story6374.xml
Title
story6374.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-12
911DA Story: Story
At approximately 5 minutes to 9 am I was just finishing up teaching the first block of instruction to my recruits at the NYC Police Academy. As I looked over at the doorway I saw one of my fellow co-instructors standing there, I assumed waiting for me to finish so she could come in to start her block of instruction from 9-10:30. I gathered my things together and walked towards the doorway. I noticed a blank look on her face and I asked if eveything was ok . She looked directly at me and said a plane just hit one of the twin towers. I asked if we were being mobilized (which happens during any large event or occurence), she said "I don't know but they want you to get back to your office". So up I went.
As I entered the office I could not believe what I saw on the television which was the North tower with a hugh gash in it, on fire, burning furiously. Many of the people in my office were just stunned watching it as if they were in a trance. Then literally at that moment I saw something out of the corner of the screen ( which I thought was one of our police helicopters, or a news helicopter ), I said "who is that?" , and as I said it , the 2nd plane hit the South tower and their was a horrific explosion. You could have heard a pin drop ! Any thought of an accident was now completely erased and now we knew for certain we were under attack.
The whole building seemed to erupt with a frenzied "battle preparedness", wondering were we (or headquarters) going to be the next target? Immediately, everyone started suiting up into full patrol gear with our riot helmets and accessories getting ready for what we knew would be a long day and night to come. At 9:15am we were being told to get a "head count" of how many recruits each instructor had present , gear them up as best as possible (they had only recently started their training 2 months prior), and we'll all get down to the trade center to help evacuate the buildings and the area.
So as I did that I called my parents and my partner and who ever I could think of that worked in Manhattan - particularly in lower Manhattan or the Trade Center area. I said we are going to leave within 5 or 10 minutes to go to the trade center, we should be down their by 9:30 or so. One by one I could hear the fear building in each person's voice that I spoke to. For the first time in a long while, that I could think of I was starting to feel it too. For a time I wondered if I would speak to them again, having this feeling that we may not finish the day. Then the training takes over and you attempt to focus on what the task is at hand. I was not able to speak to anyone again until much later that afternoon.
When the time came where many of us had our "numbers" and were ready to go, we were given an order to "standby", and corral all of the recruits down into the main gym area and receive assignments from that point. I had already picked 10 recruits that I considered my "top ten" and also had military experience - for whatever it was worth. A decision was made at some point, that instead of sending all of the instructors with the recruits, (which would have totaled almost 1,000 people), directly to the trade center, we would be posted all throughout southern Manhattan, to aid in the evacuation of the whole area (and to make it easier to receive incoming assistance from the outer boroughs , New Jersey and Connecticut. By the time we actually got our assignments and made it down close to the trade center area the buildings were collapsing. Some teams who were very close, now had to turn around and run back the opposite direction to avoid being injured (or killed) by the falling debris.
We worked all through the day and when we finally were dismissed at around 10:30pm that night, most of us went down to ground zero to help aid the rescue effort. We stayed until we had to come back to the academy at 3:30 AM to start our first of many "12hour tours", which many times lasted 14 to 18 hours a day.
Physically and emotionally we were all drained. The only thing that really kept many us (the emergency workers) going (aside from our families and friends ), was the outpouring of public support that followed the attacks. Looking back now, I recall being down at ground zero right from the beginning, looking for bodies but only finding "parts" many of the days we were there. It was very surreal, the shock was so great it didn't even seem real.
The first sense of reality hit me on 2 separate times, within the first couple of days into the operation. The first was when I saw a caravan of trucks with firemen in them driving up to the academy. I could see the out of state plates as they approached. When the lead truck stopped and asked "We're here to help...where do we go?", I almost fell apart when I saw on the side of one of the trucks it said Oklahoma City Fire Department. They had driven all way from Oklahoma, not only to "repay" the help New York City provided during the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 but ..."just because"! The other was within the first couple of days after the attack, we were posted on West street a few blocks North of ground zero for security purposes. At this point West Street had steadily ballooned up with news trucks, supplies, and supporters. Many people (groups of kids and adults) were coming in with flyers and posters of their "missing" friends and relatives. Probably the most heart-wrenching moments was when some of the kids (with presumably their parents or relatives) stopped to give us some drawings they made of cops and firemen helping at the world trade center, and as they were thanking us, I remember one girl asking "Officer, did you find my daddy yet ?" I briefly held my composure for about 6 seconds, just long enough to say "Not yet, but hopefully very soon". She very politely and innocently said "OK, thank you". I had to walk away within seconds because I must have cried for the next 5 or 10 minutes right after that. That was the worst part, looking people in the face and telling them we haven't found their "missing" friend or relative, when we knew that first night, the odds of anyone walking out of there was slim at best.
There wasn't much time for grieving at that point however because we had to stay sharp and be on the lookout for any other potential threat. People working at ground zero had a high level of determination to rescue and retrieve as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. I must have known almost a dozen people, between police officers, firemen, and friends that perished on September 11th, and attended almost twice as many funerals. The "survivors guilt" for many of us was or has been prevalent since then. Many of the tv interviews reflect that when you watch them.
As a rescue worker, one of the main things that I think has aided the healing process for many of us, is the "sense" of unity that immediately followed the attacks and that has waiverd some, but remained at some level since then. That, and the urgency of many people to not forget the people lost that day. Their rememberance is vital to our overall success. It will be the driving force to keep us focused on our goal of keeping our country as safe as possible, and to seek out those who would threaten our way of life. We may not be able to prevent another "September 11th", but with a strong resolve, and commitment we should be able to become a stronger and more unified country through whatever adversity we have and may face. It is truly the best way to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice that day, and to make some good come from one of the darkest days in history.
Sincerely, Thomas Verni, Police Officer
NYC Police Academy
235 East 20th Street
New York, N.Y. 10003
As I entered the office I could not believe what I saw on the television which was the North tower with a hugh gash in it, on fire, burning furiously. Many of the people in my office were just stunned watching it as if they were in a trance. Then literally at that moment I saw something out of the corner of the screen ( which I thought was one of our police helicopters, or a news helicopter ), I said "who is that?" , and as I said it , the 2nd plane hit the South tower and their was a horrific explosion. You could have heard a pin drop ! Any thought of an accident was now completely erased and now we knew for certain we were under attack.
The whole building seemed to erupt with a frenzied "battle preparedness", wondering were we (or headquarters) going to be the next target? Immediately, everyone started suiting up into full patrol gear with our riot helmets and accessories getting ready for what we knew would be a long day and night to come. At 9:15am we were being told to get a "head count" of how many recruits each instructor had present , gear them up as best as possible (they had only recently started their training 2 months prior), and we'll all get down to the trade center to help evacuate the buildings and the area.
So as I did that I called my parents and my partner and who ever I could think of that worked in Manhattan - particularly in lower Manhattan or the Trade Center area. I said we are going to leave within 5 or 10 minutes to go to the trade center, we should be down their by 9:30 or so. One by one I could hear the fear building in each person's voice that I spoke to. For the first time in a long while, that I could think of I was starting to feel it too. For a time I wondered if I would speak to them again, having this feeling that we may not finish the day. Then the training takes over and you attempt to focus on what the task is at hand. I was not able to speak to anyone again until much later that afternoon.
When the time came where many of us had our "numbers" and were ready to go, we were given an order to "standby", and corral all of the recruits down into the main gym area and receive assignments from that point. I had already picked 10 recruits that I considered my "top ten" and also had military experience - for whatever it was worth. A decision was made at some point, that instead of sending all of the instructors with the recruits, (which would have totaled almost 1,000 people), directly to the trade center, we would be posted all throughout southern Manhattan, to aid in the evacuation of the whole area (and to make it easier to receive incoming assistance from the outer boroughs , New Jersey and Connecticut. By the time we actually got our assignments and made it down close to the trade center area the buildings were collapsing. Some teams who were very close, now had to turn around and run back the opposite direction to avoid being injured (or killed) by the falling debris.
We worked all through the day and when we finally were dismissed at around 10:30pm that night, most of us went down to ground zero to help aid the rescue effort. We stayed until we had to come back to the academy at 3:30 AM to start our first of many "12hour tours", which many times lasted 14 to 18 hours a day.
Physically and emotionally we were all drained. The only thing that really kept many us (the emergency workers) going (aside from our families and friends ), was the outpouring of public support that followed the attacks. Looking back now, I recall being down at ground zero right from the beginning, looking for bodies but only finding "parts" many of the days we were there. It was very surreal, the shock was so great it didn't even seem real.
The first sense of reality hit me on 2 separate times, within the first couple of days into the operation. The first was when I saw a caravan of trucks with firemen in them driving up to the academy. I could see the out of state plates as they approached. When the lead truck stopped and asked "We're here to help...where do we go?", I almost fell apart when I saw on the side of one of the trucks it said Oklahoma City Fire Department. They had driven all way from Oklahoma, not only to "repay" the help New York City provided during the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 but ..."just because"! The other was within the first couple of days after the attack, we were posted on West street a few blocks North of ground zero for security purposes. At this point West Street had steadily ballooned up with news trucks, supplies, and supporters. Many people (groups of kids and adults) were coming in with flyers and posters of their "missing" friends and relatives. Probably the most heart-wrenching moments was when some of the kids (with presumably their parents or relatives) stopped to give us some drawings they made of cops and firemen helping at the world trade center, and as they were thanking us, I remember one girl asking "Officer, did you find my daddy yet ?" I briefly held my composure for about 6 seconds, just long enough to say "Not yet, but hopefully very soon". She very politely and innocently said "OK, thank you". I had to walk away within seconds because I must have cried for the next 5 or 10 minutes right after that. That was the worst part, looking people in the face and telling them we haven't found their "missing" friend or relative, when we knew that first night, the odds of anyone walking out of there was slim at best.
There wasn't much time for grieving at that point however because we had to stay sharp and be on the lookout for any other potential threat. People working at ground zero had a high level of determination to rescue and retrieve as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. I must have known almost a dozen people, between police officers, firemen, and friends that perished on September 11th, and attended almost twice as many funerals. The "survivors guilt" for many of us was or has been prevalent since then. Many of the tv interviews reflect that when you watch them.
As a rescue worker, one of the main things that I think has aided the healing process for many of us, is the "sense" of unity that immediately followed the attacks and that has waiverd some, but remained at some level since then. That, and the urgency of many people to not forget the people lost that day. Their rememberance is vital to our overall success. It will be the driving force to keep us focused on our goal of keeping our country as safe as possible, and to seek out those who would threaten our way of life. We may not be able to prevent another "September 11th", but with a strong resolve, and commitment we should be able to become a stronger and more unified country through whatever adversity we have and may face. It is truly the best way to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice that day, and to make some good come from one of the darkest days in history.
Sincerely, Thomas Verni, Police Officer
NYC Police Academy
235 East 20th Street
New York, N.Y. 10003
Collection
Citation
“story6374.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 20, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/12479.