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A firefighter during the aftermaths of the WTC attack. Photo: Pixabay.com
20 Mar 2018

The firefighters at Ground Zero: Stories of extraordinary bravery, loss and guilt

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Photo: (Above) A firefighter during the aftermaths of the WTC attack. Photo: Pixabay.com

Video: (Below) Watch the 48 minute documentary on the first responders at 9/11. Text and video by RealStories

Three hundred and forty-three New York firemen died in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. This documentary follows firemen from two very different fire stations as they cope with the aftermath. The firefighters tell their stories of the day itself - stories of extraordinary bravery, loss and guilt.

One of Manhattan's busy mid-town firehouses lost six of its fire fighters, including Father Mychal Judge, the Fire Department's chaplain.

The firehouse in Brooklyn has recovered only one of the bodies of the eight men who were killed in the attack. As the fire continues to smoulder at Ground Zero, we see the firemen juggling the pressures of keeping New York safe with organising countless funerals and memorials and supporting the families of their lost colleagues.

This is a time of unthinkable tragedy for the FDNY and yet they show incredible strength as they go about their work in the face of extreme adversity. The fire fighters know that they may never be able to achieve the closure they long for, as the weeks turn into months, fewer and fewer bodies are being recovered from the wreckage of the WTC.

 

UA Flight 175 hits the WTC south tower. Photo: Wikipedia
UA Flight 175 hits the WTC south tower. Photo: Wikipedia