Patrick Reid oral history interview conducted by Julie Broihier, August 16, 2010

About

Patrick is a union laborer for a general contractor. At the time of the 9/11 attack, he was in Queens and saw the event from the rooftop of the building he was working in. He initially thought it was an accident until he saw the second plane hit. He arrived at the site on 9/12 and did not expect to see what he saw. He said the site was in chaos, and the destruction was shocking. His job was to clear debris and fine soot by hosing down one area at a time at the Verizon area on West Street. He didn't know where to start and said it was hard labor. He was at Ground Zero for one month and slept in a truck for 2-3 hours a night. He had a hard time sleeping. He was disappointed that the Red Cross would not give him a mask; they were only given to firefighters and police officers. He never saw such devastation. He tries not to think about the event and tries not to let it bother him emotionally. He is disheartened that nine years later, the people responsible have not been found. He probably would not do it again due to health issues, and he doesn't think people would respond in the same way. He feels government is not in the best interest of the people.

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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