Robert Brady oral history interview conducted by Melodie Guerrera, July 10, 2014

About

On 9/11, Robert was an NYPD patrol officer in the Emergency Services Unit. When all city-wide units were called to respond that morning, he and his partner drove through the tunnel to lower Manhattan. As they came out of the tunnel, the second plane hit and his truck was being pelted with body parts and all kinds of debris. It was total chaos, but he made his way to the pier, because that's what he did during the first WTC bombing in 1993. Robert suited up with rescue equipment and headed on foot toward the towers. It was raining paper and the buildings were on fire. When the first tower came down, he started to run down West St. He swallowed so much gray dust, that he couldn't breathe. He was put in an ambulance, but turned out to be fine, so he went back. Then the second tower fell, and he blacked out. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Again, he turned out to be fine, so again he returned to the scene. He saw the windows from Building 7 popping out, and knew that the building was about to come down also, and had everyone evacuate and run. Robert couldn't contact his family until that evening. It turned out they had seen the news footage of him being put in an ambulance. He worked 20-hour days during the first week when it was very difficult to find a bathroom, food, or any area to rest. When the Salvation Army and Red Cross were able to set up their tents, things got much better. He met many good people from all over the world. Robert recalls that his boots…

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Library of Congress

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English

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United States

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