Posted on 11/19/2002 11:13:18 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
NEW YORK (Reuters) - An author whose account of the World Trade Center clean-up included allegations that firefighters looted from the Twin Towers was met with angry protests on Monday night during his book tour.
About 100 firefighters and other protesters gathered outside a museum in lower Manhattan, where journalist William Langewiesche read from his book, "American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center." During months of recovery and clean-up after the Sept. 11 attacks, Langewiesche had unrestricted access to the site, known as Ground Zero.
Hundreds of firefighters were among the nearly 3,000 victims of the trade center attacks. They have widely been hailed as heroes for bravery on Sept. 11.
Firefighters said Langewiesche's book is full of lies and distortions, most notably in a passage that suggests firefighters took a stack of jeans from a Gap store at the Trade Center after the buildings were struck. Firefighters say no such event took place.
"The author of this book is a disgrace to his profession," said Capt. Peter Gorman, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, which organized the rally. "His book is trash and it belongs in the Staten Island landfill."
Langewiesche has stood by his account. In the December issue of the Atlantic Monthly magazine, where his book originally appeared as a three-part series, he responded to the firefighters' angry comments by saying he was told the story about the jeans by numerous witnesses.
"During the five months of exhaustive fact-checking by the magazine, the story was verified by multiple eyewitnesses," he wrote. "We have since gone back to those sources, and found others who were at the scene -- all of whom repeat the core of the story."
Speaking to reporters after his invitation-only talk at the South Street Seaport Museum, Langewiesche said the looting incident he reported was based on comments of others at Ground Zero and that they were not his own allegations.
"I was writing about their reactions, not about what happened on Sept. 11," he said.
The editors of the Atlantic Monthly, where Langewiesche is a correspondent, said in a statement that they stand behind the book and "it would be a complete misreading" to believe the book denigrates the New York City Fire Department.
The truth can be very painful but that doesn't mean it isn't true. Some of the firemen were looters. Live with it.
Richard W.
Richard W.
That they are no longer denying the fire truck contained the jeans I think it is the fire company with the problem, not the author.
In short, 95% (at least) of the posts on this and other related threads will be absolutely worthless.
The "signal-to-noise" ratio is really very high here on any controversial topic. Then we add the "vanity posts" and the local crime news and stuff dealing with minor entertainers and celebrities, and one could wonder "Why bother to come here anymore?"
Just ruminating...
Richard W.
Imagine if some of them had survived and only some of them had died and the survivors went back to the truck and found that a member of the company had returned to drop off stolen jeans but had neglected to bring back the remaining rescue equipment. That kind of thing just doesn't happen - no fireman is looting instead of helping to save his buddies' lives.
It wouldn't surprise me if, after they finished putting out a fire at a retail store, some firefighters might be tempted to sample some of the merchandise. That's only human. But it takes a truly psychopathic mind to steal stuff while your friends and coworkers are dying - to specifically steal things while you could be trying to save your brothers.
My theory? There were, as a matter of public record, a number of people walking around that day, after the towers fell and while people were combing through the rubble for survivors, who fraudulently put on police and fire uniforms and impersonated officers. They scammed people for donations, they swiped all kinds of merchandise from the underground mall and also engaged in identity theft.
Some of them are in prison right now - including a journalist who stole a dead firefighter's coat from an abandoned firetruck.
It wouldn't surprise me if one of these impostors, wearing a stolen fire uniform thought: "where can I stash these jeans I found quick? If I put it in a firetruck, I can always get it later if I'm still wearing this coat."
I'm sure people stole things. Firemen and regular citizens, And yes, the shopkeepers themselves for the insurance money. Thanks for pointing it out. See you in small claims court, troll.
Richard W.
I didn't know that was a matter of debate, or the topic of discussion. I don't understand why everyone is getting so emotional. Some firemen stole some stuff. Does stating the truth bother you? Usually on Free Republic we pride ourselves in the truth. Nobody is saying that all the firemen are bad because a few stole some stuff. Nobody is saying that the guys who died are somehow less heroic because some other firemen stole some stuff.
It happened. Deal with it.
Look, some Firemen stole some stuff. That is the reality. It is not a bid deal. It does not dishonor those who died. If anything, it honors them more that they weren't busy stealing stuff.
Your defense here is week. Not every firefighter enters the fire. In CT for example, for two guys to enter a fire, there must be two support personell outside. Besides, many firemen would have been detailed to search around the buildings to get people out.
Also, I don't beleive it is alleged that most of this looting took place while the buildings still stood. I think that most of it took place after.
Some Firemen stole some stuff. It's the truth. Live with it.
The author is not focusing our attention on who stole a pair of Levis. He wrote a book about the entire clean-up effort. Desiring to tell the truth, he mentioned some looting. It is certain fire chiefs and certain posters on free republic who substitute emotionalism and stupid arguments like "the jeans just sort of wound up in the fire truck" that are drawing attention to it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.