Demetrius Buttelman oral history interview conducted by Julie Broihier, September 15, 2010

About

Demetrius was a sheet metal worker for Local 28 on 9/11. He was working in Manhattan when the planes hit the towers. He immediately realized we were under attack and went home. It took him six hours to get to his home in Holtsville. Demetrius is a certified welder and steel cutter and knew his skills would be useful at the site. On 9/12 he went to his job and picked up his tools and headed to the 59th Street Armory where badges and assignments were given out. He received his assignment and went with two of his coworkers by bus escorted by the police to Ground Zero. On the way, he was very nervous and expected the worst. When he entered the site, he described those leaving the scene as "beat up." They were covered in dust and debris--some were injured and some were crying. There was carnage and smoke and destroyed vehicles being hauled away to make room for responders to get into the site. He was assigned to the "the big crater" where fires were still burning and there was a great deal of smoke--he described it as very deep and dangerous. He had no protective equipment except for a dust mask, but was motivated to find people alive. He said the horn would blow frequently, creating a dangerous situation because everyone would run off the pile, causing people to be cut by steel and trampled. He learned to just stay still as some of the firemen did when the horn blew since it seemed more dangerous to run. He cut steel into small pieces and was aware of the bodies beneath him.

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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