September 11 transcripts recall horror of attack

Reuters ^ | 8/28/03 | Ellen Wulfhorst

[Pro-Bush]

VIEWS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTRE SITE IN NEW YORK



This is a composite of seven photos assembled to show a wide view of the site of the World Trade Centre, in New York on Tuesday, as construction continues prior to the second anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001. Pleas of "mayday" made by officers just moments before their deaths in the tower complex appear on heart-wrenching transcripts to be released on Thursday. REUTERS/Chip East

September 11 transcripts recall horror of attack

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pleas of "mayday" made by officers just moments before their deaths in the World Trade Centre appear on heart-wrenching transcripts to be released today of calls made on September 11 to emergency services before the twin towers collapsed in roars of rubble and flame.

A judge ordered the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the trade centre site, to release the nearly 2,000 pages of transcripts after a lawsuit was filed successfully by The New York Times.

The transcripts record radio dispatches made by Port Authority officers and employees at the scene and telephone calls made to Port Authority police stations.

The Port Authority, which oversaw the trade centre's operations, had its headquarters there and lost 37 of its officers in the attacks by the two hijacked jetliners.

On the tapes, according to an article in Newsday which first reported details of the transcripts, a police officer can be heard calling "mayday" just seconds before the south twin tower collapsed and killed him. Another can be heard calmly trying to reach a police desk transmitter, not realising it was already knocked out of commission by debris.

Another officer can be heard asking someone to rescue his explosives-sniffing dog who was in a tower basement. The dog did not survive but the officer did, the newspaper said.

What is remarkable about the voices is their calm, even tone amid the chaos, said Lillian Valenti, an attack survivor and head of Port Authority's Office of Medical Services.

"It's absolutely stunning the degree of objectivity and professional interchange among everyone on the transcripts to get the deed done -- to evacuate as many people as possible and rescue the injured," she told Newsday.

On the transcripts, 36 victims have been identified, including 19 of the Port Authority officers who died, 14 civilian Port Authority employees and three people who did not work for the agency, Newsday said.

Some 25,000 people were evacuated from the trade centre complex, where 2,792 people were killed.

The transcripts were set to be released to the news media late afternoon.

[Pro-Bush]

Another officer can be heard asking someone to rescue his explosives-sniffing dog who was in a tower basement. The dog did not survive but the officer did, the newspaper said.

Let us not forget...

[Tijeras_Slim]

Rest easy

[Conspiracy Guy]

I'll never forget
link to my feelings.

[Prof Engineer]

ping

[Pro-Bush]

Very inspirational...Great words of wisdom.

[Tamzee]

Rest in peace true heroes of 9/11.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Thanks.

[1Old Pro]

Some 25,000 people were evacuated from the trade centre complex, where 2,792 people were killed.

Thank goodness. Imagine if 25,000+ perished.....I suppose the anti-American Left would still want us to surrender to the terrorists.

[Pro-Bush]

Tell me about it. By the time the second tower fell, I feared there were over 10,000 dead.

What a day...

[Pro-Bush]

Mr. Hanley was attending the Risk Waters Group conference in the Windows on the World catering space on the 106th floor.

He called 911 after the first plane hit, at 8:57, and reported smoke on the 106th floor. He also reported that "People cannot get down," according to the police dispatcher's notes of the conversation.

Mr. Hanley's father, Joseph Hanley, said that Christopher also called his girlfriend, Tracy, about 9 a.m. She told Joseph Hanley that Christopher had said to her, ``I'm OK. I'm on the 106th floor. It's filled with smoke and we can hardly breathe.'' Christopher also said something about not being able to use the stairs.

Accounts From the North Tower Bump!

[Coop]

Is that a photo of bcm?

We will never forget 9/11.

[Tijeras_Slim]

BCM

Batallion Commander Moran.

Never ever forget.

[Coop]

What's even more sobering to me, of the approximately 3,000 people that perished that day, probably 12-15% of them (firefighters, policemen, etc.) - like BCM - went willingly into the WTC and gave their lives to save others. It's incredibly tragic, yet beautiful at the same time.

I hope that last sentence gets my point across without offending anyone. Certainly no offense was intended.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Finally! the mainstream speaks of 9/11 as not just a date to count the number of "hate" crimes committed since that date.

No mention of terrorist Muslims or Islam. Gee, I guess the towers just collapsed.

The transcripts confirms what the free press has said all along, the policemen and firemen knew what they were getting into and everyone of them are heroes beyond my ability to understand.

Where the free press of the Internet and talk radio differs from the mainstream legacy press is we don't believe these men and the men and women in the towers and the Pentagon died because of something we Americans did.

To wit, within hours of the attack the best and brightest of the Sacramento Bee brains were blaming us for not "understanding" the peoples of the world. A few weeks later the publisher of the Bee was actually booed off the stage in public for making the same point and for blasting Bush and Ashcroft for being mean to terrorists suspects.

[Hegemony Cricket]

"I'll never forget
link to my feelings. "

Wow, Flurry, that's some powerful stuff (wipes a tear...).

[Hegemony Cricket]

No offense taken. "Greater Love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for a friend."

[Conspiracy Guy]

Thanks. I mean every word of it too. I thought about toning the anger down for a long time. But it changed it entirely so I went with heart-felt.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Ping