Well it’s over.  We pulled all men, equipment and trucks out of Ground Zero.  People now ask, “What was it like?”  I guess the answer depends on who you ask.  However, there seems to be some common answers amongst those who of you who were there from start to finish.  Most say “It was like a dream”.  For me and many others it was like being awake during a nightmare and yet expecting to wake up.   I guess you can say it was like living in a nightmare.  There are things we will never forget.  The sight of mass destruction, the only remains were twisted steel, and the uncanny absence of any concrete and not a shard of glass.  The concrete and glass ALL tuned to dust.    This from a building with 43,600 windows with 600,000 Sq. Ft. of glass, 68 miles of steel and enough concrete to build a road from New York to Washington. We worked 12 hours a day and when we went home to sleep many of us have recalled the same nightmare.  We have ever indwelled in our mind the very clear image of us staring into the twisted rubble day after day, night after night in the hopeful answer to our prayers of finding people alive.  Many of us had the uncanny feeling that people were alive, stuck and yet staring back at us helplessly through the never ending smoke and twisted steel.  We will never forget the stench, even through our respirators.  We will never forget working side by side 24 hours a day, day after day, after day after day.  Through Thanksgiving, Christmas / Hanukkah, and yes even New Years Eve.   I don’t recall one single complaint.  I think many of us felt for those families who were still hoping to recover their brother, sister, son, mother, father or friend.  We knew they deserved closure.  A friend of mine cried and begged for us to succeed in finding something, anything, even a finger of her son.  Something to burry.  Sadly many were never recovered.  Fortunately for my friend we found her firemen son, however 7 months after he was lost.  But so many sons and daughters will never be found.  I like to think that they weren’t found because God snatched them up while he left others behind to help those in need.

     Steve and I are so proud of our men and woman who so tirelessly worked around the clock day after day, week after week, month after month.  It wasn’t the money, I’ve seen our people work more and still complain of the work even in face of good overtime.  This was different.  This was God’s work.   You somehow knew it was to be done and you were chosen to do it.  You acted magnificently even in the face of constant danger.  Floors we stood on shook as our heavy equipment rumbled over them.  We were always mindful and maybe fearful of the 7 floors bellows us caving in or collapsing, yet you never hesitated to do your job.   Not for a second.  Even when there were rumors flying of that the other buildings around us were ready to topple you worked.  When there were rumors of another terrorist plot to blow up the recovery team (meaning you at Ground Zero), not one of you stayed home.  Even when being constantly bombarded by the media and their concerns of various types of contamination, pollution, gasses and disease potential, not one of you called in sick.

     There were many heroes and heroines at the twin towers, those who consciously gave their lives and you who consciously risked your lives.  I only wish your families know what you went through not to feel sorry for you but so they could be as proud of you as we are.   This was a bitter sweet project for Grace.  We never wanted to be doing this, yet proud to serve.

     I’d like to recant one story.  Eddy Malloy, head of the Building Trades Council, called me and said he just came from a meeting with “The City” and they were speaking in amazement of how fast and efficiently we cleaned up “Ground Zero”, and yet Grace was were always mindful that this was a recovery / crime scene.  He also stated how proud all the International Union leaders were that we showed everyone in this country and the world what the construction industry in New York could do.  He said it was not only amazing but he said “The City” was questioning why this couldn’t be done on other projects.  I hesitated for just a second and decided to be blatantly honest no matter how egotistical it sounded.  After all Eddy is a close friend and this was an important question.  I said the answer is simple there are three reasons. “You’ve got qualified contractors doing the work, not low bidders.  Secondly, everyone stayed out of our way and let us do our job.”  Thirdly and not the least important “This was a labor of patriots not just laborers”.

     I know there are those who feel it was a thankless job.  In a way it was.  You weren’t publicly recognized for all that you risked, gave up, and accomplished.  However, more has been said around the world about what you have done.  History was made by those who built the “Twin Towers” and history was re written by you when you removed it, over 2 million tons of it.  You did it with such speed you amazed the world, however you were always mindful right up until the last day that we were a recovery effort not a race.  This was a job of spoonfuls not buckets.  You knew and treated this as sacred ground and sacred work.  Steve and I could never be more proud of you then we are today.  It is impossible to thank each and every one of you personally and even more impossible in thanking your family for giving up part of their life with you.  I know they will probably never throw a parade for you but I also know a parade will never make you more proud then actually being a part of the recovery team.  You and your efforts will go down in history.  May God Bless you and your family for what you all went through.