Early in the morning on January 12th, the bodies of six Port Authority Police Dept. officers were found, in what had been the lobby of One WTC, near the remains of a woman they were trying to rescue.  The officers were Capt. Kathy Mazza, Lt. Robert Cirri, Chief James Romito, P.O. James Parham, P.O. Stephen Huczko, and P.O. Paul Laszczynski.

January 20, 2002 The US Postal Service boasts regardless of rain, sleet, wind or snow the US mail will go through. The Heroes of Ground Zero did the postal workers one better.  The recovery and clean-up of the World Trade Center continued 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, despite the weather.

On January 22, 2002, the body of the ONLY K-9 killed in the collapse of the WTC was recovered.  Sirius, a Port Authority Bomb Detection Police dog, had been in his kennel in the basement of Tower Two when the hijacked airliner crashed into the tower and it collapsed. His handler/partner, P.O. David Lim, was helping in the rescue efforts and was himself buried in the rubble for 5 hours before he was rescued.  When Sirius' body was found, Officer Lim was there to help in the recovery of his K-9 partner, who was carried from the ruins with full police honors. January 22, 2002

February 22, 2002 In February, workers reached what had been the PATH Train Station, under the World Trade Center, and began the delicate operation of removing the trains that had been trapped there since September 11, 2001. February 24, 2002 February 27, 2002

March 1, 2002 It had been almost 6 months since two hijacked airlines had crashed into the World Trade Center's twin towers.  Because of the determination and self-sacrifice of the police, firefighters and workers from other agencies, the task of clearing the debris from Ground Zero was progressing faster than had originally been expected.

March 1, 2002 March 4, 2002 On March 1st and March 4th workers recovered 2 more bodies, giving family members of the victims some sense of closure to the loss of their loved ones.

March 7, 2002 March 7, 2002 After a long day working in the pit, tired firefighters leave at the end of the 12 hour shift, while cranes continue to work at removing the rubble left behind in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

March 11, 2002 On the Six Month Anniversary of the terrorist attack on the WTC, workers at Ground Zero, halted their work in a moment of silence for the innocent victims that had died there on September 11th.

March 16, 2002 An arial overview of Ground Zero from the New York Times

March 23, 2002 March 31, 2002 March 24, 2002 Workers watch as heavy machinery clears debris near the last beam standing; a corner beam of the South Tower. After the machines have done their work, the workers pick through the debris by hand looking for victims and evidence.  An American flag has been placed atop the beam by workers, as memorial to the victims of 9/11 and a sign that America stands strong! A tedious job, workers rake through fine debris in search of body parts, personal effects, and evidence.

April 16, 2002 Lt. John Ryan, Port Authority Police Dept. views the damage and work to be done in a PATH Tunnel.

April 23, 2002 April 23, 2002 PAPD Officer Tom Kennedy takes a break and looks over the work being done in the pit. An overall view of the pit, shows a small pile of debris in the far end that machines and workers are carefully going through.

April 23, 2002 A view of the "bathtub wall" in the pit, with heavy machinery parked next to it.  Notice in the lower right corner, that beam from the South Tower.

May 8, 2002 This iron cross, which has come to be known as the Hero's Cross, was pulled from the smoldering rubble of the World Trade Center on September 14, 2001.  Amid the smoke and rubble, workers found the 20 foot high cross of steel beams, which fell intact from the north tower when it imploded. The cross landed almost upright and gave the appearance of a God-given sculpture in the middle of what was otherwise an amphitheater from hell.  While ironworkers gave it a permanent base, fire fighters and police officers engraved the names of fallen colleagues and messages of hope on it, as a way of healing.

May 10, 2002 May 10, 2002 While the clean-up is almost complete, workers still are reinforcing the walls of the "bathtub" which keeps the water from the Hudson River from pouring into the pit.

May 15, 2002 With flood lights turning night into day, work continues round the clock.

May 24, 2002 After 36 weeks of round the clock back-breaking and heart-breaking work, the Heroes of Ground Zero have almost completed the rescue, recovery and clean-up of what was once the majestic Twin Towers of the famous World Trade Center. May 26, 2002

May 28, 2002 Workers gather in rememberance of the victims as the last remenant of the WTC, the beam from the South Tower, is brought down. May 28, 2002 May 28, 2002

May 28, 2002 The Heroes of Ground Zero stop to sign the beam with rememberances and tributes to the victims of the WTC attack of 9/11/01.  The beam will be preserved to be part of a permanent memorial.

Some of the many Volunteers of Ground Zero Shortly after the rescue and recovery work began at Ground Zero, the volunteers showed up.  Some were with orgaizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army, while others were there on their own.  They volunteered their time and services in support of the men and women working in the rubble. Red Cross Volunteers view the damage Workers gather around a Red Cross Truck The Red Cross offers showers, food & supplies to the workers Barbeque at St. Paul's Church near Ground Zero A Salvation Army Volunteer offers pastry to some firemen Salvation Army Volunteers stop to pray Suzan Vitti The Entenmann's Lady Pat Murrary Salvation Army Volunteer Dr. Robert Davis World Chiropractor Alliance

St. Paul's Church Although St. Paul's Church is only a block from Ground Zero and much of the rubble from the WTC fell around it and in the yards of the church, it remained unscathed and became a haven for the Heroes of Ground Zero and for the volunteers.  It was a place they could go for physical rest, and for spiritual and physical nourishment. Both inside and out St. Paul's soon became a place that was decorated with banners of thanks, with pictures of the victims, items of remembrance and more.

Please continue to The Closing Ceremonies as these Heroes left Ground Zero for the last time

More pages for A Day to Remember America Attacked America Still Stands Proud An Open Letter to A Terrorist America Prays A Global Tragedy Can Osama Bin Laden Come Out to Play? NY/NJ Port Authority Police Memorial Remember the Heroes of Ground Zero Remembering the Heroes of the PAPD In Memory of Officer George Howard In Memory of K-9 Sirius A K-9 Memorial Service The Hero's Cross Where was GOD? What if YOU died tonight? Cathy's World The song playing is "A Patriotic Medley"

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