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Film, Video Excerpts of Chris oral history interview conducted by Dr. Benjamin Luft, August 23, 2010

About this Item

Title

  • Excerpts of Chris oral history interview conducted by Dr. Benjamin Luft, August 23, 2010

Names

  • Luft, Benjamin J. (Interviewer)

Created / Published

  • Stony Brook, New York, August 23, 2010

Headings

  • -  September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001
  • -  World Trade Center (New York, N.Y. : 1970-2001)
  • -  First responders
  • -  Rescue work
  • -  Terrorism--United States
  • -  Public safety
  • -  Oral histories
  • -  Interviews
  • -  Video recordings
  • -  United States -- New York -- New York

Genre

  • Oral histories
  • Interviews
  • Video recordings

Notes

  • -  Summary: Chris was a manager and co-owner of an environmental cleanup company, who worked on clean-up efforts post-9/11. Immediately after the attacks, he could not bring himself to go to Ground Zero to solicit work. Given that he had done previous work at the World Trade Center, he expected that he would be contacted. Indeed, he was called for clean-up work soon after the attacks. Initially, he says that the difficult part of the clean-up was doing the appropriate testing of hazardous materials. He remembers pictures of those missing from the 9/11 attacks, and contact information if anyone had seen the missing, being posted around Penn Station. Near Ground Zero, he did not hear a taxi beep its horn for three months – a silence that was inconceivable pre-9/11. At the beginning of the clean-up efforts, Chris worked long hours. He says that, because there was such high demand for laborers at the time, many would not show up for work on his team. In the first months of the clean-up, he remembers a feeling of camaraderie among clean-up crews, a departure from their normal competition. He also remembers fire departments from other cities -- including Chicago -- sending firefighters and cadaver dogs to look for bodies in the rubble. Chris did not think that 9/11 initially affected him. Yet, after problems at work, a divorce, and significant weight gain, he thinks the attack had a major effect on him. He feels like he is “living in the shadow of the person [he] used to be.” A positive outcome of the attack, for him, was the patriotism and camaraderie exhibited by all who were working near Ground Zero.

Medium

  • 1 moving image file (mp4): digital

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Call Number: AFC 2015/048: 048

Source Collection

  • Benjamin Luft collection of 9-11 oral histories (AFC 2015/048)

Repository

  • American Folklife Center

Digital Id

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Rights & Access

The rights in this collection held by Benjamin Luft are governed by copyright for the full duration under U.S. copyright law. While the collection is still under copyright, patrons may make only verbatim use of the work. The creation of derivative works is not permitted. Third party rights may be governed by copyright or other restrictions.

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Credit line

Benjamin Luft collection of 9-11 oral histories (AFC 2015/048), Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Luft, Benjamin J. Excerpts of Chris oral history interview conducted by Dr. Benjamin Luft. Stony Brook, New York, 2010. Video. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2015048_048_Vignette/.

APA citation style:

Luft, B. J. (2010) Excerpts of Chris oral history interview conducted by Dr. Benjamin Luft. Stony Brook, New York. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2015048_048_Vignette/.

MLA citation style:

Luft, Benjamin J. Excerpts of Chris oral history interview conducted by Dr. Benjamin Luft. Stony Brook, New York, 2010. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2015048_048_Vignette/>.