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Rising From The Ashes: The True Story of 9/11 and Recovery Team Romeo
“They’re all right here … gone. Every one of them pulverized into dust. When those towers came crashing down, it was like they were all caught in a giant food processor.” On September 11 2001 the world stopped. An attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York on a serene September morning changed the course of world history. The final death toll from the iconic twin towers reached 2,606. Thousands were never found, as retired New York police officer Tony Zeoli’s harrowing eye-witness account, about the search-and-recovery effort, so graphically records. Tony was a founding member of a group of retired police officers who became known as Recovery Team Romeo - a dozen men who spent nearly nine months searching for bodies at Ground Zero and refusing to be paid for it. These men instantly came out of retirement, made their different ways to the site and worked as an independent recovery team. They have become a Police Department legend. But such personal sacrifice – such heroism – exacted a terrible price on these individuals whose lives could never be the same after they passed through the ‘gates of hell’ and descended into that awful pit to recover the dead. Rising From The Ashes is a powerful and compelling account of the aftermath of 9/11. Praise for Tony Zeoli "The Night-Comer is a winner. Written by a man who lived in the world of treachery, violence and fanaticism...A must read in today's world." – Renee Valente, award winning Executive Producer "Taken from the pages of what's happening today and what's happening tomorrow. This is a red alert from a cop who has lived with the danger." – Sonny Grosso, Producer of The French Connection Tony Zeoli is a retired Lieutenant with the New York Port Authority Police Department (PAPD). After the 9/11 Terrorist Attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, Tony spend over eight months as part of the PAPD Emergency Services Operations Team searching Ground Zero for remains of those who died in the attack. He is also a consultant for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Tony has also written police fiction books, including 625 8th Avenue, the address of the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal, The Night Comer and The Twelve City of Fear.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
163 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 18, 2016
102 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 26, 2023
Very Detailed and Informative
It almost seems unbelievable that 9/11 could have happened here on U.S. soil...and especially that it's been over two decades since we witnessed such horror and tragedy. As author Tony Zeoli stated, (paraphrasing loosely) , how could our own giant aircraft filled with innocent civilians be overtaken by terrorists and flown into our iconic symbols of freedom, commerce etc? How could all of those lives have been snuffed out in an a matter of minutes? And more importantly, is anything different today? And is it different ENOUGH so we can know this will never happen again?
As for the book itself, I am one who felt I knew a lot about the events of 9/11 from news, media, research and reading. But there were things in THIS book that I did not know. I had no idea that Team Romeo was formed and went without pay or seeking recognition, into Ground Zero day after day for many months to rescue their fallen brothers and sisters. Yes, I figured it was pretty obvious that anyone there would have seen horrible things but I, thankfully do not know death on that visceral level! I don't know what death smells like or, as the author pointed out, that some parts recovered looked nothing like a human being. I shuddered when he described a friend who had seen so much that horrified him that he had to avoid the meat counter at the grocery store when shopping for dinner with his family because it would remind him of those body parts recovered that were in pieces, unrecognizable. Can we even IMAGINE what these brave heroes went through in order to try and bring everyone home to their loved ones? I am grateful that most of us can't imagine living that experience!
This book is very well written, very detailed and NOT an easy read in terms of content. But it is vital and in a sense it gives a voice to all of the police and fire and others who ran into the towers to rescue when others were running away from them. They paid with their lives. It is up to all of us to carry the memories of 9/11 forward so that indeed, we NEVER FORGET and future generations will be able to say the same. I highly recommend this book!
It almost seems unbelievable that 9/11 could have happened here on U.S. soil...and especially that it's been over two decades since we witnessed such horror and tragedy. As author Tony Zeoli stated, (paraphrasing loosely) , how could our own giant aircraft filled with innocent civilians be overtaken by terrorists and flown into our iconic symbols of freedom, commerce etc? How could all of those lives have been snuffed out in an a matter of minutes? And more importantly, is anything different today? And is it different ENOUGH so we can know this will never happen again?
As for the book itself, I am one who felt I knew a lot about the events of 9/11 from news, media, research and reading. But there were things in THIS book that I did not know. I had no idea that Team Romeo was formed and went without pay or seeking recognition, into Ground Zero day after day for many months to rescue their fallen brothers and sisters. Yes, I figured it was pretty obvious that anyone there would have seen horrible things but I, thankfully do not know death on that visceral level! I don't know what death smells like or, as the author pointed out, that some parts recovered looked nothing like a human being. I shuddered when he described a friend who had seen so much that horrified him that he had to avoid the meat counter at the grocery store when shopping for dinner with his family because it would remind him of those body parts recovered that were in pieces, unrecognizable. Can we even IMAGINE what these brave heroes went through in order to try and bring everyone home to their loved ones? I am grateful that most of us can't imagine living that experience!
This book is very well written, very detailed and NOT an easy read in terms of content. But it is vital and in a sense it gives a voice to all of the police and fire and others who ran into the towers to rescue when others were running away from them. They paid with their lives. It is up to all of us to carry the memories of 9/11 forward so that indeed, we NEVER FORGET and future generations will be able to say the same. I highly recommend this book!
February 19, 2024
Eye opening look at "working the pile"
I have read many well-written books about the 9/11 attacks, but this book surpasses them all. In my reading all my memories of that day helped with the visualizing of what the towers and their collapses looked like, but I discovered in this book that my minds eye view of the aftermath has been somewhat false. One of the truths that surprised me in my reading, has been the fact of how many trapped people that had no other way out leaped to their deaths. Until recently this fact was mostly not talked about. I actually give credit to the TV reporting on the day that they tried not to show that aspect. As with that discovery, the "pile" once both towers down in my memory was of near total crushing of the non-steel components of the buildings. I was ignorant of the fact that a significant number of the remains discovered early on in the search and rescue, followed by the search and recovery, were, if not totally intact, a body that fairly recognizable. I learned a lot from this recounting of the nine long months working on the pile and the heroic work of 12 retired police men which also gives credit to other police and firemen doing the same job. The author pulls no punches in describing the difficulties encountered in the recoveries, and a few appalling sights that gave an idea of why most of those who were there had varying degrees of PTSD. The last part of the book gives a clear view of the health issues eventually overtaking all those who worked on the pile that became "the Pit". While giving great depth of detail both about the horrors encountered and later the after effects, the stories are told with pride and compassion. The pictures at the end were a final eye opener for me, as they show in the background that there were what looked to be offices wrecked but still standing. It is a book that will be hard for some to read, but in the end the story is well worth reading for anyone like myself that finds the accounts of a day we will never forget fascinating. I thought I knew what happened and what I saw, but I have spent 22 years finding out what really happened. This book is a very well written guide to the ongoing stories of those who were there until they returned the lost to their families.
I have read many well-written books about the 9/11 attacks, but this book surpasses them all. In my reading all my memories of that day helped with the visualizing of what the towers and their collapses looked like, but I discovered in this book that my minds eye view of the aftermath has been somewhat false. One of the truths that surprised me in my reading, has been the fact of how many trapped people that had no other way out leaped to their deaths. Until recently this fact was mostly not talked about. I actually give credit to the TV reporting on the day that they tried not to show that aspect. As with that discovery, the "pile" once both towers down in my memory was of near total crushing of the non-steel components of the buildings. I was ignorant of the fact that a significant number of the remains discovered early on in the search and rescue, followed by the search and recovery, were, if not totally intact, a body that fairly recognizable. I learned a lot from this recounting of the nine long months working on the pile and the heroic work of 12 retired police men which also gives credit to other police and firemen doing the same job. The author pulls no punches in describing the difficulties encountered in the recoveries, and a few appalling sights that gave an idea of why most of those who were there had varying degrees of PTSD. The last part of the book gives a clear view of the health issues eventually overtaking all those who worked on the pile that became "the Pit". While giving great depth of detail both about the horrors encountered and later the after effects, the stories are told with pride and compassion. The pictures at the end were a final eye opener for me, as they show in the background that there were what looked to be offices wrecked but still standing. It is a book that will be hard for some to read, but in the end the story is well worth reading for anyone like myself that finds the accounts of a day we will never forget fascinating. I thought I knew what happened and what I saw, but I have spent 22 years finding out what really happened. This book is a very well written guide to the ongoing stories of those who were there until they returned the lost to their families.
June 21, 2025
Nearly 24 years ago the most horrific attack on the United States of America shook the world, killing thousands of people and leaving in the aftermath, thousands more grieving and suffering their losses. Tony Zeoli happened to be on holiday in Hawaii at the time of the attack, but rushed home and alongside eleven of his retired colleagues, they volunteered their services to help recover and return home as many of the victims as possible. In this harrowing memoir, Tony talks us through his experiences on the 9/11 mound, the diseases and illnesses that have followed and what happened to those who stood alongside him.
There is no doubt that Tony's story is compelling, moving and at times profoundly upsetting. He not only suffered a nation's loss, but shortly after his own when his young son was fatally injured in a road traffic accident. Not only that but the ongoing impact of their time at Ground Zero, both psychological and physical is deeply painful to read. However, the book could have done with a really good editor sinking their teeth into it. It is at times disjointed in its running order, repetitive of incidents and memories and overall feels like a first draft that needed piecing together to make it more sympathetic to the story that Tony is importantly trying to share.
There is no doubt that Tony's story is compelling, moving and at times profoundly upsetting. He not only suffered a nation's loss, but shortly after his own when his young son was fatally injured in a road traffic accident. Not only that but the ongoing impact of their time at Ground Zero, both psychological and physical is deeply painful to read. However, the book could have done with a really good editor sinking their teeth into it. It is at times disjointed in its running order, repetitive of incidents and memories and overall feels like a first draft that needed piecing together to make it more sympathetic to the story that Tony is importantly trying to share.
September 7, 2017
What a powerful book about the twelve members of the PAPD and what they endured at Ground Zero and the lack of respect and recognition they received in the years after.
It ends tragically for some including the author and his family and all the men struggle with ill health from all the toxic substances they breathed.
A short yet fascinating insight into the aftermath of the terrorist attack.
It ends tragically for some including the author and his family and all the men struggle with ill health from all the toxic substances they breathed.
A short yet fascinating insight into the aftermath of the terrorist attack.
December 11, 2021
Ten Stars
I have read several books & watched many documentaries about 9/11 but this was the book which impacted me the most. I had no idea that there was all this political infighting & how hard the rescuers had it. I never thought it was a walk in the park but it was HELL for them then & now. I would give it ten stars if that was possible .
Total respect for you all from reader in UK
I have read several books & watched many documentaries about 9/11 but this was the book which impacted me the most. I had no idea that there was all this political infighting & how hard the rescuers had it. I never thought it was a walk in the park but it was HELL for them then & now. I would give it ten stars if that was possible .
Total respect for you all from reader in UK
October 23, 2017
Thank you for your devoted service!
Appreciated the cantor and honest sharing of serving over nine months in hell. After serving only 10 days, Sept 14 - 23, 2001, I appreciated the perspectives of Team Romeo, and their continuing battles as a result of their service. Thank you!
Appreciated the cantor and honest sharing of serving over nine months in hell. After serving only 10 days, Sept 14 - 23, 2001, I appreciated the perspectives of Team Romeo, and their continuing battles as a result of their service. Thank you!
September 17, 2024
A heartbreaking and eye opening story of brotherhood and heroics. My heart goes out to the men of team Romeo, and the families touched by 9/11
May 7, 2023
Informative
September 27, 2016
Thank you Netgalley, Tony Zeoli and Endeavour for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not a huge fan of 9/11 books. Many of them seem to cash in on tragedy and be told by people with no experience of what happened that day or even the aftermath. Too many seem to get wrapped up in the conspiracy theories and politics of the day. But this appealed to me as it was about and told by someone who had seen and experienced the events after that awful day. It isn't really about the actual day itself, more about the people that were left behind to try and pick up the pieces.
Recovery Team Romeo were a team of volunteers that carried on looking for the missing when the official authorities had all but given up. Without these few men there would have been a hell of a lot of people that were not returned to their families, to offer some sort of closure.
Tony Zeoli was one of that team and he tells the story without sensationalism and it seems to me very honestly. There are moments when I thought to myself 'actually he's been a bit a ass here' in his impatience with younger police officers. He's a man with years of experience dealing with probably the worst moment in American history and struggling, but doesn't seem to see that younger officers would find this hard to deal with and would react differently, probably by falling back on their training and doing things by the book. But at the same time I could feel the frustration and understand it and appreciated the honesty of the story.
So obviously if you're after a cheerful read this is not for you. But if you're after an honest and poignant account of some of the heroe of that day, and the months and years that followed and how they were affected then I suggest you read this. Be warned though that this book had the power to both make me cry and enrage me at different levels. I would highly recommend this for lovers of living histories.
I'm not a huge fan of 9/11 books. Many of them seem to cash in on tragedy and be told by people with no experience of what happened that day or even the aftermath. Too many seem to get wrapped up in the conspiracy theories and politics of the day. But this appealed to me as it was about and told by someone who had seen and experienced the events after that awful day. It isn't really about the actual day itself, more about the people that were left behind to try and pick up the pieces.
Recovery Team Romeo were a team of volunteers that carried on looking for the missing when the official authorities had all but given up. Without these few men there would have been a hell of a lot of people that were not returned to their families, to offer some sort of closure.
Tony Zeoli was one of that team and he tells the story without sensationalism and it seems to me very honestly. There are moments when I thought to myself 'actually he's been a bit a ass here' in his impatience with younger police officers. He's a man with years of experience dealing with probably the worst moment in American history and struggling, but doesn't seem to see that younger officers would find this hard to deal with and would react differently, probably by falling back on their training and doing things by the book. But at the same time I could feel the frustration and understand it and appreciated the honesty of the story.
So obviously if you're after a cheerful read this is not for you. But if you're after an honest and poignant account of some of the heroe of that day, and the months and years that followed and how they were affected then I suggest you read this. Be warned though that this book had the power to both make me cry and enrage me at different levels. I would highly recommend this for lovers of living histories.
June 20, 2024
Fantastic book. I wish I could rate it higher than 5 stars. Why this book has so few reviews is beyond me. This is definitely a book that more people need to read to understand what truly went on.
September 25, 2016
For a book that deals with one of the most horrific terrorist attacks documented in history, this was incredibly uplifting. The true story of how Tony Zeoli formed a team with other retired Policemen who proceeded to give up their own time for nine months to assist daily with the rescue and recovery of victims claimed on 9/11. How they faced the gates of hell and saw horrors no man should ever have to see as they combed the 16 acre site for human remains so that families could lay their brothers / sisters / mothers and sons to rest peacefully.
A statistically high number of the rescue workers from 9/11 now suffer with respiratory and chest complaints, bronchial, COPD, Emphysema and sinus problems as well as Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome after being exposed to carcinogenic and toxic fumes. The suicide rates are high and we must take a look at the bigger picture and realise that 9/11 has reached out and affected so many lives years after the event.
We owe thanks to the brave men and women of that day and even then that is not nearly enough.
A statistically high number of the rescue workers from 9/11 now suffer with respiratory and chest complaints, bronchial, COPD, Emphysema and sinus problems as well as Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome after being exposed to carcinogenic and toxic fumes. The suicide rates are high and we must take a look at the bigger picture and realise that 9/11 has reached out and affected so many lives years after the event.
We owe thanks to the brave men and women of that day and even then that is not nearly enough.
October 25, 2019
All I can say is 9/11 was a day I'll never forget.
Being a child who grew up in the post 9/11 era it's been hard to see so many of my friends and love ones go off to a war that started when we were in middle school.
I'm proud of all the people who we lost on 9/11 & who stepped up to pick up the pieces of the WTC
Those men and women are now dying because they are heroes. It's just a sad reality
Being a child who grew up in the post 9/11 era it's been hard to see so many of my friends and love ones go off to a war that started when we were in middle school.
I'm proud of all the people who we lost on 9/11 & who stepped up to pick up the pieces of the WTC
Those men and women are now dying because they are heroes. It's just a sad reality
October 15, 2016
Unsung Heroes
I had no idea who actually sifted through the enormous wreckage at Ground Zero, and to find they're unpaid volunteers who continue to have problems from the tremendous task fills me with both pride and sorrow. What we as a nation endured as the horrors of that day unfolded are indelibly etched in our minds forever.
I just wanted to say my thanks and eternal gratitude for those selfless workers. May their bodies heal, their minds rest, and their place in history b not forgotten. A debt of gratitude is all I can personally offer. As an u paid volunteer for several charities in my lifetime, I appreciate the dedication. Thank you all and bless you all.
I had no idea who actually sifted through the enormous wreckage at Ground Zero, and to find they're unpaid volunteers who continue to have problems from the tremendous task fills me with both pride and sorrow. What we as a nation endured as the horrors of that day unfolded are indelibly etched in our minds forever.
I just wanted to say my thanks and eternal gratitude for those selfless workers. May their bodies heal, their minds rest, and their place in history b not forgotten. A debt of gratitude is all I can personally offer. As an u paid volunteer for several charities in my lifetime, I appreciate the dedication. Thank you all and bless you all.
October 18, 2016
Hats off to Recovery Team Romeo, a group of NYPD retired officers, who volunteered their time in the recovery efforts of 9/11 victims.
**ARC/publisher/NetGalley
**ARC/publisher/NetGalley
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