A police officer’s account of the deadly 9/11 terrorist attacks and its aftermath (1/6)

My 9/11 story

On the day of the 9/11 attacks, I had gone to submit some paperwork to the NY police headquarters - three blocks South of the World Trade Center (WTC). I was supposed to join about a week later. I remember being in the elevator going down, when I felt the building shake. I went outside and looked at the towers, and saw that a big plane had hit the WTC’s first tower. I didn’t think it was an accident. It was a very clear day. The sky was blue and the temperature perfect. It didn’t make sense for a large commercial airplane to randomly hit a building.

I went back upstairs to get one of the men I worked with. About that time, the second plane hit the other tower. I was trained in emergency medicine like a paramedic. So, we decided to go and render aid. One of the first things I saw was people jumping from and falling out of the buildings. We went to the closest tower – the southernmost one, and tried to get people away from the building. As the flames continued to burn the building, glass was breaking, and it was very dangerous. Firefighters were helping people out of the building, and we would be by the door moving them away from the building, and getting them paramedics, or whatever they needed.

Soon, the building started to shake. As the first tower came down, we were able to move away from it and get behind another building. It took about an hour and a half to fall, but then, it came straight down. We could feel it coming down. Had it gone over to one side and fallen, it would have killed more people. This way, though some people were crushed and killed it was not as many as if it had come down on one side.

Stories of survivors

When we could see, we returned to where the building had been, and saw a firefighter, crawling on his hands and knees. He had been in the building lobby. He remembered being knocked down, and everything falling into a big hole. He just started crawling on his hands and knees. It was a miracle he survived. Interestingly last year, on 9/11, my boss sent me a photograph of me helping this fire lieutenant. I didn’t even know someone had taken a picture of me; it was surreal.

A POLICE OFFICER’S ACCOUNT OF THE DEADLY 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACKS AND ITS AFTERMATH (2/6)

One of the saddest stories I remember is that of a young chef who worked in the middle of Manhattan. The WTC was in the southern section. He was looking for his wife and wanted to know how to find her; she had been working in the WTC, when the planes hit it. We told him to go home – so his wife could reach him. He kept repeating, “Can I go and find my wife?” I don’t know if she lived or not. I never saw him again. I remember seeing him walk away, crying.

We kept him several blocks away. But, it was clear - everything was burning. There was smoke everywhere, police cars and ambulances, and people running away. I wondered if he would ever see his wife again. It was sad. The terrorism was supposed to be those planes hitting the buildings, but the real terrorism was those individuals, who were affected by this horrific act.

The scene of the attack

We went to the second tower and saw some police officers from a special unit. I had trained them many years ago in counter terrorism techniques. As there weren’t enough oxygen tanks, they told us to stay back and continue to help people outside, while they went into the building. We helped those who were hurt. And then, that building started to come down. This time we were much closer to the building. So, we started running. There was Pete (my partner) and me, and I think 2-3 firefighters behind me. We got under a fire truck that was stationed there. Then, everything just went completely black.

The air was horrible; suddenly, the truck was lifted up in the air – not high, but then, it came down. Miraculously, we didn’t get crushed! And the tires worked. It seemed like a very, very long time before we could see again. When we could see, we came out and saw fire everywhere because there was so much paper in the offices of the building. It was all over the ground and it started to burn. We felt like we were coming out from under the fire truck into a burning hell!

The building was gone; my eyes were scratched from the dust and debris – not horribly but I had blood all over my back. People thought I was hurt. It wasn’t me; it was from somebody who was trying to get away from the building, but, unfortunately, got killed.

A POLICE OFFICER’S ACCOUNT OF THE DEADLY 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACKS AND ITS AFTERMATH (3/6)

The people who were coming out of the building were panicked and frightened. I don’t think I panicked, because my focus was on helping people survive, and getting medical attention. But, I have to admit I was afraid. I felt disbelief; I couldn’t believe these two buildings had fallen. I felt uneasy, as we didn’t know what was going to happen next. We would set up an area to get medical aid to people and then we would be told there was a bomb there. We would, then set it up in another place, and we would be told that there was a bomb there too!

We stayed for several hours - till 6 or 7 PM. Then, I headed home. I couldn’t take my car because all the windows were broken. We found a colleague’s car full of debris. We drove to a train station. When the train’s conductor saw me, he took me to his compartment. He didn’t think I should sit on seats next to people, who would ask me questions.

When I reached my station, I didn’t have my wallet because I had just run out of the office. But, I had my police badge and ID card. There was a police officer there. When he saw my bloody shirt, and dirty and dusty face, he put me in a cab. I told him I didn’t have any money, he said, “Why would you pay?” So, the cab driver drove me home to my family.

We went to church to pray like many people in America did. People went to churches, mosques, synagogues and temples. The next morning, I went back to the WTC to see if we could find anybody. I was there for a number of days. I also spent time working with people, and families, who had lost their relatives.

Forerunner to 9/11

It was, by far, the biggest tragedy ever. 3,000 people had died. I saw things that nobody should see. It is not appropriate to talk about some of it. I got to see evil - this was the definition of evil. I had worked on the earlier attack on the WTC in 1993. They had tried to collapse it with a truck - 6 people got hurt. Someone I knew went to the mosque in New Jersey, where the plan was developed, and so, we were able to arrest those individuals. Unfortunately, I knew in my heart that the terrorists would come back. So, when I saw that plane hit, I knew that they had waited and that it was not an accident.

Read on about the source and solution of mass violence.

A POLICE OFFICER’S ACCOUNT OF THE DEADLY 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACKS AND ITS AFTERMATH (4/6)

The work I am doing now – studying mass violence - is very important. I don’t think we can ever, completely, eliminate violence and terrorism in the world - it’s been here for centuries. But, hopefully, we can shrink it. The reason I came on this trip here is to figure out how to build more productive and compassionate human interactions. How do we help people listen, understand, and accept? Because, I think that when it doesn’t happen on a personal level, it grows.

Source of violence

If you’re angry and frustrated, if you think you are alone, and don’t belong to the world, inevitably, a group comes along, either on social media or in real life, and asks you to belong to their group. It is very tempting. After all, everybody wants to be accepted, feel valued and significant in their life, in some way.

We have to figure out how to get people to think about compassion, thinking, and understanding – that there are different people in the world with different languages, and who eat different food. That in America, or India, people have different political views. We have to figure out how to open those lines of communication…how do we build the bonds of relationships?

How to overcome feelings of alienation

First, you have to start with yourself. You have to be at peace with yourself. That’s where I see the value of meditation and yoga. To be able to take time away from the world, be able to think and calm your body. Through that process, you can take more of the world in; your vessel, your soul is more open.

What is being done here at the ashram is very important work, it represents both ends of the violent spectrum - to prevent violence and if, God forbid, there is an act that we can’t prevent - to help people return to some sense of normalcy. I don’t think you will ever be the same person again – that’s impossible. And sadly, there is a growing group of people throughout the world who are experiencing violence.

We have to help those exposed to violence recover - give them skills to be more resilient, and stronger. Again, meditation, yoga, diet, learning how to cleanse your body and spirit, are very important at the front end, and after an attack, if there is one.

A POLICE OFFICER’S ACCOUNT OF THE DEADLY 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACKS AND ITS AFTERMATH (5/6)

My connection with spirituality

I did the Sudarshan Kriya for 2 days. It was a good experience. I want to learn more. Now, my wife and I can practice the short Kriya together back home.

When I was young, as a Catholic, I went to a high school and college seminary. I never became a priest, but I spent a lot of time studying the Catholic saints, particularly those who were contemplative, who lived in monasteries, and devoted their life to silence, meditation and prayer. I read a lot about Gandhi during that time as well.

We practiced meditation in a different way. There weren’t chants. But, it was very deeply spiritual, quiet and peaceful. Again, the same principles of getting to know yourself, cleansing yourself of the bad things in the world so that you could better serve the world were applied. That was a long time ago. I lost my way in between. So, it’s interesting how life has come around again. Here I am, sitting in an ashram in India, thinking again about those techniques and principles, and learning new ones with the Art of Living! That can help serve as a preventive, healing and curative measure for prisoners, PTSD patients, victims of disasters, and those dealing with violence.

Meditation and compassion in police life

It’s a good time in my life to study the effects of meditation and understanding the true principles of compassion and service. I think that those things affected my police career. I always thought to be a servant to the communities I served. I also believed that my colleagues should be likewise - compassionate and understanding, using violence as a very last resort, choosing to talk to people and help them.

Even though I wasn’t meditating and involved spiritually, I think it was still with me, and I was successful in promoting that in the departments where I was privileged to be. It just took a different form. Sometimes, there are opportunities in life where you can be more peaceful, reflective, and thoughtful. And then, there are times when life may get more action-oriented. When you remember this, you do it differently. I think I went from action to being more withdrawn, and more focussed on research and understanding, and helping people learn.

Read on about the MoU between National Police Foundation and Art of Living.

A POLICE OFFICER’S ACCOUNT OF THE DEADLY 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACKS AND ITS AFTERMATH (6/6)

Telling this story

I am able to tell this story today in a calm manner. But some time ago, when I recounted it in Mumbai, I cried. Sometimes, I can tell it like I did today and at other times I cry. It still affects me. I never know how I will react when I recount this.

The other night we had a reception with the wives and family members who lost their relatives in the 26/11 attack. So, it was a very emotional experience. There was also an Indian flight attendant who was in the Belgium airport when the bombing occurred. She is a beautiful person, very spiritual, very happy and full of energy. I think the emotion of that made it more difficult than telling it now.

Programs for police officers

We are signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Maindar and the Art of Living to develop programs to teach this to American police officers as well as at-risk young people. I have spent much of my career doing counter terrorism and anti-violence work with young people as a police official. We will bring the meditation and yoga skills, the philosophy that embodies the Art of Living into police training, and into police community dialogue.

Frank Straub

Director, National Police Foundation, USA

Background:

I have worked in US law enforcement for 31 years with the Federal Government, navy, Department of Justice (DoJ) and New York Police Department (NYPD). I now work with the National Police Foundation, a non-profit organisation, established to make policing better through innovation and research. I am the Director for the Centre of Mass Violence Response Studies in the United States.

We have studied the San Bernardino attack, and Florida’s Pulse night club terrorist attack among any others. To examine the phenomenon of mass violence, trying to understand the causes of extremism, violence, and terrorism and how to help individuals and communities recover from mass violence. This could be violence committed by individuals using trucks, explosive vests, knives, and guns that lead to 5 or more people getting injured. In businesses, schools, and other public places.