James W. Wood oral history interview conducted by Amanda Mancuso, October 28, 2014

About

On 9/11, Jim was part of the Air National Guard's Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team. His team was deployed to the disaster site on September 11th to work with the Air Guard and help them deal with the stress and pain of being at the site. Most National Guard members are young people who join for education and training. They were not prepared to be engaged in a situation like 9/11. The CISM team's duty is "a talking process -- private or in groups" that is voluntary for the Air Guardsmen. Although the team is not made up of trained psychologists, this is the "first level opportunity" for the soldiers to discuss their feelings. If CISM felt it was necessary, they would make a referral to a psychologist or recommend a transfer for the person. A large percentage of personnel did not want to talk. They saw things they had never seen in their lives, "bodies, buildings crashing." When Jim arrived, seeing whole buildings crumbled, reminded Jim of a World War II movie, "But this was in Manhattan, right here at home". There was some concern over the air quality, but they were told it was safe so they didn't take any precautions. CISM was on site for three months, but continued counseling at locations such as West Point and Stewart Air Force Base. Jim suffers from COPD as a result of his time at the disaster site. Since he lived in Manhattan, the reminder of the horror was always there. Jim states that national disasters, such as wars, floods, and bombings, are going to…

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Library of Congress

Language

English

Country

United States

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