WITNESS TO TERROR: "We didn’t find anyone …"

In our second installment of local residents’ observations of the Sept. 11 terrorists’ attacks, Gary Chapman tells about his four days working with New York firefighters trying to rescue others trapped in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. [ View photos from "ground zero" ]

By: Alec Moore, Staff Writer

WITNESS


TO TERROR

"photo
View


photos from "ground zero"

   Hillsborough firefighter Gary Chapman was on the front lines
of rescue efforts at the World Trade Center.
   "There are two smells at this site," Mr. Chapman said. "The
smell of crushed concrete and the smell of death. I don’t think I’ll ever be
able to forget that smell."
   Mr. Chapman — a Perth Amboy school teacher and volunteer
firefighter with Hillsborough Fire Company No. 2 — was at work Sept. 11
when he was told by a friend, a Perth Amboy firefighter, about the World Trade
Center attack and New York City’s desperate need for more firefighters.
   Within the hour Mr. Chapman was at Liberty State Park in Jersey
City, where firefighters and other emergency personnel were mobilizing and awaiting
instructions from New York City emergency officials. Mr. Chapman was initially
assigned to assist with medical triage at the park, but was quickly reassigned
to a detail of professional firefighters going into the heart of the catastrophe,
the smoldering remains of the Twin Towers.
   Just 30 minutes after arriving in the park, Mr. Chapman was
transported by boat into Manhattan, where he and a detail of firefighters made
their way to ground zero.
   "When I was about five minutes (by foot) from the World Trade
Center, I was caked in dust," said Mr. Chapman, who recalled seeing crushed,
burned-out cars and blown-out windows everywhere. Even with a respirator, it
was difficult to breathe.
   "The dust was so thick it was like walking through slushy
snow," he said. "You had to stop every five minutes just to stop and breathe
… (the dust) was caked in my hair and my ears and on my clothes, it was everywhere."
   For the next six hours, Mr. Chapman searched for signs of
life amidst the destruction and debris, but found none.
   He saw sights that he never could have imagined, nor wished
to see again. "We didn’t find anyone, only body parts," Mr. Chapman said.
   "I cry everyday. People who see this on TV just can’t imagine
the destruction and the pain and the anguish. There are images that will always
live in my head.
   "I’m not sorry I went though, I feel proud and honored to
have helped and I’m so happy that we live here in this country," he said, noting
the generosity, unity and strong spirit of all the rescue workers and volunteers
at the site bolstered the search for survivors.
   To chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A," Mr. Chapman was among a group
of firefighters who assisted in rescuing two firefighters Sept. 13 who had become
trapped earlier that day during the rescue efforts.
   Mr. Chapman recalled that when his boots became tattered and
worn down to the soles after spending several days stepping on sharp, jagged
debris, a stranger noticed his plight and brought him a brand new pair of boots.
   Mr. Chapman, who spent nearly a week at the World Trade Center
site, said he does not consider himself a hero.
   "It’s just something that you do as a fireman, it’s a commitment
to helping others and the satisfaction of knowing that you helped someone in
need comes from your heart," he said.