Guest guest Posted September 11, 2002 Report Share Posted September 11, 2002 Last Sept 11th. I was an in patient at MUSC waiting on Mr.. P to quiet down. I was watching TV in the morning through the fog of meds and I remember watching the reports on TV and yet it didn't seem real. I honestly could not comprehend the horrible tragedy I had just witnessed on TV. Being a former paramedic I thought about how I would have responded to such a large incident. Without a doubt my first thought would have been to help the injured first and my safety second. You get in a mode and nothing else seems to matter. I'm sure that's how the firefighters were that day as well. There first thought was of getting everyone to safety,without taking their own into account. It is not what we are taught but sometimes you think with your heart and not your head. I doubt I watch much TV tomorrow for the simple fact I do not like to relive horrible events. It is depressing and watching it and talking about it non stop will not change what happened and only bring out the hurt. At least it does in me. There are times when I am driving down the highway and come across an area that I worked a bad accident with fatalities or see a house that I had to tell someone that there loved one had died and I remember it like yesterday. I remember the helplessness I sometimes felt. I see the look on the families face. I remember. I learned to " suck it up " and go on with the day, be professional, don't show to much emotion...don't be a " whimp " What they didn't see was me locked in my room crying at night, many times. Even now just reading about some of the vicims of the WTC attacks I get emotional. Today will be a day of remembrance for me. I will remember those that gave their lives to save others. I will remember the service men and women that are fighting for us now. I will thank God that I live in the greatest Country on earth. God Bless America. Tuten-SC _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2002 Report Share Posted September 11, 2002 , I understand what you mean about the empathy with the Police and Fire Fighters at the WTC. I grew up in a family of Fire Fighters. My Grandfather, my Dad, my Uncle and 3 first cousins were all Professional Fire Fighters. I was trained in First Aid by the time I was 9. My Grandpa was a Deputy Chief and he let me ride in the car with him to a few fires. I helped lay out bandages and prep a few wounds now and then. My Mother finally put a ban on my ride-alongs after attending one Fire Fighter funeral too many. Our next door neighbor died when he was thrown from the back of his truck in a traffic accident and run over by the second truck. Shortly after that my Dad left the Department but like you he had his visions and nightmares 'til the day he died. My personal opinion is that most long time Fire Fighters and EMS workers suffer from undiagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I think that the aftermath of the deaths of the men and women of the combined Police and Fire Departments at the WTC has allowed many of the brotherhood around the country to put aside their bravado and seek help. I spent 6 months in New York back in '95 and '96. I lived in Battery Park City just 4 blocks from the WTC and worked on Street near Broadway just 3 blocks from the WTC Plaza. On cold days I would walk through the World Financial Center and out through the WTC to avoid the cold Hudson River wind on my way to work. My old apartment building was within the debris field from the collapse and was uninhabitable for 2 months after the attack. I still have trouble comprehending the destruction. I haven't been back to NYC in the last year. I'm not sure I am emotionally ready. I know I can't go see the Pentagon. My nephew works in the building and we spent too long on 9/11 panicking over his status even though we knew it hit a different part of the building from his. I am so happy my niece called and said she had heard from him and he was out of his office when it happened. It is a day that I don't ever want to relive. I have replayed it in my head so many times. I don't think I want to see those images refreshed in my mind. I haven't forgotten them in the last year and it will do me no good to sharpen them in my memory. I think I will probably keep away from the TV today. There must be something else I can do. Chuck At 06:23 AM 9/11/2002 +0000, you wrote: >Last Sept 11th. I was an in patient at MUSC waiting on Mr.. P to quiet down. >I was watching TV in the morning through the fog of meds and I remember >watching the reports on TV and yet it didn't seem real. I honestly could not >comprehend the horrible tragedy I had just witnessed on TV. Being a former >paramedic I thought about how I would have responded to such a large >incident. Without a doubt my first thought would have been to help the >injured first and my safety second. You get in a mode and nothing else seems >to matter. I'm sure that's how the firefighters were that day as well. There >first thought was of getting everyone to safety,without taking their own >into account. It is not what we are taught but sometimes you think with your >heart and not your head. >I doubt I watch much TV tomorrow for the simple fact I do not like to relive >horrible events. It is depressing and watching it and talking about it non >stop will not change what happened and only bring out the hurt. At least it >does in me. There are times when I am driving down the highway and come >across an area that I worked a bad accident with fatalities or see a house >that I had to tell someone that there loved one had died and I remember it >like yesterday. I remember the helplessness I sometimes felt. I see the look >on the families face. I remember. I learned to " suck it up " and go on with >the day, be professional, don't show to much emotion...don't be a " whimp " >What they didn't see was me locked in my room crying at night, many times. >Even now just reading about some of the vicims of the WTC attacks I get >emotional. Today will be a day of remembrance for me. I will remember those >that gave their lives to save others. I will remember the service men and >women that are fighting for us now. I will thank God that I live in the >greatest Country on earth. God Bless America. > > Tuten-SC Chuck Sullivan chuck@... " When in command, Take charge. When faced with a decision, do what is right. Nothing else matters. " - Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2002 Report Share Posted September 11, 2002 , I understand what you mean about the empathy with the Police and Fire Fighters at the WTC. I grew up in a family of Fire Fighters. My Grandfather, my Dad, my Uncle and 3 first cousins were all Professional Fire Fighters. I was trained in First Aid by the time I was 9. My Grandpa was a Deputy Chief and he let me ride in the car with him to a few fires. I helped lay out bandages and prep a few wounds now and then. My Mother finally put a ban on my ride-alongs after attending one Fire Fighter funeral too many. Our next door neighbor died when he was thrown from the back of his truck in a traffic accident and run over by the second truck. Shortly after that my Dad left the Department but like you he had his visions and nightmares 'til the day he died. My personal opinion is that most long time Fire Fighters and EMS workers suffer from undiagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I think that the aftermath of the deaths of the men and women of the combined Police and Fire Departments at the WTC has allowed many of the brotherhood around the country to put aside their bravado and seek help. I spent 6 months in New York back in '95 and '96. I lived in Battery Park City just 4 blocks from the WTC and worked on Street near Broadway just 3 blocks from the WTC Plaza. On cold days I would walk through the World Financial Center and out through the WTC to avoid the cold Hudson River wind on my way to work. My old apartment building was within the debris field from the collapse and was uninhabitable for 2 months after the attack. I still have trouble comprehending the destruction. I haven't been back to NYC in the last year. I'm not sure I am emotionally ready. I know I can't go see the Pentagon. My nephew works in the building and we spent too long on 9/11 panicking over his status even though we knew it hit a different part of the building from his. I am so happy my niece called and said she had heard from him and he was out of his office when it happened. It is a day that I don't ever want to relive. I have replayed it in my head so many times. I don't think I want to see those images refreshed in my mind. I haven't forgotten them in the last year and it will do me no good to sharpen them in my memory. I think I will probably keep away from the TV today. There must be something else I can do. Chuck At 06:23 AM 9/11/2002 +0000, you wrote: >Last Sept 11th. I was an in patient at MUSC waiting on Mr.. P to quiet down. >I was watching TV in the morning through the fog of meds and I remember >watching the reports on TV and yet it didn't seem real. I honestly could not >comprehend the horrible tragedy I had just witnessed on TV. Being a former >paramedic I thought about how I would have responded to such a large >incident. Without a doubt my first thought would have been to help the >injured first and my safety second. You get in a mode and nothing else seems >to matter. I'm sure that's how the firefighters were that day as well. There >first thought was of getting everyone to safety,without taking their own >into account. It is not what we are taught but sometimes you think with your >heart and not your head. >I doubt I watch much TV tomorrow for the simple fact I do not like to relive >horrible events. It is depressing and watching it and talking about it non >stop will not change what happened and only bring out the hurt. At least it >does in me. There are times when I am driving down the highway and come >across an area that I worked a bad accident with fatalities or see a house >that I had to tell someone that there loved one had died and I remember it >like yesterday. I remember the helplessness I sometimes felt. I see the look >on the families face. I remember. I learned to " suck it up " and go on with >the day, be professional, don't show to much emotion...don't be a " whimp " >What they didn't see was me locked in my room crying at night, many times. >Even now just reading about some of the vicims of the WTC attacks I get >emotional. Today will be a day of remembrance for me. I will remember those >that gave their lives to save others. I will remember the service men and >women that are fighting for us now. I will thank God that I live in the >greatest Country on earth. God Bless America. > > Tuten-SC Chuck Sullivan chuck@... " When in command, Take charge. When faced with a decision, do what is right. Nothing else matters. " - Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2002 Report Share Posted September 11, 2002 , I understand what you mean about the empathy with the Police and Fire Fighters at the WTC. I grew up in a family of Fire Fighters. My Grandfather, my Dad, my Uncle and 3 first cousins were all Professional Fire Fighters. I was trained in First Aid by the time I was 9. My Grandpa was a Deputy Chief and he let me ride in the car with him to a few fires. I helped lay out bandages and prep a few wounds now and then. My Mother finally put a ban on my ride-alongs after attending one Fire Fighter funeral too many. Our next door neighbor died when he was thrown from the back of his truck in a traffic accident and run over by the second truck. Shortly after that my Dad left the Department but like you he had his visions and nightmares 'til the day he died. My personal opinion is that most long time Fire Fighters and EMS workers suffer from undiagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I think that the aftermath of the deaths of the men and women of the combined Police and Fire Departments at the WTC has allowed many of the brotherhood around the country to put aside their bravado and seek help. I spent 6 months in New York back in '95 and '96. I lived in Battery Park City just 4 blocks from the WTC and worked on Street near Broadway just 3 blocks from the WTC Plaza. On cold days I would walk through the World Financial Center and out through the WTC to avoid the cold Hudson River wind on my way to work. My old apartment building was within the debris field from the collapse and was uninhabitable for 2 months after the attack. I still have trouble comprehending the destruction. I haven't been back to NYC in the last year. I'm not sure I am emotionally ready. I know I can't go see the Pentagon. My nephew works in the building and we spent too long on 9/11 panicking over his status even though we knew it hit a different part of the building from his. I am so happy my niece called and said she had heard from him and he was out of his office when it happened. It is a day that I don't ever want to relive. I have replayed it in my head so many times. I don't think I want to see those images refreshed in my mind. I haven't forgotten them in the last year and it will do me no good to sharpen them in my memory. I think I will probably keep away from the TV today. There must be something else I can do. Chuck At 06:23 AM 9/11/2002 +0000, you wrote: >Last Sept 11th. I was an in patient at MUSC waiting on Mr.. P to quiet down. >I was watching TV in the morning through the fog of meds and I remember >watching the reports on TV and yet it didn't seem real. I honestly could not >comprehend the horrible tragedy I had just witnessed on TV. Being a former >paramedic I thought about how I would have responded to such a large >incident. Without a doubt my first thought would have been to help the >injured first and my safety second. You get in a mode and nothing else seems >to matter. I'm sure that's how the firefighters were that day as well. There >first thought was of getting everyone to safety,without taking their own >into account. It is not what we are taught but sometimes you think with your >heart and not your head. >I doubt I watch much TV tomorrow for the simple fact I do not like to relive >horrible events. It is depressing and watching it and talking about it non >stop will not change what happened and only bring out the hurt. At least it >does in me. There are times when I am driving down the highway and come >across an area that I worked a bad accident with fatalities or see a house >that I had to tell someone that there loved one had died and I remember it >like yesterday. I remember the helplessness I sometimes felt. I see the look >on the families face. I remember. I learned to " suck it up " and go on with >the day, be professional, don't show to much emotion...don't be a " whimp " >What they didn't see was me locked in my room crying at night, many times. >Even now just reading about some of the vicims of the WTC attacks I get >emotional. Today will be a day of remembrance for me. I will remember those >that gave their lives to save others. I will remember the service men and >women that are fighting for us now. I will thank God that I live in the >greatest Country on earth. God Bless America. > > Tuten-SC Chuck Sullivan chuck@... " When in command, Take charge. When faced with a decision, do what is right. Nothing else matters. " - Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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