Posted on 10/11/2002 12:31:03 AM PDT by Pat Bateman
Ground Zero hero K9 Capt. Morgan retires
By:HOLLI DEAL BRAGG, Reporter for the Statesboro (Ga.) Herald
Captain Morgan, the brave-hearted German Shepherd cadaver dog who survived a three-story fall while searching for victims at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 World Trade Center terrorist attacks, is retiring.
Savannah K-9 Task Force Lt. Commander John Frank was obviously emotional as he made the announcement to Statesboro Kiwanis Club members Thursday.
"Morgan is being retired medically," he said.
The dog, who is trained extensively in air and ground scenting cadaver, trailing of persons, collapsed building searches, rappelling, as well as water scenting, was officially retired from active duty October 4, 2002.
Her retirement was due to complications from a three story fall at the World Trade Center and still unknown possible illnesses from exposure at Ground Zero, Frank said.
Although she is retired, Capt. Morgan will remain on standby and will continue light training to keep her skills honed, according to the task force web site, www.K9TaskForce.com.
Frank described the fall, which injured Morgan to the extent that veterinarians at Ground Zero wanted to euthanize her.
"I fell about a story," he said. He landed on a slick concrete surface, but Morgan didn't. She fell past Frank and dangled from her leash, attached to him.
"It was the hardest decision I ever made," he said. "I had to cut her free."
The dog fell two more stories. Rescue workers saw the fall and yelled to Frank that they were coming to help. The "pile," as he called the layers of debris that stacked up to seven stories tall at Ground Zero, shuddered and threatened to collapse.
"I told them to go away," he said. But the rescue workers didn't, and pulled Frank and Morgan to safety.
Frank suffered a broken arm, but carried his partner anyway. When vets decided to put her down, he became violently angry and "said a few choice words," he said.
Frank was banished from the scene, but veterinarians took him at his word and gave Capt. Morgan another chance. Just a short six hours later, the pair were struggling through what Frank calls "the hallways of Hell," looking for possible survivors and the bodies of victims in the horrific tangle.
Recounting the horrors
Frank's love for Capt. Morgan was evident as he spoke of her tireless dedication to her job. It was never easy, and often he would have to carry her to his vehicle after a long, 20-hour day.
He described how the dogs, upon arrival in Manhattan, "hit on death" although they were three miles away from Ground Zero.
Once they made it to the scene, the dogs were a bit confused - the scent of death was everywhere, he said. "We were just amazed at the destruction."
Feeling his way through corridor after corridor - walls of debris where holes were cut to make a path to Ground Zero - Frank called the pathways "the hallways of Hell." His partner called Ground Zero Hell itself, he said.
Frank and rescue workers took "thousands of images" with disposable cameras. Most were so gruesome, however, only 320 were released to the public.
"We found only six whole bodies in nine days," he said. "We found several pieces - the size of a quarter or a dollar bill - we found 200 pieces an hour, 20 hours a day."
The situation grew even more horrifying when Frank and other K9 cadaver team members were asked to remove pieces of discovered bodies in order to make identifications.
"There were piles of debris up to five and six stories, these were office buildings, and we couldn't even find one computer," he said, making an effort to paint a picture of the destruction. "We would find maybe a computer keyboard key - and it was the same with human bodies."
The dogs used in the searches were extremely valuable - especially cadaver-sniffing dogs like Capt. Morgan, he said.
Some workers, tired and hungry, gave up their hamburgers and Gatorade to give to the dogs, he said.
When the dogs' feet became sore from walking over hot and rough surfaces, workers broke into nearby stores to get children's sneakers for the dogs to wear, he said.
Veterinarians gave the dogs periodic "lube jobs" - antibiotic washes, intravenous nourishment, medicines and antibiotics given orally, to ensure their health and continued service, according to Frank.
Over a year later, however, it is obvious the stress took its toll.
"Twelve dogs that were involved in the World Trade Center rescues are dead," he said. "Some have diseases - Morgan is in quarantine."
Frank did not elaborate on the "mysterious diseases" dogs working at Ground Zero suffered. However, Morgan's reason for medical retirement have to do with a hip injury.
"We did not know the extent of her injuries," he said. "If we had, we would not have gone back into service."
Two new dogs, which Frank described as "anti-terrorism dogs," will arrive in Savannah soon, replacing Morgan, he said.
The dogs were not the only casualties of the tragic nightmare of Sept. 11.
"After 9/11 we lost two thirds of our team, because some of them no longer wanted to participate in such events," Frank said.
His passion and energy when recounting the events make it obvious that the experience had a major impact on him and anyone else exposed to the carnage.
"It's something I will never forget," he said. It was hard to deal with families stopping them as they made their way through traffic asking about loved ones "and all you're picking up is pieces - there is nothing else."
Holli Deal Bragg can be reached at 489-9414 or via e-mail at hbragg@statesboroherald.net. Statesboro (Ga.)
BUMP
My salute to the Captain and her handler!
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