As he helped out at his local church while off-duty on the morning of 11 September, John McCole had absolutely no idea of the horror he would encounter later at the World Trade Center. He was urgently recalled to work and two minutes away from the collapsed first tower, he heard the words 'The second tower is down' being frantically repeated on his radio. This book begins as John enters the aftermath of the WTC collapse - the hot air thick with ash, twisted metal and debris, fires, rescue services, casualties and chaos. 'I thought if there's a hell, this is what it must look like.' It continues through the nightmare days that followed and explores the emotional and physical strain that he faced and how he dealt with it. As the months have passed, John has gradually gained perspective and he shares his memories of life as a firefighter with the many colleagues that he lost in the tragedy. The Second Tower is Down is a gripping, moving, personal story of one man who had to endure the unendurable.
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About the Author
John McCole is a third generation New York firefighter who has been with the New York Fire Department for over seventeen years. He has worked as a training officer at the Fire Department Academy and has served in many fire stations throughout New York. John is also a member of the Nikon Owners' Club International and has photos that he took himself on 11 September.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From the 9/11 disaster to inspiration and hope!,
By
This review is from: The Second Tower's Down (Paperback)
John McCole has done something amazing in this book. His vivid descriptions of the carnage are so gut-wrenching that the reader sometimes wonders if it will be bearable to turn the page. At the same time, it is impossible to put the book down.John's honesty about his emotional and physical state through all the grueling weeks of work at Ground Zero is truly remarkable. I found myself almost "becoming" a NY firefighter, as if I were actually experiencing each situation with John and the other firefighters. I have read other accounts of 9/11 and its aftermath, but this is really the BEST of them all. The reason I say this is because even though the pain, sorrow and destruction sears a path straight through your heart, at the end of the book is great hope and inspiration. John discovered a way to alleviate the emotional pain and physical destruction of his days at Ground Zero, and he shares this with us all. He shows us that even under the worst of circumstances, something CAN be done about it, and he then proceeds not only to do it for himself, but makes sure that all his firefighting brethren can benefit as well. I would like to thank John McCole for lifting us up from the effects of our tragedy, and pointing us to the way out of the trauma of 9/11. This book is definitely a MUST-READ for every American!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fine account of 9/11,
By
This review is from: The Second Tower's Down (Paperback)
After 9/11, the American people gained a new respect for those who work in the emergency services. Before that attack, how many publishers would have thought of producing a book by a New York firefighter? Each plane carried 15,000 gallons of fuel, which when ignited by the impact caused 1000-degree fires. Each impact was about a million tons. More than 300 firefighters were killed. The attacks showed how cowardly and ugly terrorism is - the Vietnamese never resorted to terrorism, despite years of aggression and occupation, of chemical and biological attacks and repeated nuclear threats. Think of the sheer courage it took to run into the burning towers that morning, to evacuate everyone that they could. They have a working class pride in doing your job: "We all continued to do our jobs. That was our hallmark." Afterwards, the hellish horror, the sights, sounds and smells, the shock, played over and over again in their minds. 400 firefighters with sleeping eating and breathing problems had to take medical leave. The employer offered no help to those stuck in grief and loss. So McCole took responsibility for his workmates' health, insisting that the union got the firefighters to follow a programme of diet, exercise and saunas. He ends with an eloquent appeal: "For those of us in the Fire Department, caring for the families of our brotherhood has become a part of our everyday affairs. But the responsibility to do likewise will be borne by everyone in some way, somehow. As the years roll on, the most positive effect that the events of 9/11 can have is that we recognise we all share the common purpose of caring for one another. I can only hope that the compassion shown by my brothers in the Fire Department on that fateful day will be an example to others in the years to come. I'm proud to have served with you."
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bringing It Home,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Second Tower's Down (Paperback)
Lt. McCole's book was a very personal account of this tragedy that gave me a new understanding of 9-11. I got a clear picture of what the day to day operation of cleaning up was like and it wasn't pretty. His sharing of how he dealt with this and how he came through it was inspirational. JV - Florida
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