Joseph oral history interview conducted by Julie Broihier, September 28, 2010

About

Joseph is a Long Island native and former Marine who was a lieutenant on 9/11 with the New York State Park Police. He was upstate in Syracuse at the New York State Park Police Academy on the day of the attacks and watched the event unfold on television. He felt he needed to be there and could not get there fast enough. He arrived at Ground Zero on 9/12. Joseph recalled the lack of skyline while driving into the city and was told by other officers it was a "war zone" and that he was "going into hell." When he arrived in the city he was amazed by the quiet. On the pile, it was hard to get his bearings and there was "crunching" underfoot from the debris. He was eventually stationed at Pier 26 until July 2002 when the debris was unloaded onto barges and brought to the Staten Island Landfill. To Joseph, it seemed as though the job would never end. On his first day at Pier 26, families came with coffee cans to bring ashes home. His motivation to work at the Pier was to preserve remains for the families. As a boss, he found it difficult to keep his emotions in check. Joseph feels the event changed many people. Some found spirituality and one friend became an alcoholic. It is something he doesn't talk about much, but he will never forget. The event put his life in perspective and mellowed him out. Joseph believes 9/11 was an event that changed how Americans think but thinks New York City is a resilient place and is now back to normal. He found the cheering of the public…

Archive

Library of Congress, in Library of Congress

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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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