Excerpts of John oral history interview conducted by Julie Broihier, October 18, 2010

About

John was a captain in the NYC Fire Department. At the time of the interview, he was retired and had been diagnosed in 2007 with pulmonary fibrosis due to his recovery work at the World Trade Center. John recalls coming into Manhattan from Brooklyn, and how quiet and dark the city was. Knowing how many firefighters would be lost after the first tower collapsed, his goal was to be at the site as quickly as possible. He shares that his son was lucky to be alive. He had been diverted to pick up supplies on 9/11, and as a result wasn’t on the scene when the towers collapsed. John remembers working on the pile of debris and states that everyone -- first responders, construction workers, even nearby office workers -- all pitched in to help. After just a few days, many had developed the “Trade Center Cough,” and fire departments administered steroid inhalers. For John, the most discouraging aspect of the recovery efforts was how few bodies they found. They found many human remains, but they were hard to identify as individuals. He does remember being encouraged by children, who gave the firefighters teddy bears, and he still has a collection of 8 stuffed animals. He states that while the recovery efforts were happening it was difficult to reflect on the gravity of the situation due to how busy he was. He ends reflecting on the state of the world, and how it would have been nice for the world to come together in peace after the terrorist attack but thinks that may just be a dream.

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

Who can watch

The archive gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from its collection and subjects. How films are placed