The First Responders: The Untold Story of the New York City Police Department & Sept 11, 2001

by Anthea Appel

On the morning of September 11th, 2001, two hijacked jetliners crashed into the Twin Towers. Within minutes of the attack, 36 Emergency Service Unit cops of the NYPD responded to the scene. They divided into six Teams. The first five Teams entered the Towers, and the sixth Team headed for the helicopters to attempt a daring air rescue. 14 of them would not survive. For the first time, here are the details of what the Emergency Service Unit teams did and saw as they climbed the burning Towers. Burden down with heavy equipment they searched for terrorist "sleepers," and survivors. Then the first Tower collapsed. Fearing that a second collapse was imminent, the firefighters and the police were ordered to evacuate. Now,the countdown began. In the harrowing final minutes, the police teams encountered everything from the absurd---including, the arrest of a mysterious man in the North Tower---to terrifying close calls. As the second Tower fell, tensions flared, bonds are formed, friends are lost, and tough and street-wise cops learn the true meaning of duty and heroism. In this book, other stories from the NYPD include the rescue of two Port Authority cops, P.O. Will Jimeno and Sgt. John McLoughlin, who were buried under the collapse of the South Tower; the first flag raising, and the nine-month search and rescue---and then recovery---at Ground Zero. These important and powerful stories have never been told ... until now. Are You Aware? www.innercirclepublishing.com

Genres: History, Nonfiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An editor. Would. Have. Been. Great. Punctuation in proper places is a wonderful thing!! Sentences do not start “But,” They don’t.
And things like the fact that an “axil” is not part of a truck. (It’s part of a plant.) There were other incorrect words but that’s the one I can think of off hand.
It’s not professional to have exclamation marks in this type of work unless it’s a person who is speaking, not in the narrative.

Also not professional to have such open bitterness and condescension. “We didn’t get ANY attention!” “That’s just a lie!” This started in the preface or whatever it was before the actual book began.
Look, I get it. The firefighters got and continue to get way more recognition. To be fair, there were a few more involved than there were cops. Also, I’ve read a fair amount about the cops involved during and after the tragedies. In NY and at the Pentagon. Maybe it’s not a book specifically about the LEOs but they’re sure mentioned a lot and not in a condescending fashion. Those Port Authority officers who got rescued got a movie with some big names.

I was hoping for more from this than I got. It was interesting but it was honestly hard to read with the punctuation issues. Unless you get it from Kindle Unlimited like I did, and can handle All The Missing And Extra Commas (seriously!!!!), I really can’t say I would recommend this book.

[George Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oral history of NYPD's Emergency Services Unit members in 9/11. The author is a former NYPD officer who does her best by the subject, however, it is obviously a first non-fiction book. Recommend for someone who is interested in the NYPD, ESU or 9/11 from a different perspective than the usual FDNY centric work. Not a great intro to 9/11, but a good additional source for those interested in the topic.

[Donna Halfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK

This book focused on the selfless people who risked their own lives to save others. I seemed to be perpetually annoyed, however, with the book's lack of adequate punctuation, misspelled words and incorrect language use.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

A very well documented account of the events .I appreciate the way these stories were told. The flow was spot on.

[Mafirestoneyahoo.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Very well written. Everyone should read this book.
True stories from the Police officers who were lucky enough to survive. Very respectful for those who weren’t.

[Austin Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is not often that I experience sustained physical reactions to what I read. Maybe it was knowing that what I was reading happened to real people. Maybe it was knowing the ending before even starting. Maybe it was the genius way the author collected and shared the various accounts and personal stories. Either way, I could not put the book down and I endured chills for almost the entire book. This was expertly written, oddly captivating, and a good read for those who want to understand the response to the tragedy that was the September 11th, 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attacks.

[Lucy-Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the story of the forgotten men - the police officers who attended the 9/11 World Trade Centre disaster. A lot of publicity was given to the firefighters but little to the other brave, and sometimes slightly foolhardy, souls who responded to this disaster. The book is based on a collection of interviews with the police officers and tells the "inside story" - the near misses, terrifying situations, lucky chances, loss and bravery.
Like many memoir type books, it jumps about a bit and doesn't flow quite as easily as a novel but the passion and sense of duty that the police officers hold really comes through, and I am glad I have "heard" another side of the story of what happened on that day.

[Uncle Jorge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great! Never forget the events or what the NYPD does every day.

[Steve Parcell · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent book in places.

However, although the author warns you that the book jumps from police teams, it can be quite annoying and sometimes difficult to follow.

On the whole though a fascinating insight in to the NYPD and Port Authority police teams and a very good read.