S. Fla Officers Reflect On Their Help At Ground Zero
MIAMI (CBS4) - While we all have memories of the days following September 11th, but one South Florida police officer and his colleagues have unique memories.
They went up just a day after the attacks and now, for the first time, one of those men is sharing more than his stories.
In a pillow case brought by Sergeant Jose Gonzalez, you'll find a moment in time he now wants to share for the first time in ten years. Whether it's a respirator mask, a pair of work boots or a worn shirt, these are all items that mean something to the man who went to ground zero to help in the rescue efforts.
"It takes me back to that time," said Gonzalez to CBS4's Jorge Estevez.
Gonzalez also has an album showing the rescue efforts that he and three others from the Miami-Dade Police Department took part in, right after 9/11.
"People were walking around like in a daze like they didn't know what happened," said Gonzalez. He said his mission was clear.
Gonzalez spent his first years on the force as a New York City Police officer so being at ground zero had a special meaning to him.
"We were there with the goal to find someone alive. I wasn't going to stop until that happened," said Gonzalez, who along with hundreds of others kept working on the pile in 12 hour shifts.
They filled buckets with the debris left over from two towers which were once a show of force in America that on this day quickly became a symbol of unity.
That drive was apparent in everyone, and Gonzalez told Estevez that he plans to never forget that day which is why he plans to continue to keep those items from his time at Ground Zero.
"I opened it up now because it is the tenth year," said Gonzalez. "I might just put it back and open it up in another 10 years."
