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Closure: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Recovery Mission
The first book to chronicle the cleanup of the World Trade Center site from 9/11 through its closing ceremony, told by Lieutenant William Keegan of the Port Authority Police Department—one of the four operations commanders at the site—as he comes to his own closure with the tragedy.
On the morning of 9/11, the Port Authority Police Department was the first uniformed service to respond to the attack on the World Trade Center. When the towers collapsed, thirty-seven of its officers were killed—the largest loss of law enforcement officers in U.S. history.
That afternoon, Lieutenant William Keegan began the work of recovery. The FDNY and NYPD had the territory, but Keegan had the map. PAPD cops could stand on top of six stories of debris and point to where a stairwell had been; they used PATH tunnels to enter "the pile" from underneath. Closure shares many never-before-told stories, including how Keegan and his officers recovered one-thousand tons of gold and silver from a secret vault to keep the Commodities Exchange from crashing; discovered what appeared to be one of the plane's black boxes; and helped raise the inspirational steel beam cross that has become the site's icon.
For nine brutal months, the men at Ground Zero wrestled with 1.8 million tons of shattered concrete, twisted steel, body parts, political pressure, and their own grief. Closure tells the unforgettable story of their sacrifice and valor, and how Keegan led the smallest of all the uniformed services at the site to become the most valuable.
On the morning of 9/11, the Port Authority Police Department was the first uniformed service to respond to the attack on the World Trade Center. When the towers collapsed, thirty-seven of its officers were killed—the largest loss of law enforcement officers in U.S. history.
That afternoon, Lieutenant William Keegan began the work of recovery. The FDNY and NYPD had the territory, but Keegan had the map. PAPD cops could stand on top of six stories of debris and point to where a stairwell had been; they used PATH tunnels to enter "the pile" from underneath. Closure shares many never-before-told stories, including how Keegan and his officers recovered one-thousand tons of gold and silver from a secret vault to keep the Commodities Exchange from crashing; discovered what appeared to be one of the plane's black boxes; and helped raise the inspirational steel beam cross that has become the site's icon.
For nine brutal months, the men at Ground Zero wrestled with 1.8 million tons of shattered concrete, twisted steel, body parts, political pressure, and their own grief. Closure tells the unforgettable story of their sacrifice and valor, and how Keegan led the smallest of all the uniformed services at the site to become the most valuable.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 15, 2024
Outstanding!
If I could give many more stars, I would do so without reservation, THAT is how good this book is! It seems disrespectful to the reason the book exists to say I "enjoyed" it but I WILL say it was hard to put down, engaging, exceptionally well written with both details and a high commitment to the families to avoid sensationalism and preserve dignity of the victims buried beneath the rubble of the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11/2001.
I personally can't imagine having to go to the site of so much horror and devastation for weeks, climb upon the pile knowing colleagues, friends, possibly family members, neighbors etc were buried beneath the feet of all who were trying to free them while fires burned and in a race to get them for their families before the fire claimed what was left. I can't imagine the incredible strain, physically and mentally, the smells, bright lights and sounds at all hours, running on adrenaline, stress, caffeine and holding back emotions in order to get the job done! But I now have a brand new appreciation for all these men and women went through to find "CLOSURE" -- or, as much as is possible in impossible circumstances of a terrorist attack on a never before seen scale.
May God grant the victims eternal peace, bring the families comfort and the rescuers satisfaction from a job well done!
If I could give many more stars, I would do so without reservation, THAT is how good this book is! It seems disrespectful to the reason the book exists to say I "enjoyed" it but I WILL say it was hard to put down, engaging, exceptionally well written with both details and a high commitment to the families to avoid sensationalism and preserve dignity of the victims buried beneath the rubble of the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11/2001.
I personally can't imagine having to go to the site of so much horror and devastation for weeks, climb upon the pile knowing colleagues, friends, possibly family members, neighbors etc were buried beneath the feet of all who were trying to free them while fires burned and in a race to get them for their families before the fire claimed what was left. I can't imagine the incredible strain, physically and mentally, the smells, bright lights and sounds at all hours, running on adrenaline, stress, caffeine and holding back emotions in order to get the job done! But I now have a brand new appreciation for all these men and women went through to find "CLOSURE" -- or, as much as is possible in impossible circumstances of a terrorist attack on a never before seen scale.
May God grant the victims eternal peace, bring the families comfort and the rescuers satisfaction from a job well done!
April 9, 2018
Thank you
Appreciated Lt. Keegan's first hand accounts and excellent leadership at Ground Zero throughout the entire search and recovery. His dedicated focus was exemplary to the success of the mission of reuniting as many as possible to bring them "home" to their own.
Thank you for giving of yourself to serve others. It was an honor and privilege to serve under your leadership in mid September as chaplain deployed by ICPC and FFC upon request from PAPD.
Rev. W. Roger Stauffer, Chaplain, Midland County Sheriff's Office,
Midland, MI
Appreciated Lt. Keegan's first hand accounts and excellent leadership at Ground Zero throughout the entire search and recovery. His dedicated focus was exemplary to the success of the mission of reuniting as many as possible to bring them "home" to their own.
Thank you for giving of yourself to serve others. It was an honor and privilege to serve under your leadership in mid September as chaplain deployed by ICPC and FFC upon request from PAPD.
Rev. W. Roger Stauffer, Chaplain, Midland County Sheriff's Office,
Midland, MI
August 27, 2020
This is one of the best books I have read about 9-11. It felt like closure for me too.
I highly recommend it. That Tuesday in September is a day we all remember where we were and what we were doing I now have an insight into what some of the people who lived it, the sights sounds and smells were experiencing. Very powerful book.
I highly recommend it. That Tuesday in September is a day we all remember where we were and what we were doing I now have an insight into what some of the people who lived it, the sights sounds and smells were experiencing. Very powerful book.
March 1, 2020
Untold stories of Ground Zero. Forever grateful.
July 27, 2020
Some very basic editing issues (missing or extra words) and wonky sentence structures that caused me issues as a copy editor but overall a very informative account of the recovery efforts.
June 23, 2023
Interesting account of the port authority police dept and their recovery at ground zero.
November 30, 2014
William Keegan was the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) Lieutenant in charge of the recovery mission at Ground Zero from 9/11 to May 2002. His book reminds us of all the emergency personnel that saved lives and then recovered bodies in order to give the families of victims (who were victims themselves, yes) any sense of peace or closure that would come from having at least a part of their loved one identified and mourned. Keegan describes the grueling and life-threatening conditions rescue workers worked in for 6-7 days a week for nearly nine months. In addition to structural dangers from fires burning deep inside the shifting rubble, workers also needed to be weary of of cranes and other equipment from construction crews who came in to clean up the site. This book is poignant and excellent for those who wonder about the Ground Zero clean-up process.
September 17, 2011
An interesting take on Ground Zero clean up from behind the scenes. Some of the info. was gut-wrenching (finding bodies--but all handled very sensitively without too much info) and some of it was intriguing (how they got a half million dollars in gold and silver out of a vault in the basement of the World Trade Center and another case involving an amored truck (where some of its contents were never found). I wasn't fully aware of the political aspects of the clean up and the battle between agencies (Port Authority, NYPD and FDNY).
September 18, 2011
When I was reading this book, I wanted to put it down because it was so gripping, emotional, honest, sad. And when I wasn't reading it, I couldn't wait to pick it back up. I have gained an even greater level of respect and appreciation for all those personally affected by the tragic events of September 11, especially those involved in the rescue and recovery efforts. What a beautiful book.
October 1, 2007
9/11 as told by the Port Authority Police stance. Made me feel like I was there. A little political, but interesting.
April 18, 2008
This story was very moving and sad. It gave me a view into 9/11 from a Port Authority Police Lieutenant's day to day recovery effort.
January 31, 2014
Lt. Keegan led the recovery effort at Ground Zero for the Port Authority Police, who lost 37 men on 9/11, the most of any unit.
August 16, 2011
Very real.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews