Customer Reviews

The First Responders - The Untold Story of the New York City Police Department & Sept 11, 2001

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On 9/11/01, I left work early because I was too stunned to function at my office job, knowing what was happening a couple of miles south in lower Manhattan. With the subways and busses not running, I spent hours zigzagging downtown, dazed and helpless, but mindlessly trying to get closer to the scene - hitting police barricades from the East River to the Hudson. Eventually, after many drinks, I fell asleep at a friend's apartment in Chelsea, and like millions of other New Yorkers, spent the next few months assimilating what had happened.

That was a day I don't like to relive, and this book was not an easy read, emotionally. Still, I couldn't put it down. This well-researched and fast-paced account brings home the experiences of the NYPD emergency teams who were the first on the scene. Written by a New York police officer, from interviews with the officers who nearly perished saving lives, it's a fascinating and important perspective on a subject I thought had been squeezed dry. Only a police officer could have written this book, in this way, with this kind of impact - and while it's certainly not a book only for cops, any policeman or policewoman reading it will feel proud of what made them, and their comrades at the scene of 9/11, choose their profession.

Length:: 1:45 Mins

This is no story! It's a moment by moment first-hand account of New York's First Responders on the most tragic day in American history to date. An amazingly well written transcription of actual events unfolding in real time and told by those who lived it. (including many never before published photos.)

The First Responders may be the most accurate record the world will ever have regarding the events of September 11, 2001. This is not a book you simply read, it's one you will FEEL.

Beautifully written first hand account from the men and women of the NYPD who where the first responders to 9/11.This one of the most enjoyable books I have read, with many insights into that fateful and terrible day that where previously untold.

I was told about this book by a good friend of mine (a retired NYPD Sergeant) who lost his son on 9/11, His son Jason was VP for Cantor Fitzgerald.
This book really is a play by play of the events, feelings and thoughts of the ESU cops who worked that day. It really makes you feel the pain and courage of the officers who worked that day.
There is one section that talks about my husband and his Billy Bob teeth. I have that picture the author was taking about, actually my son has it in his room.
The book both made me smile and cry, I couldn't put it down.

If you haven't seen it yet and you like this book then watch "Twin Towers" By Rob Port and Bill Guttentag

This was a moving review of the events that transpired from the personal perspective of the men and women who were there in the beginning moments of the worst attack on U.S. soil in modern times.

Anthea Appel, with her background in law enforcement, was perfectly suited to mingle with and gain the trust of these shock troops who opened up to a fellow officer who could understand what they saw and faced during the worst of the attack.

The personal stories and accounts of the disaster from each man and woman's view was eye opening. I was recovering from a hospital visit when I read the book in my hospital room and I could barely put it down. It brought back all the memories of that horrible day and showed Americans at their very best. Always in the background was a tangible recognition of the evil that perpetrated this event on the American nation and it made me remember to stand first for America and that great Americans walk among us every day if we only open our eyes.

The stories about the first real flag raising and the hunts for teams along with the sobering reality of the loss of so many lives with the tattered remains of the E.S.U. officers when the leadership pulled all of the remaining crews together. 14 lives lost and a sense of just how lucky the survivors were and how many people the entire ESU had saved by doing their jobs. It makes me want to shake the hands of these men and women. They are some of our best and America is better for having had them in our midst.

One hopes that our government learns that evil does exist, that it plots against us and that ordinary men and women face these things down and remain free and willing to defend that freedom with acts of heroism and true valor just as the ESU displayed with uncommon distinction.

Buy and read this book. It will open your eyes.

Ms. Appel Through Research and Interview's With The First Resopnder's of the NYPD Has Brought Together The True and Un Embellished, Tales of those faced With A herculian Task, Acting In teams Brought Together at the Scene, they Proceeded To Form A concerted Mission of Search and Rescue, With The Equipment at hand, Disregarding there own safety
Ms. Appel Was Able To Bring out the Frustration and tears Of The Men Without Shame, as They Strove To Reach those Trapped
It Is The One Demonstrative Story Of The Untold Response of the NYPD And The member's of the NYPD Emergency service unit
Ms. Appel, as A Retired NYPD Police Officer Assembled The Fact's and To this Gripping tale, Of Devotion To Duty in The Highest Example of The NYPD With out Citing One person, Rather the Teamwork and Trust Shared By the NYPD First responder's

A call for duty turns into one of the most suspense-driven heroic act of our times. In the best of worlds, this would have been a great fictitious novel. Unfortunately, these stories are real. Poignant, dramatic, thrilling and so close to home, this page turner will have you reconsider the purpose of your life, your work and how you view your neighbor. With in-depth research on facts and characters, the truth of the matter unfolds as if you were there. This read will leave you amazed and inspired by the greatness of these men and women whose dedication to serve the lives of others made them, despite themselves, our heroes.

While many firefighters lost their lives that day and are rightfully given praise, you haven't heard much about the 23 NYPD officers who lost their lives at the WTC. This book tells the story of what many of them did that day and gives a different slant on the event. While it could be a little confusing with all the different officers and where they were, I feel like I have a new understanding of what the police do in catastrophic events and how they are just as dedicated to helping others as firefighters are. The book also follows up on the aftermath, such as discussing the different physical problems the officers developed from breathing the air at Ground Zero. This book is well worth reading!