Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- [Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: Tom Burke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: MLL <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2001 1:48 AM Subject: [MLL] Fw: Personal acct from (NY Paramedic) on Sept 11th ----- Original Message ----- From: Carolyn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Carolyn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 11:57 AM Subject: Personal acct from (NY Paramedic) on Sept 11th > This is a personal account of the rescue efforts by James Creedon a NYC > paramedic. James was also a member of the political organization Love > and Rage and is currently a CUNY student and student activist. > > ******************************** > > Hello all-- Thank you very much for the many *many* notes of support > and condolence. Things are very difficult here in New York City, and > I'm just trying to keep on top of things. I thought I would share a > bit about what happened to me on September 11th, 2001--to answer > questions, and let you know a little bit more about the events here... > > I woke up Tuesday morning to the radio, and heard that a building had > been struck by an airplane. I honestly thought it was a historical > piece about the B-52 bomber that hit the Empire State Building back > in the 1940's... Once I knew the real deal, that two planes had > struck, I put my uniform on and headed off to my station. We were on > "recall," and were required to be in duty. As I drove to work, I got > diverted into the Battery Tunnel, and found myself about 4 blocks > south of World Trade Center. I parked my car, and walked up to the > front staging area to find my lieutenant. Once I found him, he set me > up with a helmet and some medical gear. He set off to help coordinate > triage, and I went to make contact with another unit. > > From where I was standing, it was about half a block to WTC 1 (North > Tower). I could see flames and smoke billowing out of the building, > and debris was landing all around me. There were body parts scattered > on the ground, and it was pretty clear how bad things were... > > Moments later, I heard an enormous roar and felt the ground shaking. > I looked up to the tower, and saw what looked like an umbrella being > opened up--like a starburst at the fireworks. I was directly > underneath it, and I could see girders shooting out from the > building. I immediately began to run southwest, towards a building > that had some sort of opening. I already felt rocks landing on my > back and helmet, and there were girders falling right near me. I made > it perhaps thirty feet before being knocked off my feet. I went about > ten feet through the air, and landed rolling on a set of steps. My > helmet was gone, my phone, my stethoscope... > > This was the scariest moment of my life. The air was black with ash > and debris, and I literally couldn't see a thing. People were > screaming, and some were clearly seriously injured. We couldn't > breathe, and our mouths eyes and noses watered and burned... I stayed > crouching on the ground, covering my head, and breathed through my > shirt. A few minutes later, the smoke began to clear and I was able > to make out a few other figures. We held on to each other, and were > able to make it to a restaurant where we started gathering water for > eye flushes. Ambulances and fire trucks were overturned, walkways > were collapsed, and people were running and screaming. > > After a half-hour of giving out water, I started to help out with > moving other people to the waterfront where we were loading them onto > boats and ferries. But soon we had to clear out from there also > because the second tower was coming down. I was holding a 3-year-old > girl at the time, and we lost sight of her mother. We all ran as hard > as we could, while we tried to carry as many people as couldn't make > it. There were many injuries, and many more people with smoke > inhalation or blindness. > > Eventually, we regrouped on a pier farther southeast, and got more > people loaded up to bring them to New Jersey. I helped here for a > while, and ended up taking one of the last boats to NJ to help with > triage and treatment there, by order of my supervisor. > > An hour or two later, I was redeployed to Manhattan, but I was then > taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. Luckily, I got off > well. I have a sprained ankle, twisted knee, miscellaneous burns and > abrasions, and had to have glass and gravel removed from my arms and > back. > > That night I stayed in the hospital on semi-active duty, and this > morning ( Wednesday ) I worked a 911 shift uptown and then went down > to Ground Zero to assist with rescue efforts. > > Overall, I feel very lucky. Many of us thought there would be > chemical/biological agents in the explosion, but thus far we are in > the clear. I have made it out in one piece, but the same cannot be > said for many others. > > Especially sad and difficult to me is the loss of two members of my > own team. They were killed in collapse of WTC 2 (South Tower), along > with hundreds of other rescuers. > > Tonight, I want to thank all of you for your calls and emails. I feel > honored to have been in your thoughts and prayers, and am unspeakably > grateful for each and every friendship that has revealed itself. But > more importantly, I ask that you keep the in your thoughts the lives > and sacrifices of the many rescue workers. I have lost friends, and I > can honestly say that they were some of the most caring, deeply > committed, and selfless people I have ever met. > > Finally, I want to urge all of us to remember the complexities of the > world we live in. This is a tragic act, one that has destroyed or > forever altered the lives of countless people. It is also an act that > occurs in particular context, one in which the United States is > guilty of this exact same kind of crime, only on a greater and more > gruesome scale. Let us take from this the inspiration to create a > world free from imperialism in all its manifestations, one that moves > us from the civil war that is capitalism to a higher form of > society... > > With love and rage, james creedon > _______________________________________________ Marxist-Leninist-List mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxist-leninist-list ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
