September 11 Terrorist Attacks
September 11, 2001 began just like any other day. Then, at 8:45 am, the world changed forever. As the terrorist attacks unfolded in New York, at the Pentagon, and in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Salvation Army officers, staff, and volunteers across the United States and Canada mobilized to support first responders, survivors, grieving families, and stranded airline passengers. At all three major disaster sites, The Salvation Army offered food and drinks, emergency relief supplies, and words of comfort and encouragement to stunned survivors and brave rescue workers.
TERRORIST ATTACK
09.11.01
NY, DC, PA
World Trade Center, New York
At Ground Zero, The Salvation Army was one of the first emergency relief organizations to arrive at the World Trade Center, eventually deploying twenty-one mobile feeding units and providing more than 300,000 meals in the first 72 hours after the attacks. As the days stretched on, The Salvation Army would provide services at multiple locations in New York and New Jersey, including at the World Trade Center, the New York City medical examiner’s office, and the Staten Island landfill, operating for many months. These services included full-service kitchens and cafeterias, rest stations for first responders and cleanup crews, and supply depots offering steel-toed boots, fresh socks, eye drops, and other needed items.
“My first thought is only to liken it to The Salvation Army being known as the ‘mother of Ground Zero’. We bandaged cuts, fed people, listened to them, encouraged them and reminded them that what they were doing mattered.”
Lt. Colonel Debra Ashcraft, Salvation Army officer, served at Ground Zero
By far, The Salvation Army’s greatest impact was in the compassion it offered to rescue workers, survivors, and grieving loved ones. “I’d start by saying something like, ‘You look tired,” said Major Molly Shotzberger, who led emotional and spiritual care efforts at Ground Zero. “If they want to talk, I let them talk. And then I try to reinforce the feeling that whatever they’re feeling is okay.” As recovery operations continued, Salvation Army staff remained a constant presence, offering comfort and encouragement to those carrying out one of the most difficult missions in American history.
“They (first responders) didn’t want to talk about the tragedy. They wanted to talk about their families, their kids, everyday life, even if it was just for half an hour.”
Ken Tragellas, Salvation Army employee, served at Ground Zero
The Pentagon, Virginia
At the Pentagon, a Salvation Army mobile feeding unit arrived within 90 minutes of the attack and quickly established a service site just steps from the impact location. Caregivers also began offering emotional and spiritual care to those who had been inside the building and to those who were still searching the rubble. As the relief operation grew, The Salvation Army later assumed the enormous responsibility of coordinating all food service efforts at the Pentagon and at several other nearby locations.
“You could tell they were carrying a heavy burden. Sometimes they just needed a place to sit down, something to drink and someone to be there with them.”
Melvin Welch, Salvation Army employee, served at the Pentagon
After creating a makeshift food court in the Pentagon’s south parking lot, dubbed ‘Camp Unity,’ The Salvation Army and organizations such as the American Red Cross, McDonald’s, Outback Steakhouse, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, and Starbucks distributed 502,330 meals in 13 days. Salvation Army teams also offered a listening ear, compassionate presence, and spiritual support during long weeks of recovery work. Salvation Army Captain James Natua recalled praying with a valiant military chaplain whose office was demolished by the attack and whose friends and co-workers had perished. When the pair said ‘amen’ and opened their eyes, they found themselves surrounded by dozens of others drawn to this moment of solace.
“The events of that day proved that The Salvation Army’s actions spoke far louder than their words.”
Major A. Kenneth Wilson, retired Salvation Army officer, served at Pentagon
Shanksville, Pennsylvania
In western Pennsylvania, a group of Salvation Army personnel happened to be meeting less than 10 miles from where United Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville. Their proximity allowed The Salvation Army to respond almost immediately, providing meals, refreshments, emotional and spiritual care, and encouragement to the thousands of first responders, investigators, and recovery workers who served at the site in the days and months that followed.
As in New York and Washington, Salvation Army workers found themselves consoling many of their fellow emergency responders. “We had other emergency agency workers come to us,” recalled Lt. Colonel Joseph DeMichael, “And talk to our workers about their emotions and about how they were feeling and why would something like this happen? And so The Salvation Army volunteers and officers were able to counsel them and give them encouragement and guidance.”
Long-Term Recovery
More than 39,000 Salvation Army officers, volunteers, and staff served 3.2 million meals during the months that followed. Perhaps most importantly, Salvation Army personnel provided emotional and spiritual counseling and support to thousands of rescue and recovery personnel.
Alongside other recovery partners, The Salvation Army also provided case management services to thousands of families and offered (or funded) various aid programs, including crisis counseling and group therapy, employment training and placement, financial assistance and counseling, healthcare referral assistance, housing and utilities assistance, and small business services. While many of those assisted were survivors or loved ones of those lost, The Salvation Army also aided those impacted economically by the attacks; with airports, hotels, and many other industries closed, families across the country turned to The Salvation Army for help as they were temporarily unemployed.
The Salvation Army continues to stand alongside those impacted by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, remembering not only the lives lost but also the extraordinary people who heroically responded.