Remembering 9/11

On September 11th 2001, when American Airlines flight 11 slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, one of the closest military units was the United States Coast Guard Public Affairs Detachment at Battery Park. This small group of photojournalist was in a uniques position to document the days events from the start. The images you're about to see depict the Coast Guard's involvement in the maritime evacuation of Lower Manhattan, first responder rescue efforts and the first stages of recovery from the disaster. On September 11th 2001, I was a chief petty officer stationed at the Coast Guard's Battery Park building in Lower Manhattan, in charge of public affairs for the city. On that day and in the weeks and months that followed, I was responsible for making sure the Coast Guard's story got out. Whether it was making sure the public knew about security restrictions in the port, insuring that the media got on our small boats and cutters to see what the Coast Guard was doing, or working with city, state and federal partners to coordinate efforts. I had previously worked as a photographer in the Coast Guard. And all though that was never my primary job on and after 9/11, I almost always took a camera with me. I went from witnessing the second plane hitting the World Trade Center to watching the maritime evacuation of Manhattan, to helping deliver supplies to Ground Zero the evening of the 11th. I often had a vantage point that many people didn't and I took photos and video when I could. Some of my photos were published in the mass media and some have only been seen by a few people. Taking photos of everything I saw just seemed like the right thing to do. I was a 3rd class public affairs specialist. My job at the time focused mainly on sending out imagery for other Coast Guard PA's and helping members of the media with thier requests to ride along with the Coast Guard. Often times I would also photograph our members during those ride-alongs to ensure we had the same imagery. We watched the second plane fly into the Trade Center from the roof of the Coast Guard Battery Park building and moments after the towers came down I watched as mariners filled the harbor of Lower Manhattan with their tugboats and ferry's to evacuate people. The weeks following September 11th, I saw Coast Guardsmen come from all over the country and stand watch over the harbor to ensure its safety. It's difficult to remember what I was thinking exactly at the time, capturing those images, but the feeling will always be there that I was doing my small part to tell the Coast Guard story. I was put into the position of supervisor at the Public Affairs office at the Battery. The first week or so we all worked sixteen to twenty hour days. Most of us slept in the office. Each day I would collect any video and stills we made which showed the Coast Guard working in and around the disaster site. I would then go to one of the media trailers scattered outside of the site and have our images pooled out to all the media outlets. In order for me to do this, I had to walk through the disaster site, so I always brought along a camera. As a photographer, I wanted to make images of everything that was happening around me. But I also felt strange in doing it. The whole event was very overpowering on my senses. I was assigned to the Coast Guard Public Affairs Detachment in New York City as a 2nd class petty officer at the time of 9/11. That morning I was at Coast Guard station Sandy Hook and after the attacks I quickly returned to New York City and began documenting the event. I was assigned to Ground Zero as the Coast Guard liaison to the New York City Fire and Police departments. I was also assigned to photograph the rescue efforts. Being at Ground Zero, I was a witness to indescribable sadness, but also a witness to some of the most heroic acts of bravery I had ever witnessed. One of the visuals that will forever be imprinted in mind is the photographs scattered in the rubble. The smiling faces in these photographs is the memory of all the events of 9/11 that is most vivid in my mind. These images cover just part of the Coast Guard's efforts during the maritime evacuation of New York and their work at Ground Zero on September 11th and beyond. One outcome of the attacks was the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. As a part of the DHS, the Coast Guard has taken on a greater role in border defense and antiterroism. As it has been doing for more than two hundred years, the Coast Guard is prepared to face all threats, all hazards, in its mission to keep America's maritime border safe.