Closure: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Recovery Mission [Hardcover]

William Keegan (Author), Bart Davis (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2006

One of the four Operations Commanders of the World Trade Center site chronicles the rescue and recovery mission at Ground Zero from September 11, 2001, through the end of operations on May 30, 2002, while telling the story of his own struggle to make peace with all that he saw there. On the morning of 9/11, the Port Authority Police Department was the first uniformed service to respond to the attack on the World Trade Center. When the towers collapsed, thirty-seven of its officers were killed -- the largest loss of law enforcement officers in U.S. history. That afternoon, Lieutenant William Keegan began the work of recovery. The FDNY and NYPD had the territory, but Keegan had the map. PA cops could stand on top of six stories of debris and point to where a stairwell had been; they used PATH tunnels to enter "the pile" from underneath. Closure includes many never-before-told stories, including how Keegan and his officers recovered 1,000 tons of gold and silver from a secret vault to keep the Commodities Exchange from crashing; discovered what appeared to be a black box from one of the planes that hit the towers; and helped raise the inspirational steel beam cross that has become the site's icon. For nine brutal months, the men at Ground Zero wrestled with 1.8 million tons of shattered concrete, twisted steel, body parts, political pressure, and their own grief. Closure tells the unforgettable story of their sacrifice and valor, and how Keegan led the smallest of all the uniformed services at the site to become the most valuable.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What makes this personal account of the post-9/11 recovery effort at the World Trade Center site particularly moving is the willingness of Keegan, an operation commander at the site, to delve into unsettling issues. The 20-year Port Authority Police Department veteran understandably lauds the work of his fellow NYPD and FDNY officers as they sifted the rubble from the terrorist attacks: "In the midst of hell we found the face of God," he writes. But he freely discusses the emotional strain of looking, day after day, for bodies—or parts of bodies—of the victims, many of them colleagues and friends. At the same time, Keegan is critical of the therapists sent to counsel the workers as "too eager and intrusive," aggressively pursuing those who simply wanted to be alone for a few minutes. He also discusses his campaign to win public recognition for PAPD recovery workers, who had a much lower profile than those of the NYPD and fire department. In the end, his efforts succeeded: it was Port Authority officers who raised the steel-beam cross that became the site's symbol. Only those made of something stronger than steel will fail to be deeply moved by this book. 16 pages of b&w photos. (Sept. 11)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Nothing in the 15 years he worked the graveyard shift with the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD)--not even the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center--prepared Keegan for 9/11. What he had to draw on instead was the experience of learning that his young daughter was severely retarded, and coping with that knowledge and the daily demands on his faith. Keegan provides an intense look at the 9/11 tragedy and the loss of life in his department, one charged with responsibility for the WTC complex. PAPD, the first to respond, lost more personnel than the police department and a greater percentage than the fire department. Keegan recalls the nine months his team spent at Ground Zero, slowly removing twisted steel, recovering bodies, and comforting families. Keegan interweaves his personal struggle to not bring the difficulties of his job home and the crushing demands on himself and his team as they sought to make peace with what had happened to their colleagues and the nation. A very powerful and personal testament. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (August 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743291867
• ISBN-13: 978-0743291866
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,373,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Father of Ground Zero, August 28, 2006

By 

Michele A. Hansen (Staten Island, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Closure: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Recovery Mission (Hardcover)

Lt. William Keegan never expected the horrific job he was about to be put in charge of, "Rescue and Recovery" of Ground Zero. Let me first commend your wife Karen and your three daughters Kristine, Tara, and Rory for the support and love they gave you every day. Without this it would have been an impossible task for you to handle Ground Zero. Your book gives me closure in many ways. There is not one person who can say they didn't know someone that was involved or perished on that sorrowful day. It enlightens me to see how the rescue and recovery was handled and shows how the departments of the PAPD, NYPD and FDNY finally realized that everyone was there for the same reason. Hopefully to find people still alive. In my opinion the book is fantastic and everyone should read it. It tells the details of how you looked in every area hoping to find someone to "Rescue or Recover". This book was written for everyone. Bill Keagan never gave up he was always there trying to bring closure for all the families involved. I'm sure the hardest part of 9-11 was when the rescuers would find a friend. But in the end they had "CLOSURE". Great Book. Totally enlighten me as to what the rescue workers went thru and how they survived during that time.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story everyone needs to hear, August 28, 2006

By 

Michele Staranka (Verona, New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Closure: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Recovery Mission (Hardcover)

"Closure" is an emotional, informative, and ultimately fascinating account of the Ground Zero recovery efforts, led in part by Lt. William Keegan, the PAPD night commander of the recovery crew. Keegan offers an inside look at the countless obstacles and routine horror the crew encountered at the site on a daily basis, as well as the tolls such unwavering dedication and efforts would take on his family life. Keegan also discusses the NYC politics that came into play during these many months of recovery, which sometimes presented even more obstacles for Keegan and his guys.
"Closure" is an emotional read but also an incredibly informative one, proving that after five years, there is still plenty to be learned about 9/11 and the Ground Zero recovery. As a lifelong New Jersey resident, I thought I had read or heard everything there was to know about 9/11 and the recovery. However, Keegan brings to light several facts I wasn't aware of, two of which have to do with the black boxes and the gold that was found.
At times horrific and highly emotional but also incredibly informative and inspiring, "Closure" is a remarkable read.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Closure' is a testimony to the courage & resilience of ordinary people, August 24, 2006

By 

Nan Penman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Closure: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Recovery Mission (Hardcover)

Bill Keegan is a natural storyteller and, although, the tales he weaves together in CLOSURE are heartbreaking, they are an inspiring testament to the courage and resilience of ordinary human beings. As night commander of the clean up at Ground Zero, Bill Keegan's personal history and professionalism as a police officer for the Port Authority Police Department combined to make him the "right person for the right job." His harrowing tales of the nine months that he and his fellow comrades spent as rescue and recovery workers are softened by his insights, humor and compassion for all whose lives were destroyed or forever changed by 9/11. We are all better-informed and enlarged citizens by these stories that he so poignantly shares with his readers.

Nan Penman
08/24/06