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Different perspectives
While the connection for Gorman is one of renewal and togetherness, for many of those whose memories of 9/11 spawned from
tireless shifts on the pile, horrific images seared into their minds
and traumatic memories of friends lost, different feelings weigh
heavier.
“It’s tough,” Nunziato summarizes. “It’s always tough. You never get distance. It never closes. It never heals. My friends and colleagues got murdered 15 years ago, and I don’t see closure at any
point coming for my members that were down there day-to-day.
They say time heals all wounds, but I think this is a hundred-year
wound.”
So only 15 years in, perhaps it’s still too soon for many PBA
members to make sense of.
“I still can’t believe it could happen,” Hulse admits. “Every time
I see the Towers fall in the news, I can’t believe they’re falling. It’s a
horrendous thing you try to make sense of, but you can’t because
it doesn’t make sense. The killing of civilians and rescue workers
by these filthy animals – these are innocent people who did nothing to offend anyone.”
And on this 15th anniversary, Hulse considers what it means.
“For the people directly involved, whether they admit it or not,
and I do, I think about it every day,” he says. “Not a day goes by
that something doesn’t remind you of things or haunt you. The
nation heals and people come to terms with what happened. But
the wounds for the people we lost, the people you miss, you’ll
never forgive and never forget.”
Collective resolution
In the years after the 9/11 Attacks, NJ State PBA membership
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ SEPTEMBER 2016
flourished.
“You had people jumping on board appreciating what we did,”
Madonna reminds. “Guys stuck together and it showed that we’re
a professional organization.”
That professionalism inherent in law enforcement is what inspired members to give their all working the pile for months; it’s
what keeps them strong while caring for family members of those
lost that day; it’s what allows them to mourn and remember, and
then return to the job stronger and more united than ever.
“I don’t think you have to tell any cop in New York or New Jersey
what 9/11 was about,” Nunziato assures. “This was Pearl Harbor
in our backyard. It’s a sad day for police officers and a sad day for
the country. And especially with the attack that cops are under in
this country today, I think 9/11 brings back a river of unpleasant
feelings. You don’t have the luxury of mourning when you’re at
work because you can be the target of the next attack. We have a
moment of silence the minute the Towers fell, but then right after
you have to be ready to protect yourself.”
It’s a harsh lesson that Gorman grew up learning.
“It’s about understanding the police officer mentality,” he explains. “You don’t think twice about (going into a dangerous situation). You don’t think ‘Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.’ I’m sure
my dad thought ‘Let’s just get the job done.’”
So is the 15th anniversary of Sept. 11 the right time to focus on
healing, strength and pride?
“We never lost our pride,” Hulse concluded. “We’re the same
people we were on 9/10, 9/11 and 9/12. The law enforcement
community is a brave community and is always there with a desire to help people and make things better for others. It’s nothing that comes up once a year; that’s the way the members are
all the time. Sept. 11, 2001, is a day to remember, commemorate
and honor those lost on the most tragic day ever for law enforcement.” d