Serving on 'sacred ground'

National Guard,  Dec 2001  by Lounsbury, Guy

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Toward the end of my duty, I had the opportunity to view the site from the roof of an adjacent skyscraper. From this perspective I could see that the only thing left of World Trade Center Four was its outer walls. The rest was completely gone.

Such sights make you also wonder about all the people in the surrounding buildings Sept. 11. Did they evacuate, too? At Ground Zero, you hear the words "body parts" all the time. It seems that the workers find them everywhere. They must be inured to this or else they wouldn't be able to continue the work. It was a gruesome task.

We happened by the morgue during our orientation just as the body of a firefighter was brought out. Everyone in the area immediately gathered. A police officer called us to attention as the dead fireman was placed into an ambulance.

As the ambulance left under motorcycle escort, the order was given to present arms. It was the most meaningful salute of my 19-year military career. Signs everywhere at Ground Zero read, "You rushed in when others were rushing out." On Sept. 11, the New York fire and police departments were the bravest of the brave.

You see the worst imaginable things at Ground Zero, but you also see the best.

All the workers were extremely polite. No one passed by without offering a greeting. There was a feeling of being on sacred ground. Many heroes gave their lives here Sept. 11 and we were all respectful of that.

And never have I experienced such camaraderie. I cannot even begin to describe the feeling I had when an exhausted, filthy fireman would pass me on the street and sincerely inquire how I was doing. How trivial my condition was when compared with his.

There always seemed to be something to lift your spirits. Among the best were letters from school children. They were posted everywhere. I saw grimy, solemn workers stop and read these simple messages. They then would walk away with a smile. It's a memory I will never forget.

Relief workers and comfort stations were everywhere. There were places to rest, places to eat, counselors, doctors, clergy and massage therapists available. People from all over the country rushed in to do whatever they could to help. Some walked the streets all night, offering coffee and snacks to the perimeter guards. They are angels on earth; they are Americans at their absolute best.

My time on the perimeter was mostly at night, when the streets were fairly quiet. We covered stretches of Broadway and Nassau Street. The entire area was bathed in floodlights, illuminating the smoke to create a ghostly, surreal environment.

Perhaps this set an appropriate mood. From this vantage point, you could see, only two blocks away, an unfathomable world of complete devastation. I watched people stare at it motionless for a half-hour or more. They seemed transfixed. Who could blame them? It is cruelly fascinating to see the results of man's inhumanity toward man.

Even late at night we had people stop by and talk. I heard so many stories of loved ones lost. I shook so many hands and heard so many people say, "Thank you for being here." I listened to people sobbing over their loss and then immediately ask what they could do for me.