911 Collapse Survivor Recalls The Days The Walls Came Down
CONNECTICUT --In his revealing book, When the Walls Came Down, Ken Greene, a former Assistant Director of Aviation at the Port Authority, who received that agency's Civilian Commendation Medal for his heroism on the day of the 9/11 attack, speaks out about life in America before, during and after the World Trade Center tower walls fell.
"A lot changed on that day," Ken recalls. "If only for a brief moment, the walls of prejudice, ignorance, and division came down. As we helped each other, no one cared about race, color or religion. We were simply people doing everything we could to assist one another through an unimaginable crisis. We all became true Americans."
However, since that timeframe, according to Greene, much of America has regressed to a pre-9/11 mindset, and a valuable opportunity to include and heal everyone's pain was lost. There's a reality that no coverage or commission can ever quite capture, and that's how the day's events and their aftermath directly impact those of us who were already and continue living a different reality."
While the attacks have since become the nation's most documented and discussed event, first hand survivor accounts of what happened on that day are rare. Ken's account, featuring a chilling, detailed moment-by-moment re-telling of the painstaking walk down the stairs, of being inside the complex when it fell, and of going back inside to help others, is one not many can tell. Few people who were inside the tower when it fell actually escaped. Ken Greene is perhaps one of the few survivors with the ability, the background, historical information and ability to put the day's events in perspective to tell a truly untold story.
When the Walls Came Down is a riveting documentary, timeless historical account, enlightened observation and critical analysis of American life from a truly rare perspective. It's a personal story of heroism and triumph dealing with walls that existed well before that tragic day, and that for some, still remain. Yes, Ken Greene's September 11, 2001 began as any other day. By 10:28am, much more than the World Trade Center walls around him had crashed. But some walls just don't stay down.
The
one account that will show what the press, media and 911 Commission Hearings can never quite capture!.
Ken's story must be told, preserved and shared with all who want a unique perspective to understand the chaotic, often mysterious, and life-changing events of that day."
"When the Walls Came Down is at once a chilling, riveting documentary, timeless historical account, enlightened observation and critical analysis of a facet of American life that only a handful of people could tell. It's a personal story of heroism and triumph battling the fear and terror that existed on that tragic day, and that sadly, still continues for some. Not all the walls in America came down for good that day."
"Ken Greene, author of When the Walls Came Down is just an average guy with average questions about 9/11, the aftermath, the war in Iraq, and life in America. You'll be transfixed by Ken's remarkable recollection of and attention to the details of that horrific day, at his observations of and research into the Bush family and the 2000 Florida presidential election,
and its history with Saddam Hussein and the Middle East;
and random thoughts about history and race relations in
America. Your perspective
of life changes when you survive the greatest attack on American soil in its history."
"Ken Greene knows firsthand about 9/11, the day the walls came down. He was there! He also knows something about the walls that separate us. While tragedy has a way of helping people forget about their differences in a time of great need, walls still remain. ...When The Walls Came Down is also snapshot of our goodness and the barriers that prevent us from sustaining it. Listen to his voice and try honestly to see with new eyes. You will emerge a slightly different person."
--Nigel D. Alston
Talk Show Host, Columnist & Motivational Speaker
www.motivationalmoments.com
5:00 AM...Beyond the Walls of Home
.... She locked the door behind me as I hurried off to the station, on my way to work at the World Trade Center.
As I headed to the station, a thought crossed my mind. I had failed to kiss her good-bye that morning, the most important part of my morning _ritual_. I could not remember the last time that I had failed to do so. It was clearly an oversight that I couldn_t correct that morning without missing my train, and besides, she would understand. I could always apologize when I got home, and continue the practice the next morning. September 11th would be like any other day, and I was sure that I would be getting out of bed to go to work for years to come anyway. At the age of forty-two I had a long time left in the work world. I would just make sure to kiss her twice the following morning.
So I thought.
6:08 AM...Another Predictable Routine...
The 6:08 train pulled into Fairfield on time. I took my jacket off, put it on the overhead rack, and sat in a seat by the window. As always, I was certain that another predictable aspect of my morning commute would take place.
"As we spoke we heard an incredible explosion.
The tower actually moved to my right, and then
recoiled to the left before steadying."
The explosion moved the furniture and file cabinets, and even rolled
Some people sideways while sitting in their chairs. It was a major
explosion.
I ran back to my office and looked out of the window facing north. It
looked like there was paper and pieces of the building falling from the
sky like confetti. The kind of confetti that fell during those parades up
Broadway after the Yankees or Mets won a World Series.
"Others were so frightened and panicked that they continued to push their way down the stairs, as if they could climb over or force their way through the crowd."
When we got below the thirtieth floor the process of moving down the stairs slowed down considerably. On every other landing we would all stop walking, and lean against the exterior stairwell wall so that the firefighters had a clear path up one side of the stairs.
I remember yelling to people above me no less than a dozen times, _everybody stop and lean on the wall. Firemen coming your way!_. Most of us were calm enough to do so. Others were so frightened and panicked that they continued to push their way down the stairs, as if they could climb over or force their way through the crowd.
Not that I could blame them.
My instincts told me that if the crowd continued to stop and start moving we would eventually get trampled by a group in panic. But one way or another we had to find our way to the base of the tower, and calm would be our only savior.
"Then I stepped out of the stairwell and onto the mezzanine, and I learned that the world had changed forever."
What I witnessed was beyond my wildest imagination. Disturbing beyond belief. A scene so distressing that I began to feel physically ill. I actually thought that I was going to throw up on the carpet. The mezzanine windows, which were about two stories high and were separated by a series of columns, were stained with blood and debris. And there were fires burning on the plaza.
What Ken Greene experiences over the next several chilling moments, and few hours, and over the next several months will change YOUR view of life in America and of the survivors of that fateful day.
Walls of Ignorance
Just as compelling as the account of the 9/11 day is Ken's critical analysis of events and people that have shaped American history, as well as modern day race relations and politics, and his personal story growing up as a black person in America. He pulls no punches when tackling subjects like the Iraq War, discovery of America, Native American experience, hypocrisy and everyday life in America, and life as a kid from the Bronx.
Without question, whether you agree or disagree with his perspectives, you will be challenged to examine the way in which we conduct our lives in the post 9/11 world.
Here is a review from the Amazon.com Website:
"The casual book-buyer might pick up Ken Greene's When The Walls Came Down and see "another 9/11 book," emblazoned with an image of the World Trade Center buildings billowing smoke after being slammed by jetliners. While the surreal horror of that day can't be avoided whenever an author chooses to tackle this generation's Pearl Harbor, the title belies a sharp critical analysis of what that day really meant to the past, present, and future of America's readiness, or rather, willingness, to truly live up to its ideals of equality, freedom and democracy.
Today, these words are taken for granted, like they need not prove their actuality in Americans' daily lives. However, as Greene begins the first part of the book recalling what started out as a typical day, he explains that he was often reminded of how equality still proved to be an elusive concept when it comes to the perceptions of African-Americans, poignantly explained in what he calls "the seat of last resort," a daily reminder of how, on a crowded suburban commuter train where he was sometimes the only black passenger, the seat next to him was often the last to be occupied, if at all, despite his professional aura.
But it was that professionalism that compelled him to stay behind and help others out of the North Tower of the WTC, amidst a backdrop of horror and mayhem that Greene paints in the mind's eye with a graphic clarity that television images could never penetrate. At that moment, when the walls were literally about to come down, so too did the constructs that separate Americans into categories. It's impossible to imagine anyone in that horrific situation caring whether or not the hand stretched out to help them was conservative, gay, or foreign, and Greene illustrates this as he takes the reader through his fortuitous escape from hell and through the rest of his day.
The million-dollar question left hanging over his audience: Does it take shared tragedy to get Americans to truly come together as one, in the way that's always idealized yet neglected?
The unfortunate answer, as Greene takes his work beyond 9/11, looks like yes, as he convincingly explores America's "business as usual" attitude through a diorama of topics in part two, Politics, which includes the build-up towards war with Iraq, and part three, Race and Hypocrisy.
Even those who don't like looking into that mirror would be hard pressed to trap Greene's work in the category of disgruntled ranting as he has done his homework, providing timelines and context behind so-called controversial issues to bring his point home.
Greene challenges readers to acknowledge inherent hypocrisy simmering under the surface of unflinching patriotism, and he isn't afraid to upset anyone's incredulous sense of "civilized" American superiority. Greene's book is a warning: if Americans lose the true meaning of professed ideals, while also acquiescing the need for governmental accountability in actions that effect the world, history will repeat itself until we get it right...if at all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ken Greene was an Assistant Director of Aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 2001.
He has appeared on
CBS News _48 HOURS_ _Civilian Heroes_ episode (October 2001, )
The Biography Channel_s _Biography of the Year 2001_, and
The CBS _Early Show_ in September 2002.
He is the recipient of the Port Authority's Civilian Commendation Medal for his efforts to rescue people during the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Ken and his wife Gina continue to reside in the state of Connecticut.
View Ken's interview at
www.cbs.com/48hours
search: "Ken Greene"
stories: _Port Authority Workers Remember_
_48 Hours: Unsung Heroes_
_Port Authority Heroes: Part 2_
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