Reprinted from September 2001, This is the story a local man who experienced “Ground Zero” in person in the days immediately following the 9-11 attack.
by Bea Peterson
National Guard SSG Paul O’Malley of Hoosick Falls was at Ground Zero of the World Trade Center on Wednesday, September 12, one day after the horrendous tragedy occurred.
“I will never forget what I saw in New York. It was two steps from hell. Everything was covered with cement dust. It looked like a volcano had erupted.” For 10 square blocks there was nothing but cement dust and paper debris. The paper masks they were issued were practically useless. Later they received better masks to deal with the smell of fuel, burnt aluminum, and the everpresent dust
O’Malley is part of Co C 1st Bat 101 Cav out of Hoosick Falls. On Tuesday everyone reported to the Armory on Church Street. By 8 pm they were on their way to their sister company in Troy for the night and then convoyed to their headquarters on Staten Island early Wednesday morning. “It was eerie,” says O’Malley. “There was no traffic into the city. The tunnel was empty. People were lining the streets.”
By 11 am his unit and others were at Battery Park. “That first day was very somber,” he says. Crews were still checking the stability of buildings surrounding the WTC. “Our job was to be a reassuring presence and to keep people out of the area. Many wanted to go to their apartments to retrieve pets and belongings, but, at that point, it wasn’t possible.” The Guard worked closely with the New York Police Department. “We worked well together,” he says.
O’Malley and his unit spent two days at Ground Zero. He saw rescue workers from all over the country looking for survivors. “The first day they brought in some heavy equipment. They would move some stuff, then stop and listen. The day I left they were still hoping,” he says.
One of the big problems says O’Malley was that the city’s emergency management center, with all its plans and key personnel, were in the World Trade Center. All the equipment and several of those people were lost in the collapse.
During their time in the city O’Malley’s Guard unit served at 1 Liberty Plaza, which was considered unstable. The front facial glass was gone from the blast. Their job was to check the credentials of individuals needing to enter the building. They escorted people to their apartments and they were on hand when the Stock Exchange opened. “99.9 percent of the people were fantastic,” says O’Malley. “Community support was super; it made us feel good.” There were almost too many volunteers, he says. The Red Cross and the Salvation Army were clearly visible. Everywhere they turned there were pallets of Gatorade and water sent by corporations. “The iron workers were fantastic, cutting away the metal. Many of those guys helped build the towers,” says O’Malley. When the air finally cleared and they were able to see the skyline, it just didn’t look right, he says. He feels there are a lot more buildings that will need to come down and many others that will need major structural repairs.
His unit returned to Hoosick Falls by the end of the week. “We accomplished our mission,” says O’Malley. “We did what we had to do there; to help where we could.”