One side bar to consider, we here in NY and indeed the whole nation were hit very hard and tragically

on 9/11/2001. the very next day I was on my way to "ground zero" as it was called then. It was a highly

restricted area (about 2 square miles) with over 2,000 national guard troops guarding an impenetrable

zone. Only those with "official' duties were allowed anywhere near it.

Because of my time working for the NYC office of emergency management and my FDNY and NYPD

connections I was allowed entry.

I saw too many things and spent way too much time there which my wife says took at least ten years off

her life worrying about me. I now suffer from a very severe form of COPD from over ninety days off

breathing in God knows what.

Here's a few pics I took with a little old Kodak Instamatic camera which was absolutely forbidden

which was all I had to hear to do it.

Only a couple of pics I will show (mild images so don't worry)

you will see me and my BFF from my Bronx early years (also a former Marine) who was a retired police detective

he was also a Jim, we were affectionately known as The 'James gang'....... by the way I'm the little white guy.

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