Greta Helmke oral history interview conducted by Julie Broihier, December 1, 2010

About

Greta is the widow of Robert (Rob), who was a police officer. They were married in 1998 and had two children. Greta stated that her husband loved his job and followed in his father's footsteps. Robert was assigned to the medical division in Queens. Greta was a buyer for Fortunoff. She has worked as a buyer for 20 years and has traveled to many places around the world. At the time of 9/11, they were young and just starting their lives and planning for the future. That morning, they were on vacation in Canada and Greta was pregnant with their first child. When they heard the news, Rob immediately said, "We have to go back." There was no convincing him to remain on vacation. They drove all night, approximately 10 hours to get home. Rob left for work as soon as they got back home, and he was assigned to the security perimeter at the WTC. The next few months were a blur; at times Rob slept at work, and when home, he didn't talk much about what was happening. Their first child, a son, was born in March, just a few months after 9/11.

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

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