On the morning of 9/11,I had just finished an overnight shift. I
dropped off my 4-year-old daughter at pre-school and had just gotten into bed. My police dog, Jake, was asleep next to my bed when my Chief called me stating that the North and South
Towers had just collapsed, and they needed Search and Rescue K-9 Teams to respond.
I immediately got dressed and met up with four other Police K-9 teams at the ferry terminal. Civilians that worked on or near the Wall Street area were being offloaded and most of them were covered with soot. On our way to lower Manhattan, we could see the smoke. None of us spoke a word to each other on the ferry ride in. We walked up the West Side Highway with our K-9 partners in debris and ashes that were about 8 inches deep. Firefighters in ladder trucks were fighting blazes in multiple buildings.
After a short meeting at the NYPD command center, we immediately went to the site where iron workers strapped us into a basket with our K-9 partners on our laps. Crane operators lowered us into a pit that was several stories deep and we began to search for any survivors.
There were hundreds of
workers and heavy equipment
operating at the same time. If any of the search and rescue teams received a detection from their K-9 Partner, they would signal, at which point every worker would stop working and shut the equipment down to provide silence in the hopes of finding a survivor. It was an incredible scene to witness.
The iron workers, crane operators, laborers, and welders played a critical role in the recovery and cleanup. They never received enough credit and praise for all their hard work. While on a short break with my K-9 partner, Jake, on 9/11, I witnessed Tower 7 collapse. I remained assigned to that site for nearly 10 weeks. Much of what I recovered and saw over that period haunts me to this day, some 23 years later.
Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries forward a legacy of courage and heroism. Built upon the mantra, “While we have time, LET US DO GOOD,” the Foundation supports our nation’s fallen and catastrophically injured first responders, military heroes and their families.
Please help me support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and America's heroes by making a donation through my page. The process is fast, easy and secure. Thank you for your support, and please don't forget to send this page to anyone who may be interested in donating!
