"Yield not to misfortunes, but advance all the more boldly against them".Tuesday was a bright, clear summer morning. Just another day in the saltmines. One of my co-workers entered my office and told me a truck driver heard on his radio that a plane had hit the WTC. I assumed a light plane had been blown off course by some thermals rising and falling over the concrete jungle. We had a black and white TV that had been left behind in the field office by a previous tenant so I plugged it in and tweaked the rabbit ears to see if there was anything on the news about it. Was there ever. You know the rest of the story of that day.
The months that followed were a miracle, in terms of action for a city usually paralyzed by inaction and infighting.
The cleanup of the WTC involved removal of 1.5 miliion tons of debris, recovery of over 50,000 pieces of discrete evidence, nearly 4500 human remains and over 200 persons positively ID'd.
They started with bucket brigades, moved to cranes and loaders and excavators. Each bucket load was laid on the ground and sorted by men with rakes and shovels. After a time the contractors refined their routines, they set up a screening plant at the landfill in Fresh Kiil to sort the larger pieces from the smaller and this was again sorted by hand to look for evidence, human remains and personal effects. The heartache and personal tragedies that all the NYC unions, NYPD, FDNY, DOS, etc. were put aside as they continued their work, all the while reminded of their own losses.
Within six months the majority of the work was completed. The pain endured by the debris removal personnel somewhat softened by time, yet omnipresent. The time it took to do this work, within the parameters imposed was miraculous. A true testament to American determination.
As this anniversary rolls around again, think about the sacrifices made by the rescuers and recoverers. Think about their resolution to get the job done. Think about how that relates today to the struggle our military endures, while getting second guessed and hog-tied by politicians and media - types whose only idea of resolution is how clear is the next photo-op.
This tuesday, September the 11th, remember those who struggled through the calamity and those who continue to struggle in the War against terror. God Bless our troops.
