It has been 15 years since one of the most, if not the most, historic and tragic days happened in American history. 9/11 changed the fate of our country and redefined what it meant to be an American.
More than 3,000 people were taken from us that day, but 15 years later, the attacks are still claiming lives. Many of the first responders on the scene did not feel initial health impacts, but years later, problems are starting to surface.
Kurt Jones was a 35-year-old NYPD truancy officer for the lower part of Manhattan in 2001. He was gracious enough to re-tell his memory from that fateful day.
It was a phone interview at about 10 am on the day before the anniversary.
“When the first plane hit I was driving with my lieutenant in Midtown. We heard on the radio that a plane just hit the World Trade Center. We couldn’t believe it. We drove to the West Side and we could immediately see the smoke. Then we drove back to the precinct and got cars and convoyed down the West Side Highway. There were some police officers at southern tip of City Hall Park that we met up with. There were 11 guys in my precinct and I was expecting to see them when we arrived, but it was just me and my lieutenant that showed. There were people running from the towers. We directed them to run the opposite way, over the Brooklyn Bridge. People asked us if they could just take the subway. We said ‘no the subways aren’t working right now; you have to walk.’” Jones said with a tinge of laughter.
“There were people running the opposite way, towards the scene because they lived over in Battery Park. We instructed them that they couldn’t go that way. They just wanted to go home they said but we had to inform them that it wasn’t safe and people were being evacuated from their homes. At one point I heard what I thought was thunder, but it was a clear day. I looked up and that’s when I saw the first tower collapse.”
“I looked over at the lieutenant and the blood drained from my face. He didn’t have to say anything or tell me what to do, I just ran. Ran away from the crash. I saw one women that kept getting knocked down as she was trying to run away. Every time she got back up, someone would knock her down. I helped her to her feet and she took off. I kept running but a smoke cloud caught up to me and I must have inhaled it.” Jones paused and then continued.
“I saw a deli and the owner was trying to stuff towels under the door so the smoke wouldn’t get in. I ran over and he let me in. I helped him stuff more towels under the door. Then it got very dark. I didn’t realize that the street lights had sensors that would make them turn on if the sunlight went away. It was so dark that those light came on. It was a like a dust storm in the Midwest. The dust settled a little and I went out and found my lieutenant. We tried to guide people away from the smoke but even we couldn’t see anything. We spotted a hardware store nearby and went in to buy those masks that you put over your nose and mouth so the smoke wouldn’t get to us. And the owner tried to charge us for them.” Jones chuckled in disbelief.
“When we came back out, a bank employee came out into the street and got our attention. He said his employee was in labor in the bank. We rushed in and I stayed with her as other officers went to a close hospital to get a stretcher to wheel her back to the hospital and give birth. When we got outside it was still too dark to see and I heard that thunder again.”
“We ran into a bar where we saw people watching the news and saw that the second tower was hit. We heard over the radio that they were mobilizing the police, so we went over to the South Street Seaport where there was a temporary command center set up. There were 11 people in my precinct and luckily I didn’t lose any of them that day. But about 5 of them now have serious medical conditions.”
“I, myself, was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma about a year and a half ago. There were many people I lost over the last couple years. It just took so long to affect us. All this time past so I thought I wouldn’t get sick, but then it happened all of a sudden. It took about 14 years to catch up to me. Now, I will have monthly hospital chemotherapy sessions and daily at-home chemotherapy for the rest of my life.”
To all the families and friends of the victims and first responders, we will never forget you.