By Amanda Korman
The Berkshire Eagle
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — An event as symbolically meaningful as the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden on Sunday is cutting into the hearts of those who worked to repair the ravages of his organization’s terror plots almost 10 years ago.
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, members of the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Department, the Pittsfield Police and Fire departments and others traveled to Manhattan to assist in search and rescue efforts. While some said that bin Laden’s death brought them a measure of relief, these men in uniform mostly described the feeling of having to wrestle once more with the vivid memories of al-Qaida’s destruction at ground zero.
Pittsfield Police Officer Steven Hunt, who went to New York to remove rubble after the attacks, said a weird feeling has settled in his chest since he heard the news of bin Laden’s death.
“I respect life; that’s why I do what I do,” he said. “It’s hard to be joyous about a death.”
Nonetheless Hunt said he was relieved that bin Laden was gone, mostly on the behalf of those whose loved ones — more than 3,000 — died that day.
“I’m hoping that this allows a lot of people who had family and friends die at ground zero — I hope it gives them a sense of peace, because [bin Laden] was in our face for so long,” Hunt said.
For Hunt personally, however, the news revives the harrowing images he witnessed during his five-day stay in lower Manhattan. The first time he walked into the wreckage, Hunt said, the inches of concrete dust on the ground made the place eerily beach-like. In the rubble itself, there were the bits of computers and the orange pencils, vestiges of a once-normal office atmosphere. And then there was the fire truck found crushed under a collapsed walkway, the dead firefighters lodged inside.
Hunt was joined in 2001 by individuals from the police, fire, and Sherriff’s departments, including Berkshire County Sheriff Thomas N. Bowler and a group of Pittsfield firefighters affiliated with a FEMA unit, including Pittsfield Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Kilmer.
Kilmer illustrated how the persistence of powerful memories has affected him, as well.
“It wasn’t like the dust cloud that you see on TV, but there was still a cloud, the smell — those things still linger with you today,” Kilmer said. “You found things that made you aware that there were people working in this building when it came tumbling down — there were personal effects from people’s desks, things like that. Plus, all the firefighters we were looking for that rushed into that building, not knowing that they would never come back.”
Bin Laden’s death was in some ways gratifying, Kilmer said, but it didn’t feel like a solution, either.
“I think families will probably feel a little bit of justice, but it’s still not going to bring back anyone,” Kilmer said.
‘I didn’t jump for joy’
Others shared a similar sentiment, questioning how much the event would actually mollify the post-9/11 pain.
Sean Barry, a Vietnam veteran who helped recovery efforts at the World Trade Center, felt that bin Laden’s death wouldn’t necessarily ease the burdens of sadness or worry about terrorism.
“It doesn’t really accomplish much,” said Barry, a Great Barrington music store owner. “It doesn’t make me feel better. I didn’t jump for joy when I heard it. I wasn’t gleeful or happy. Nobody wins in war. ? We haven’t won anything. It’s another notch in our gun belt.”
Barry, who said he had “overdosed” on death after two years serving in Vietnam, was disappointed in the jubilance over bin Laden’s death, saying he didn’t feel the event would bring any real respite from grief and pain.
‘We are at war’
For the other men and women in uniform — the armed forces — news of the U.S. killing of bin Laden comes in the middle of two conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Rosanne Frieri, director of veterans services in Pittsfield, said she was pleased overall with the news.
“I’m delighted,” she said. “It’s about time, it really is. Now, for many folks, they certainly can try to put closure on it.”
But, as she cautioned, the event is also a reminder that the U.S. is in the middle of war, and she expressed concern about possible al-Qaida retaliations, especially against men and women in the military.
“We are at war,” Frieri said. “It’s not fun and games.”
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