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BIKELAND > FORUMS > ZX-14.com > Thread: September 11, 2001: A Member's First Hand Account NEW TOPIC NEW POLL POST REPLY
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posted September 10, 2005 07:50 PM        Edited By: frEEk on 1 Sep 2020 00:58
September 11, 2001: A Member's First Hand Account

As the years pass, the feelings and raw emotions associated with September 11, 2001 are beginning to fade into memory, legend and nostalgia. Most have moved on with their lives. The world has not stopped, despite that awful day when so many souls were lost.

In memory of the tragedy and the people who fought on the frontlines of the rescue effort, we are resurrecting a first hand account from a member of this website.

Rhino is a Search and Rescue dog worker, a fellow rider and an active member of http://www.labusas.org and Bikeland.org. Many of you may be tired hearing about 9/11 and what happened, but I ask you out of respect that you take the time to sit down, read and re-read the following story and contemplate the events that took place on that painful day.

In Rhino's own words... "I (wrote) it so no one ever forgets what happened on that date and the days that followed. It has left some scars that are still open and I still tear up when I read my notes of those days. I just hope something is learned from it all."


Written September 11, 2002

-by Rhino

This is what I remember of September 11, 2001





I wrote this yesterday. I am no writer so please bear with me. I also left a lot of details out that I care to forget but most of the account is here.


It was an ordinary day. A beautiful September crisp clear day. I rode the Busa into work like I did everyday. I started my crew and went to work in my little office on the 60 Floor of One Chase Plaza. At 8:46 A.M. I heard a loud Explosion and looked out my window and seen that the World Trade Center was on fire. It was near the 85 floor. I put on the news and they said A plane crashed into it. I was watching the tower and then all of a sudden I seen the Second plane Smash into one side of the building of the south tower and a fire ball engulf the top of the building. Pebbles and debris hit my window. I backed away in horror. An announcement came over our Class E fire system that we where going to evacuate the building. I got on the Radio and told my Men to get out and meet over by Maiden Lane. It was around nine 9:30 when we heard the banging sounds I looked up and could see a huge Smoke ball by the towers. With that I ordered the men to leave the area and I got on my bike and headed out of the city. To me we were at war. That was my first thoughts that day.

As I got into my house the phone was ringing my cell phone had over twenty missed calls. I started calling people back and was watching the TV. Then it came, a call from FEMA. I was told to get the gear, Pack the dog and supplies and get down to Chambers and West Street. I always have my stuff ready to go so I loaded everything into the truck got a water supply and headed out in the truck. Only to get about four miles and people where WALKING out of the city. I could not get into the city. Even with FEMA ID they would not let my truck into the city. A cop offered me a ride but we couldn't get the cage into the car. I called FEMA and they got in touch with the Red Cross. The Red Cross came with a van and loaded me up. I was going over the 59 street bridge looking down town and noticed that the second tower was down. I asked Pete the guy driving the van where did the other tower go? He said it fell at 10:30. Shit with in an hour and a half both tower a quarter mile high with a daily average population of 50,000 were down. I turned and opened Diavlo's cage. He came out and sat next to me and just stared at me. He could feel my sadness and tension. I told him he was going to be busy but I never knew what we were really in for.. As we drove pass the mass exodus of people. I was thinking about my training and what I was going to be doing down there. I knew Diavlo could do the work. He was just certified for SAR just a few weeks before this and he did really well in his field trials. But this was Urban SAR work much different than what we trained for. What I didn't know was just how different it was going to be. This was going to be a day that was going to put man and dog to the brink of what I knew as reality.



We traveled across town where we picked up a few cops that needed a ride. The amount of people just trying to get out of the city was astounding. I got down to Chambers Street and got Suited up. The first thing I remember was the Smell. It was not of this Earth. It was very foreign. The smell was like brunt marshmallows from a camp fire along with human flesh. I took Diavlo and walked over to Greenwich Street. I could see 7 world trade center was on fire. I checked into what was our temporary command post. At four thirty a fire man came over and asked me is that an SAR dog? I said yes he said come on I need to find my crew. I was given a pack which contained an Emergency beacon some basic first aid supplies and headed out. He was asking where I got the containment suit from. Told him Government issue. I was not prepared to see what I seen next.

As we rode down west Street I seen the towers or should I say skeleton. The once mighty towers and surrounding building where a pile of debris. I looked at Diavlo who kept squinting from the smoke and dust. As we walked I noticed the people around us being treated. Their blood dried from the dirt. Their faces where covered in this grey past. You could not tell a black man from a white. Men where walking around with tears. I mean real men not no freaking girly guys. Then Diavlo alerted. God tell me that this is not a person. It was one of the Jumpers. The Fireman who's name I still don't know said that there are a lot of them and for me to watch my step. He dragged me away and snapped me out of my already growing Shock. I wanted to leave. This was not what I trained for who could I find? Could any one really survived all this. He took me by the South tower. He said his buddies where in this area. I started doing a search of the area but the smoke the heat and the debris was way more than I had expected. I felt Diavlo was in Danger. He kept hitting on parts One of my team guys came over with bandages and duct tape we wrapped both dogs feet up and continued the search. My facemask kept fogging up. I heard a bunch of men yell over here over here. Turned out they found some firemen still alive. Good find I thought there has to be more. The out skirts where littered with what was later determined to be body parts. When Diavlo hit on things I thought the Smoke was getting in his way to do the job. What I didn't realize was that there where that many people that jumped before the building fell. God what a choice to have made I thought. Burn or jump. No one deserves to go like that. My first search lasted about three hours before I started to think about Diavlo. I called my Vet and told him what was down there. Dr. Wen Immediately got in touch with supply houses and got everything you could possibly think of. Dog boots, mashers balm Anti biotic, Sutures, Saline solution, food water, it was all on the way. And he was 80 miles way. He came with an hour. I was so glad to see him. Diavlo was covered in dust. He told me to take him and hold his head he washed his nose out and said for me to come to him every half hour. He got in touch with the Suffolk county ASPCA. They had a mobile unit that they already had on the way. I thank you Dr Wen you are one of the first I thank for helping me deal with things down there.



As I started my second search I came across a burnt body. Head to toe. It looked like a statue. Then a full body with nothing totally intact. Not more than four feet from each other. That was the last full body I would find that night. It was getting dark already and I was boiling hot and filthy. Diavlo was now a Gray dog. I helped as they dug another body out. And then every now and then I could see a huge gap and maybe a twenty to thirty foot drop. They had lights set up and generators. But it was getting dangerous for me and Diavlo. I decided to pull him for the night it was ten thirty we did six hours of recovery that night. I wanted to go home but something inside me made me stay. I went to my building and used one of the Executives showers to wash Diavlo. Then I took a much needed shower. When I was drying Diavlo I noticed he had cuts on all for of his feet and had a burn blister on his neck. He never yelped or made a flinch. Man was I proud of that dog. I sat in the cafeteria but I could not stay I had to go back. I was pulled at two AM and told to get some sleep there will be plenty to do in the morning. I went back to the building and fed Diavlo. As I walked back to the building A few firemen and police men stopped me and we chatted about Diavlo. He loved the attention giving licks to every one. One he really liked John Murphy. Who later just by chance became our fireman partner. One thing I thought about is when I lay in the building that night was how the people that where trapped felt. Some stuck in side the building above the fires and collapses from the initial hit. How some died a fiery death. How some died slowly with great pain from their injuries. Those poor souls that choose to jump. The people that knew they where going to die and the ones that heard the building coming down on them floor by floor finally smashing them into oblivion. I thought about the bodies, the faces the people being held out of the site that wanted to find their love ones. I didn't sleep much that night.

September 12,2001

http://www.labusas.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16781&highlight=

Day two 5:00 A.M. I woke up thinking it was all a dream. But wait this is not my bed. I am in my office. I looked out and see the lights,smoke and wreckage of what once was the World Trade Center. It is September 12. I look at Diavlo and asked him what has the world come to? What evil people must have in them. Diavlo being a dog can't understand why Humans act the way they do and right now niether do I. I get all geared up and start to head out. As I made my way out some Building Engineers asked if I needed any thing. I said no as I looked from the roof of our building 65 stories up from what is now known as Ground Zero. I go down to street level and see so many people just trying to get into the site to do whatever they can. People from all over our country have started to gather. I had to go get a Mayors pass to get into the site. Even with my ID they wanted passes given out. I checked into what now is a mobile trailer and what would become Home base for me. As I walked up Broadway People where coming up to me and asking if I saw their loved ones. They wer holding up pictures of missing people. They would come up and pet Diavlo. This went on every time I left the site. A priest came and blessed me and Diavlo as I looked and Gathered everything in. This time I looked at the wreckage. The fire engines that were burnt and crushed. The plane engine on Wall Street. The buildings that are now just a pile of broken lincon logs. There where people all over the site. There where chains of people that volunteered to take the rubble out in buckets. Construction workers from all the Union trades lined up. Equipment stood at the ready but first a path had to be cleared to the site. As that was all going on, I got teamed up with a few fire men. One of them was John Murphy. This man was great to work with when I was down John was always there with a pick me up funny line. We got to work searching. I was given a GPS so I could document when the recovered bodies were found. As everyone worked every now and then all the guys would yell quite because someone thought they herd tapping. The smoke was always around. There where fires still burning below the pile. I was given flags to put down on where the dog alerted. I could keep working and recovery crews would dig the victums/parts out. Then Diavlo alerted to a live find. I was so Excited. It was around 1 PM. It was an Old lady. She was around 55 -60 years of age she was under some metal and dirt. I saw her eye open when I yelled for John to come over. As the fire men and I dug her out I could see that the side of her head had a huge wound and I could see her check bone.Her eye was swollen shut and the other was blood shot. She was caked in dry blood. She tried to say something but the medics where telling her to be quite. As they dug her up my eyes could not break eye contact with hers. Then she stared to bleed. First out of her ear then her nose. Finally she opened her mouth but bubbles of blood are all that came out she was staring at me when I seen her die right there as we all worked to get her out. I turned and walked off the site. I headed for the Hudson River. I sat there and was talking to Diavlo. I laid there tears coming down my face. Just holding Diavlo tight. I was asking Diavlo why did I get involved with SAR. I never trained or thought about this end of the work. I thought about the first time I was Exposed to SAR work.

It was seven years ago I was hiking some trails up state. It was almost dark when I returned to the lot where I parked my truck. I had a rottweiler but he was just an obedience dog. There where about fifteen people there with some rangers and police that were organizing a search party for a missing kid. They asked if I knew the area? I said yes and they asked if I would like to volunteer. I said sure and then we headed out. I watched closely to the dog team that was there. It was a German Shepherd. In about three hours the dog took us right to the kid that wandered off the trail and got lost. That is the day that I said I want to do this type of work with dogs. As I laid there on the ground tears would just not stop. I was thinking about leaving and just going home. Then the phone call.

HAPO a guy that I met from LABUSAS called my cell phone. I posted on LAB the night before and when the planes hit. He read the post and wanted to know what he could do to help. I told him to come on down. He was there in Connecticut watching it all on TV. He could not sit by and do nothing. He packed his truck with all types of stuff and made his way towards the city. As I hung up with Hapo I realized who the Heros where. It was peole like him that HAD to do something. I didn't want to go back there. John came over and took me to get some food. A mash tent was set up to feed us. I just looked at the food but could not eat it. As we made our way back I was amazed at the amount of people now working the site. Endless lines of brigades worked to get the dirt out of the site. Welding torches where cutting the beams away. Exhausted Firemen, cops and Union construction men worked until they where ready to pass out. I found more than one hundred body parts as I left the site that day. We recovered three full bodies and one live find that went bad. That one will stay with me forever.I met her a few times a moth around three AM as I get awoken from a hard sleep. I got a ride out of the City about 6:00 P.M. As I rode out, there where lines of people gathered on West Street. They had signs of support and where clapping as I was driving by. They where yelling Thank you and we love you. God I was so over whelmed. I took a shower and gave Diavlo a bath when I got home. Dr. Wen came over and he slept the rest of the night at my house. Diavlo was exhausted and every now and then would SNORE loudly. Hapo called me about nine thirty. He said he is at the Jacob Javits center. I drove into the city with my ID they know let me drive into the City. Hapo and I talked for a few hours. I showed him Diavlo we talked dogs and it was good to have him there. He helped me with the passing of the old woman. He told me that it was good she died around people. She could have died all by herself under all that debris. Instead she fought to stay alive so she could have comfort in passing with people around her. We then called Ducmanic. In California. I Gave him a brief report about what was going on. THEN Hapo said he was going to hang and get ID from the Javits Center so he can go into the site first thing in the morning. I said good bye to him and drove home and drove home. IT WAS BECAUSE OF HIM I RETURNED. HAPO THANK YOU. I WILL REMEMBER THAT THE REST OF MY LIFE. Some of my neighbors where holding candles outside my house. One came over with a bottle of Crystal. He opened the bottle and made a toast to me and Diavlo. Two of the girls had tears in their eyes as I told them about things I seen. Then we all hugged and I went inside to try to get some sleep for day three.


I will not post about day three. The rest I will keep inside.


Day three.

http://www.labusas.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=36516&highlight=

Thinking of Diavlo last night and looking over some things I kept for Ground Zero I found some notes I jotted down so I would not forget the facts of the first few days. For those that saved the account of my forst two days down there add this to the account.


Another sleepless night. Can't seem to clear my throat. The smell is encased in my cloths even though I was wearing a containment suit. The the bottom of my boots are melted so I will take another pair today. They have us working twelve hour shifts. I think that is nuts being the dog can't do more than twenty minuets at time in these conditions. I load my stuff and have to stop by the dispensary to pick up some more supplies. As I drive down the FDR I am numb. Seeing the smoke still lingering in the distance brings a feeling of disgust for humans that will do this to other humans. What is wrong with people I think to myself? As I go through check point one and show my ID they tell me my ID needs to be changed to a new Mayor's pass. My Federal ID supersedes any city ID I tell them. The cop calls his sergeant who calls over a lieutenant who realizes that I am SAR first federal responder and sends me though without another word. Cops are doing their job but they have no clue who should be let in and who should be kept out. Stopping by the Dispensary I am amazed at the supplies available to us. There was everything you could imagine. From boots to inflatable rafts. It makes me proud to be an American and see how this country can pull together in a time of need. All these supplies are donanted and with in 48 hours are on site and are being despensd to those that need it. I pick up everything I need and then head over to FHQ for my assignment. We have to park on the East side of town and walk across town through the now returning workers. People trying to get a look at the site is becoming annoying to me. They stand their taking pictures like it is a new tourist attraction. As others hold signs looking for their loved ones. The smell of hell still lingers here very strongly. I am assigned to a red zone. Which is tower two. There are many people here now. Much contamination of the site. Welders are cutting big steel guarders and there is three cranes working the site. As Diavlo hits on our field finds they are inputting them into the GPS. We are stopped by three blows of the horn. That signal means someone hears something and they need silence so they can hear where it is coming from. Around noon we found three seats from the plane. No people but plenty of scent. By 2:00 I am spent. Diavlo has had three nose cleanings and one bath. His paw his scuffed and his sixth pair of dog boots are toast. I check off the pile and take him to Battery park for some rest. Federal agencies are all over today. People come up to me on Broadway and want to take pictures with me and the dog. In uniform I have to be polite. But inside I wanted to tell people to fuck off. Diavlo loves the attention. He'll take the petting to who ever wants to give it.

Coming out of the park we meet a Jesus freak. She is blessing me and the dog. She was from some where out west and came to offer prayers and guidance for people that seek that type of stuff from God. There is a huge billboard of letters and signs listing the names of the missing. I stop for a second to reflect. The mother that I meet yesterday is back. She asked Diavlo if he had seen her son. I directed her to a field information person that would answer any question in regards to finds. We are not allowed to talk too much about finds to victim's families. People are patting me on the back as I walk up Broadway. I am taken back by all the attention. There are no heros just Americans pulling together. Just the way I see it I guess. I escort a bunch of transit workers into the Rector street train station. They want to search a train in the tunnel. I am with four other police search units. One has an asshole dog. He is a dual purpose. (SHIT IN MY OPINION.) We head into the tunnel and notice one of the steel guarders came right through the street and into the tunnel. That was amazing. The tunnel was filled with water. The transit workers started to go into it when they realized it was a slopping hill. The water got waist high before they decided to pump the area out so they could get down to the cars. This caused a major concern that the bath tub was cracked and leaking. The bath tub is what holds the Hudson river back from flodding inot the lower floors of Ground Zero.The dogs got reassigned back to the red zone. The reality hits me as I make it back onto the pile. This is now a recovery. But some people especially the firemen believe that people can be still trapped in pockets below.

I am asked if I would take the dog with a unit in a litter basket into a few voids. I said sure. We repel down two levels. First thing I notice is how hot it is. Then they lower the basket with Diavlo in it. He makes it down fine. We start searching but the heat is unbearable. I want to take my gear off to try and cool off. After another ten minuets and no finds I ask for an EVAC out of there. The dog is just two hot. I get him to a fire crew that was spraying water down the shaft. And let them spray him down. Went to check with the Vets and they pulled him for the rest of the night. All in all 137 finds today. out of that six where jumpers. Jumpers are the hardest finds. The parts implode on impact and because of the dust that covers them look like mannequins. The rest were parts or unidentifiable pieces. As I sat next to another SAR dog handler that refused to send her dog into the voids. She said I was reckless sending my dog into those areas. I told her maybe she should go back to searching woods for lost scent articles. This is real and we don't get to choose where someone may be. Walked off in disgust. Went by battery Park. Noticed a sign that said no dogs. Ripped the sign down let Diavlo bite it and rip it into splinters then threw it in the Hudson River. Exhausted. Drank enough Poland spring to float a ship. But I sweating it our just as fast. Sunset falls over the city as the lights from the construction units light the erie sight. A glow of blood red shines through the lights as the sun finally disappears. It is a bad day for most as we in SAR realize that after 72 hours humans are presumed dead. unless they can get to water. But after feeling the heat that is highly unlikely in the depts of what i seen as hell. My account September 13 2001.

Paul Galea
Sept. 11, 2005 - Paul Galea, 39, a search and rescue worker, sits with his dog on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2005, at the World Trade Center site in New York as he watches the ceremony marking the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. With tears and flowers, in clear or trembling voices, relatives of the victims came together where the trade towers once stood to read aloud the names of the thousands who were killed there. (Ashley Gilbertson/The New York Times)

Now for the hardest part of the aniversery of this tragic event. As you know I had to get rid of Diavlo. That was hard. I didn't want to go to any 9/11 functions this year for I didn't have my dog. I didn't do any of this for thanks or to become a Hero. I had a tool. A dog that can detect people. All I did was take him to a place to do what he was trained to do. Not having him with me as I went back down there was not an option.

Diavlo's new Handler didn't think it was a good idea when I first asked him. He gave me his valid reasons. But Jonh the Fire man got in touch with him. And asked for Diavlo to be there. But Dominick was still not convinced. So our team leader from Task Force gave an official request for Diavlo to be present on 9/11. Dominick called me and told me he was giving in. He also said it will be very hard for me when I am going to say good bye a second time to Diavlo. I told him that Diavlo will come as soon as he heard me call for him. Dominick said No way. He has this dog in total control. So we made a bet that the dog will come to me in Battery park from over a block away. This is what happened that morning..

It was VERY bitter sweet reunion. I did win the bet. But Dominick was right it was not a good idea. I have been crying since he left. I sooooo have to find another dog. SOON. He was so happy to see me that he acually peed. His little stump was going a zillion miles a second. I called HHHHEEEEAAAAAAARRRREEEE HE CAME CHARGING FROM OVERE A BLOCK AND A HALF AWAY. He came tearing through the crowd and ran right up to me and came in so fast he actually slid on his ass in the sit position right in front of me. I gave him a hot dog and freed him and gave him a tug toy he ingnored it and jumped up and knocked me to the ground. We rolled in the grass as people stared they didn't know what to make out of our reuinion. Dominick came over and said thanks that puts me six months back in training. I said I know but he will always be MY DOG. Enough I am messing my keys up with my tears. I miss him so much



And for those of you who made it through the above repost, just to let you know that Diavlo died of complications related to the search efforts at Ground Zero...

thread to be found here: http://www.labusas.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=36456&highlight=diavlo

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fish_antlers


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posted September 11, 2005 10:16 AM        
Thanks for taking the time to write this out Rhino
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slug


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posted September 11, 2005 03:07 PM        
Thanks for your service, both then AND now.


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osti33


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posted September 11, 2005 05:10 PM        
quote:
Thanks for your service, both then AND now.




Agreed. Thank you!

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The Devil


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posted September 11, 2005 08:03 PM        
too bad they dont appreciate our serrvice in N.O. I was there on deployment last week, and there is no love there for the relief effort
____________
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
-John Stewart Mill

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fish_antlers


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posted September 11, 2005 10:08 PM        Edited By: fish_antlers on 11 Sep 2007 08:04



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spam


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posted September 12, 2005 11:28 AM        
Hey Rhino,

I read your report from New Orleans too.... I felt terrible for what you and your dog had to go through there- I really can't believe what has happened since the storm hit. I wanted to ask you a question in the NO thread, but that thread turned into a political debate about oil and race, so I'll ask you here..... When you compare people's responses to 9/11 attacks with people's response to Katrina, do you think people are going crazy in the south today because of the sheer size of the devastation? Without taking away from the severity of 9/11, certainly the area physically affected then was much smaller than the areas currently affected in the south. Also, after 9/11, there was someone to point the finger at and retaliate against, whereas Ma Nature is much harder to direct your anger at. I'm curious to know what your opinion is, and I promise not to debate it or make you defend it, etc.

Thanks for what you do as SAR. You make a difference in a way that is often intangible, and valuable in the face of hardship, which must make it seem pretty much thankless at times. Chances are that the people you help are and will have a hard time acknowledging much of what has happened, much less your help, so I want to thank you, even though I myself wasn't able to adequately acknowledge the help that me and my family received from SAR in the past. I guess I'm trying to pay it forward...

____________
get both sides of the story

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Rhino


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posted September 12, 2005 02:46 PM        
Devil most people down there just aren't capable of understanding just what was done for them. Red tape and poor leadership killed many of them. N.0. would not have been such a mess if the Levee held. I was mostly in Miss. And was sent out of Baton Rouge.

Spam What I think the difference is comes down to education. I have been to N.O. before this happened. Being from NYC I feel I have seen it all and know how people can be in the harder poor areas. Before this storm N.O. was a dangerous place and a city that you had to watch your six. After a few days there I was ready for the safe sane streets of NYC. When the storm hit people that had NOTHING where thrown into more despair. When the only major city and the only place for them to seek refuge from the storm came an unsafe place they simply got scared. Remember you are not dealing with educated people. Most haven't finished ninth or tent grade. This was the major difference from the Attack on the World Trade Center and what happened after Katrina wiped out everything in the South. Just like you said the major difference was that in NYC you could walk twenty city blocks and get what ever you needed. Down in MISS/LA you could not walk twenty mils to get things you needed. Besides all that we had Mayor/Governor differences that helped. The worst thing I think is that people don't realize that 12 hours after the storm hit. N.O. was basically dry. It was not until 24 hours later the flooding started to become a major factor. But the roads being damaged from the storm and now the flooding of all lower areas was a logistics nightmare. Police fire departments where a major difference in the two incidents. And Last the difference was money and business. There is money down there but only for the major oil companies that are mainly offshore. There are more factors but this is who I blame in order of least to most. The Mayor of N.0., The Governor of LA, FEMA, And lets not forget our President for after all who appointed the head of FEMA? I may know eveything about who is what when it comes to blame. I am just saying who I blame for what I seen first hand.

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spam


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posted September 13, 2005 08:19 AM        
I appreciate knowing your firsthand opinion. Thank you. I read an earlier post of yours where you outlined how requests for help had to be intiated (i.e. from the mayor or governor up, I think). I wonder what the heck these dudes were doing in that first 12 or 24 hours before the city started filling up- denial of what was about to happen? I mean, really, what actually happened would be pretty hard for anyone to comprehend if we weren't seeing pictures of it of TV and even that is nowhere near the same as seeing it first hand as you did. Just like it was hard to imagine that a terrorist attack on the US was possible before it happened. Maybe its just hard for me to imagine though... I certainly count myself among those who have led a charmed life, to a point. But I would hope that the guys in charge like the mayor and gov'nor would be more worldly guys with eyes wide open to such possibilities of harm to the people they represent.

Where I live in Vancouver BC, there is a suburb nearby- Richmond- and everyone talks about when (not if) the earthquake hits how Richmond is going to be gonzo, but I don't know if anyone can really comprehend that exactly that might in fact happen at some point in time. Certainly the events of this month have opened my eyes to this realization, and probably others too. Living and learning, huh....

Anyways, I'm just babbling now. Thanks again for your honest opinion.
____________
get both sides of the story

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fish_antlers


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posted September 13, 2005 05:41 PM        Edited By: fish_antlers on 13 Sep 2005 18:42
Wow... Rhino made the frontpage of the NY Times...

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2005/09/11/nyregion/20050912_ANNIVERSARY_SLIDESHOW_5.html
quote:

9 11 ANNIVERSARY 6
(NYT10) NEW YORK -- Sept. 11, 2005 -- 9-11-ANNIVERSARY-6 -- Paul Galea, 39, a search and rescue worker, sits with his dog on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2005, at the World Trade Center site in New York as he watches the ceremony marking the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. With tears and flowers, in clear or trembling voices, relatives of the victims came together where the trade towers once stood to read aloud the names of the thousands who were killed there. (Ashley Gilbertson/The New York Times)





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Rhino


Parking Attendant
Posts: 15
posted September 13, 2005 10:19 PM        
Yes we did. He took the photo and said he was going to use but I just blew it off until my chief called and said go buy the NY times today. I was shocked to see Bravous and I on the front cover.
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Rhino


Parking Attendant
Posts: 15
posted September 13, 2005 10:40 PM        
By the way I didn't see the write up just the picture. You have a link to that part?
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fish_antlers


Administrator
The Truth is Out There
Posts: 21869
posted September 14, 2005 06:01 AM        
searching....
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slug


Pro
Out in search of my mind...
Posts: 1433
posted September 11, 2007 07:01 AM        Edited By: slug on 11 Sep 2007 08:02
Bump.




Never forget. Never grow complacent. Never cease looking and paying attention.

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fish_antlers


Administrator
The Truth is Out There
Posts: 21869
posted September 11, 2007 07:03 AM        

____________
What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?


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Sticks_n_Stones


Needs a job
Posts: 3930
posted September 11, 2007 08:51 AM        
agreed -Bump- this thread every year fellas so that time doesn't smooth over the sharp edges to the point of obscurity.

Evil destroys.
Good heals.
Humanity prevails.

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hopeitsfast


Novice Class
Posts: 75
posted September 11, 2007 01:20 PM        
that was the best and worst thing i have ever read. I agree that this thing should be bumped every year. NEVER FORGET!
____________
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slug


Pro
Out in search of my mind...
Posts: 1433
posted September 11, 2007 03:45 PM        
I can hardly read it each time.

Unfortunately the last link discussing Diavlo is no longer working. Searching the site just comes up with someone trying to sign up on labusas with that as the username.

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fish_antlers


Administrator
The Truth is Out There
Posts: 21869
posted September 11, 2008 07:54 AM        
top
____________
What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?


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smokehouse4444


Zone Head
XX to ZX
Posts: 648
posted September 11, 2008 09:43 AM        
I was in Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001. Reading this was very hard; you have to fight that lump in your throat. I agree, this should be bumped every year. People can NEVER forget!
____________
2008 Atomic Silver ZX-14, Brock's this and that, some other stuff, 260 in full gear, powered by Cheese
2005 Ducati 999 with all the goodies

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bobbydigital17420


Expert Class
Posts: 142
posted September 11, 2008 10:14 AM        
WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!!!!!!!!
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CrotchRocket


Moderator
Bracket Racing with Betsy
Posts: 8038
posted September 11, 2008 10:39 AM        

For those of us that were close to or in NYC, Washington DC or Pennsylvania and actually witnessed any of the incidents...


I dont think you can FORGET because you always REMEMBER !!!



____________
Jason Miller StreetBike Seminars

*****DragRacers do it better, because they dont cut Corners*****

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Hells Dark Lord


Needs a life
living life, and loving it.
Posts: 7981
posted September 11, 2008 11:30 AM        
Rhino...I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you did that day....I read this again this year and it still brings tears to my eyes to think about the things that happened that day, and to this country. It pains me to see the direction that this country has gone, and continues to go. As a soldier this dreadful day has effeted my life in more ways than most can comprehend.
____________
When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....

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johnsonzx14


Expert Class
Posts: 487
posted September 11, 2008 03:08 PM        
yeah this is tough to read every year.. My cousin lived in queens at the time and was standing on his roof watching it and talking to me at the same time, and then his phone went dead....... I didnt get to talk to him for another 3 or 4 days after that... It was a bit scarey............ Anyway... No one will ever forget that day... Hope all those muslim terroist rot in hell................ Fu ^* em!!!!
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diverig


Expert Class
Posts: 137
posted September 11, 2008 04:41 PM        
WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!!!!!!!! +1
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