Congressman Grimm Recounts Time At Ground Zero

Michael Grimm recalls digging “with his bare hands” at Ground Zero, attempting to find remains of victims of the attacks of 9/11. According to the New York Congressman, he recovered a woman’s hand and part of a person’s torso.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle recently interviewed Rep. Michael Grimm, who – although he was in Quantico, Virginia on September 11, training to be an undercover FBI agent – demanded, along with other agents from New York, to travel back home to aid in the recovery.

From the Eagle:

“We sat in class glued to the television,” he said.

FBI supervisors were undecided as to whether to dispatch the agents to New York to assist with the rescue and recovery or to keep them in Virginia. Grimm and many of his fellow agents who hailed from New York demanded to go.

“Several of us said, ‘We don’t really care what you have to say. We’re going home!,” he recalled.

Grimm, who says one fellow agent and friend lost a sister in the attacks, was part of a “bucket brigade,” which passed small objects to a truck in order for them to be brought to a Staten Island landfill and inspected for human remains.

According to the Eagle, Grimm spent around six weeks working on the recovery – with himself and other agents dividing their time between lower Manhattan and the Staten Island landfill.

The House Representative for Staten Island and part of Southern Brooklyn has diminished lung capacity, though he’s not sure if it’s from 9/11 or time spent in combat as a Marine during the first Gulf War.

Rep. Grimm told reporters that he planned to attend several events commemorating the 10th anniversary of September 11, which he says he considers a personal issue.

Rep. Michael Grimm represents New York’s 13th Congressional District, which includes all of Staten Island. In Brooklyn, the 13th District includes parts of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Gravesend.