmat unit set up their emergency unit at the school across the street from Ground Zero. For the next few weeks, this is all Stan would know. Besides seeing “The Pile” as the remnants of the World Trade Center became known to be, Stan also unfortunately saw funerals for those next few months of his life as well. 19 guys from his firehouses that he previously bounced around in before Hazmat had been killed but his Chief and friend Jack Fanning had been killed as well. With 343 firefighters killed, there were at least 2-3 funerals a day once the bodies were found. The widows and families either planned the funerals with the departments or with other families based on friendships and relationships, so not only the exhaustion from working on the pile overcame those still alive but burying those lost added onto the grief as well. We look at Stan’s story 15 years later as a lesson, especially from someone who went through it all. But for Stan who still grieves for those lost, the questions of the unknown still linger on his mind. If all he could get are answers then he will feel more at peace. Especially for him, he needs to know that no one will ever forget.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (1:11:39)
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 329 Michael O'Neil oral history interview conducted by Julie Broihier, September 23, 2016
Michael “Mike” grew up on Long Island in Massapequa. He grew up with 2 older siblings and still lives in that same town with his wife and daughter. Mike’s grandfather and uncle were New York City police officers and he knew he always wanted to follow in their footsteps, becoming the 3rd generation in the NYPD. He joined the force in the 1980s, during the height of organized crime in New York City. Lead to a very exciting and fast paced job. Mike started workings with the Narcotics division, eventually becoming Captain for Organized Crime. The morning of 9/11, Mike was on his way into his command at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. His boss called him while he was driving and told him that a plane had hit Tower 1, shortly after he received the call that the tower fell. As soon as he arrived he put his Captain’s hat on and started to formulate a response team and plan. He recalls it being mass chaos, with officers showing up who were self-activating. Mike put together a plan for 50-70 officers, all from different commands and put some of them on a boat to head over to downtown Manhattan. Mike led the rest of the officers over to the city and immediately went into rescue mode by the time they reached the World Trade Center. They were all downtown once the towers fell and it was controlled chaos and a surreal experience. Mike was then placed in charge of 60-70 cops, with 4 to 6 stories high of rubble they began to formulate a strategy to rescue people. He was amazed at how brave all the police officers and fire fighters were that took it upon themselves to help, even though they weren’t required to or being paid to. Mike spent the first few days organizing the cops and fire fighters coming in on their own time, giving them tasks to do, not wanting them to get hurt. After the first few days, Mike went back to his headquarters and came up with a plan and set up a detail for Ground Zero. He set up his command center downtown at the High School, creating two 12 hour shifts for working. There was about 500-700 cops that reported per shift and Mike lived downtown, at various places, for a total of 54 days before going back home. They realized after a couple weeks they weren’t going to be able to find any survivors and the objective turned to the recovery of body parts. The events on 9/11 changed Michael’s professional career for the rest of his life. Once he was able to go home, he wrote a white paper, outlining how they needed to retrain their city officers in Counter Terrorism. Which then pushed his career into being the Inspector of the Counter Terrorism Unit of the NYPD for the 7 years following. He’s gone all over the world to train people in how to be an active member of society and to be ready for when another attack happens. Mike wants people to know to always let law enforcement know if you have a bad feeling about someone or something. Think about what you’d do in that situation if you knew you were going to die? Would you help the cause or would you stay silent and possibly let something happen. Michael retired from the NYPD in 2009 and started working for a private security firm that also deals with terrorism. He chose to step away from the force when he realized his daughter was growing up too fast in front of his eyes.
Moving Images
1 mov interview clip (0:22:28) and 1 mp4 interview clip (0:51:06)
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 330 John F. Debiase oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, September 26, 2016
John grew up in Middle Village which is located in Queens. In John’s community everyone is close to one another. John experienced a traditional type of an Irish-Italian lifestyle. His Father was a funeral director and later became a deacon in a Catholic church while John’s Mother was a stay at home mom. John has three boys and is married to his wife Sheila. Religion is very important to John. John attended a religious high school in Brooklyn called the Most Holy Trinity and later went to earn his college degree at St. Johns University and his master’s degree at Iona College. John’s first career was being an accountant but then he got tired of dealing with the numbers associated with the job that he switched his field to healthcare administration. John was working at the Floating Hospital as a controller on the day of 9/11. John’s main job while working at the Floating Hospital was to be in charge of the flow of money and to track business expenses. John suffers from Crohn’s Disease. When the events of 9/11 occurred it was his first day back on the job because his doctor had asked him to take a couple of days off. John got off of the M-train and realized that smoke was coming from the tower. At first, John thought it was an accident due to a plane malfunctioning. While John was at the Floating Hospital an explosion of some sort rocked the gangway of the boat. John didn’t know that it was the second plane hitting the tower that caused this type of eruption. A worker saw the incident on the television and then told John of the news. John was very critical of the role the Floating Hospital played during this chaotic time. The Floating Hospital was at the center of the catastrophe. People were running away from the incident and heading towards the pier. John wanted the Floating Hospital to put up the gangway this way people could run onto the boat and start rescuing people from the devastation. However, people shut this proposition of John’s down and the Floating Hospital closed its doors. The reason this plan of John’s got shutdown was due to insurance liability issues. The workers left the boat and headed uptown. John walked the FDR drive and noticed the eeriness of the place. In addition, John walked down Fifth Avenue and saw the smoke and realized at this moment that he was living a part of history. John tasted the dust from the towers falling. John finally got into contact with a bunch of family members who were also in the City during this time. John and his family arranged to meet at his Brother-in-Law’s office in order to travel home. While John and his family members were traveling home through the tunnel, John noticed that his car was the only one on the road at this time. After the event, John suffers from lung damage and having vivid recollections of 9/11 within his dreams. Many people within John’s community worked in the City and pasted away during 9/11. John stated that many of his neighbors became closer due to this event. During the time of the 9/11 anniversary the Middle Village Park holds a vigil for the people taken away in 9/11. On the other hand, the Floating Hospital was moved to a different pier location following 9/11 and John believed this had occurred because of the Floating Hospitals actions during 9/11. John believes that 9/11 should be a day of remembrance.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (1:07:11)
Item ID: AFC 2015/048: 331 Brian Howard oral history interview conducted by Ashlee McGlone, November 4, 2016
In this video, Brian shares his experiences as a veterinarian responding to 9/11 to support the search and rescue (SAR) dogs. Brian, a veterinarian on Long Island, was called to respond to the 9/11 disaster due to his affiliation with the SPCA and voluntary association with their local emergency response unit. From his explanation, this team is comprised of veterinarians, vet techs, and other animal professionals who respond to emergency situations to help and support other responders when dealing with injured or lost animals, as well as to assist and support animals working with responders, such as the SAR dogs. Following his story of responding to 9/11, he talks about the uncertainty of traveling to Manhattan from Long Island following the disaster on 9/13, the chaos he and his colleagues found at Ground Zero, and how his role changed from not only providing medical support for the SAR dogs, but also to supporting and aiding their handlers and, eventually, firefighters as well. As he explains, the SPCA set up aid stations for the SAR dogs to be checked over by veterinarians, as well as to wash them (especially their eyes and feet), which eventually extended to include SAR handlers and firefighters using the eyewash stations as well. This experience brought him into more contact with responders working the pile and surrounding area. Through this experience he also gives examples of the uncertainty in action, for example being told to keep an eye out for signs of biological warfare, or the lack of information about what was specifically happening on the pile at a given time. Later, he talks about the aftermath of 9/11 on himself, and his coworkers who went with him to the site, as well as how his family has responded to the event after the fact (especially his children). For example, his daughter encouraged him to participate in the oral history interview process because his experiences and story were, in her approximation, important to share with others. Alternatively, one of his colleagues who went with him to the site all but refuses to discuss it, and has experienced more negative outcomes from the event. He shares how this has changed his working relationship over time, and how he has worked to try and help his colleague. Content is presented in a detailed and easy to follow manner, presents a relatively hopeful message for the future, and is free of bad language, making it very accessible to viewers of most ages and sensibilities.
Moving Images
1 mov interview (0:57:14)
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