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A shoulder to lean on
Red Cross worker recalls experiences and discoveries as a counselor to victims and families at Ground Zero.
By Colette Lefebvre
Herald-Tribune
Nevada, Mo. -- David Jackson remembers the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks vividly, because he worked with the families of the victims, stationed at Pier 94.
"I remember a man who said that he had a dream of the twin towers burning four years before 9/11. Then a few days before the towers fell, he said that he noticed a black cloud. And when his wife went off to work in the morning of Sept. 11, he had a bad feeling and asked her not to go. She never came back,. Firefighters acted like it was just another day on the job, and I was worried about them the most." said Jackson.
Jackson believes that New Yorkers are resilient and most have moved on by now.
But September now holds many connotations to those who were there, and those who were there from their living rooms.
One Hume woman stated "People all over remember where they were on 9/11."
Jackson, whose foster daughter saw the planes crashing into the twin towers that fateful morning, has ties to the site. Two weeks after the attacks he was called to the disaster site. He's responded to other disasters as a Red Cross volunteer. This one was different.
"It was the most controlled recovery I've ever seen. The mayor controlled everything -- vendors, volunteers, Red Cross, FEMA, FBI and others." said Jackson. He was assigned to Pier 94 in lower Manhattan, which became the family assistance center in the wake of the disaster.
"We were assigned to a family. As they came into the pier on the ferry, everyone would stop, workers would stop cleaning up, they would stop and salute them, taking off their hats. All work would stop and they would salute them." said Jackson.
Jackson works at Heartland Behavioral Health Services in Nevada.
He has volunteered for 25 years with the American Red Cross and has worked at three disaster sites.
Jackson remembers them all equally but notes that in his profession, one can't take things personally.
In order to begin his day, Jackson would arrive at Pier 94, identify himself to the NYPD officers, then receive a color-coded sticker -- the color changed each day. He then would begin his work, helping families identify their lost loved ones and issuing emergency death certificates.
"We told them to bring in hairbrushes and or toothbrushes for the DNA, but because of the situation and the need to identify the bodies we used the wall of pictures." explained Jackson.
The area was known as the Walk of Bears. Bears adorned the hallway, donated by victims and rescuers of the Oklahoma City bombing in Oklahoma City, Okla. The hallway was filled with the teddy bears, and pictures and notes were strewn across the walls.
One note read: "Dearest daughter Alona, Your father, mother, brother and sister are waiting for you. So please do come home. We all love you. You know that Yom Kippur has come and we ask each other to forgive one another. So I please ask you to forgive me if I have said to you anything and I forgive you. How am I going to bless you on Yom Kippur as I always do every year? Please come home. Your loving father."
It was Jackson's job to bring these families to the appropriate personnel after they identified a picture of a loved one.
The following messages were posted along the walk:
"In Memory of my brother, Alex Ortiz, who will forever be my hero."
"To those who have lost loved ones, my prayers are with you. Hold fast to God's unfailing love."
"To my little brother: It is not the end. I will always love you, and I will never forget you. You are in my heart. You are my hero and you are the best brother in the world. I know that you are somewhere and you will look after me. Now my life will be safer. I have an angel who loves me and takes care of me. I am so happy you are my brother. I'm proud of you."
And some of the most haunting words: "Daddy, why can't we find you?"
"To my father, we will always love you, always and forever, like each moment we will be looking for you and we will never stop until we get an answer. Daddy,we miss you, and we love you."
Jackson said the atmosphere was somber and he took his time off to see NYC. Red Cross volunteers were given huge discounts at local venues.
Olive Garden gave free meals and David saw two Broadway plays while he was there. It was a necessary indulgence -- working for two weeks straight with grieving families and death, will certainly affect a person in some way, he said.
Jackson believes in his work -- he is dedicated to the Red Cross because he believes they are giving something back. He encourages younger generations to volunteer whatever time and talents that they have.