The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11

In many cases, heroism on 9/11 had tragic consequences, as epitomized by first responders at the WTC, who entered the unstable, burning buildings, putting the lives of others before their own. Tragically, 343 firefighters and paramedics lost their lives in the service of others, as well as 23 NYPD officers and 37 PAPD officers. Even after the South Tower collapsed and firefighters received orders to evacuate the North Tower, many chose to remain to help others, such as firefighter Paddy Brown, who received a direct order to leave the building: “‘Command Post to Ladder 3. Capt. Paddy Brown. Evacuate the building.’ Paddy got on the radio and he said, ‘I refuse the order. I’m on the 44th floor. I got too many burned people here. I’m not leaving them’” (455). In other cases, firefighters started to exit as directed but chose to slow their escape to help civilians. FDNY firefighters Joe Graziano and Billy Kasey risked their lives to help a man named Ralph, who had heart problems, down the stairs and undoubtedly saved his life.

Likewise, civilians at the WTC prioritized the well-being of others. For example, Brian Clark heard Stanley Praimnath’s cries for help and helped him scale a wall out of his 81st office in the South Tower; this action saved Praimnath’s life. Harry Ramos, who insisted on staying to help a struggling stranger, tragically died in the collapse of the South Tower. The team of 10 people who took John Abruzzo down from the 69th floor of the North Tower exemplified resilience and heroism; they refused firefighters’ suggestion to leave Abruzzo with them in his evacuation chair, instead insisting on freeing firefighters to help others and continuing to execute Abruzzo’s evacuation themselves, likely saving his life, as the North Tower fell only minutes after they lifted Abruzzo out of a broken window of the lobby. Abruzzo reflects that these men’s actions saved his life: “It took an hour and a half to get from the 69th floor down to street level. If it weren’t for the evacuation chair and the 10 people who brought me down, I would not have made it” (361).

Similarly, at the Pentagon, people often reentered the burning building to assist colleagues or slowed their own escape to help others. For example, Lieutenant Colonel Rob Grunewald assisted his colleague and friend Martha Cardin: “A friend of mine down the table, Martha Cardin, yelled for help, and I told Martha, ‘I got you, Martha. I’ll come get you’” (438). James Schwartz of the Arlington County Fire Department celebrates the bravery of civilians: “What gets lost is the truly heroic efforts of the civilian and uniformed personnel that work in the Pentagon. They were the ones who really got their comrades, got their workmates out” (430).

The passengers of Flight 93 embodied heroism, sacrificing their lives to ensure that the terrorists could not harm larger numbers of citizens on the ground. Tom Burnett called his wife and explained, “If they’re going to crash this plane, we’re going to have to do something […] We’re waiting until we’re over a rural area. We’re going to take back the airplane” (332). These passengers, though civilians, challenged the armed hijackers. This action was especially courageous in light of their knowledge that the hijackers had already killed the pilot and copilot, highlighting that the hijackers were undoubtedly violent and dangerous. Given the loss of life that the other three planes inflicted, the self-sacrifice of these passengers likely saved many lives.

The country’s response to the attacks in the subsequent days, weeks, and years demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity. Citizens of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds banded together to support their country; Ileana Mayorga of the Arlington County Government is proud of the efforts of Hispanic community members, who told her, “‘This is the country that we chose to come to. Nobody will destroy our country.’ They would say, ‘I’m not legal in the United States. Do you think they will accept me to do volunteer work?’” (586-87). She also recalls a World War II veteran begging to be recruited: “I am 80 years old. I still fit in my pilot uniform from World War II. I can still see. I can still hear. I have kept up with my training as a pilot. Tell whoever you can tell that I’m ready to report for duty” (584-85). Similarly, Pentagon employee Lieutenant Colonel Ted Anderson recalls his pride at the turnout on September 12: “Ten thousand people showed up to work at the Pentagon that morning. It made me extremely proud” (747).

Survivors and victims’ families whose lives the tragedy irrevocably changed must have resilience to carry on. Lyzbeth Glick, who lost her husband Jeremy on Flight 93, resolves to live fully for herself and her daughter:

The morning after Jeremy had died, I remember looking down at our daughter, Emerson—she was sleeping—and just crying because she would never know her father. I thought she would only know a sad mom. We had trouble having her—took us two and a half years—and then to have everything taken away. We had dreams for our family. Then something just kind of clicked in my head, and I said, ‘You know, I have a choice. I’m not going to ruin her life. I’m not going to ruin my own life’ (749).

Through the tragedy of 9/11, incredible stories emerged of the resilience and heroism of both ordinary Americans and emergency workers; these stories are equally inspiring and heartbreaking in light of the horror of the attacks.