This report will be brief (sort of): I just got off from a 23-hour duty shift (36 total hours since I last saw a bed yesterday (Mon 24 Sep 2001) and have been sleeping ever since (it's now 1115EDT on Tues 25 Sep). I return to duty this evening at 8PM for the graveyard shift. However, many hams have inquired about what the volunteer hams have been doing during the World Trade Center disaster relief effort. [The following narrative is modified and expanded from earlier publications of this report which was widely disseminated via email in late September 2001.]
I arrived at the Brooklyn Chapter of the American Red Cross about 1145 on Sunday 23 September after receiving my activation orders the night before. In short order, I was assigned to "Ground Zero" (the impacted area of the terrorist attacks) because of my experience with communications in adverse situations; technically, this is my third war with Vietnam and Grenada providing previous combat communications experience.
My duty station is called Respite One, located about 100 yards from "The Pile" in the middle of "Ground Zero" (now an official name), a secured perimeter centered around the World Trade Center disaster site and roughly two-thirds mile square (I'm guessing). After orientation, issuance of an ID tag, and retrieving and compacting my radio gear from my car, we (3 of us) were transported by Red Cross vehicle through several checkpoints and through the final blockade to our respective duty locations. Respite One, newly operational on 24 September in the St. John’s University main building on West Avenue has its raison d'etre to provide a break for the relief workers: food, rest, light entertainment, and messaging for the emergency workers, policemen, fireman, and other personnel working in the zone. We ham operators provide primary and back-up commo for anyone who needs to pass traffic; cell phones are also working, restored now to a limited degree, but the area's commercial land-line phone service still being restored. The amateur radio National Traffic System enables us to pass traffic to anywhere in the world. I am the only ham operator at Respite One; during each 12- 14-hour shift, there are two or three other operators offering comparable services within the zone at other service sites. As phone service is restored, more operators will be freed for 8-hour shifts ("tricks") starting tonight. We expect to be deactivated sometime this week when phone service is restored to the degree that we are no longer needed.
"The Pile" (the rubble pile remains of the Twin Towers of the WTC is about 100 to 200 yards from my duty station and is plainly visible from the building's entrance although it is impossible to view the entire site from the ground. Dark smoke rises thickly from The Pile; it has a characteristic smell that is familiar to combat veterans. It also permeates the area's air, gets into clothing and skin. I needed to be outside on numerous occasions and became saturated; the emergency workers outside are constantly exposed and thoroughly coated with the stuff. It takes effort to wash it off; in no small respect, it will never wash off.
The surrounding buildings still standing show the effects of the attack; many will have to be demolished (the 24 September TIME shows the status of all the area's buildings). The building directly across the street from me had a huge 15- or 20-story gouge out of it and will eventually come down. Thousands of windows further out are shattered. The streets are clogged with emergency, construction, and service vehicles, but the emergency personnel are well-organized and disaster traffic passes; no private vehicles are allowed within the perimeter. The streets are also only one-way since temporary water and electric lines, emergency equipment such as generators and police weapons vans, control barricades into secure buildings such as mine, and the emergency and service vehicles themselves line the streets. No cameras are allowed because this is a crime scene and we were told hair-raising stories about those who attempted to take photos within the perimeter and were caught (think of Braveheart's end); similarly, no souvenirs such as pieces of rubble are allowed to be taken. Not a single person of the hundreds with whom I came into contact questioned the need for these measures. Indeed, not a dissenting word was ever heard by anyone who viewed the remains of the area. As an editorial aside, I along with every single person present on the site are of one mind regarding our mission, our Nation's task, and our President's goal to bring the terrorists to swift justice, and will continue to make whatever personal sacrifices are necessary to achieve these ends. It is a horrible evil which has been done to us and the sub-humans who did it WILL pay!
I will not go into detail at this time about some of the experiences suffered by some of the police and firemen with whom I've worked and conversed. Suffice it to state that much has not been, and probably should not be related within the newspapers nor TV, and there has been and will continue to be incredible emotional suffering and turmoil among the surviving emergency personnel, rescue workers, and virtually everyone else who has worked in and around "The Pile". Nevertheless, the morale of all is incredibly high; and a group resolve is so firmly established that nothing will ever, can never cause it to diminish.
Radio operations are strictly portable using two-band (2m and 440MHz) mobile rigs, but with power supplies instead of batteries. Mobile mag-mount antennas are placed on the power supplies for ground planes and I had little difficulty transmitting through the cement walls and buildings to reach the repeaters. I was concerned about possible loss of commercial power since the power cables are simply temporary, lying on the sidewalks, and subject to breakage; to mitigate this possiblity, I ordered a car battery for backup from the Brooklyn ARC.
Turnover of ham operators is high - some can work only a few hours, others only a day, some for several days due to personal time considerations. A few hams of whom I've become acquainted and are contributing greatly at considerable personal sacrifice include Simone KA1YVF, Bob N1DOA (who has been subjected to some black humor kidding, perhaps in poor taste under the circumstances - but he is a great guy and bears up well and we keep it among ourselves!), Ron KA1KCU, Dwight KA2CNN, Tom N1SXU, and Brian K1BRF. There are, and have been many more, but I don't know or cannot recall their callsigns nor names for which I apologize. If, after this is all over, others who have volunteered to assist with the disaster may contact me and I'll include them in my next report.
The hours are long, the situation is grim, and the disaster defies credible description. However, the people with and for whom I work are wonderful, and my efforts, small as they might be, seem appreciated. And, everyone's spirits are high! We are proud to sacrifice a little, or a lot of sleep, plus downtime from our jobs and families. I should also mention that I am referring only to those amateur radio operators working through the American Red Cross of whom I have personal knowledge; I have no information regarding hams working with other disaster relief agencies such as SATERN.
In my estimation, the thousands of relief workers, especially the police and firemen who are "in the trenches" are the real heroes together with the American Red Cross workers, mostly unpaid volunteers. My admiration for them all knows no bounds. And, for what it's worth, the Red Cross has been unjustly maligned for many years: it does NOT charge one single penny for its efforts during a disaster, relying solely on the generous donations of Americans everywhere!
I need to thank those who have personally supported my with my ability to do my job: Ray Darling K2DAR who generously loaned me his 2m/440 Kenwood rig and 2/440 antenna (I had only 2-meter gear) and Dave Hatch N9ZRT who would have driven from Wisconsin to bring me needed equipment. And my wonderful "niece" Margaret Weisbrod, her husband Jonathan Morris, and baby Ruby Anne who provided me with a Brooklyn apartment for the duration. There are dozens of others who have provided me with moral support. It is deeply appreciated.
I doubt I'll have a chance to send another email report while down here; I will not be given a similar long period of rest time. I'll get off another, more complete report after my return home sometime later this week or later.
Please don't Reply to the Hotmail address; I use it only for portable operations. I didn't mean to be so wordy, but I am clearly emotionally involved.
God Bless America!
73, 88, and love to everyone,
Fred
K2FRD
Post Script: I returned for my next tour of duty on the evening of 25 September following a day off, most of which was dedicated to sleep. While this second shift was supposed to last only twelve hours, it turned into a 24-hour shift due to the tightening of the perimeter’s security, mismatched shift schedules, and transportation problems; by this time, only emergency vehicles were permitted to enter the perimiter. All shift workers had to walk to waiting busses outside the perimeter.
During this last shift, commercial phone service was restored and there was no longer a need for amateur radio operators to work within the perimeter although SATERN service was established sometime here. Again, due to transportation problems and security, it took me several hours to return to Brooklyn ARC where amateur radio operations were being terminated. To my knowledge, I was the last amateur operator to serve within the perimeter during the disaster relief efforts. Tom N1SXU closed out Respite Two which was located further up Manhattan outside the perimeter. I believe he was the last disaster relief ham operator.
Following debriefing, I packed up from Brooklyn ARC, closed down and cleaned up my Brookly apartment at which I had spent only one night, said good-by to my hosts, the Morris-Weisbrod’s, and headed home to Guilford, Chenango County, upstate NY. By the time I reached home late on 26 September, I had been going for 48 straight hours.
I may be contacted at: K2FRD AT arrl.net .