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American Morning

Recovering From September 11: Diary of An EMS Veteran

Aired November 26, 2001 - 09:56   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And we're back as we wrap up the hour here. It is considered one of the toughest jobs in a tough city, Emergency Medical Technician in the city.

CNN's Brian Palmer has spent some time with a veteran EMS technician on the front lines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KERRY AALBUE, NEW YORK PARAMEDIC: Hey, Frankie...

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Like many uniformed New Yorkers, Paramedic Carrie Aalbue's (ph) usual routine stopped on September 11th. Ground zero became the focus of her existence. In the first days of the recovery operation, paramedics waited for survivors who never appeared. Now, they give first aid to injured rescuers and collect the remains of those killed.

AALBUE: I'm missing about ten dear friends of mine, but one friend in particular who lived in my town, grew up, you know -- just a sweetheart of a man.

PALMER: Aalbue started a scrapbook to remember lost friends, like Firefighter Tommy Hetsel (ph) and Paramedic Carlos Lilo, and she wrote a poem.

AALBUE: Hey, EMS, hurry over here, someone's in pain. See the grimace on their face?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need a bus for a removal...

PALMER: There are simply too many memorials for any one person to attend.

AALBUE: This is family saying goodbye. We would usually have the wakes and funerals to say goodbye to our brethren. We don't have it. So we do it here, as best as we can.

PALMER: Though it will never be the same after September 11th, life continues.

AALBUE: What? No marshmallows?

PALMER: These days, Aalbue and her partner, Cosmo Jackson, spend less time at ground zero and more time on regular duty, answering calls,

AALBUE: How's that feel

PALMER: Tending wounds on New York City streets. And often, just killing time.

AALBUE: Bye, guys.

PALMER: Though Aalbue's heart is at ground zero, she's also happy to be back in her routine.

AALBUE: You know, you are immersed in death, and then to come here where I actually might make a difference. Its, I mean, down there I'm not going to make a difference any more.

PALMER: Kerry Aalbue became a paramedic for all the right reasons.

AALBUE: I Took the course for no other reason than there was a really cute guy in the class, who turned out to be an idiot.

You have fun going to school?

PALMER: Nearly 20 years later, Aalbue, this mother of two, is still an emergency medical technician.

AALBUE: We'll get someone else for to you play with, okay?

PALMER: Life continues at home and at work for the Aalbue family. But continuing doesn't mean returning to normal. Aalbue was dispatched to the Flight 587 crash site, joining the search for bodies, now a familiar task.

AALBUE: Your brain isn't there. Your brain is functioning on the task at hand, and you're into your job. You're into, You are into doing what you got to do then and there, and I tend to detach myself from the emotions surrounding me because I have a job to do.

PALMER: Aalbue and her husband, a New York City cop, are now preparing for what was once unthinkable.

AALBUE: Both of us have made an appointment and we're going to have wills written out. I mean, simply because -- simply just because you don't know. I mean, I'm sure every person who went to work at the World Trade Center that day wasn't planning on dying that day.

PALMER: By facing the issue of death, Aalbue says her family will be better able to enjoy life in these uncertain times.

Brian Palmer, CNN, New York.

ZAHN: Those rescue workers are the true heroes and heroines of the aftermath of September 11th.

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