Michael A. Valentin oral history interview conducted by Julie Broihier, October 7, 2010

About

When Michael, a second-generation NYPD detective, arrived at his precinct on 9/12/01 he witnessed the shock and grief in the aftermath of the attacks, including firefighters on their knees crying. Walking to the site, he encountered unimaginable carnage and chaos, and heard the haunting sound of locator beacons signaling human remains beneath the rubble. Building 7 was still on fire and, at 5:30 pm, it collapsed, leaving Michael covered in dust and debris. The communication blackout left him with no contact with his family for several days. While at Ground Zero, Michael engaged in tasks such as recovering body parts, escorting people, and participating in the bucket brigade. He worked without proper protective gear, in what he calls "a living hell." One of the hardest parts was finding photos of people in the rubble. Michael experienced a life-changing event in a cavern beneath Ground Zero, when he witnessed a ray of sunshine coming through the wall, lighting up three crosses formed by fallen steel beams. This revived his faith. As evidence that the contaminated air led to responders' health issues, Michael points to instances of cancer within his unit, with five detectives diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He mourned the death of 179 police officers and the 46 suicides since the attacks, emphasizing the post-9/11 toll of over 1,000 lives.

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Library of Congress

Language

English

Country

United States

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