This is a photo of Police Officer Chris Amoroso, it was taken at the intersection of Church and Vesey Streets on 9/ll at approximately 0925 hours.  Chris, after helping this woman, re-entered the WTC, put on a Scott pak and helped many more people to safety.  Chris never made it out.  His body was recovered on November 30. 

Chris was 29 years old, a Port Authority Police Officer for 2 years.  He left his wife Jamie and a baby daughter Sophia.

Chris' wife would like to find out who this woman is and would like to speak to her. 

I live in New Jersey, but work in New York City.  I was in NYC on September 11, 2001. I work on the 37th floor of an office building about 60 blocks north of the World Trade Center. I arrived at work at 9:00 a.m. in time to see an image that will never leave me of an airplane flying into the second tower and the ensuing fireball. 

The people who worked in those buildings are always in my thoughts - especially while riding to work from New Jersey to New York every morning.  There are so many faces missing who I now know will never return.  There are so many of them - from New Jersey there are more than 700 gone.  A town on my train route into the city has lost 60 people.  It is very difficult for the mind to grasp this.  How can so many be gone so quickly?  On the way in, my train passes an area before the tunnel where you can see the New York skyline from above the Empire State Building all the way down to where the towers stood and beyond.  If I am standing or sitting on the right side of the car I find that I am drawn (as are many) to look over at the city.  The emptiness of the skyline is very evident.  I think that even if they rebuild the four smaller buildings as they plan, the taller ones will always superimpose themselves for those of us used to seeing them every day.  To envision the loss of all those people in the very short minutes it took for the towers to crumble into dust is something my mind is finding very difficult to seize upon.  So many lives have been abruptly changed - not one or two - but thousands all at the same time.

I find that my thoughts turn quite a bit to the rescuers who gave and are still giving above and beyond any call of duty to find as many of those lost souls as they can.  Their lives will be never be the same either - they are so much closer to everything than most of us.  I have friends whose family and friends are among those rescuers, and knew or are related to the men who died trying to save others when the buildings came down.  At least one of those men comes home every day and wants only to hold his wife and children.  My friend tells me that he is totally different now - he will never again be the man he was before 911, and he is not the only one. The morning of September 11, 2001, changed everything for everyone who was in New York City and most especially those who searched and those who continue the searching even now.

On September 29, I was listening to a local country station in NYC.  The DJ was giving a tribute to Tom Foley of the NYFD and the other Firefighters, EMS & Police who died on 9-11-01. His tribute began with Taps and then he spoke about Tom Foley and the others who gave their lives to help others.  One of the things he said really touched me - this a paraphrase:

When the buildings collapsed, the people inside were TAKEN
When the buildings collapsed, the firefighters, police officers &
other rescuers GAVE their lives freely

(A follow-up note on Tom Foley - he was found by his father who was searching through the fallen buildings with the other firefighters - Tommy was buried on Saturday, September 29, 2001.)

The Day the World Cried

dddddddddddddddddd

The following was written by the 19 year son of a friend

American Dream
The events of the past week have caused me to think about things quite a bit...  It's showed me how much I truly appreciate what we as Americans have and how important it is....  First of all our country was and still is built upon blood, sweat, tears and most importantly love...  Love for ones country, love for ones fellow citizens and love for ones friends and family....  If there was no love in this country there would be no freedom or liberty....  Some may say the American dream is to be able to achieve ones goals through a hard work ethic but I believe that a strong part of that dream is actually to have freedom to love...  Love is the most powerful feeling in this world..  It's the only feeling that can truly bring people together....  
       Love for ones country brought the police and firefighters of New York to the aid of their fellow citizens...  It was this sacrifice that they so dutifully left upon the altar of freedom that keeps us together today....  Americans have been making these sacrifices for over 225 years.... And undoubtedly they will be making them for more to come....  What we must now do to honor these individuals that lost their lives, so that we might live, is keep the American dream alive.....  We must live how they would have lived...  We must honor how they would have honored....  We must love for them.....  Love lasts forever, nothing can break those bonds not distance not even death....

       Matt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Semper Fi, Jacquie.

 

From the New York Post
Friday, September 14, 2001

Firefighters raising the Flag at the WTC on September 11, 2001 Photo by Thomas Franklin/The RecordDan McWilliams, George Johnson and Billy Eisengrein.	Firefighters raising the Flag at the WTC on September 11, 2001 Photo by Ricky Flores Gannett News Service/The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News)

Click above to visit the Memorial page of the New York Police Department

The Pentagon Flag click for large view of the men

The Pentagon Flag being folded.  It will be stored until the damaged section of the Pentagon is restored. The Flag will then be displaced inside.

The Marine Corps Flag at the Pentagon The following is an excerpt of an email that came from an officer assigned in the Pentagon.  His office lost several people.  Only part of his email is forwarded as it is worth getting an opportunity for this type of insight into our Commander-in-Chief. --------------------- All, We are finally back up on email this morning.  Those of us here at the Pentagon greatly appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers from the many people that are, and have been, in our lives.  Please continue to pray. Thank you very much. The mood here is very upbeat in regard to the future.  Many people here believe the country's leadership will do what needs to be done, the right way.  Please pray for them as well because they need every prayer they can get.  Regardless of politics, many of us here, and many others that I have spoken to, are very grateful that we have the President and First Lady we have at this time.  He and she seem to be very much the right people that we need now, and up to the tasks at hand and ahead. At the risk of moving away from my belief, as an officer serving in the United States Army, that it is an inherent duty of mine to ensure that my opinions in this general arena are not put out for public consumption, good or bad, regardless of who is in the White House, let me leave you with a small, but true story to give you an idea of the kind of man and the kind of  woman we have in the White House right now. As you may know, the President and Mrs. Bush visited the Washington Burn Center on Friday 14 September.  Among those they visited was LTC Brian Birdwell, the XO to Ms. Menig (She is the Army's Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management), who was badly burned.  Mrs. Bush went into Brian's room, spoke to him for about a minute, all the time as if they had been life-long acquaintances.  She then turned to Brian's wife Mel, who at this time had been at the hospital for probably 2 1/2 days, and apparently according to Mel herself, was dirty, grimy and had blood on her shirt.  Mrs. Bush hugged Mel for what Mel said seemed like an eternity, just as if Mel were one of her closest family members.  Mrs. Bush then told Brian and Mel that there was "someone" there to see him.   The President then walked in, stood by Brian's bedside, asked Brian how he was doing, told him that he was very proud of them both and that they were his heroes.  The President then saluted Brian. Now, at this point in time, Brian is bandaged up pretty well.  His hands are burned very badly as well as the back of him from the head down. His movements were very restricted.  Upon seeing the President saluting him, Brian began to slowly return the salute, taking, from the accounts so far, about 15-20 seconds to get his hand up to his head. During all of this, 15-20 seconds, President Bush never moved, never dropped his salute.  The President dropped his salute only when Brian was finished with his, and then gave Mel a huge hug for what also probably seemed like an eternity. No further comments.  Pray for our leadership.   Thank God for what we are, have, and will be.

 

Thank you A down-home welcome back for a Massachusetts Firefighter named Dan who assisted in the rescue at the WTC for ten days.

To make donations to the Widows & Children's Fund
of the New York City Fire Department please send checks to:
Widows & Children's Fund
C/O Uniformed Firefighter's Association
204 East 23rd Street, NY, NY 10010
or call the UFA office at 212-683-4832
Please use Tax ID number 13-3047544
To visit the site:
http://www.nyfd.com/

"Going Home"
The Emerald Society of the New York City Fire Department
during a funeral for a New York City Firefighter

It seems appropriate to me to add a very large thank you to our Good Neighbors in Canada who have been standing with and by us ever since 911 (and before!).  Through my genealogy research I have found many cousins of my mother's family in the various provinces of Canada, but mostly Quebec.  The messages from them don't stop coming.  They are steadfast and true friends and family!
These photos were taken at Canada's proclaimed National Day of Mourning on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, September 13, 2001 -  the photos on the right were found at  http://cbc.ca the ones on the left came from various sites

An e-mail message from an Ensign stationed aboard the USS Winston Churchill...

Dear Dad,

Well, we are still out at sea, with little direction as to what our next priority is.  The remainder of our port visits, which were to be centered on max liberty and goodwill to the United Kingdom, has all but been cancelled.
 
We have spent every day since the attacks going back and forth within imaginary boxes drawn in the ocean, standing high-security watches, and trying to make the best of our time. It hasn't been that fun I must confess, and to be even more honest, a lot of people are frustrated at the fact that they either can't be home, or we don't have more direction right now. We have seen the articles and the photographs, and they are sickening. Being isolated as we are, I don't think we appreciate the full scope of what is happening back home, but we are definitely feeling the effects.

About two hours ago the junior officers were called to the bridge to conduct Ship handling drills. We were about to do a man overboard when we got a call from the LUTJENS(D185), a German warship that was moored ahead of us on the pier in Plymouth, England. While in port, the WINSTON S CHURCHILL and the LUTJENS got together for a sports day/cookout on our fantail, and we made some pretty good friends.
 
Now at sea they called over on bridge-to-bridge, requesting to pass us close up on our port side, to say goodbye.  We prepared to render them honors on the bridge wing, and the Captain told the crew to come topside to wish them farewell.  As they were making their approach, our Conning Officer announced through her binoculars that they were flying an American flag.  As they came even closer, we saw that it was flying at half-mast. The bridge wing was crowded with people as the Boatswain's Mate blew two whistles- Attention to Port- the ship came up alongside and we saw that the entire crew of the German ship were manning the rails, in their dress blues.  They had made
up a sign that was displayed on the side that read "We Stand By You".

Needless to say there was not a dry eye on the bridge as they stayed alongside us for a few minutes and we cut our salutes.  It was probably the most powerful thing I have seen in my entire life and more than a few of us fought to retain our composure.  It was a beautiful day outside today. We are no longer at liberty to divulge over unsecured e-mail our location, but we could not have asked for a finer day at sea.  The German Navy did an incredible thing for this crew, and it has truly been the highest point in the days since the attacks.  It's amazing to think that only a half-century ago things were quite different, and to see the unity that is being demonstrated throughout Europe and the world makes us all feel proud to be out here doing our job.  After the ship pulled away and we prepared to begin our man overboard drills the Officer of the Deck turned to me and said, "I'm staying Navy."

 I'll write you when I know more about when I'll be home, but for now, this is probably the best news that I could send you.
 

 

When you think the U.S. isn't thought well of all over the world, read
this editorial from a Romanian Newspaper.

FROM ROMANIA: RECOGNITION (AND ENVY) OF THE AMERICAN ETHOS AND ÉLAN!!

An Ode to America

Why are Americans so united? They don't resemble one another even if you paint them! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations. Some of them are nearly extinct, others are incompatible with one another, and in matters of religious beliefs, not even God can count how many they are. Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, the secret services that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed on the streets nearby to gape about.  

The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand.  After the first moments of panic, they raised the flag on the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a minister or the president was passing. On every occasion they started singing their traditional song: "God Bless America!".  Silent as a rock, I watched the charity concert broadcast on Saturday once, twice, three times, on different TV channels. There were Clint Eastwood, Willie Nelson, Robert de Niro, Julia Roberts, Cassius Clay, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Silvester Stalone, James Wood, and many others whom no film or producers could ever bring together. The American's solidarity spirit turned them into a choir. Actually, choir is not the word. What you could hear was the heavy artillery of the American soul.

What neither George W. Bush, nor Bill Clinton, nor Colin Powell could say without facing the risk of stumbling over words and sounds, was being heard in a great and unmistakable way in this charity concert. I don't know how it happened that all this obsessive singing of America didn't sound croaky, nationalist, or ostentatious! It made you green with envy because you weren't able to sing for your country without running the risk of being considered chauvinist, ridiculous, or suspected of who-knows-what mean interests.

I watched the live broadcast and the rerun of its rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who fought with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that would have killed other hundreds or thousands of people. How on earth were they able to bow before a fellow human?

Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit which nothing can buy.

What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their galloping history? Their economic power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases which risk of sounding like commonplaces. I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion.

Only freedom can work such miracles!

 

The Greek flag flies at half mast on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece,
in tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks on the United States.
Photo from the site of the Greek Embassy in Washington, D.C.

"War Paint"

"Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then ask yourself,
What should be the reward of such sacrifices? Are we just to do nothing?
To allow the men who have let loose on us the dogs of
war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth?

I detest any submission to a people who have either ceased to be human,
or have not virtue enough to feel their own wretchedness!
If ye love comfort better than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude
better than the animating contest of freedom - go from us in peace.

We ask not your counsels or arms.
Crouch down and lick the hands of your master.
May your chains sit lightly upon you,
and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!" ...........
Samuel Adams, 1776

To the up-date page of the U.S. Navy

Click to visit the site of the USS Theodore Roosevelt
the Ship that has been given the flag that the firefighters flew at the WTC.

The Fire Flag from the World Trade Center
received by the USS Theodore Roosevelt
click on photo for large view

Visit the U.S. Navy for more photos & info
 

Click above to go to CNN's very thorough and excellent pages on the tragedies & the aftermath

Click above to visit the page of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit     (Special Operations Capable)      "Anytime, Anyplace"

This very special Mi-24 helicopter is presently flying in Afghanistan, where it is no doubt causing quite a stir! click on thumbnails for larger view

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The music playing is a traditional Celtic tune called Fallen Hero
sequenced by Barry Taylor and found in Taylor's Traditional Tunebook on http://www.contemplator.com/tunebook