SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 Heading west to lower Manhattan, over Brooklyn. The two burning towers from the north. Circling the World Trade Center, the towers from the south, beyond the skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan. Nobody was visible on the roofs. Flying in a wide circle over midtown looking for incoming rogue aircraft when the south tower fell at 9:50. The Staten Island ferry making its way toward Manhattan. At 10:28 the north tower started to come down. Banking to the right to head back downtown, the helicopter blade same into the frame. A vast cloud of smoke, dust, and debris engulfed the financial district. Buildings disappeared, boats fled the scene. There was silence. In the helicopter-the collapse, the cloud made no sound, and no one spoke. Excerpted from ABOVE HALLOWED GROUND Copyright © 2002 by The New York City Police Foundation, Inc. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
