“Of Bears, Bull and Beagles!”

Ground Zero by Nancy Rogers

Dear Family & Friends.....I hardly slept the night before in anticipation of what lay ahead for Bob and I beginning at 8am on Wed. Sept. 26...we would be spending the next twelve hours in the "frozen zone"...one half block from "Ground Zero"...let me clarify "frozen zone"...it refers to the area around the WTC site restricted to military, rescue workers and support volunteers involved in the recovery efforts...this of course includes Saint Paul's Chapel which sits across the street from the where the twin towers stood...we will be working with other volunteers assisting Father Lyndon Harris and other clergy from Trinity in offering our support to many of the most courageous men and women we could ever meet...St. Paul's has been set up in the most amazing and organized way...it has been converted into a rescue operations area...serving 2000 hot meals every 24 hour period...offering professional counselling, supplies donated from! all over our vast country which include everything from Visine to Timberland work boots (the hot spots at Ground Zero still exceed 1700 degrees and the workers have to replace their foot gear often)...the food is prepared by New York City's finest hotels and restaurants and is supervised through City Harvest, The Red Cross and the Salvation Army...it is then brought to St. Paul's and served by volunteers who work 12 hour shifts...

my main job was to help with the food service being sure to follow all the rules issued from the city health dept...(which by the way are quite rigid)...their workers came by every hour or so to check temperatures of the food, etc...all the meals and drinks were served from the front porch of St. Paul's...Bob and the other volunteers were inside organizing supplies, carrying things to other areas near the church and making sure every fireman, policeman and all other workers had everything they needed...podiatrists, chiropractors and massage therapists rotated every few hours...the church pews were available for the workers to sit, eat, sleep, counsel, etc...many knelt in prayer before the beautiful altar where tall candles burned around the clock and overhead the original Waterford crystal chandeliers were softly aglow...four and five clergy were always available...we began at 8am and when we left at 8pm, the constant stream of rescue workers continued to come and would continue all night...this is now into its second week... St. Paul's is surrounded by massive black iron fencing and gates 8 feet high...they are covered in art work drawn by children from all over the U.S...one in particular caught my eye...a bright yellow background with the word "HOPE" in enormous letters...hand prints of the children in all colors made up the background...Father Harris wants to use it as the altar frontal when Trinity re-opens and has its first service...we're still having services at the St. Elizabeth Seton Shrine near Battery Park...the walls inside St. Paul's are covered with art work too...poems and letters sent from children from all over the world and addressed to Mr. Fireman or Ms. Policeman ...very inspiring messages... The incredible work in this chapel is a united ministry involving clergy and secular volunteers...I could never convey the feeling of honor Bob and I felt to be a part of this unique moment in our country's history...Father Lyndon Harris, the priest in charge of this operation, escorted Bob, myself and two other volunteers through the police check points and to within one half block of "Ground Zero"...this is the area we have all seen on tv with the sculpture like remains of the WTC base...through a veil of tears I saw structures where I once spent time eating, shopping, etc. black from smoke and fire...windows gone and debris hanging from the ominous openings...the two story mound of twisted metal and debris looked like a huge mistake that was completely unidentifiable...the workers appeared too small to actually be real in the scope of everything and yet their search for victims and body parts continues...a temporary morgue has been set up in a large tent near the west side! highway and the stench of death hangs in the air along with ever present acrid smoke from the fires still burning...as we made our way back to St. Paul's, Father Harris pointed out to us the enormous old sycamore tree that sits in the northwest corner of the graveyard...he believes (as do many) that that tree actually saved the church from total destruction by absorbing the impact through its massive trunk when the towers fell...the trunk is split in half ...he hopes to have a portion of the trunk made into a baptismal font for St. Paul's...the other trees remain intact... I later walked out onto the back porch to view the churchyard (which is still considered a crime scene due to all the debris hanging from the trees)...I stood in the exact spot where George Washington stood in 1789 following his inauguration at Federal Hall...he came to St. Paul's for a service of Thanksgiving and to greet the public as there was no Presidential residence and the rebuilding of Trinity's third church was not complete...as I gazed out to ward where once I saw the twin towers of the WTC, I was struck with an enormous sense of emptiness...the tombstones remained untouched, but where once green grass and seasonal flowers surrounded the ancient stones, the barren earth with streaks of concrete dust was ever so obvious...there have been several rains since Sept. 11 and most of the grey dust has been absorbed into the ground... I spent most of Wednesday serving food and visiting with the firemen and policemen...a retired fireman from Queens had gotten up the morning of Sept. 11, turned on the tv, realized the situation and quickly put on his "retired" uniform and came into the city...he has been here since day 1...he has lost 15 of his fellow firefighters...some were the sons of his own comrades from earlier days...in the grief and sadness that was etched on his face and in his eyes, he reminded me that on that fateful day between 9:03am and 10:30am when the second tower went down, over 20,000 people were rescued...I hope he can smile again someday soon...another young man from Ireland working for Verizon and living here 14 years was one of the last to escape when the second tower went down...he told me it was crashing behind him as he ran through the blinding dust and falling debris...he said he still hears the screams and smells the smoke...he has also remained on the site since day 1 working to! restore telephone communications...these are just a few of the countless stories I was privileged to hear and somehow God gave me the strength to listen and not fall into a heap on the floor and burst into a flood of tears...another miracle... Several years ago Bob placed American flags at all the gravesites of the war veterans from the Revolution forward at Trinity and St. Paul's...most Sundays he walks through the churchyards to check on the "grateful dead" as he refers to them...Wed. afternoon he went out into St. Paul's burial site (with special permission of course) and gathered up the remaining flags...there were eight...tattered and town, smelling heavily of smoke and looking a bit weary...he plans on getting them framed and giving them to Father Harris and clergy of Trinity...to think that on Tues, Sept. 11, 2001, a 235 year old Episcopal chapel sitting one block from the twin towers escaped yet another devastation...it had already survived the Great Fire of 1776 and the War of 1812 when City Hall had burned across the street...Bob has always said St. Paul's is a little known "jewel" in this city...well, it has never shown more brightly than it is now... The scheduling of volunteers is overwhelming and the first opening to work again is next Monday at 1pm...I fortunately am on that list and look forward to one more shift before we depart for Texas on Oct. 3rd...an Episcopal chaplain (Father Bill ???) just happened to be visiting NYC on that fateful day...he was in town to see some Broadway shows...he is still here...he has wonderful organizational skills and is just one more example of how people have come together to help...a young man working beside me in the food line named Chris was in his office at Bloomberg Financial Services on Sept. 11...their office is in the WTC complex and on the west side highway...he said Mr. Bloomberg turned the office over to the National Guard to use as their headquarters...another example of generosity...Chris and all the other Bloomberg employees have been volunteering since day 1...Chris is going through the guilt of surviving as he knew several of the young men that officed in the WTC..! .all young lions beginning their careers...I told him I was close to his age when JFK was assassinated and I still remember how I felt...we talked about how no-one will ever forget what had happened here but that at some point we'll be able to turn the page and continue on with the next chapter in our lives... Bob helped unload an 18 wheeler that had driven up from a small town in South Carolina...the town where Father Harris had grown up...signs on the truck said "Bound for the WTC disaster site...Father Lyndon Harris grew up in our town"...he was overwhelmed...the truck was filled to capacity with donated supplies...I know Bob is "very sore" today from lifting and carrying, etc...he hasn't uttered a word of complaint however...the 18 wheeler being another wonderful example of America reaching out...and as we say in the South..."It's just being right neighbourly".... My thoughts are still fragmented, but my prayers are clear and focused...as I turn out my light each night, I remember the faces of the firemen and policemen I had the wonderful opportunity to visit with...most of them had last names I couldn't begin to pronounce...I called them "Sir" and thanked them for all of us...keep them in your prayers...Much love to you all...Nancy Rogers