9/11 Still Resonates for Some Recruits

9/11 Still Resonates for Some Recruits
Sep 11, 2012
Military.com
by Richard Sisk

When the planes hit the World Trade Center, Caitlin Stubbs of Sergeantsville, N.J. was a 6-year-old on vacation with with her family in California.

She remembers that her parents wouldn’t let her watch the TV, and she remembers learning later that her father would have been on business in one of the Twin Towers if not for the California trip.

The memory of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, that killed 2,753 in Lower Manhattan, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 in Shanksville, Pa., may have faded as a motivating factor for young people thinking of joining the military. But for Stubbs, it’s still personal.

“If I could, I’d go Recon,” said the 17-year-old, who has signed up with the approval of her parents to report to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, S.C. later this year.

The Marines don’t allow women to serve in its Force Reconnaissance teams of special operators. She has set her sights on joining one of the Female Engagement Teams operating in Afghanistan. The teams reach out to women who are barred by tradition from speaking with unrelated males.

Eleven years after 9/11, about 12 percent of potential recruits still cite the terrorist attacks as a factor that made them want to join. Contrary to popular belief, recruiting offices didn’t fill up after 9/11 like they did after the attack on Pearl Harbor. A modest rise in enlistments followed 9/11, but that increase quickly dissipated as the nation got caught up in two grinding wars.

By 2006, the services were missing recruiting goals. They began lowering standards and offering enlistment bonuses to draw volunteers. In 2003, 94 percent of Army active-duty recruits had high school degrees. Four years later that number had fallen to 82 percent, according to the Army Recruiting Command.
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The Remarkable Untold Story of the 9/11 Surfer

The Remarkable Untold Story of the 9/11 Surfer
By Hillary Ossip
Mon Sep 10, 2012

Tune in to the premiere of The 9/11 Surfer on Tuesday, September 11 at 8 PM E/P.

The 9/11 Surfer documents what could be the last untold survival story from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. This documentary tells the true story of 9/11 survivor Pasquale Buzzelli, who rode a blizzard of falling debris from a 22nd floor stairwell of the World Trade Center’s North Tower and lived to tell the tale.

The firemen who rescued Mr. Buzzelli shared his remarkable story of survival with the media. However, Mr. Buzzelli did not come forward, and his captivating story became a myth, an urban legend, and an enigma that gave rise to much speculation.
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PTSD After Trauma

Battling PTSD and TBI

I could have told them and even tried to tell them about 11 years ago. It was because of this day in our history, I decided to self-publish my book, that no one wanted to read back then. It was published in April of 2002 because I knew the attack on our soil would cause mild PTSD veterans to suffer the secondary stressor even less were talking about. By October 2001 troops were already sent into Afghanistan.

No I was not a lone voice crying in the dark, it was just no one was listening to any of us. The truth is, most of them still don't and that is why things are so bad for our veterans coming home from combat.

Battling PTSD and TBI
By MARK THOMPSON
TIME.com

Somehow seems fitting on the 11th anniversary of 9/11 to note that the Pentagon has just announced it is funneling $100 million into a pair of new efforts to try to find out how better to fight the scourge of post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury triggered by the post-9/11 wars.

“PTSD and mTBI are two of the most devastating injuries suffered by our warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Dr. Terry Rauch, Program Director for Defense Medical Research and Development within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Department of Defense. “Identifying better treatments for those impacted is critical.”

The “consortia,” as the Pentagon calls the two initiatives, are the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD (CAP) and the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (CENC). They will be managed jointly by the Department of Veterans Affairs and, on behalf of the Defense Department, by what the Pentagon calls its Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (military mathematical truth: the more overhead dedicated to an effort, the less oversight it gets).

– For PTSD, CAP “will study potential indicators of the trauma, as well as prevention strategies, possible interventions, and improved treatments. Biomarker-based researched will be a key factor for CAP’s studies,” the CDMRP says. PTSD afflicts some troops after combat tours, and causes anxiety, depression and other mental ills.

– For mTBI, CENC will try “to establish an understanding of the aftereffects of an mTBI. Potential comorbidities also will be studied; that is, conditions that are associated with and worsen because of a neurotrauma,” the CDMRP says. TBI is a physical wound – a concussion — usually suffered by troops near the shock waves of an improvised explosive device. It can bruise the brain and cause mood changes, fatigue, and sleeping more – or less – than usual.
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'Dirty bomb' threat at hospitals remains, GAO report says

'Dirty bomb' threat at hospitals remains, GAO report says
By ANNE GEARAN
The Washington Post
Published: September 10, 2012

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have failed to implement safeguards to secure radiological materials that could be used in a "dirty bomb" at nearly four out of every five high-risk hospitals and medical facilities nationwide, according to a draft report by congressional investigators.

Eleven years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks focused attention on the possibility that terrorists could use crude nuclear devices, the analysis by the Government Accountability Office described numerous instances of failure to secure highly radioactive material at hospitals.

"Medical facilities currently are not required to take any specific actions to make sure these materials are safe, and many have very sloppy practices, which is remarkable nearly 11 years after 9/11," according to a copy of the draft scheduled for release Tuesday and provided to The Washington Post.
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58 cancers receive 9/11 fund coverage

58 cancers receive 9/11 fund coverage
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 10:02 PM EDT, Mon September 10, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The addition finalizes a June proposal
An estimated 950 to 2,150 people are expected to take advantage
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg hails the move

(CNN) -- Federal health authorities Monday added 58 types of cancer to the list of covered illnesses for people who were exposed to toxins at the site of the World Trade Center in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

The addition finalizes a recommendation from Dr. John Howard, administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program. Howard proposed in June that the program accept the recommendations of its Science/Technical Advisory Committee and add some cancers to the coverage list -- 14 categories in all.

Firefighters responding to 9/11 at increased cancer risk

The advisory committee review called for expanded "coverage for certain types of cancer resulting from exposure to toxins released at Ground Zero."

"The publication of this final rule marks an important step in the effort to provide needed treatment and care to 9/11 responders and survivors through the WTC Health Program," Howard said in a statement Monday.

The rule is expected to be published Wednesday in the Federal Register, and will take effect 30 days after its publication, Howard said.
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Former FBI officer saw legions of angels at Flight 93 site

Former officer claims she saw angels at Flight 93
Woman has PTSD linked to her role in the investigation of the Sept. 11 terror attacks
By Joe Mandak
Associated Press
July 03, 2012

PITTSBURGH — A former FBI employee with post-traumatic stress disorder linked to her role in the investigation of the Sept. 11 terror attacks has written a book about seeing legions of angels guarding the Pennsylvania site where a hijacked airliner crashed.
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Widow of 9-11 Flight 93 pilot passed away

Widow of 9/11 pilot dies 'peacefully'
By THE DENVER POST
May 26, 2012

DENVER — Sandy Dahl, who channeled the tragedy of her husband's death on Sept. 11, 2001, into a powerful campaign to honor his memory, has died.

Dahl, 52, apparently passed away in her sleep, said family friend David Dosch. Dahl's husband, Jason, was the captain of United Flight 93 on 9/11.

She strongly believed Jason fought alongside passengers to keep terrorists from crashing the plane into the U.S. Capitol or the White House.

The plane instead crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania.

The couple lived in the Denver-area dream home Jason was renovating. Sandy moved out following the Sept. 11 attacks, but continued to live in Colorado.

After Jason's death, Dahl became a public face for all grieving 9/11 families.

She founded a scholarship in Jason's honor to provide funding for young pilots to receive their education. And she gradually warmed to public speaking, to make sure the heroism of Jason and many others aboard Flight 93 was not forgotten.

Air Force mortician pays price for whistleblowing

Air Force mortician pays price for whistleblowing
March 30, 2012
 By David Martin (CBS News)
MAGNOLIA, Del. - On Friday, the military released documents that explain how incinerated partial remains of 9/11 victims went into a landfill. Some officers from the Dover Air Force Base mortuary wanted a burial at sea overseen by a chaplain, but instead the remains were declared medical waste. The Dover mortuary has also been accused of mishandling the remains of fallen troops. One man tried to stop it, but he paid a price. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin has his story. It is a grim and solemn sight: flag-draped caskets coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. But unseen is an even grimmer fact: Many of the bodies inside those caskets have been blown to pieces. read more here Air Force campaign of retaliation

Dover documents show how 9-11 remains ended up in landfill

27 minutes ago
Dover documents show how 9-11 remains ended up in landfill
By CHRIS CARROLL
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 30, 2012

WASHINGTON – The summer after the 9-11 attacks, Air Force personnel pondered whether to ceremonially disperse ashes of unidentified biological remains from the Pentagon crash site at sea, or to dispose of them as waste. In a report released in February, an investigation headed by retired Army Gen. John Abizaid concluded there had been a breakdown of procedures and command authority at the Dover Port Mortuary, leading to improper handling of servicemembers’ remains. “Debate raged throughout the department” about what to do with the biological material in questions, acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness Joanne Rooney said Friday. read more here

How Forming Nonprofits Eased The Grief For Victims' Families

9/12: How Forming Nonprofits Eased The Grief For Victims' Families
Huffington Post
Eleanor Goldberg
As Susan Littlejohn lay amid the rubble of her tornado-ravaged barn in July, she begged for a miracle. Without one, she would no longer be able to provide animal-based therapy to kids with special needs.

Five days later, one arrived to Ellijay, Ga. It came in the form of New York Says Thank You, a September 11-inspired organization that helps communities devastated by tragedies nationwide.

“The tornado took everything I had,” Littlejohn shared. “Now we have everything we need to work with … It's all about 9/12 and paying it forward.”

In the immediate aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks, there was an outpouring of inspiring community service. But with images of planes crashing and fleeing innocent civilians looped on the television, the horror of September 11 was too present to allow the significance of those 9/12 efforts to sink in.

But once those who lost loved ones committed to their commemoration by honoring the goodwill they witnessed, the meaning and long-term significance of September 12 began to manifest.

Here are three such stories of hope and resilience, in which despair gave way to determination -- and resulted in the creation of organizations that uplift those who have been devastated by tragedy.
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Many military service members have served multiple tours of duty post 9/11

Many military service members have served multiple tours of duty post 9/11

By Justo Bautista / The Record (Hackensack N.J.)
Sunday, September 11, 2011
HACKENSACK, N.J. - Cleveland Atwater, the night manager at a ShopRite in Rochelle Park, N.J., spent his first tour in Iraq leading a Marine fire team against insurgents in Fallujah.

"We took fire every day and we fired every day," he said. Three men in his unit were killed. Back home, he was initially wary of strangers. "I was always on guard," he said. Less than two years later, he was deployed again.

In the war on terrorism, that is one of the enduring legacies of the 9/11 attacks. The Marine slogan "The few, the proud" sums up the situation for all of the service branches. They are stretched to their limits.


Since 9/11, less than 1 percent of Americans have been doing the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of the more than 2 million soldiers who have served in those war zones, nearly 800,000 have been deployed more than once, according to the Department of Defense.

But Atwater, 34, said he never thought about statistics while dodging rocket-propelled grenades.

"All the guys that went over there were hard chargers," he said. "They wanted to be there.

The draft ended in 1973, and it is unlikely to be revived. But a draft won’t solve anything if draftees don’t want to fight, some veterans say.

"It’s not a numbers game," said Eric Hollenstein, 27, a Riverdale, N.J., police officer who served with Atwater. "It’s about heart. I want people that volunteer and want to be there."
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After a decade of grief and recovery, nation remembers 9/11

After a decade of grief and recovery, nation remembers 9/11
By the CNN Wire Staff
September 11, 2011 7:02 a.m. EDT
The Tribute in Light, a tribute honoring those who died in the 9/11 attacks, shines behind the Empire State Building.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Moments of silence will be observed in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania
Obama will visit all three sites on Sunday
343 fallen New York City firefighters are honored at a memorial service
A child born weeks after 9/11 tells his late father, "I really like it when people compare me to you"
New York (CNN) -- Ten years ago today, America's sense of security was shattered in a series of attacks that tested the will and resolve of the American public.
A surreal day of death and destruction emerged as planes plummeted from crystal blue skies and pierced through the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, averting what many believe would have been another catastrophic attack in Washington.
The nation will pause Sunday to mark the anniversary of the attacks that killed 2,977 people.
Silence will spread across New York City at 8:46 a.m. -- the time when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center a decade ago.
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"As if they guessed they might not see each other again"

The easy way to start this day of sadness would be to just find a few of the thousands of stories reflecting the anniversary of September 11, 2001. That horrible day caused ten years of war.

What started off with this

Number of 9-11 Deaths
At least 2,985 people died in the September 11, 2001, attacks, including:
19 terrorists
2,966 victims [2,998 as of Spring 2009]


All but 13 people died on that day. The remaining 13 later died of their wounds. One person has died since the attacks, of lung cancer. It is suspected to have been caused by all the debris from the Twin Towers.


There were 266 people on the four planes:
American Airlines Flight 11 (crashed into the WTC): 92 (including five terrorists)
United Airlines Flight 175 (crashed into the WTC): 65 (including five terrorists)
American Airlines Flight 77 (crashed into the Pentagon): 64 (including five terrorists)
United Flight 93 (downed in Shanksville, PA): 45 (including four terrorists)


There were 2,595 people in the World Trade Center and near it, including:
343 NYFD firefighters and paramedics
23 NYPD police officers
37 Port Authority police officers
1,402 people in Tower 1
614 people in Tower 2
658 people at one company, Cantor Fitzgerald
1,762 New York residents
674 New Jersey residents
1 NYFD firefighter killed by a man jumping off the top floors of the Twin Towers

The count is different depending on which site you go into but considering no matter what number we read, we'll never know the numbers for sure. The numbers do not include suicides due to this day. As sad as those numbers are, that dark day in our history was just the beginning.

iCasualties.org has the number of servicemen/women killed in Iraq at 4474 and in Afghanistan at 1762. Again, the true number will never really be known because suicides are not counted if they are died after they left the military. The VA doesn't count them unless they were in their system.

Everyday 18 veterans end their lives by their own hands. These men and women managed to have the will to live through combat but lost it back home when they were supposed to be safe once more and out of danger. Home to them became more dangerous than war.

Every American changed that day but for the men and women who answered the call of their country, the changes never stopped, the threats to their lives have not ended and their memories of that dark day have been added onto by 3,650 more days.

Considering a young soldier serving today was not even a teenager when the planes hit the Towers ten years ago, their memories of a nation living in peace have come from history books because their lives have been filled with the threat of more attacks.

Here is a story that should be read this morning so that we never forget that day in America has not ended.

Wounded in Iraq: A Marine's Story
SEP 6 2011
Five years after a gunshot changed his life, the author reflects on what a decade of war has cost Americans

Reuters
I cry whenever I think of a memorial service I attended in Iraq. From the back of the hot, packed room next to the chaplain's office, I looked down the center aisle and saw six sets of boots, rifles, helmets, and dog tags.

Six Americans had lost their lives defending their country. I had seen these Marines hug each other before heading out on patrol -- real hugs, as if they guessed they might not see each other again.

They had been in Iraq for a while and knew how dangerous every mission was.

Blood and treasure are the costs of war. However, many news articles today only address the treasure -- the ballooning defense budget and high-priced weapons systems. The blood is simply an afterthought. Forgotten is the price paid by our wounded warriors. Forgotten are the families torn apart by lengthy and multiple deployments. Forgotten are the relatives of those who make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country. As we look back on 9/11, we should also remember all those who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Fewer than 1 percent of Americans have fought in these wars, and it is important for the public to understand their effects on our fighters and those close to them.

The attacks of September 11, 2001, ushered in a new era of reservist involvement, and like many others, I volunteered to deploy to Iraq. As a Civil Affairs Team Leader, I was entrusted to help local Iraqi communities develop critical infrastructure projects. Our focus on foot patrols, combined with the intense heat and carrying 65 pounds of weapons and gear, made for long days. The enemy threat was omnipresent, and this was a chance to truly lead from the front. Being a part of this unit was the highlight of my military career, and in my short time there I learned a lot about leadership and troop welfare.

October 18, 2006, started out like any day over there, at least as much as I can remember of it. We had a newspaper reporter with us, and he rode next to me in the up-armored humvee. We stopped to inspect an Iraqi police station that had been shot up the night before, and then to check on a squad of Marines who guarded a notoriously dangerous area.

As we exited the vehicle at our next stop, I told the reporter about an enemy sniper in the area who had already killed several Marines, and warned him to move quickly. Based on this advice, he took a big step forward, and a bullet smashed into the wall next to us right where his head had been. The next bullet hit me behind my left ear and exited out my mouth, causing catastrophic damage along the way. Somehow, from hundreds of yards away, the sniper had managed to shoot me in the thin sliver of exposed skin between my helmet and neck guard. Miraculously the bullet did not hit my brain or my spinal cord. It did, however, tear apart my mouth and face. Although I initially did not lose consciousness, I do not remember anything from the sniper attack, nor anything else from the next two weeks.

The Marines closest to me thought that I had been killed instantly, but that did not deter Corpsman George Grant. With complete disregard for his own life, Corpsman Grant ran over to me, even though the sniper was still trying to pick off other targets. George saved my life that day. He performed rescue breathing and an emergency tracheotomy on me, even under these chaotic conditions. Ultimately, he was able to stabilize me long enough to get me to the closest medical facility. The Battalion Commander also stared down death to help provide emergency medical care to me.

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At Arlington, Obama pays tribute to war dead

At Arlington, Obama pays tribute to war dead
By Erica Werner - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Sep 10, 2011 13:17:58 EDT
ARLINGTON, Va. — President Barack Obama and first lady Michele Obama visited Arlington National Cemetery, where they paid tribute to members of the military killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

CAROLYN KASTER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS President Barack Obama, center, and first lady Michelle Obama, second from right, pay their respects graveside with other visitors at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 10.

One day before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Obamas made a pilgrimage to Section 60 of the cemetery. The White House says that’s the burial ground for military personnel killed in the two wars. The conflicts have claimed 6,213 military personnel.

At one gravesite, the Obamas stopped to talk with members of a family who appeared to be visiting a grave. The Obamas chatted a few minutes, posed for pictures and gave out handshakes and hugs.

Then the Obamas, hand in hand, strolled along one of the rows between identical white tombstones, pausing at some markers.
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also from Army Times

10 years after 9/11: Marines, sailors honor victims, fallen brothers in Sangin

10 years after 9/11: Marines, sailors honor victims, fallen brothers in Sangin

Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division
Story by Cpl. Benjamin Crilly

SANGIN DISTRICT, Afghanistan - Aaron Denning always knew he wanted to become a Marine. He was just shy of a month into his freshman year at Royal High School and it was September of 2001. In a matter of days his life and the world changed forever.

The Simi Valley, Calif. native, like most people on the West Coast, woke up to the unfolding events on national television and continued to follow the events for the remainder of the day.

“I remember waking up shortly after six o’clock in the morning. My mom was already watching the news,” said Sgt. Denning, the team chief of Advisor Team 2 assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. “Then, just like every other day, I walked to school. Once I got to school, we didn’t do anything in every one of my classes, each classroom had the news and we all just watched in awe.”

Everyone can recall the mixed emotions of fear, anger and astonishment that pulsed through their veins as they witnessed the most deadly act of terrorism on U.S. soil. Their stories vary, but for the majority of them their daily lives were put on hold as the world became a very small place full of danger.

“That day brought life to a shocking halt, but I remember what my history teacher told us ‘this is going to change everyone’s life,’” reminisced the Iraq and Afghanistan combat veteran. “When the war kicked off, I remember thinking that I wouldn’t get a chance to do my part for our nation. I enlisted before I graduated high school and shipped off for boot camp within a week of graduating.”

On the 10th anniversary of the attacks, Denning and the other Marines and sailors of 1/5 are doing their part serving in Sangin. Their dedication and diligence on a daily basis honors the memory of those lost in the attacks and their fallen brothers who paid the ultimate price for freedom over the past decade serving overseas.
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Healing is about moving ahead in spite of the pain

Sept. 11, 2001, anniversary key to healing
Published: Sept. 5, 2011 at 4:37 AM
By ALEX CUKAN, United Press International

"Healing is about moving ahead in spite of the pain that might always be there to some degree," Wolford said. "People learn to reach out to others, to reconnect with those who might have gone through the same or similar traumatic events."

Even if people avoid the televised 10th anniversary remembrances from New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pa., the date alone will be enough to trigger memories.

Sept. 11, 2001.

"Sept. 11 marks such a deep and tragic loss for our country, there is no doubt that this year's anniversary in particular will be significant for many people not just because it is the 10th anniversary but for other reasons as well," Karen Wolford, a licensed psychologist, board certified expert in traumatic stress and professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, told UPI in an interview.

This year's anniversary of the terror attacks may also be more difficult due to recent events -- the recent earthquake and hurricane impacting the Northeast and New York, people may already be under increased stress, Wolford said.
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Survivors of 9/11 Remember God's Grace on 10th Anniversary

When you see so much horror and suffering it is hard to see God's love. If you look only at the suffering you just can't see how a loving God would ever allow it to happen in the first place. Yet if you look at the people around you, you can see love coming and then surround you. It all depends on what you're looking for.

How do people manage to rise above their own pain to put others first? How does someone battered and wounded care more for a stranger than they do for themselves? When you are suffering and someone comes to help you, who do you think sent them? When you pray for help from God and a stranger shows up, that is from God's love.

Reporters cover the anger of a riot but they don't cover the hope as people hang onto their dreams and rebuild their businesses and homes. They cover a tragic accident but never cover the funeral when hundreds of people take the time to offer comfort to the families. When they bother to cover war, they report on the deaths but never seem interested in the fact the men and women they served with set their own pain aside to support each other.

After 9-11 this is the picture that took my breath away.

Like most in the world, I was glued to the TV and reading whatever was on the Net but this is the picture that was proof of God's love when these men gently carried this man of God out of the rubble. The compassion they had was not damaged by what happened by the evil acts of others. The compassion the responders had for days piled onto days searching for remains was not weakened by the worst others had to offer. God was there every time someone reached out a hand. He was there every time a stranger showed mercy and He was there to hear the prayers of this nation for the sake of so many suffering and He sent so many to help in His place.

Buried, Burned Survivors of 9/11 Remember God's Grace on 10th Anniversary
By Eryn Sun
Christian Post Reporter

As Americans everywhere prepare for the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, two survivors live to testify not to the brutality but the grace extended to them on that frightful day.

Sujo John and Brian Birdwell, though personally unconnected in their lives, share one similarity – September 11.

While John worked in the North Tower of the Twin Towers, Birdwell was employed at the Pentagon when the multiple suicide attacks occurred ten years ago, leaving one critically injured.

Both men, who are reminded daily of their life-changing experience, share another similarity: their remarkable faith in Christ, which to this day continues to grow.

In videos released on I am Second, a website featuring authentic stories meant to inspire people to live for God and for others, John and Birdwell tell their own story of personal struggle, transformation, and hope in honor of the 9/11 anniversary.
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Almost 4,000 still suffering with PTSD after 9-11 in New York

9/11 -- Remembrance and Renewal: Thousands Still Coping with PTSD
(NEW YORK) -- A decade after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, thousands are still feeling the emotional impact.

After 9/11, a unified spirit helped Americans cope.

"There was a real sense of solidarity in the community which I think probably limited the [emotional] damage," says Dr. John Markowitz at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

But there are nearly 4,000 people who are still suffering with 9/11-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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Naval Officer Guilty in 9-11 Fraud

Naval Officer Guilty in 9-11 Fraud
August 30, 2011
Associated Press|by Nedra Pickler

A retired naval officer honored for his valor during the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon was found guilty Monday of defrauding the victims' compensation fund by exaggerating his injuries.

After a three-week trial, a federal court jury found retired Cmdr. Charles Coughlin of Severna Park, Md., guilty of making a false claim and stealing public money after he got $331,034 from the fund set up by Congress after the 2001 attacks. The charges carry maximum penalties of up to 15 years in prison, but prosecutors say they expect to argue for three to four years based on his lack of a criminal record and the nature of the offense when U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth sentences Coughlin on Nov. 21.

Coughlin's claim said he was in constant pain after being injured twice on Sept. 11, 2001 - first when objects fell on him when a hijacked plane struck the building and later when he went back inside to rescue others and hit his head. But prosecutors said Coughlin, now 52, continued playing lacrosse and ran a marathon after the attacks and lied when he claimed he needed surgery.

The case was not a slam dunk for prosecutors: It took three trials to convict him. Coughlin was first tried in 2009 along with his wife, also accused of making a false claim to the fund in support of her husband's application. The jury found Charles Coughlin not guilty on three mail fraud counts, but couldn't agree on a verdict on four counts against him or the charge against his wife. Afterward jurors said they thought Coughlin was the kind of man who would exercise through pain and seemed credible when testifying that he didn't lie.
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They shared a moment of crisis, and the anguish that remained

9/11 IN FOCUS
They shared a moment of crisis, and the anguish that remained
ANNA MEHLER PAPERNY
OLD BRIDGE, N.J.— From Monday's Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011

Deputy U.S. marshal Dominic Guadagnoli helps a women after she was injured in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, Sept. 11, 2001. The Injured woman was later identified as Donna Spera. —Gulnara Smoilova/AP

It wasn’t until she collapsed outside the building that the pain took over.

Throughout the 78-storey trek to the bottom of the South Tower of the World Trade Center, Donna Spera was unaware of her surroundings, the passage of time or her own condition.

She remembers blood on the stairs, but didn’t think it was hers. She recalls crawling over an elevator smashed through the stairwell, but not how her legs became lacerated. She couldn’t figure out why a friend wrapped his shirt around her hand.

But once outside, she became aware of the scorched and melted skin on her arms and back; of her gashed knees, shattered hand and bloody scalp.

And that’s when Dominic Guadagnoli grabbed her.

The deputy marshal, who’d been working in a courthouse nearby, made a dash for the World Trade Center shortly after the planes hit.

The people he helped out of the towers came in waves of escalating injury: First the relatively unscathed; then the dust-caked, the water-soaked, the shell-shocked and slightly battered. And then Ms. Spera.

“I just scooped her up and ran. ... I said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I got you.’ ”
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