Madison officer recalls 9/11 mission
Det. Marcus Adams, left, with a NYC police officer and Madison Police Officer Wayne Kamus in New York three weeks after the attacks on the United States. "Even though they were exhausted, the officers there were great. They kept asking what they could do for us," said Det. Adams. "We told them that they had it wrong, we were there to help them."
For Det. Marcus Adams the decision was easy. When word came down that volunteers were needed to go to New York following the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, he didn’t even have to stop and think about it.
“Eight of us were chosen from the Madison Police Department,” said Adams. “We were just ecstatic to be able to go and help.”
Three weeks after the attacks, the MPD officers were on the ground in NYC. “There we were from a small town in Alabama, in a large city wondering what we could do to help,” recalled Adams. “Both the police officers and the general public welcomed us with open arms. They kept asking us what they could do to help us. We told them that they had it all wrong – we were there to help them.”
After driving for eighteen hours, the officers found rooms provided for them by the City of New York. They were booked in a hotel on 52nd Street and Broadway, overlooking Times Square. They were anxious to get started.
DAY ONE – NYPD met the Madison officers, along with officers from several different states, at Javits Center to sign themselves in. Their first assignment was the Empire State Building. “We assisted in security. The whole block was closed down, but there were people who worked in the building and we had to check their identification and make sure no unauthorized people got inside the area,” explained Adams.
DAY TWO – The Madison officers were assigned to the security detail at the United Nations Building, guarding perimeters and checking identification. “People were a little skittish; some would stop what they were doing if a plane flew overhead, but after it passed, it was back to business as usual,” said Det. Adams. “To this very day when I hear a plane overhead, it still means one thing…”
DAY THREE – Ground Zero. “It was difficult to maneuver around the area in a car,” recalled Adams. “We parked on the north side, near a 47-story building which had collapsed. There were still fire crews there. Even though they were exhausted, they were in high spirits and super friendly.”
“Everywhere we went there was destruction. What people saw on the news wasn’t even close,” said Adams with a shake of his head. “There were huge deserted and broken buildings, smashed cars, and debris everywhere, and we seemed so small. Even three weeks later it was still very hot there, with fires and smoke everywhere.”
Det. Adams remembers seeing heartbreaking messages on empty windows, overturned cars and every available surface, “We love you,” or “We miss you,” scrawled beseechingly in the dust that had settled on everything. Those imploring sentiments left a lasting impression on the young officer.
DAY FOUR – The Madison officers worked with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Security was tight because there were four suspected terrorists in custody awaiting transport.
They met for breakfast each morning in the tents you may recall seeing on television. They ate lunch near wherever their assignment for the day took them, but for dinner they wanted to eat in anything but chain restaurants. “We wanted to eat in locally owned restaurants so that we could put money back into their economy,” said Adams.
DAY FIVE – With some regrets, the Madison crew packed up and headed home. “Some of us would have been willing to stay longer, but others had families and were ready to get back to them,” said Adams. “The adrenalin was still pumping as we said good-bye to the NYPD officers.”
In looking back on that time, Adams is still amazed at the experience. “I would never have gone to NYC if not for the attacks,” he mused. “After our return we were asked to speak at several functions to share our stories and have even been referred to as heroes. Do not be confused, we are not and we do not feel like we are heroes by any means. We are simply a bunch of guys that got the opportunity to do something I am sure many other officers around the country would have jumped at the chance to do.”
“I’m glad that ten years later we are still following the, ‘We will never forget’ mentality,” he said. “We woke up to a much different reality on September 12th, than we did on September 10th, and we are still living in it.’
“Hopefully this weekend people will stop and take a few minutes to remember what that day was like and to realize how blessed they are if they didn’t loose someone, and to appreciate police officers and firefighters who are willing to run to the very thing that they run away from.”
Not just because of the situation, but because of their training, police officers see things differently than most other people. “We sit with out backs to the walls. We are trained observers, so we watch everyone constantly,” said Adams. They watched vigilantly while they were in NYC, and they are watching still – on the streets of Madison.
BY LORETTA GILLESPIE / SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
