# Marion C. Holfelder oral history interview conducted by Dr. Benjamin Luft, June 8, 2010

On the morning of September 11th, Marion was at the Brooklyn Criminal Court where she worked as a court officer. The courthouse was located just across the river from the World Trade Center and in the building, she could smell burning. Not long after she heard about the attacks from a warrant officer's radio. She was frightened and disoriented. With all the knowledge and security we have in America, how did someone manage to attack? She was directed to evacuate the court house and lock it down. Marion went to the site on September 12th. She was astonished by what she saw. She remembers thinking this is what war looks like; 360 degrees of devastation. There she helped to unload supplies from incoming trucks. She remembers the workers at the site were all numb and it was eerily silent. Everyone pushed aside emotions to get their job done. Adrenaline kept her going. At home, Marion was frightened but at work she felt a sense of relief; it felt cathartic to be a part of the solution. Marion has some health problems and she remembers believing the president when he said we'll take care of the responders but the responders have been forgotten. She is still concerned that there is another attack whenever she hears sirens. Marion hopes that people remain vigilant and keep their eyes open for more terrorist activity.

- Kind: Interview
- Year: 2010
- Runtime: 40 min
- By: Holfelder, Marion C.
- Genres: History
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2015048_007/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/afc2015048_007?play=1)