William F. Gardner oral history interview conducted by Dr. Benjamin Luft, June 25, 2010

About

Bill was a corrections officer in Nassau County. He lived on Long Island with his wife and 5 year old son. He had the day off on 9/11 and was home going about his business until a friend called and told him to turn on the TV. As the events unfolded before his eyes, he stared at the television in shock. He was overcome by feelings of confusion and fear. He and his wife went into a sort of survival mode to prepare for the worst. He loaded his gun, went to the grocery store to stock up on food. . .there was a great feeling of uncertainty about what the future held. Two days later, he was one of many county officials who went into the city with the local Red Cross and Salvation Army to bring supplies. He describes the numbing he felt as he first witnessed the destruction at Ground Zero. There was no time to process the level of destruction. Bill was immediately assigned to provide security at a FDNY firehouse, Rescue 1, near Ground Zero. The Rescue 1 firefighters had been deployed to the WTC Center buildings soon after the first plane hit and now many were missing. Bill and his fellow officers pulled up to the firehouse and were greeted warmly by the firefighters' spouses, who welcomed them and fed them. Bill shares some poignant stories of generosity and courage displayed by these women, who focused on keeping the community together, despite none knew if their husbands had survived. In true NYC fashion, where the firehouse is central to the community, neighbors began bringing…

Archive

Library of Congress, in Library of Congress

Licence or status

Rights statement at the Library of Congress, as the Library of Congress states it.

Credit

Library of Congress

Language

English

Country

United States

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