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Frank Salmieri, a plant utilities assistant in Physical Facilities, is a staff sergeant in the New York Air National Guard, 174th fighter wing based at Hancock field in Syracuse, serving in the civil engineering squadron. In the early hours of September 12, Salmieri was ordered to report to the base by 5 a.m. and began shipping out at 8 a.m. After a brief staging stop at Stewart Air National Guard base in Newburgh, NY, Salmieri’s unit was moved into a warehouse on Randalls Island near the Tri Borough Bridge. |
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"Our mission was perimeter security at ‘ground zero’ and all areas leading to and from the site. We worked side by side with the NYPD, checking people, vehicles or just about anything that moved in the areas. Eve though there was a lot of confusion, everyone cooperated with each other. We became a family.
"Together with the men with me, we stood at the base of ‘ground zero’ and it was like something out of The Twilight Zone. I thought I was in another dimension. And the eeriness of it all. Except for the sound of machines and the faces of the rescue workers, construction crews, firemen and police, it seemed like a portion of the movie Night of the Living Dead.
"I am from NYC and watched those Towers being built. New York City, like any other big city, is tough. But when there is a crisis, everyone pulls together. The generosity and support that was given to us all can never be equaled. We were cheered, applauded, hugged, kissed, given food and drink, clothing, comfort – anything within their power was ours for the asking."
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Deborah Mitchell, marketing promotions coordinator in the Theatre Department, volunteered her help after hearing a plea on a local radio station, requesting steel-toed shoes for the volunteers and American Red Cross workers.
Having connections with a company that manufactured safety shoes, Mitchell made a few phone calls and soon found herself at the wheel of a mini-van, filled with the needed footwear and headed toward Manhattan. Upon arrival, Mitchell was put to work by the Federal Emergency Management Agency at ground zero. Because of her 10 years of industrial safety experience Mitchell was assigned to help fit the shoes. The station, which also distributed other rescue supplies such as gas masks, was set up in the Burger King, across from the WTC. |
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"For the next 12 hours, we sat and made air masks. When we had 50 made, we would walk through the torn and burning steel, and hand the masks to the firefighters and police officers in the rescue lines. The fires were still burning and the threat from the freon and transformers exploding was high, so it was important that the workers had the masks. Every time I went out into the rubble, I would say to myself, ‘After this, I'll leave.’ But I couldn't pry myself away. I just kept going because I knew that I was needed. I worked until my feet and body was worn out.
"My experience at ‘ground zero’ really didn't hit me until my return to Binghamton, when on Monday evening, I heard that after breaking through the concourse level of the WTC they had not found any survivors. The ‘pit’ that we were taking the masks to, was the concourse that they were referring to.
"For the first time, I began crying uncontrollably. I cannot possibly describe how I felt, only that I felt defeated. After being there, I knew what was and wasn't needed at ‘ground zero,’ so on Tuesday, I phoned a company in Chicago that made safety gloves because I had seen first-hand that the firefighters and police officers needed some kind of protective glove. As they were reaching into the metal, they were cutting their arms. The company in Chicago over-nighted 144 pairs of kevlar gloves so that I could take them down the following weekend.
"My second weekend at ‘ground zero’ was much of the same, only this time I was handing out the gloves to the welders and firemen in ‘the pit.’ It had gotten quite dark and the rubble was now illuminated by floodlight."
Mitchell added that Annette Short, who works in the Theatre Department’s costume shop, knew that Mitchell would be returning to New York on September 21. Short, who also makes dolls, "made a special angel doll, dressed in red, white and blue. She asked me if I would take it down and it now sits on the table that is covered with cards, letters, and candles outside of the triage center at ‘ground zero’."
"As we were leaving that second weekend, a fireman was found under the rubble in the pit. The rescue workers carefully removed his body and wrapped him in an American Flag. All of us—the officers, National Guard, firefighters, volunteers—stood at attention as they transported his tattered body into an ambulance. We saluted and prayed. It is sight that I will never, nor ever let myself forget."
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Dawnie Wolfe Steadman, assistant professor of anthropology and a trained forensic anthropologist, was part of a Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT). The teams are made up of forensic pathologists, dentists, anthropologists, medical examiners, coroners, funeral directors and X-ray technicians. Steadman’s team was assigned to the Manhattan area to help set up morgues, identify the dead and aid the families of victims. Since September 11, Steadman has been working 12-hour shifts in two-week cycles; coming back to Binghamton in short bursts to recuperate. |
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"As I watched the horrific events of September 11, I was filled with the same sense of anger, fear and dread as everyone else who watched. But I also had a sense of peace, knowing I would likely be called to help identify the victims. I have been a member of DMORT since 1995 and felt very agitated that day until I was activated. I couldn't wait to go.
"At 6:30 p.m. that night I was called and I left that evening. The need to provide assistance to the innocent victims and their families is probably innate, but I am lucky to have some skills that allow me to provide a direct service. While I could have been sent to Washington D.C. or Pennsylvania, I was happy to be able to help families of the World Trade Center disaster in NYC.
"As I think about the last three weeks of work here, I am left with two strong impressions— outstanding teamwork and dedication among the workers and tremendous public support for the recovery efforts. It is not an overstatement to say that everyone is working well past his or her normal limits both physically and mentally. Despite total exhaustion, team members are not eager to leave their post, even for a short break.
"While the task of recovery and identification is immense and the process is slow, all of the agencies are working as efficiently as possible. I am grateful to those who donate to, or work for, the Salvation Army and Red Cross as they continue to provide us with food and warm clothes.
"I have also been touched by the many letters and care packages I've received from total strangers. I want people to know that we are receiving them and are so grateful for their kind words. Finally, I greatly appreciate the support I have received from Binghamton University, particularly the faculty and students of the Anthropology Department."
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Laura Terriquez-Kasey, a clinical instructor in the Decker School of Nursing, serves as emergency care and trauma nurse in the federal government’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team or DMAT, which was activated soon after the Trade Center was hit.
She arrived at a disaster staging area in the late afternoon on September 11. In the days that followed, Kasey was stationed at the American Express building, about a half block from ground zero, and assigned to help organize a medical triage and acute care services. |
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"I have trained for war as an Army nurse and have worked under very difficult circumstances and disasters, but this was different. If I put all of my disaster response experience together, this one was the worst I've ever participated in.
"The area was a true war zone. Military police and armed police guarded every corner. Shattered police cars and large fire engines were crushed like toys. We were bused in and walked in as a group, receiving our helmets, goggles and respirator masks. The area was covered in a thick cloud of smoke and heavy dust, and the ash appeared as though it was volcanic. The smell of death was everywhere.
"Police and fire teams assembled at different points and were marched in with buckets, later to be nicknamed the ‘bucket brigade.’ The shock and fear and mourning was visible on their faces all the time—even more so any time they removed human remains. It was heart wrenching to watch.
"Many would be very quiet and eat and return to work as though searching for their brothers and sisters and loved ones. They prayed, they consoled each other, but were very determined to go back to work.
"Our job was to care for these heroes and try to comfort them in any way we could. Many times we just listened and helped them by caring for their injuries. We had many lacerations, minor cuts and blisters and eyes with abrasions on the cornea, burns and the need for nebulizer (or respiratory spray) treatments.
"Many of the dogs being used were also exhausted, becoming increasingly tired and dehydrated. The handlers frequently needed to take a break as well but would only do so when the dog was given IV fluids and rest.
"The area of devastation is wide, the numbers of dead keep rising and the disappointment continues to grow.
"I can only tell you that the TV and photos cannot do the disaster justice. You can’t really understand the magnitude of the WTC area, now just a pile of rubble. The area has about 4,000 men working at the pile, sifting through debris. Each team of 60 men and women would march into a designated area and work at removing what they could manually and then the steel workers and construction crews would come in and haul away a chunk of twisted metal.
"Personally, I felt I could not do enough, I felt like I lost part of my own sense of security and I wanted to stay and continue helping and try to console the mourners. It took me about three days to get over the shock and horror that I also had endured and talking has helped a little. We are all still mourning and will continue to pray that some time in the future, we will all feel secure again."
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| Nancy Lamberty, a social worker in the University’s Counseling Center, was assigned to the missing person's hotline run by the Office of Emergency Management and staffed by Red Cross mental health workers and local mental health volunteers. Lamberty’s unit was based in the offices of Channel 13, a NYC public television station. |
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"My motivation for being there was mainly that I wanted to make a difference and use my clinical skills in a meaningful way. We, the social workers and psychologists, were required to answer incoming calls and write up missing person's reports. Because many of the phone lines were down, we were also receiving calls from scared and upset people needing emotional support and referral information, such as where to find shelter, food, financial assistance, transportation information etc. We also received a great deal of calls from people all over the world and within the United States wanting to help or donate goods, equipment or find a loved one. So we offered emotional support and then referred them to the appropriate authorities.
"Sometimes we were successful locating a loved one. Most of the time we were not. After a week of working the hotlines, the volume of calls decreased significantly and we were then merged with the NYPD missing person's hotline, closer to ground zero. There, we worked with the Internal Affairs Bureau, supporting the police during these difficult calls— speaking with the caller whenever possible, calming and supporting them and providing counseling referral information and other needed assistance.
"Also helping the police with their own loss, job-related stress. Some of them have lost close friends, coworkers and family members as well.
"The experience has helped me to truly appreciate the work that police and firemen do to keep our communities 'safe' for the rest of us. Words cannot express the level of pain and loss experienced by so many in such a short period of time. The hardest part was leaving NYC when there is still so much work yet to be done.
"I am grateful for the wonderful support that I have received from the campus community, especially from my immediate supervisor and colleagues. Without their support I would not have been able to do what I do.
"The feeling of seeing a thriving community crushed into a pile of rubble is indescribable. It moved me to tears. The air smelled of a burning fire — your eyes and nose burned when you breathed. The real heroes of this disaster are all the men and women still working at ground zero. Most of us were kept away from this area and protected from witnessing the daily horror of this attack. I wish I could have stayed longer but I also needed some distance from it too."
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John Llewellyn, a dormitory maintenance assistant in the Susquehanna Community and Clearview residential communities, is a member of the 174th Civil Engineering Squadron of the New York Air National Guard. Llewellyn was already on active duty at Hancock Airforce base in Syracuse, when at 3 a.m. on September 12, he received word that he was to be deployed to New York City. After a stop at the Newburg Air National Guard base where Llewellyn’s unit was briefed, they were transported to their New York City base located on Randalls Island near the Tri Borough Bridge. Llewellyn was then assigned to work with New York City Police department personnel located at the 69th Street Armory. |
"My first assignment at the Armory was to provide security at this very busy spot by checking people’s identification. People were stopping by the Armory in steady streams, some dropping off donations which had to be checked; some people had questions or problems, and needed to talk to professionals; others wanted to volunteer – doctors, lawyers, welders, electricians. I’ve never seen such an outpouring of love. I was touched by the amount of food and clothing that flowed, non-stop, into the Armory.
"That afternoon, I was assigned to the ground-zero area. On our way in, I noticed the streets along the way were lined with TV station trucks with satellite dishes, reporters interviewing people and bystander holding banners, flags and candles. And they cheered us on, saying 'thank you.'
"When we got near ground zero, I saw a large cloud of smoke in the sky. Once we arrived, I was in shock – it was worse than I could have imagined. I saw several cars and vans destroyed, many buildings near the Towers had been were ruined, windows blown out, interiors of buildings that looked as it they were burned out. And large cranes and equipment picking through all the steel.
"And what really struck me were the hundreds of touching messages written in the dust on the surrounding buildings."
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