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

About

Greta Helmke is the widow of New York City police officer Robert (Rob) Helmke. On 9/11 the young couple were vacationing in Canada when they heard the news and Rob announced, “We have to go back.” After driving all night, Rob reported for work and was assigned to work the WTC security perimeter. The next few months were a blur: the couple’s first child was born that March, but Greta saw little of Rob, who sometimes slept at work and rarely talked about what was happening at the WTC site. Rob’s health began to fail – he lost weight, slept a lot and was “never quite right.” Greta describes how he eventually was diagnosed with a rare form of advanced and incurable intestinal cancer. A series of operations and lengthy hospital stays did not work and Rob withered from 180 lbs. to under 100 lbs. before he died. Greta, now a widow with two young children, uses the word "hero" only when speaking about Rob to her children; otherwise, she feels that Rob, like many others, was just doing his job. She recently joined John Feal in creating a project for 9/11 responders and their families.

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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