story1845.xml

story1845.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-07

I saw the towers burning and I thought it was some kind of movie, not reality...I remember walking far enough west that I saw flames coming out of the side of the buiding as well as the massive firey gaping holes in the front. I walked home and took my volunteer I.D. for NYU Medical Ctr. and walked over to St. Vincent?s Hospital. On University Place, someone set off something on the street. It whirred around and I remember quietly leaning my head against a building waiting for an explosion?it was a stupid unexplained happening...no explosion. St.Vincent?s turned me away...sadly they didn?t need help.


At first the streets were crowded with people listening?I remember car doors open and radios blaring...some people were sobbing. Then came people quietly and calmly walking up from downtown. I remember a couple covered like snow men in ashes??WTC death dust? I would call it now. My building made me so proud...they opened up the doors and let people sit down, use the phone, bathroom...I remember thinking this is an unfathomable tragedy and feeling I have experienced the best in humanity. I remember my Doctor telling me how impressed she was with the Firemen. She said as soon as she treated the firemen they rushed back downtown.

Being situated below 14th street, we were closed off to the rest of the world. I remember a Fire truck had to come the next night and put out a small fire under my window. I smelled smoke and turned on the tv wondering if there had been another terrorist attack but it turned out as but it turned out to be a small smokey trash fire. I felt sorry for tired firemen...

I had just had knee surgery August 28th, so I decided to wait until Sunday, Sept. 16 and started the most intensive ?multitasking volunteering?. For months I stood with people on the highway ?Thanking? rescue workers. This phenomenon started immediately and Firemen buddies still tell me how much it meant to them. I did this until January. I remember bus loads of Firemen covered in dirt...their haunted eyes and dirt covered faces, buses of police, ?humvees? with soldiers now over seas, the list is endless. Being a retired Massage Therapist...I went downtown to my health club, The NYHRC at Whitehall and massaged a lot of NYPD, Army and more. I remember the tents where the soldiers were sleeping in Battery Park and in front of the museums, and I think some disaster specialists were even sleeping on the floor to the museum.

I also stopped at Firehouses and rubbed shoulders there too. I visited the morgue to support the Detectives that were doing amazingly dedicated work there. I also returned to NYU Medical Center and worked on a 9-11 archive of volunteers for them. I telephoned as many people as possible to thank them for trying to help NYU Medical Ctr...many very heartbroken because of the sad events and being unable to help...others told me deeply moving stories of their day and contribution.

I wrote passionate letters on behalf our FireFighters for their right to dig downtown and to ask for them to be freed when they were arrested. I painted a sign ?Free our FireFighters, NYC Heart and Soul? and I held it up on the highway and I remember running over to Pat Brown?s Firehouse, Ladder 3...I had a "low self esteem moment"and left the sloppily painted but passionate sign on the ground against the bench, Pat Brown?s bench in front of Ladder 3 When I walked by Ladder 3 the next day it was sitting on the bench. The passionately painted sign sat on the bench there for weeks. (You can see the picture of the sign on bench at Ladder 3 on my website under my artist's statement , www.suzannahbtroy.com).

Being situated below 14th street, we were closed off to the rest of the world. The next morning I had to pass blockades at 14th street and our National Guard and Police to get newspapers and food. I had to open my back pack and show them the contents...and my license to get back to my home.


I made treasured friends and some I made from writing letters on behalf of the FDNY...we linked forces on the computer. At points I felt so tired and drained and my new friends helped to recharged my spirit!!!!!!!!!!!

I made uplifting art and wrote a piece "Kisses from the edge/The WTC" which you can find on my website. My jacket with patches -- from firemen that rushed down there Sept. 11 to Detectives that worked at the Morgue, to Police Chaplins from others states, patches and pin from other Countries that came by to help. I have an American Flag from a crane operator -- he told me the flag was on his crane all day and he wanted me to have it. I have a Mohawk American Indian Flag from one of Michael who came down to help with recovery and also stood on the highway with us. I also have a hat from the carpenters with a memorial sticker for their guys and signatures too.

I also donated art to raise money for the Twin Tower's fund. I have a long red dress that I wore to the fund raiser with poetry and writing dedicated to all of us for being the best part of humanity at the darkest moment and a poem dedicated to the FireFighters and their families for being our Great Nation's Beacons of Resilience. I was one of many people that obssessively volunteer and I feel for the people that were unable to have the opportunity to.


My art, poetry and my story "kisses from the edge/the WTC" are on my site www.suzannahbtroy.com Also pictured under my artist statement is a picture of Pat Brown and his brothers performing a daring rescue and at the bottom of the page a thank you to all those who encouraged and helped me to keep going. I would like to donate the jacket with patches, the dress and more. I will never forget the "smell of death and destruction" in the months that followed -- the sound of air military airplanes flying over us protecting us -- and most of all that overwhelming goodness prevailed in our darkest moments.