story20636.xml
Title
story20636.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2006-09-11
911DA Story: Story
September 11th, 2006
My name is Rob Webb and I live in Bristol, TN.
About one month ago I ran into a friend of mine whom I had not seen for about 9 years. We began catching up him about his near fatal car crash and me about my Red Cross volunteer work including being a Supervisor at Ground Zero. It was at this time that my friend got choked up and began explaining to me that he last his Aunt in the World Trade Center. At that moment it made the terrorist attacks so much more personal to me.
I responded to Ground Zero as a Mass Care Specialist and was the midnight Shift Supervisor at Respite Center 1. After closing the Respite Centers I went to the Staten Island Landfill for a couple more weeks.
I returned again a few weeks later to work at ARC 9/11 Headquarters in Brooklyn, NY as a Dispatcher and Courier.
After leaving NYC I returned home and was given the opportunity to go to ARC National Headquarters in Washington DC to develope the first Operational Manual for Respite Centers.
I worked with two other people, an International Red Cross Representative and the overall operations coordinator of the NYC 9/11 response and confered with the coordinator of the Oklahoma City Bombing.
The ARC had never provided services directly and exclusively to the Emergency Responders within a security zone until the 9/11 response at Ground Zero.
It was a very big honor to have been chosen from all of the Ground Zero Supervisors to work on the development of this Operational Manual that will be used as a platform in the event of another man made disaster of this scale.
During the time immediately after responding to 9/11 I was also a Chair of the Disaster Services Diversity Task Force. These two projects along with 2 major floods in my area, a wildfire, and a chemical spill on the interstate kept me busy enough to not have to deal with the emotions enflicted by 9/11.
Although I was not there during the attack, I was there during the Anthrax scare that we all seem to forget about, the continuing threats and false alarms, breathing the dust and ashes on a daily basis, that, to this day is still surrounded in a political mystery as to wether or not it was harmful and wether or not I will be likely to develope one or more of the diseases linked to breathing it that will eventually cause my own death.
It was difficult to see the men that are always strong and walking tall come dragging in from the destruction, but on the same hand was also rewarding to see their spirits lifted, if even slightly and trying to smile as they walked out the door to head back down to the recovery site.
I saw men much bigger and much stronger than me break down and cry. But they were always ready to go back until they had found everyone.
I hope that I never have to witness anything again in my life like the things I saw, smelt, felt, and touched at Ground Zero. It personally took me 2 years until I was fully recovered from the overwhelming mental stress that was caused by the constant range of emotions.
One of the hardest parts for me after returning home was that I had no one to talk to about my experience. My Red Cross Chapter could not relate to it. My family and friends could not relate to it. And I surely did not think that a local therapist could relate to it. So, I spent 2 years in a shell.
I can only imagine what mental distress those who were actually there went through during and immediately after the terrorist attack. Especially the first reponders who were at Ground Zero through out the entire rescue and recovery operation.
I went to my local 9/11 first anniversary event, but have not been to another since. I will not attend another one until I can actually walk on Ground Zero to honor those who lost their lives there that day.
I spent many nights walking Ground Zero with Mental Health workers offering refreshments and snacks to the recovery workers. I will never forget that experience. I also watched as they tore down buildings like 5 World Trade Center...it was like living and breathing in a war zone.
I have finally dealt with my own demons from those days, and I will most likely be dealing with health issues th rest of my life.
I have moved on in various volunteer avenues. I am currently the Chairman of a Resident Council where I live and will actually attend my first class tonight of the Bristol Tennessee Police Departments Citizen Police Academy.
My heart goes out to everyone who was lost, their family and friends who miss them every day, and to my fellow Americans who came to the aid of those affected by the attack of the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001.
Robert Webb
400 Shelby St. Apt. 507
Bristol, TN 37620
American Red Cross Volunteer
Mass Care Specialist
My name is Rob Webb and I live in Bristol, TN.
About one month ago I ran into a friend of mine whom I had not seen for about 9 years. We began catching up him about his near fatal car crash and me about my Red Cross volunteer work including being a Supervisor at Ground Zero. It was at this time that my friend got choked up and began explaining to me that he last his Aunt in the World Trade Center. At that moment it made the terrorist attacks so much more personal to me.
I responded to Ground Zero as a Mass Care Specialist and was the midnight Shift Supervisor at Respite Center 1. After closing the Respite Centers I went to the Staten Island Landfill for a couple more weeks.
I returned again a few weeks later to work at ARC 9/11 Headquarters in Brooklyn, NY as a Dispatcher and Courier.
After leaving NYC I returned home and was given the opportunity to go to ARC National Headquarters in Washington DC to develope the first Operational Manual for Respite Centers.
I worked with two other people, an International Red Cross Representative and the overall operations coordinator of the NYC 9/11 response and confered with the coordinator of the Oklahoma City Bombing.
The ARC had never provided services directly and exclusively to the Emergency Responders within a security zone until the 9/11 response at Ground Zero.
It was a very big honor to have been chosen from all of the Ground Zero Supervisors to work on the development of this Operational Manual that will be used as a platform in the event of another man made disaster of this scale.
During the time immediately after responding to 9/11 I was also a Chair of the Disaster Services Diversity Task Force. These two projects along with 2 major floods in my area, a wildfire, and a chemical spill on the interstate kept me busy enough to not have to deal with the emotions enflicted by 9/11.
Although I was not there during the attack, I was there during the Anthrax scare that we all seem to forget about, the continuing threats and false alarms, breathing the dust and ashes on a daily basis, that, to this day is still surrounded in a political mystery as to wether or not it was harmful and wether or not I will be likely to develope one or more of the diseases linked to breathing it that will eventually cause my own death.
It was difficult to see the men that are always strong and walking tall come dragging in from the destruction, but on the same hand was also rewarding to see their spirits lifted, if even slightly and trying to smile as they walked out the door to head back down to the recovery site.
I saw men much bigger and much stronger than me break down and cry. But they were always ready to go back until they had found everyone.
I hope that I never have to witness anything again in my life like the things I saw, smelt, felt, and touched at Ground Zero. It personally took me 2 years until I was fully recovered from the overwhelming mental stress that was caused by the constant range of emotions.
One of the hardest parts for me after returning home was that I had no one to talk to about my experience. My Red Cross Chapter could not relate to it. My family and friends could not relate to it. And I surely did not think that a local therapist could relate to it. So, I spent 2 years in a shell.
I can only imagine what mental distress those who were actually there went through during and immediately after the terrorist attack. Especially the first reponders who were at Ground Zero through out the entire rescue and recovery operation.
I went to my local 9/11 first anniversary event, but have not been to another since. I will not attend another one until I can actually walk on Ground Zero to honor those who lost their lives there that day.
I spent many nights walking Ground Zero with Mental Health workers offering refreshments and snacks to the recovery workers. I will never forget that experience. I also watched as they tore down buildings like 5 World Trade Center...it was like living and breathing in a war zone.
I have finally dealt with my own demons from those days, and I will most likely be dealing with health issues th rest of my life.
I have moved on in various volunteer avenues. I am currently the Chairman of a Resident Council where I live and will actually attend my first class tonight of the Bristol Tennessee Police Departments Citizen Police Academy.
My heart goes out to everyone who was lost, their family and friends who miss them every day, and to my fellow Americans who came to the aid of those affected by the attack of the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001.
Robert Webb
400 Shelby St. Apt. 507
Bristol, TN 37620
American Red Cross Volunteer
Mass Care Specialist
Collection
Citation
“story20636.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 27, 2025, https://www.911digitalarchive.org/items/show/12320.