First Responders Recount Their 9/11 Experiences in New Film

Carol Paukner remembers being told she was going to die. It was one of the last things her boss said to her before the police woman rushed toward the First Tower on September 11, 2001.

But she refused to leave, pulling a woman from the wreckage.

Paukner's story was one of many recounted at the Common Ground on Sept. 14 during a screening of 9/11: An American Requiem. The film, which was produced by a team of doctors at Stony Brook University Medical Center, allowed first responders to recount their experience at the World Trade Center. 

The film was developed by Dr. Benjamin J. Luft, who leads the WTC Health Program on Long Island. Luft treated several first responders in the weeks and months after the disaster, and began the WTC Oral History Project to preserve their memories.   

Common Ground member Jeannie Corcoran praised the film for offering insight into oft-forgotten stories.

"You saw just how heoric these guys were," she said. "Running into the building, actually putting their lives on the line."

At the event, Suffolk County legislator Bill Lindsay launched a campaign to push the government to cover the medical expenses of first responders. 

"When people were running out of the buildings, they were running in," said Jason Zove, one of Lindsay's aides. "If these people can prove that they were down there, they should be compensated."

At Wednesday's film, Zove said his team collected 250 signatures. "There's a lot of support from residents," he said.

It was no mistake that The Common Ground was chosen as the event location. The park was conceived of in the weeks after September 11, 2001, by community members who felt like they needed a space to come together.

In the years since the attack, the park has hosted to free concerts and movie screenings. But over the last week, it has been used to commemorate the event. On 9/11, there was a .  

"We thought it was fitting," said Common Ground member Jim Casara.