# David oral history interview conducted by Melodie Guerrera, September 13, 2010

David is a former Marine and Ensign in the US Coast Guard. On 9/11, he was a mate on the Staten Island Ferry on the 5:30 AM to 1:30 PM shift. The first plane hit the trade center when he was ferrying 5,000 people toward Manhattan. The ferry turned around and brought the passengers back to Staten Island. He returned to Manhattan many times that day to pick up passengers and bring them back to Staten Island, about a 20-minute ride. There was no visibility due to the dust in the air, and radar had to be used to navigate to Staten Island. David said the ferry was carrying double the number of passengers allowed on the boat-- approximately 10,000 people covered in dust and debris. He said strangers were holding hands and praying, but there was no panic. He explained that because the subways and tunnels were closed so many people escaped via the waters surrounding NYC. After his shift on the ferry ended at 1:30 PM, David went to the pile and joined the bucket brigade. He had only a cloth mask, which he said was useless. He described the pile as unstable and smoky. He was impressed by everyone wanting to "do something" and said there were all sorts of people on the pile in addition to cops and firemen. He was shocked at the devastation he witnessed and worked both on the ferry and the bucket brigade for two weeks until he came down with pneumonia. David would go back to another disaster if he was needed. At the time of this interview, David is retired.

- Kind: Interview
- Year: 2010
- Runtime: 34 min
- By: Guerrera, Melodie
- Genres: History
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2015048_050/)
- 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_050?play=1)