I was a first responder during the 9/11 attacks in NYC. The tragedy solidified why I became a police officer.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Paul Grattan, a 42-year-old NYPD officer, about his experience during 9/11. It has been edited for length and clarity.I remember thinking it was a beautiful morning. I was 22 at the time, living in Bay Bridge, Brooklyn, and enrolled in the New York City Police Academy. As a recruit, we had to show up to our assigned training facility by 7 a.m., so I usually woke up by 4 a.m. to make sure I was there on time.
We didn't have smartphones at the time, and cell service was down, so I was only hearing bits and pieces of information about similar attacks in Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, which at the time I thought were just rumors. There were several injured people whom we directed to ambulances, but I don't recall anyone being severely injured. Some people were still carrying their briefcases, which I thought was odd. To be honest, I was having trouble wrapping my head around what was happening. It was my father. I hadn't communicated with my parents all day — as a young guy, it never occurred to me that people would be worried about me. I told my dad I was OK and that I had to report back to work in two hours.
After 9/11, I wasn't paranoid, but it did take a while for the events of the day to sink in and to understand the magnitude of what happened
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