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Officers describe 9/11 in memos
(to complement Steve Whiteâs earlier post)The 2,000 pages of phone and radio transcripts from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City released by the Port Authority Thursday include hundreds of gory and often heartbreaking typed and handwritten reports by police officers and civilian employees who survived the attacks ... Numerous officers wrote about the horror of seeing people jump from the upper floors. "A steady stream of bodies and debris was raining down. Inspector Fields was about to run into the building and I stopped him. A man was coming down, he hit with such force it sounded like a shotgun going off. Inspector Fields put a hnd (sic) on the wall to steady himself, he said âOh my God,â " one police chief wrote. Another officer described how a group of officers ran one at a time from the sidewalk into the tower to avoid being hit by falling bodies. Many of the officers escorted people out of the building minutes before the towers collapsed. One officer described hearing a noise "like a thousand freight" trains when the first tower collapsed ... One officer described the gruesome sight of body parts on the ground after the collapse of the first tower. The word "helpless" was used numerous times as officers described how they felt that morning. One officer described seeing injured people evacuating the tower. "I could see the panic in their eyes as they looked at me," he wrote ... Despite the horrific events of that morning and the loss of 87 Port Authority police officers and employees, many expressed pride in the actions of the department that morning. "We could never have foreseen this tragic event or loss of life. However, in spite of the loss and grief we regrouped, moved forward and kept the department running," one police sergeant wrote. "Never forgive, never forget" and I would add, never again. Posted by: Raphael 2003-08-29 |
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