What did you think? Discuss it Now
STEPHANIE GASKELL
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- New York City firefighters who watched a documentary Sunday about the Sept. 11 rescue effort said they were proud of their department and the 343 colleagues who gave their lives trying to save others.
``Courage is when you're afraid but you do it anyway, and that's what these guys depicted _ faces of courage, but ready to go,'' said firefighter Michael Crowell. ``They looked unsure, but I don't think there was a fearful face on any of them.''
Crowell, who cried as he watched the show from his Bronx home Sunday night, said the documentary reminded him of the guilt he has felt since surviving the collapse of the twin towers.
``These guys died doing something that we all wanted to do,'' he said.
Firefighters gathered at firehouses and homes, with friends and family, to watch the two-hour ``9/11,'' which aired on CBS. Hosted by Robert De Niro, the program presented video footage shot by two French filmmakers who were working on a documentary about a firehouse a few blocks from the twin towers.
The brothers, Jules and Gedeon Naudet, were with members of the firehouse when they saw a jetliner crash into one of the towers Sept. 11.
The footage shows fire officials setting up a command post in the north tower, shot by Jules Naudet. Simultaneous footage shot by Gedeon Naudet shows the action from the streets of lower Manhattan. Firefighters in the north tower are seen running for safety after the collapse of the south tower.
The footage contains graphic language and the sounds of bodies -- people who jumped from the 110-story towers' upper floors -- hitting the ground.
Firefighter Tom Dunn had been on the job about a year when he rushed to the scene. He called the video ``phenomenal'' and said it captured the confusion of firefighters who had little information about what was happening.
``They did a really super job of turning it into a story that is pretty right on,'' said Dunn, whose company lost two men. ``The rest of the world knew. Everyone that was home and watching CNN had more information than we did. There was a lot of confusion there and that added to the stress of not knowing what to do.''
Some relatives of Sept. 11 victims had urged CBS not to air the program out of concern that the memories were too fresh.
``This is a broadcast about strength and courage as well as remembering the pain,'' CBS executive producer Susan Zirinsky said. ``I think the timing is right.''
