1 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Good Stuff. I'm Jacob Shick and I'm 2 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: joined by my co host and wife, Ashley Shick. 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 2: Jake is a third generation combat Marine and I'm a 4 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 2: gold Star granddaughter. And we work together to serve military veterans, 5 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 2: first responders, frontline healthcare workers, and their families with mental 6 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 2: and emotional wellness through traditional and non traditional therapy. At 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 2: One Tribe Foundation, we. 8 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 1: Believe everyone has a story to tell, not only about 9 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: the peaks, but also the valleys they've been through to 10 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: get them to where they are today. 11 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 2: Each week, we invite a guest to tell us their story, 12 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 2: to share with us the lessons they've learned that shaped 13 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 2: who they are and what they're doing to pay it 14 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 2: forward and give back. 15 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: Our mission with this show is to dig deep into 16 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,200 Speaker 1: our guest's journey so that we can celebrate the hope 17 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: and inspiration their story has to offer. 18 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 2: We're thrilled you're joining us again. 19 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Good Stuff. We are so honored to 20 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: share today's story with you, even though it's not an 21 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: easy one to share. Today's guest is Danny Manning, a 22 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: retired FDNY firefighter. 23 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 2: I originally met Danny years ago in Kinsale, Ireland for 24 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,199 Speaker 2: the dedication of a plaque in honor of Lieutenant Michael 25 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 2: Murphy for an organization called Irish Veterans, and he's become 26 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 2: a very dear friend, more like family over the years. 27 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: He is an incredible man who served the New York 28 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: Fire Department for over twenty years and even saved his 29 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: mother's life on Christmas Day in two thousand and seven 30 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: after she suffered cardiac arrest and what has been coined 31 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: the Miracle of Christmas. This episode with Danny recording in 32 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 1: New York City was a spiritual experience. 33 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 2: Absolutely. He was living in New York serving as a 34 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 2: firefighter on September eleventh, two thousand and one. He's here 35 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 2: to tell us about his experience that day and the 36 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 2: days that followed at ground zero. How many years did 37 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 2: you serve in the fire department? 38 00:01:58,120 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 3: Twenty three years? 39 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 2: Twenty three years. That's incredible. And you met your beautiful wife, 40 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 2: a New York City girl, Mary Ellen from the Bronx, 41 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 2: and we've been so blessed to know you and the 42 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 2: entire Manning family, and today you're gracious enough to share 43 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 2: with us a story that changed your life and the 44 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 2: lives of countless other people forever on September eleventh, two 45 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 2: thousand and one, when terrorists hijacked airplanes and flew them 46 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 2: into New York City's Twin Towers. As a New York firefighter, 47 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 2: you and your fellow first responders were on the front 48 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 2: lines of this horrific day in history. And it would 49 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 2: just be an honor for Jake and I to hear 50 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 2: you tell your story of September eleventh, two thousand and one. 51 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 3: So beautiful morning. 52 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 4: I was off duty that day and Mary Ellen was 53 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 4: watching TV and I was in the back bedroom and 54 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,359 Speaker 4: I heard a screech from her and a scream, and 55 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 4: so I came running out and I said, what's the matter, 56 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 4: And she said, a plane just hit the World Trade Center. Now, 57 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,359 Speaker 4: Mary Alln worked for United Airlines. One of her offices 58 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 4: when she worked was in that one of those towers. 59 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,519 Speaker 4: She knows it well. So I looked at it and 60 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 4: I said, Gee, this doesn't make sense. I'm looking out 61 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 4: the window. It's a beautiful sunnay morning. And I said 62 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 4: to Marianna about this must be a small plane that 63 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 4: must have just lost its way. Because there's been incidents 64 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 4: in Manhattan. I think I might have told you it 65 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 4: was an incident years later. But it was New York 66 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 4: Yankee who was flying a plane and he made a 67 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 4: turn blown up in that East River, and he didn't 68 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:28,800 Speaker 4: turn sharp enough and he crashed into one of the 69 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 4: high rise residential buildings. A small plane, you could understand 70 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 4: something could go wrong, never expecting this to be a 71 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 4: big jetliner. 72 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 3: So watching on a TV. 73 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 4: And then a short while after that, the news stories 74 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 4: are all breaking. It's live, and we see the second 75 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 4: plane hit the tower. And that's when I jumped up. 76 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 4: She goeshe are going I says, we're under attack. This 77 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 4: is no accident. I ran to the back bedroom. She goes, 78 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 4: what are you doing. I said, I'm going to get 79 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 4: dressed because they're going to need every hand they can 80 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 4: down there. 81 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 2: What did you say to her before you left? 82 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 4: It's going to be a terrible day. We'll do our best. 83 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 4: Because where we lived, you could see the smoke plume 84 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 4: going over the water there. I knew I was going 85 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 4: to something that was bigger than I have but been 86 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 4: at before. 87 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 2: When you're getting dressed, when you're taking your quick shower, 88 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 2: what was going through your mind? 89 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 4: Get down there quick? Like I said to Mary Ellen, 90 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 4: that they're going to need every hand they can. You 91 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 4: were hugging and kiss and out the door. 92 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,479 Speaker 1: What do you remember the very last thing you said 93 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: to her? 94 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,799 Speaker 4: Honestly, it was a hug and embrace, and I said, 95 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 4: I'll see you later. 96 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 3: I'm not going to see you again. 97 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: So I remember hugging my family before we left to 98 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: go to Iraq and telling them you'll see you later, 99 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:46,719 Speaker 1: God willing, I'll see you later, might not see you later. 100 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: It's one of those things that we almost take you 101 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: for granted because it's just second nature. 102 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 4: I could see what you were thinking in your head. 103 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 4: You were going into a different type of situation than me. 104 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,120 Speaker 4: Your work would be a little bit more dangerous, and 105 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 4: to ours was more structured routining. There's a mythology, if 106 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 4: you might say, going into fires and fighting fires, but 107 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 4: there's always the danger, and sure enough, that danger started 108 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 4: early on in my career. Over the course of your career, 109 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 4: depending on what neighborhood you're assigned to, you learn how 110 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 4: to fight the fires. That the buildings are predominant your neighborhood, 111 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 4: say right, so that the old timers would tell you 112 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 4: when you come into the house, all right, everything you 113 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 4: learned in school is fine, but we're going to teach 114 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 4: you how we do it here. 115 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 3: Now. 116 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 4: One of the guys was the old time, but he 117 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:36,279 Speaker 4: was an old, salty, old Irish guy. He took me 118 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 4: out of his wing a little bit. He said, let 119 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 4: me tell you, Danny, me boy, you got to be 120 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 4: a little bit crazy to be doing this job. You 121 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 4: understand that, right, I said, why is that? Jack He goes, 122 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 4: you got to think about this. Everybody's running out and 123 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:51,479 Speaker 4: we're running in. I said, there you go, Jackson, I 124 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 4: get it. Yeah, I'm a little crazy. 125 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 2: I guess you hit the bill. 126 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 4: So basically at that point we are is on the 127 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 4: FDR drive down there, and I had seen that the 128 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,719 Speaker 4: emergency vehicles we soarting to roll down the highway. I 129 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 4: could look out the window and see that they had 130 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 4: shut it down full public transportation, and so I was 131 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 4: able to run down there and get myself up to 132 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:15,920 Speaker 4: the highway. I flagged down some cars that were going by, 133 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:18,479 Speaker 4: and one fellow pulled over and picked me up. He 134 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 4: was working with the Department of Homeland Security and they 135 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 4: pulled over. He grabbed me and I said thanks, and 136 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:28,920 Speaker 4: we went down after I drive. Just after we got 137 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:31,599 Speaker 4: by the seaport a little. He was on the radio 138 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 4: with his guys one of the towers. He lost communications 139 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 4: with them, and that's when I looked to the right 140 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,720 Speaker 4: and I saw the first tower go down. He lost 141 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 4: communications with his guys. They were in one of those towers. 142 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: Even with all my life experiences, I can't imagine being 143 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: in communications with your brothers and watching the tower that 144 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: they're in crumble to the ground. 145 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 2: What was the atmosphere like? 146 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:00,799 Speaker 3: Dark plume of smoke. You didn't hear much. 147 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 4: There's a part down at the end of the FDR 148 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 4: drive where you have to go under a tunnel. He 149 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 4: tried to go down into the tunnel with the car, 150 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 4: and the smoke was coming at us. So we got 151 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 4: a little ways into the tunnel and people were trying 152 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 4: to run through it. Some cars were on the other 153 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 4: side of the tunnel, and we could see the people 154 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 4: running towards us, covered in ash and things. 155 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 3: And he went down and we couldn't go anymore. 156 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 4: So brilliantly he did a three point turn in the tunnel, 157 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 4: banged off the walls, and came back out again. We 158 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 4: were there for a little while, and then some fire 159 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 4: trucks started coming by, and I said to him, good luck. 160 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 4: I hope I see you again, and I'm going to 161 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 4: jump on the back of one of these fire trucks. 162 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 4: I did that, and if I went with the men, 163 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 4: I jumped on the backstep to guys. 164 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 3: I didn't know who they were. They just jumped on 165 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 3: with them. And if we went. 166 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 2: So you come out of the tunnel, you get out 167 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 2: of the car because you see the fire trucks, you 168 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 2: go hop on with your brothers. What's the atmosphere at 169 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 2: this point. 170 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 3: Complete chaos. I've never seen the witness before. 171 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 4: And because of the magnitude of the amount of people, 172 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 4: the fire, the smoke, all right, that's many times magnified 173 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:17,240 Speaker 4: as well, but because the magnitude of people rushing towards us, 174 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 4: with the looks on their faces covered in dust, and 175 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 4: the horror on their face, and the screaming and you know. 176 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 3: Wailing and stuff like that. 177 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 4: At that time, there was still bad things going on 178 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:34,240 Speaker 4: in the other tower, so we're trying to get through 179 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 4: all that to just start helping it. There was nobody 180 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 4: in charge but the command center, I believe at that 181 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 4: time might have been wiped out, so the communication was 182 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 4: difficult at that time, and so everybody was just trying 183 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 4: to team up and try and help somewhere. 184 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 3: The breathing was difficult. 185 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 4: I didn't have a mask because I came obviously keep 186 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:53,960 Speaker 4: them home, so I had know Scott Packer, right, so 187 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,199 Speaker 4: that mattered. None of the women and children and men 188 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 4: running had it either, so they're going the other way. 189 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:02,160 Speaker 4: And then I counted the one woman who was in 190 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 4: complete distress, and she was carrying a young baby, and 191 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 4: I said, oh, let. 192 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 3: Me help her. 193 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:13,200 Speaker 4: She was hysterical because she lost her mother and her 194 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:15,680 Speaker 4: other daughter. I said, They asked what he looked like, 195 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 4: you know, give me a description. I'll try and see 196 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 4: if I me and so many guys keep try and 197 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 4: find them. But I said, in the meantime, I said, 198 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 4: we have to protect this baby here. Got her and 199 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:31,839 Speaker 4: the baby into one of the fire department cars. I said, no, 200 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 4: you just sit here. I said, I'll go look for 201 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:38,439 Speaker 4: your mother and your child. Never did find them. The 202 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 4: don't know to this day whatever happened with that. But 203 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 4: at least I know that woman and baby made it, 204 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 4: and hopefully so did her mother and her other child. 205 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,400 Speaker 4: But then there's no way of knowing, right, that's the uncertainty. 206 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 2: Of that day, so many people, so much chaos, and 207 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 2: what did you do next? 208 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 4: People that were injured, we were trying to help them 209 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 4: to like they were trying to set up triarge areas 210 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 4: and just get people comfort them, some of them, you know, 211 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 4: me and many other guys, police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians. 212 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 3: Everybody was just doing the same thing. 213 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:21,200 Speaker 4: Like I said earlier, there was no real structure to 214 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 4: any of it. 215 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 2: So after you help this lady and you turn back 216 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 2: to go even further into the scene, what are you. 217 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,439 Speaker 5: Seeing As a dust stars to settle, and you look 218 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 5: up and you can see pokes of sunshine that used 219 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 5: to be filling the whole sky earlier with blue sky, 220 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 5: and so there's a dust was settling, you could see, 221 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 5: and things started to clear up, but it was still 222 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 5: so dusty. 223 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:47,959 Speaker 3: Everybody's eyes were practically shut. 224 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 4: It's like almost being a little bit of a vacuum 225 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:53,320 Speaker 4: where you see it going on in slow motion, but 226 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 4: it's not sol emotion going on for a long time, 227 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,440 Speaker 4: people running and screaming, and the rubble was everywhere from 228 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:04,679 Speaker 4: the first tower coming down. Eventually there was people teaming 229 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 4: up and you'd see police officers and other people are 230 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 4: squating people, trying to get them into other buildings to 231 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 4: shelter them because we didn't know what was coming next. 232 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 3: You know. 233 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:18,199 Speaker 2: So at this point, after you've dived right into this 234 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 2: whole scenario and you're there, and like you said, it's 235 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:22,680 Speaker 2: almost surreal. It sounds like it's going in slow motion, 236 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 2: but it's not. It just keeps going on and on, 237 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 2: and it's dusty. Breathing was difficult. Everything was difficult. And 238 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 2: do you have time to let any of the emotion 239 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 2: hit you. 240 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 3: No, it wasn't a time to sit and reflected. You 241 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 3: just you couldn't. 242 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 4: You were in work mode. Yeah, you had to go 243 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 4: full speed ahead. Time wise, I don't. It's all documented, 244 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 4: but to me, it just there's no time frame to 245 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 4: the whole thing. 246 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:49,599 Speaker 2: What happened. When the second tower fell. 247 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 4: Everybody knew it was time to start moving and stop running. Well, 248 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,320 Speaker 4: the experiencing world didn't do much good that day. Does 249 00:11:57,360 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 4: this matter how lucky you were which way you ran? 250 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 4: I ran one way and I made it, and another 251 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,599 Speaker 4: guys ran another way and didn't make it. 252 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:06,720 Speaker 3: Dove under a truck. 253 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,719 Speaker 4: The debris came down on there, and I was down 254 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 4: there and I didn't have an air pack, and i 255 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 4: have my nose to the ground and I'm saying, no, 256 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 4: this isn't going to end like this. And people started 257 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:23,560 Speaker 4: just moving some debris and one of his got us 258 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:24,959 Speaker 4: out of there, dragged this out. 259 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:28,160 Speaker 3: I remember looking up and you will see was like. 260 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,960 Speaker 4: Papers floating through the sky, like feathers. I said, well, 261 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 4: it's eerily quiet. I'm looking around. I'm saying, we have 262 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:38,440 Speaker 4: all the people, we has, all the equipment. Just towers 263 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 4: were filled with sinks, computers, things in the restaurant desks, 264 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,440 Speaker 4: everything that would fill a building like we're sitting in now. 265 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 4: None of it was there. It was all pulverized. That's 266 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,960 Speaker 4: one memory I'll never forget. Me and another guy I 267 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 4: teamed up with, a dear friend of mine, name was 268 00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 4: Ray Phillips. He was in rescue three and we had 269 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:03,320 Speaker 4: teamed up together and we heard a pass along going off. 270 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 4: Now that's what we's attached to our airpacks, and it's 271 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 4: the activates of a man's down, whether you get down 272 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 4: in a fire or whatever, the incident is a guy 273 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:15,560 Speaker 4: if he stayed motionless for a while, it activates. So 274 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:17,560 Speaker 4: what happened was we could hear it off in the 275 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 4: distance and very distinct piercing sound. So I said, it 276 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,080 Speaker 4: must be a brother down somewhere or over here. So 277 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 4: we went looking from and I went around the building 278 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:29,280 Speaker 4: expecting going to be there. He wasn't there, but the 279 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,839 Speaker 4: airpack was, or he had dropped it and obviously ran 280 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 4: or whatever and made his way. So I grabbed and 281 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 4: I said, well, say, I'm going to use it now. 282 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 2: So I put it on because all this time you've 283 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 2: been breathing in the dust. 284 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, I didn't have any airpack. It was good to 285 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:45,240 Speaker 3: have that. I sat there for hot and. 286 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:47,960 Speaker 1: Took a lot of ye got some fresh oxyge. 287 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 3: So he left it there for me. 288 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: That's like we say in the Marine Corps gear drift 289 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 1: as a gift. 290 00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 4: There you go. And it was one part of the 291 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:58,680 Speaker 4: story there was that the guys from ma Fi House 292 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 4: from Barrios Bravers fifty three and forty three were involved 293 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 4: in a rescue where there was guys from another company 294 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 4: who had gotten this woman and they were able to 295 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 4: get her down. 296 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 3: She was a trap to herself and up on the stairway. 297 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:14,559 Speaker 4: There and they were able to get her down and 298 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 4: when the collapse happened the way they were with the 299 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 4: core collapsing around them. They were in this little void, 300 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 4: and so there was transmission. They were able to locate 301 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 4: where they were, and I think it was called the 302 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 4: Miracle Latter six and the guys from my company formed 303 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:36,360 Speaker 4: a chain line and were able to make it today 304 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 4: and get them out. I was part of that, and 305 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 4: that was that was a great survival story that these 306 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,200 Speaker 4: guys heroically did to witness. 307 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 3: That was something absolutely. 308 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 4: There was an area where we had made our way 309 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 4: into a void and we were getting radio transmissions that 310 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 4: we were in a dangerous spot, and they kept saying, 311 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 4: you got to pull out, you got to pull out. 312 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:04,320 Speaker 4: I was a little bit further back than some of 313 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:07,800 Speaker 4: the other guys from the company were up ahead of me, 314 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 4: and they spotted a guy that was they could. 315 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 3: See the helmet. It was a chief. He was pinned 316 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 3: in there. I couldn't tell whether he was alive or not. 317 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:19,960 Speaker 4: We had visual on him, and they kept trying to 318 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 4: pull us out and pull us out, and guys wouldn't leave, 319 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 4: and finally we had to go. We had to pull 320 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 4: out because of the imminent collapse and everything. And it 321 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 4: wasn't like he was laying there was screaming for help 322 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 4: or anything. He was unconscious. We didn't know if he 323 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 4: was alive or dead, but we were trying to just 324 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 4: get to him. At one point, I got my shoulders 325 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:44,840 Speaker 4: this located. So they went up to the hospital and 326 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 4: all emergency people from around the city was just like 327 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:52,080 Speaker 4: I did. We're volunteering going to the hospitals to help 328 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 4: Manhattan there because they figured they're. 329 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:55,640 Speaker 3: Going to need all hands on deck. 330 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 4: And I remember getting taken to the hospital and they 331 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 4: were all standing outside with the stretches out on the 332 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,480 Speaker 4: sidewalks and how many people coming? 333 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 3: Where's everybody? Well, there's not enough people to come. 334 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 4: A lot of them just didn't make it out anyway. 335 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 4: They got patched up and then went back down there, 336 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 4: went back to work, and at that point it was 337 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 4: total rescue mode. More and more reinforcements were showing up, 338 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 4: so we just went to work. I hooked up again 339 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 4: with forty three truck they were down there, so worked 340 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 4: with them. They were grabbing units them all over the 341 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 4: city at this point and relieving and rotating people that 342 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:37,240 Speaker 4: were on duty active guys and shifting and people coming 343 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 4: in to help out. It was one night and they 344 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 4: were being relieved on their shift and I hopped on 345 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 4: the back of the truck with the guys. At that point, 346 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:49,120 Speaker 4: Lower Manhattan was all just encapsulated. They had the military 347 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 4: out there, the National Guard, you had all the police 348 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,280 Speaker 4: intelligence units. Everything was sealed off, so nobody was coming 349 00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 4: into the as you would relate to into your perimeter. 350 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 4: This is a distinct memory that will always stay with me, 351 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 4: and I've often sold us to people. We leave and 352 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 4: we're just laying all over the top of the rig 353 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:11,879 Speaker 4: on the hook and ladder, and guys are beat up 354 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:16,200 Speaker 4: and exhausted. All along the West Side Highway there people 355 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:22,399 Speaker 4: are lined up signs and they're cheering. We're just laying 356 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 4: around on the rig and taking it all in. And 357 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 4: it was just amazing the people that came out of 358 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 4: all the buildings to, you know, give us this boost 359 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:35,280 Speaker 4: and we go down and we come down along that 360 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:36,959 Speaker 4: and that went on for my olden and we come 361 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 4: down Union Square and there's a big almost rally going 362 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 4: on in Union Square. Hiabetes really emotional. And the way 363 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 4: equated to people when I tell the story is if 364 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:55,160 Speaker 4: you watch the old movies of World War Two when 365 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 4: the tanks are rolling into the villages, in Italy and 366 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:02,480 Speaker 4: France and all the women and coming out waving the 367 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:06,400 Speaker 4: flags and handing battles of wine to the soldiers. And 368 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 4: that's how it felt to me, that crowd. It's like 369 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:13,879 Speaker 4: you just liberated the city, but they knew we just 370 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 4: where we came from, just then, and they were giving that. 371 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 3: Back to us. 372 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:24,679 Speaker 1: Significant trauma can either be a great divider or a 373 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 1: great uniter. And I remember nine to twelve very very well, 374 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:34,199 Speaker 1: and I remember thinking, no one in the world, no 375 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: one in the world, would dare mess with us right now, 376 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:40,680 Speaker 1: because we were all one. It didn't matter race, colored, creed, religion. 377 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:44,159 Speaker 1: If you lived under that red, white, and blue, you 378 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 1: were untouchable. 379 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:48,119 Speaker 3: It really was true. And you saw the whole city 380 00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 3: put up like. 381 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,120 Speaker 2: That, the whole country. Like I'm sitting here thinking, Jake 382 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:55,639 Speaker 2: and I always talk about the America of nine to twelve. 383 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 2: You were still at ground zero on nine to twelve, 384 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 2: entire day, praying, hoping, searching for any signs of life, 385 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 2: digging through the dust and the decimation. And meanwhile, yes, 386 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 2: the rest of the country was uniting. So that's exactly 387 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 2: what should have happened. When you came out of the 388 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:14,760 Speaker 2: perimeter and. 389 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,640 Speaker 1: You know it's beautiful, Danny, is that you described that, 390 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 1: and like, it chokes me up thinking about it, even 391 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:25,199 Speaker 1: though you were leaving ground zero with your brothers and 392 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:28,479 Speaker 1: you got all that love. We felt that down in 393 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:33,199 Speaker 1: Texas during a time of unbelievable trauma and tragedy. It 394 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:39,400 Speaker 1: was one of the most beautiful, soul filling moments of 395 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:43,159 Speaker 1: my life. And I remember thinking, this is why my 396 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,199 Speaker 1: grandparents loved this country the way they do. And I 397 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:49,880 Speaker 1: thought I had a pretty firm grip on love of country. 398 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,120 Speaker 1: On nine to twelve, it was a big dose of 399 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:56,160 Speaker 1: you get it or you don't. It was all inspiring 400 00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:56,919 Speaker 1: the watch. 401 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:00,879 Speaker 4: I appreciate that now coming from you guys, because I 402 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 4: know there's many of those stories around. 403 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:03,199 Speaker 3: I saw the. 404 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 4: Gratitude and the caring, the genuine concern and condolences that 405 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:13,560 Speaker 4: were coming from around the country and around the world. 406 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:16,760 Speaker 4: Oh yeah, my family in Ireland, they couldn't contact us, 407 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,120 Speaker 4: my brother Patrick as if I'm in the South Bronx, 408 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:21,479 Speaker 4: and they didn't know where we were that day, if 409 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:23,679 Speaker 4: we were there, if we were in those buildings. So 410 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,119 Speaker 4: I remember that day being down there. I said, well, Jesus, 411 00:20:27,119 --> 00:20:29,520 Speaker 4: that old Patrick's not here, you know, and I was 412 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 4: worried for my brother. 413 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,280 Speaker 1: I think it's so important that the listeners understand too 414 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,879 Speaker 1: that you're doing this job saving people who've never met, 415 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: all at the same time wondering it's your loved ones 416 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:43,720 Speaker 1: rather it's your blood brothers or your brothers through work, 417 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:47,479 Speaker 1: how they're doing while you're trying to save other people. 418 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: That's the epitome of selflessness and courage all at the 419 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:54,879 Speaker 1: same time. And it was on display not only that day, 420 00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: but for the days and weeks after. When you feel 421 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:00,760 Speaker 1: like you don't have more to give, you always have 422 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:01,359 Speaker 1: more to give. 423 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:05,440 Speaker 2: So the last thing you said to Mary Ellen, will 424 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:09,600 Speaker 2: see you later. Yeah, tell me about that homecoming. 425 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 3: My son and daughter they weren't home. They've been in school, 426 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:12,960 Speaker 3: you know. 427 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:15,240 Speaker 4: At that time, some of the schools running into lockdown 428 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:18,200 Speaker 4: road around the city, and so they didn't come home 429 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:21,640 Speaker 4: for a while, and they didn't you know, they didn't 430 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:23,960 Speaker 4: see me for two days. So it was one time 431 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,639 Speaker 4: I was up on a pile and a guy was 432 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:32,480 Speaker 4: leaving and he was going down and I said to 433 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:34,440 Speaker 4: me a favor because it was no self service and 434 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 4: stuff like that. I said, I didn't know the guy 435 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 4: but I said, you can remember Cole my family let 436 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:40,359 Speaker 4: them know I'm okay. 437 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:41,520 Speaker 3: I came home. 438 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 4: I was still pretty covered in dust and everything, and 439 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 4: it was just not many words, a lot of hugs. 440 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: You're having more than one, some more of the grim Reaper. Myself, 441 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:53,639 Speaker 1: I believe in the in the will to live, and 442 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 1: I believe God willing if you're in a circumstance where 443 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:01,000 Speaker 1: clearly the poor souls that were tried than those buildings 444 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 1: that couldn't get below a certain floor before they collapsed, 445 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 1: much different circumstance. And that's why I say, God willing 446 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:13,040 Speaker 1: have provided the circumstance to say I'm not going out 447 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 1: like this, not today, not yet. I believe in that will. 448 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,719 Speaker 3: And I bet you that has fueled a lot of guys 449 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 3: over the years. 450 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:22,440 Speaker 1: Guarantee you, because I know a lot of them. 451 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's what I was getting at. 452 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 4: Yeah, in this particular day, there's guys who did heroic things. 453 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:34,960 Speaker 4: I mean, I'm one that doesn't take that word hero 454 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:38,680 Speaker 4: too easily. I don't feel comfortable with it a lot. 455 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,120 Speaker 4: The way it's used in today's day and age. 456 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:45,280 Speaker 1: I feel like the word has been overused. My gosh, 457 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: it has been diluted completely, and it's really pissed me off. Agreed, 458 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 1: because to me, most of the true heroes I know 459 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:55,879 Speaker 1: are no longer will. 460 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:58,680 Speaker 4: That's where I was getting at on this day. There'll 461 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 4: be heroic things that would that these guys aren't here 462 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,960 Speaker 4: to talk about. But knowing some of them personally myself, 463 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:08,760 Speaker 4: I know what they were doing and tried to accomplish. 464 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:11,359 Speaker 4: There was one guy who was a dear friend of mine, 465 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:15,040 Speaker 4: Patty Brown. Patty was a legend on the job and 466 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:18,000 Speaker 4: matt Facktown, where I lived, is a sign a walk 467 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 4: Patty Brown Walk, much decorated Vietnam veteran, much decorated New 468 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 4: York City firefighter. I wasn't there to tell it, so 469 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:28,399 Speaker 4: I'm telling this story like second hand and third hand. 470 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 4: But I suppose Patty was taking his men up and 471 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,240 Speaker 4: going up to the tower and somebody from the command says, so, Patty, 472 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 4: where you are going? 473 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 3: What are you doing? Patty? 474 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:38,440 Speaker 4: He says, We're going up and he goes, you can't 475 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 4: go up there, turned him and says something like, what 476 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 4: are you nuts? This is what we do and know 477 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 4: if they went and reportedly Patty got to the highest 478 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:52,720 Speaker 4: floor of the towers, than anybody. Found a woman but 479 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:55,919 Speaker 4: didn't make it back down. But he had radio transmission 480 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 4: from him way up and he got the highest events 481 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,240 Speaker 4: anybody up there, and he found people to help radio transmission. 482 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:07,360 Speaker 4: I got somebody and him and this man never made 483 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:09,919 Speaker 4: it back down. To me, that's heroic, and that's a 484 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:12,560 Speaker 4: hero A dear friend of mine who came on the job. 485 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 4: But Bernie, his son, was in one of the wolfices 486 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 4: up there and working in Canifit Cheryl and called his 487 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:25,000 Speaker 4: father and said, Dad. 488 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 3: I'm stuck come up here. 489 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:29,919 Speaker 4: And you know, Bernie's his home and rockaway watching on 490 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:35,040 Speaker 4: TV and seeing the whole thing unfold, and he said, 491 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:35,720 Speaker 4: what should I do? 492 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:37,560 Speaker 3: And he said to him go up to the roof. 493 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 3: He said, get to it. If you can't get you 494 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:42,360 Speaker 3: and your people up to the roof, our guys will 495 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:43,040 Speaker 3: get you up there. 496 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:45,359 Speaker 4: At that point, there was a unit that was trained 497 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 4: to go with the helicopters and repel down for highbrids rescues. 498 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:52,720 Speaker 4: You know, he knew about that. He said, our guys 499 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:55,240 Speaker 4: will get you there. Eventually, they'll put the fire out there. 500 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:56,080 Speaker 3: Get up to you. 501 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:58,399 Speaker 4: Shortly after that phone call with his son, watched the 502 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:00,320 Speaker 4: tower go down in front of him on it TV 503 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 4: with his son, and I said, Bernie, you told your 504 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:05,879 Speaker 4: son the same thing I would have told mine. 505 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 3: Don't kick yourself for this. That was the only option, 506 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:10,480 Speaker 3: and it was the right option. 507 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 4: And the best option. It was out of everybody's hands 508 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:13,760 Speaker 4: in that situation. 509 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:16,120 Speaker 3: For sure. He did the right thing, tell them where 510 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 3: to go, and that was the only way to go. 511 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 4: It was a few days later when I was back 512 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 4: there and Father Michael was I consider a close friend. 513 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,520 Speaker 4: He was Patty Brown's very close friend, and both of 514 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:30,680 Speaker 4: them died did that day. They were very close him 515 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,679 Speaker 4: and Patty and I had often said to Father Michael, 516 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:37,240 Speaker 4: is you know the Irish connection and everything. I said, 517 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:39,840 Speaker 4: Father Mike, you know, anything happens to me, you'll be 518 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 4: the one to send me off, And he well, I'll 519 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:45,159 Speaker 4: look after that handy, but I don't you have to 520 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:45,840 Speaker 4: worry about that. 521 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:46,480 Speaker 3: Anyway. 522 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 4: We were at the top of one of the corps 523 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:53,560 Speaker 4: and it was all through the night, and we found 524 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,960 Speaker 4: some guys from Squad eighteen that were down buried in 525 00:25:57,000 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 4: one of the cars and the voids at the top. 526 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,240 Speaker 4: Father Michael's uneral was coming up that morning. Many days later, 527 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 4: we had a thing where if we found somebody one 528 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:10,639 Speaker 4: of our guys, everything stopped. You sent the word down 529 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:15,760 Speaker 4: through the chain line of all the guys. And we 530 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 4: found some guys, some Squad eighteen. So you stop, you 531 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:22,080 Speaker 4: get on the radio, you get word down. We get 532 00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:25,119 Speaker 4: them out and give the honor of the company to 533 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:27,800 Speaker 4: come and get their own men and bring their own 534 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:31,679 Speaker 4: men down, no matter where you were, whatever the company 535 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:34,000 Speaker 4: from Brooklyn's that now in Brox didn't matter. 536 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:35,040 Speaker 3: So we got them out. 537 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:38,200 Speaker 4: We waited for Squid eighteen to come and get their men, 538 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 4: and it took them a long time they come up 539 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 4: and get us. So I couldn't get the father Michael's 540 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:45,000 Speaker 4: schunerl because of that, because I wanted to say, with 541 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 4: the guys up there that morning, the heroes to me 542 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:51,280 Speaker 4: of all the guys that didn't make it over the years. 543 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 4: And then I know personally my dear friend Larry, he 544 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,520 Speaker 4: was a big powerful man. It was early, it was 545 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 4: only a year on the job, early in my career. 546 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,600 Speaker 4: He dragged me into to a fire and we went 547 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:07,399 Speaker 4: and rescued a woman on the second floor. I was 548 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,080 Speaker 4: a proby in those days. We didn't have the mask 549 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 4: or anything, you know, And he grabbed me and we 550 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:16,400 Speaker 4: went in without a hose line. We became a rescue 551 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:19,440 Speaker 4: you know truck because the truck wasn't on the scene. 552 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:22,240 Speaker 4: We rescued this woman. She found her unconscious on the 553 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,159 Speaker 4: second floor, brought her out. He didn't bother putting us 554 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:27,080 Speaker 4: in for any metals or anything like that. He said, 555 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:29,040 Speaker 4: that's this is what we do, kid, you know, this 556 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:31,719 Speaker 4: is welcome to the job. I was just happy to 557 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:34,280 Speaker 4: make it in it out with her and rescue this woman. 558 00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 4: And he became my dear friend, and I learned early 559 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,359 Speaker 4: on from him that it's not about that, you know, 560 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:41,680 Speaker 4: somebody's in help. 561 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:43,280 Speaker 3: Nobody does it for any of that. 562 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:47,160 Speaker 4: And then his best friend was this fellow Larry Fitzpatrick, 563 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 4: who I knew working in one of the bars I 564 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 4: was involved with. It was nineteen eighty. One of the 565 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:55,800 Speaker 4: guys was stuck up in the chef Way in Harlem. 566 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 4: They lowered Larry to go down and get you every frisbee. 567 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:01,159 Speaker 4: So they were a bad jam and the guy was 568 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:03,760 Speaker 4: stuck just like those pictures we showed you last night, 569 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:06,119 Speaker 4: the fireouse and the guys stuck in the windows with 570 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:08,600 Speaker 4: the flames. That was another scenario like that in the 571 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 4: chefway in the tenement, and they lowered Larry on a 572 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:14,919 Speaker 4: rope to go get Jerry, and he got him, grabbed 573 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,440 Speaker 4: Jerry and they started lowering him down and the rope 574 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:19,240 Speaker 4: snapped and the two of them fell five stories to 575 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:19,680 Speaker 4: their death. 576 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:22,919 Speaker 3: Larry had eight. 577 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:28,119 Speaker 4: Kids, whole little That was my early introduction to the 578 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:30,960 Speaker 4: tragedy of the job. And it hit home because he 579 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:31,560 Speaker 4: was a friend. 580 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:36,119 Speaker 2: Right, What originally made you want to be a fighter? 581 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:36,480 Speaker 3: Fighter? 582 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 4: Oh, that's a good story. I never had any clue 583 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 4: about being a firefighter. And I was working in the 584 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,200 Speaker 4: bars out in the Hamptons and some of the summer 585 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 4: clubs out there. This one bar was working in. These 586 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,400 Speaker 4: guys came and were working there and it turned out 587 00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 4: they were firemen, but they were laid off. And it 588 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 4: was this friend of mine, Danny Noonan and Tommy Corning. 589 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,760 Speaker 4: So they we're picking up work wherever they can get it. 590 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:03,800 Speaker 4: You know, the fire department had gone through layoffs. 591 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 3: The city. 592 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:06,160 Speaker 4: I was in a bad time in those days, and 593 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:09,520 Speaker 4: they gave a lot of firemen pink slips and they 594 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:11,760 Speaker 4: didn't know whether the next paycheck was going to come from. 595 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:13,720 Speaker 4: They're telling me, and we get to know each other 596 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 4: and working out there, and they go they said, Danny, 597 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:16,880 Speaker 4: there's a test coming up. 598 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:19,760 Speaker 3: He said, you should think about taking the Finement's test. 599 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 3: I go, really, wow, there's something I didn't think about. 600 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 1: You know. 601 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:25,760 Speaker 4: Then I thought to myself, I said, wait a second. 602 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,480 Speaker 4: These guys just got laid off by the city. They 603 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:34,040 Speaker 4: should be really pissed off. And here they are telling 604 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 4: me you got to take the test for this job. 605 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 3: It's a great job. 606 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:41,320 Speaker 4: So I said, you know Jesus right, if they're telling 607 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:43,360 Speaker 4: me that, this must be a really good job and 608 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 4: they must love it. 609 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:46,080 Speaker 3: Sure enough, I took the test. 610 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 4: And I trained for it with a bunch of my 611 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:51,040 Speaker 4: buddies from the neighborhood, my brother Patrick. We all trained together, 612 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:53,880 Speaker 4: and we all did well enough to get on the job. 613 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:54,960 Speaker 3: I had a goal of it. 614 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 4: I hope I can get into the top thousand because 615 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 4: the matter, boy, you work, how you did under written 616 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 4: did on the physical. I said, I'm going to work 617 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:04,200 Speaker 4: really hard to get into I want to crack a thousand. 618 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 4: After all of a sudden, done my listening was a 619 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:11,800 Speaker 4: thousand and three. I visited by three. But because of 620 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:15,080 Speaker 4: those two guys Tommy and Danny speaking the way they 621 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:19,239 Speaker 4: did of the job, the brotherhood, the times you know 622 00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:22,200 Speaker 4: that they had on the job before they were laid off. 623 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:25,360 Speaker 4: I said, there has to be something to this, and 624 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 4: that's what I did it. It's a lifestyle being a firefighter. 625 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:32,440 Speaker 4: I was fortunate to work in really, really great firehouses, 626 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 4: a lot of people that taught me so many good things, 627 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 4: and I looked up to a lot of guys on 628 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 4: the job. I was fortunate to have that kind of 629 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:45,000 Speaker 4: leadership and friendship and brotherhood. It's more of a lifestyle. 630 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:48,680 Speaker 3: You don't stop being a firefighter when you retire, and you. 631 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:51,600 Speaker 2: Don't stop doing the things that you like to do, 632 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 2: the heroism, the survivors. While we also mourn and remember 633 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:00,760 Speaker 2: the great loss, How did this day change you? 634 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 3: Do? 635 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 4: You just appreciate things more being a firefighter or a 636 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 4: civilian or anything, no matter who you were that day, 637 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 4: it just gave you a different outlook how things are, 638 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:12,080 Speaker 4: how things could be at any moment. 639 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:13,280 Speaker 3: There was always a danger. 640 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:15,960 Speaker 4: I'm sure some of the wives of guys going off 641 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:18,880 Speaker 4: to work were, you know, saying good bye in the morning, 642 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:21,760 Speaker 4: and you know, some of the guys didn't come home. 643 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:25,560 Speaker 4: For a lot of people, the appreciation of everyday life. 644 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:28,520 Speaker 4: My god, if that didn't change your outlook, what the 645 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 4: heck would. 646 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:30,160 Speaker 3: One of the things. 647 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:33,320 Speaker 4: I'll always equate to that and you would appreciate this, Jake. 648 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:36,320 Speaker 4: That's our job, you know, that's we sign up to 649 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:40,520 Speaker 4: do the things we see. The things we do for people. 650 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 4: You don't bring them home to your family at night, 651 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:44,520 Speaker 4: you don't really talk about them. 652 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:46,040 Speaker 3: Yeah. 653 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:49,360 Speaker 4: Yeah, but we signed up for that, just like you did. 654 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:54,680 Speaker 4: The things that the women, the children, the men, the 655 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 4: everyday civilians that they witnessed that day. Only people I 656 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:02,040 Speaker 4: say that go to war or do the kind of 657 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:05,520 Speaker 4: work that we do should have seen this stuff like that. 658 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:07,960 Speaker 4: Those are the people I feel to this day probably 659 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:13,040 Speaker 4: carried out a little tougher the young kids what they witnessed. 660 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:15,920 Speaker 4: Nobody should have seen that horrific stuff that went on 661 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,959 Speaker 4: that day except people like us. That to me is 662 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:23,400 Speaker 4: the untold sadness, maybe a little bit of it. 663 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:26,440 Speaker 1: And I believe too that that's why people like us 664 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,920 Speaker 1: we have an unspoken connection. To me, it's very sad 665 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:34,720 Speaker 1: that it is mainly because of very morbid reasons we 666 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:40,760 Speaker 1: have to experience or have experienced, horrific things that most 667 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 1: people shouldn't have to experience when people say the brotherhood. 668 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:49,520 Speaker 1: I can look at a guy like you and it's unspoken, 669 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,720 Speaker 1: but I get it. I remember being in the hospital 670 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:57,600 Speaker 1: my father telling me your marines are weird, and I 671 00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:00,720 Speaker 1: just remember looking at them and saying, there's no way 672 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: you could understand. And I'm thankful for that. 673 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, there's certain things you got to leave out. 674 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:09,280 Speaker 2: September eleventh, two thousand and one, the day the world 675 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:13,320 Speaker 2: stopped turning, and you as one of fdn y's finest 676 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:19,959 Speaker 2: and with Irish roots, who proudly served your country and 677 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:23,479 Speaker 2: went in on that horrific day and came out and 678 00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:26,600 Speaker 2: did so much and have done so much since to 679 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:29,760 Speaker 2: give back to humankind. We're just we do salute you, 680 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:31,720 Speaker 2: and we love you and we thank you. 681 00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:36,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, you're an exceptional human being. For guys like me, 682 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:38,960 Speaker 1: it is all inspiring to be able to be like 683 00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:41,120 Speaker 1: when we went to the firehouse last night and we 684 00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 1: got to meet those guys and just tell them thank you. 685 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:47,520 Speaker 1: We mean it. It's not the service, trust. 686 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 3: Me, Jake. They know it. There's been a lot of 687 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 3: guys like you have come to the firehouse. 688 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:52,720 Speaker 4: A lot of the seals have come up from Michael 689 00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 4: thing a lot of like the tenant was telling the 690 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:57,960 Speaker 4: last night that the tune that came in role. They 691 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:01,000 Speaker 4: know that what you do and what you done and 692 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,160 Speaker 4: guys like you, the connection is there. 693 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,960 Speaker 3: That's what they felt it last night. It was powerful. 694 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:08,239 Speaker 3: I called the firehouse this. 695 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:11,600 Speaker 4: Morning to thank all the guys and they said, my God, 696 00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:13,839 Speaker 4: that was powerful meeting you guys last night. 697 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:14,920 Speaker 3: The connection is. 698 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:18,040 Speaker 2: There and it's our honor and our country is greater 699 00:34:18,160 --> 00:34:23,480 Speaker 2: because of men like you. In fact, I love hearing 700 00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:26,239 Speaker 2: you tell stories like you were just a true irishman 701 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:29,360 Speaker 2: in such a good storyteller, and you've got stories for days, 702 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:32,160 Speaker 2: and there might have to be like a Danny Manning 703 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:32,759 Speaker 2: episode two. 704 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:33,200 Speaker 4: Babe. 705 00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:36,959 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm all about the Danny Minning part two. 706 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:41,120 Speaker 4: We could talk about the Michael Murphy and to Steven 707 00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:41,920 Speaker 4: Scilla Foundation. 708 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:43,080 Speaker 3: What you guys are in here for. 709 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:47,760 Speaker 2: Absolutely. So. We actually met in a very small town 710 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,880 Speaker 2: in Ireland and County Court called Kinsale, that you and 711 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,680 Speaker 2: I both have very close relation to and Jake's been 712 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:57,720 Speaker 2: a couple times and we just we love that village. 713 00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:00,000 Speaker 2: If you haven't been to Kinsale, you haven't been Ireland. 714 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:03,239 Speaker 2: And the greatest people I mean the greatest people, from 715 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:06,279 Speaker 2: the Frawleys at the White House to James Sikora and 716 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:09,279 Speaker 2: Declan Hughes from Irish Veterans and flash of course you 717 00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:13,040 Speaker 2: Sharon Cross be the biggest personality in the world. You 718 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:15,799 Speaker 2: got to mention them. And Danny and I were both 719 00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:19,000 Speaker 2: there about six years ago at an unveiling of the 720 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:22,360 Speaker 2: Irish Veterans tribute to Lieutenant Michael Murphy who was the 721 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:24,719 Speaker 2: Navy seal that gave his life. I mean, many of 722 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,000 Speaker 2: you are familiar with the lone survivor story and that 723 00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:29,640 Speaker 2: was Lieutenant Michael Murphy. His family, the Murphys are actually 724 00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:32,560 Speaker 2: from that area of County Cork and Ireland as well, 725 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:34,719 Speaker 2: and so we were all there together for a beautiful 726 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:37,640 Speaker 2: day in Kinsale, Ireland to celebrate and honor the life 727 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:41,040 Speaker 2: of Michael Murphy and establish the first Chapter of Irish Veterans, 728 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:43,919 Speaker 2: which were both still a part of absolutely and an 729 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:47,440 Speaker 2: incredible organization. So that is one of the chance meetings 730 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:50,359 Speaker 2: of my life that I just I treasure every day 731 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:52,359 Speaker 2: because you are a true gym and I'm just I'm 732 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 2: so thrilled to. 733 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:56,040 Speaker 4: Remember when you walked up with me with the at 734 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:59,200 Speaker 4: the end when I was. I spoke the ambassador with 735 00:35:59,239 --> 00:36:02,640 Speaker 4: the name tags and said, hey, cuz you have the 736 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:03,160 Speaker 4: same name. 737 00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:06,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, so some of my Irish roots are actually from Manning. 738 00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 2: And when I heard your last name was Manning and 739 00:36:08,719 --> 00:36:11,239 Speaker 2: you were from that same area, I walked up and 740 00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:13,120 Speaker 2: I told you that, and you started calling me cousin. 741 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:17,359 Speaker 2: Now we've done it ever since, my long lost New 742 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:19,640 Speaker 2: York cousin that I met in Ireland. 743 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:24,440 Speaker 4: And but an organization, the people of Cansale have embraced it, 744 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:26,160 Speaker 4: along with the nine to eleven Garden. 745 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 2: And that's one of the first places I took Jake 746 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:29,200 Speaker 2: when we went to Kensale a couple of years ago. 747 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:30,879 Speaker 2: I said, you have to come see this. And that's 748 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:32,840 Speaker 2: why we say the world stopped turning that day, the 749 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:36,600 Speaker 2: fact that in a tiny village in County Cork and Ireland, 750 00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:39,400 Speaker 2: there's actually a hall in the white House that's a 751 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:42,160 Speaker 2: tribute to nine to eleven. And then not too far 752 00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 2: from there, up on this beautiful hill overlooking the bay 753 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:48,680 Speaker 2: the harbor, rather, there's a garden that has three hundred 754 00:36:48,719 --> 00:36:51,200 Speaker 2: and forty three trees planted in this garden with the 755 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:53,840 Speaker 2: name of a firefighter that lost their life on September eleventh, 756 00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:56,759 Speaker 2: two thousand and one, on every tree, and then there's 757 00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:59,480 Speaker 2: a beautiful monument paying tribute to that as well. This 758 00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:02,200 Speaker 2: isn't can sale Ireland a world away. 759 00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:05,759 Speaker 1: I remember the day we went, and it was it 760 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:12,920 Speaker 1: was very moving because Flash it's the greatest. He's one 761 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:15,359 Speaker 1: of the greatest humans in the world. And he put, 762 00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:19,440 Speaker 1: oh my gosh, I hadn't laughed that hard, I think 763 00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:22,240 Speaker 1: since I was in the Marine Corps and I remember 764 00:37:22,280 --> 00:37:26,000 Speaker 1: Flash dropping us. We got out and he explained, this 765 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:28,520 Speaker 1: is what it is, and this goes to show you 766 00:37:28,560 --> 00:37:30,840 Speaker 1: how much and I love and affected the entire world. 767 00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:33,640 Speaker 1: Clearly flashed me my background from the Marine Corps, and 768 00:37:34,239 --> 00:37:37,360 Speaker 1: he knew just to let us, let us be, you know. 769 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,640 Speaker 1: Nashley and I grabbed hands and we walked through this 770 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:42,959 Speaker 1: whole thing. Never said a word. 771 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 3: He had. 772 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:47,480 Speaker 1: A million things were said, but it was all in 773 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:51,680 Speaker 1: silence and respect and honor. And it's just a beautiful 774 00:37:51,719 --> 00:37:54,800 Speaker 1: thing to see that they get it all over the world. 775 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:58,879 Speaker 1: And if we could just get back to who we 776 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:00,240 Speaker 1: were on nine to twelve. 777 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:03,560 Speaker 4: And it's because of nine to twelve. Fast forward, you know, 778 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:07,800 Speaker 4: Father Michael was dear friends with Kathleen Murphy who started 779 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:11,600 Speaker 4: the garden, whose property is on ohow and so that's 780 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:14,560 Speaker 4: why it is a tribute. It's the father Michael, that's right, 781 00:38:14,719 --> 00:38:19,920 Speaker 4: Judge nine to eleven Garden remembrance and it is because 782 00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:23,880 Speaker 4: of generosity nine to twelve Kathleen Murphy, who was a 783 00:38:23,880 --> 00:38:28,320 Speaker 4: long time Lenox Hill Hospital emergency room nurse who treated 784 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:30,640 Speaker 4: many of our guys over the years. It was because 785 00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:35,239 Speaker 4: of her compassion and sorrow and respect for all the 786 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:38,280 Speaker 4: three hundred and forty three of us that the guys 787 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:40,759 Speaker 4: had to make it that she came up to his 788 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:43,200 Speaker 4: idea to plant a tree and everybody's name in the 789 00:38:43,239 --> 00:38:46,040 Speaker 4: garden of respect to them. This woman took care of 790 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:49,000 Speaker 4: a lot of firemen over the years on her own property, 791 00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:51,880 Speaker 4: building this out of our own money and did everything 792 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:54,279 Speaker 4: on our own with the help of the villagers there 793 00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:56,359 Speaker 4: and can sail and people from all around the world 794 00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:57,239 Speaker 4: come to visit this. 795 00:38:57,239 --> 00:38:59,000 Speaker 2: Garden now and it's beautiful. 796 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:02,120 Speaker 4: We were there that I'm one for the dedication for 797 00:39:02,239 --> 00:39:05,360 Speaker 4: Michael Murphy, a lot of the Navy personnel, of the Seals, 798 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:08,279 Speaker 4: the ambassador, we had a brief laying ceremony there with 799 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:12,759 Speaker 4: Ambassador Cammalley. What I thought about there was like, look 800 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:15,400 Speaker 4: at this now in the small little spot of the world. 801 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 3: Here is this monument now, and it's a living monument. 802 00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:21,400 Speaker 4: You know a lot of monuments he around the country, 803 00:39:21,719 --> 00:39:26,360 Speaker 4: steel concrete. This is a living, growing monument that's forever living. 804 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:28,080 Speaker 4: I have it in that village where I used to 805 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:30,640 Speaker 4: go as a young boy. When I found out that 806 00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:33,040 Speaker 4: that was there, and the connection of Michael Murphy. He 807 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:36,080 Speaker 4: had a nickname, the Protector, and I think I might 808 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 4: have spoke about this at the dedication. How the irony 809 00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:43,280 Speaker 4: of it now that Michael Murphy, who won my company 810 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:48,440 Speaker 4: patch on all those missions, being known amongst his men 811 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:51,440 Speaker 4: as the Protector, and growing up as his family used 812 00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:54,279 Speaker 4: to say, that was this sort of moniker that there 813 00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:57,279 Speaker 4: he is now in the village that can sail with 814 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:02,799 Speaker 4: the Irish Veterans memorial in the beautiful white house, and 815 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,960 Speaker 4: they were the men the three forty three up on 816 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:08,160 Speaker 4: the hill. It's like, it's just the irony of it 817 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:10,600 Speaker 4: to me, poetic is about to be a better word 818 00:40:10,680 --> 00:40:14,080 Speaker 4: that to Protector in the village still being there for 819 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:16,239 Speaker 4: the men whose patch he wore. 820 00:40:17,719 --> 00:40:21,360 Speaker 3: That to me is really irony, right, poetic. 821 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:25,840 Speaker 4: But you know that iconic photograph actually that we know 822 00:40:25,920 --> 00:40:29,720 Speaker 4: the song about. My friend Dave mcgilton from County Cowalk 823 00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:32,680 Speaker 4: Island wrote about he's in Ireland and he sees his 824 00:40:32,719 --> 00:40:36,799 Speaker 4: photograph of father Michael being carried in a chair by 825 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:40,920 Speaker 4: first responders to Biman and police, and he wrote a 826 00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:41,640 Speaker 4: song about it. 827 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:43,640 Speaker 3: The Sky Belongs to the Dreamers. 828 00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:46,279 Speaker 4: You know, it's one of the many, many tidbits to 829 00:40:46,320 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 4: the stories that a lot of them are untold still today. 830 00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:54,000 Speaker 2: Probably what do you do to relax or recharge? 831 00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:57,719 Speaker 4: Being that I retired now, I kicked back at the 832 00:40:57,760 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 4: house and there's always something to do around the house, 833 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:02,279 Speaker 4: fixing things up, going to the beach, and we like 834 00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:03,480 Speaker 4: to travel to Ireland. 835 00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:08,040 Speaker 1: Name a person or organization that you can think of 836 00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:12,600 Speaker 1: that has had a massive impact on your life. 837 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:14,759 Speaker 4: I guess I can go back to that earlier story 838 00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:18,000 Speaker 4: where I told about Larry Fitzpatrick and Larry dying on 839 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:21,239 Speaker 4: the rope trying to save another brother. I'd say that 840 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:23,279 Speaker 4: impacted me because it was close. 841 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:25,480 Speaker 2: To home, you know what feeds your soul. 842 00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:26,560 Speaker 3: Family. 843 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:30,920 Speaker 4: Blessed to have great parents, I sort of struggles. They 844 00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:34,560 Speaker 4: had come into this country as immigrants, from Ireland, not 845 00:41:34,680 --> 00:41:37,200 Speaker 4: much in their pocket, the life type hard to give 846 00:41:37,239 --> 00:41:40,560 Speaker 4: me and my brother Patrick put money together they could 847 00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:43,560 Speaker 4: to bring us home to Ireland every other summer and 848 00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:47,759 Speaker 4: live on the farm and milk the cows and had 849 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:49,640 Speaker 4: my you know, have the horses and go to the 850 00:41:49,680 --> 00:41:52,040 Speaker 4: creamery with the milk, and I'd get an ice cream 851 00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:54,759 Speaker 4: as a reward from my uncle for doing that. And 852 00:41:55,760 --> 00:41:57,879 Speaker 4: so the struggles they had to give us that kind 853 00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:01,400 Speaker 4: of life early on, to show where they came from 854 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:05,280 Speaker 4: the farms in Ireland and not having much to their life, 855 00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:08,000 Speaker 4: and my mother leaving the country as a young woman 856 00:42:08,160 --> 00:42:10,239 Speaker 4: in search of a better life, never seeing some of 857 00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:14,319 Speaker 4: a family again ever, same with my father. That gave 858 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:19,400 Speaker 4: me a sense of family that my kids today have. 859 00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:26,920 Speaker 4: That's to me the best gift. And that doesn't feed you, sol, 860 00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:29,360 Speaker 4: I don't know what does, Amen. 861 00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:32,240 Speaker 1: And that's the I think the most beautiful part about 862 00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:34,200 Speaker 1: that too is it's generational right. 863 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:37,160 Speaker 2: You've truly carried it on. You have a beautiful family, 864 00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:41,640 Speaker 2: truly blessed because thank you, thank you so much for 865 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:43,720 Speaker 2: being here with us on the good stuff. 866 00:42:43,800 --> 00:42:45,840 Speaker 1: I can't put in the words so much I appreciate 867 00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:50,440 Speaker 1: you and your brothers and your sacrifices and what you've 868 00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:52,920 Speaker 1: done to make this not only this country, but this 869 00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:56,759 Speaker 1: world a better place. And it is truly I mean 870 00:42:56,800 --> 00:42:58,640 Speaker 1: it in ever since the word and honor. 871 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:01,720 Speaker 4: To do this with you, well, this has been totally 872 00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:05,200 Speaker 4: my pleasure. I just hope I have represented all my 873 00:43:05,320 --> 00:43:08,600 Speaker 4: guys the way they should have been represented, because it's 874 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:10,920 Speaker 4: all about them, the true eros of nine to eleven, 875 00:43:11,320 --> 00:43:13,800 Speaker 4: the guys that we told some of the stories about. 876 00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:16,000 Speaker 4: And thank you so much for having me you guys 877 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:18,520 Speaker 4: fabulous and Jake, the admiration I have for you and 878 00:43:18,560 --> 00:43:19,359 Speaker 4: your men. 879 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:21,200 Speaker 3: Is heartfelt throughout the whole. 880 00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:24,480 Speaker 4: Fire department, and the brotherhood is there. 881 00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:35,399 Speaker 2: We love you. Wow. What a gift to be able 882 00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:39,680 Speaker 2: to sit down with FDNY Firefighter retired Danny Manning and 883 00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:43,800 Speaker 2: hear his first hand account of being at ground zero 884 00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:47,319 Speaker 2: on nine to eleven, two thousand and one. Just unbelievable. 885 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:53,200 Speaker 1: I mean, talk about perspective on enjoying life and how 886 00:43:53,239 --> 00:43:55,240 Speaker 1: precious it is and fragile. 887 00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:58,320 Speaker 2: It is and can never take a single day for granted. 888 00:43:59,080 --> 00:44:01,319 Speaker 2: I mean, we are so truly blessed, not only to 889 00:44:01,360 --> 00:44:03,480 Speaker 2: live in this country, but just to be breathing and 890 00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:06,120 Speaker 2: to have our health and our family and our friends, 891 00:44:06,360 --> 00:44:09,959 Speaker 2: and how much does he treasure those things now after 892 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:11,160 Speaker 2: having lived through that day. 893 00:44:11,480 --> 00:44:14,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think is fairly obvious to me, after having 894 00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:17,640 Speaker 1: the honor and privileges sitting here and listening to that, 895 00:44:17,640 --> 00:44:21,520 Speaker 1: that it's exactly why Danny is one of the happiest 896 00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:22,880 Speaker 1: people on the planet. 897 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:26,160 Speaker 2: Right, He absolutely is. And you know, to know his 898 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:28,520 Speaker 2: beginnings and where he came from. His parents were born 899 00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:31,640 Speaker 2: in Ireland, and then he talked about his summers in Ireland, 900 00:44:31,640 --> 00:44:34,239 Speaker 2: which is just so heartwarming, and then he comes over 901 00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:37,440 Speaker 2: here he decides to serve our country and this wasn't 902 00:44:37,640 --> 00:44:40,200 Speaker 2: you know, the first of his many escapades as a 903 00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:43,399 Speaker 2: New York firefighter. But in Jine fifty three Latter forty three, 904 00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:47,960 Speaker 2: l Barrio's Bravest. What an incredible group of men that 905 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:50,560 Speaker 2: are just so selfless, and it just makes you so 906 00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:53,000 Speaker 2: proud to be an American to know that guys like 907 00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:56,319 Speaker 2: Danny and his brothers are willing to put it all 908 00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:59,439 Speaker 2: on the line for us. 909 00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:02,279 Speaker 1: No doubt about it. They're all heroes, and they're all 910 00:45:02,400 --> 00:45:05,560 Speaker 1: mighty men and women, And to all the heroes that 911 00:45:05,680 --> 00:45:08,440 Speaker 1: died that day and in service to our Great Country, 912 00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:14,320 Speaker 1: Patty Brown, Father, Michael, Larry Fitzpatrick. I promise you we 913 00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:15,200 Speaker 1: will never forget. 914 00:45:15,920 --> 00:45:18,840 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening. If this episode touched 915 00:45:18,880 --> 00:45:20,920 Speaker 2: you today, please share it and be part of making 916 00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:22,160 Speaker 2: someone else's day better. 917 00:45:22,840 --> 00:45:25,200 Speaker 1: Put on your badass capes and be great today, and 918 00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:29,919 Speaker 1: remember you can't do epic stuff without epic people. Thank 919 00:45:29,960 --> 00:45:36,480 Speaker 1: you for listening to the good Stuff. The Good Stuff 920 00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:40,920 Speaker 1: is executive produced by Ashley Shick, Jacob Schick, Leah Pictures and. 921 00:45:40,920 --> 00:45:41,760 Speaker 3: Q Code Media. 922 00:45:42,520 --> 00:45:46,319 Speaker 1: Hosted by Ashley Shick and Jacob Shick, Produced by Nick 923 00:45:46,360 --> 00:45:52,840 Speaker 1: Cassilini and Ryan Countshouse. Post production supervisor Will Tindi. Music 924 00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:58,440 Speaker 1: by Will haywood Smith, edited by Mike Robinson, sound effects 925 00:45:58,440 --> 00:45:59,360 Speaker 1: by Eric Aaron