Karen Hensel – The race to ground zero (WISH) — As journalists followed firefighters to Ground Zero 25 years ago, I began a reporting journey that remains a lifetime memory. I looked back on Friday at those first days after the terrorist attacks with Indiana Task Force 1 as a reporter for WISH-TV. Today, I still work in television as a WRTV anchor. Circle City Broadcasting owns both stations. A search-and-rescue squad, Indiana Task Force 1 shared an emotional day of hugs and tears in Indianapolis as they said goodbye to family and friends. At the time, they did not know how long they would be gone. The WISH-TV crew headed to New York City within hours of the second plane hitting the South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. With flights grounded, the crew drove through the night following the Indiana Task Force 1 convoy. They traveled in a caravan of trucks, buses and equipment. Signs of devastation appeared as the team drew closer. One electronic road sign read: “Access to New York City closed.” After arriving, 62 central Indiana firefighters and four rescue dogs worked 12-hour shifts searching for survivors. The group included friends they knew from the Fire Department Instructors Conference, which happens each year at the Indiana Convention Center. As smoke billowed from where the twin towers once stood, the exhausted Indiana team said in 2001 it was ready to go in. Team members returned to the Javits Center — a large, six-block convention and exhibition campus located on the west side of Manhattan — after each shift. They were tired but still hopeful to find survivors. Mark Rapp with Task Force 1 said in 2001 at Ground Zero, “The dogs are a great asset because they can hit live victims 30 to 40 feet below the rubble.” As the week progressed, the mission shifted from rescue to recovery. “We did find some victims. Yes, we did,” Rapp said. The team never found any survivors. The dogs also became distressed when they could not find anyone alive. The crew found stories while driving through the empty streets of Manhattan. One story emerged on the way to a satellite truck. A fire truck sat covered in cement dust; messages in the soot read: “Thank you for your dedication. True heroes. Our prayers are with you.” Three firefighters from that truck died trying to save others. Roy Culkin, a firefighter with no time to grieve, repaired and cleaned the truck to return it to service at Ground Zero. “The truck was down at the scene,” Culkin said in 2001. “The windshields were broken, the dashboard was broken, a lot of electrical lines broken. I really didn’t want to clean it.” Employees from next door came out to help, saying it was sad to see him cleaning the truck alone. They wanted to do their part. “I had to get it away from quarters because there is a big memorial going on down there,” Culkin said. “Three of the members died in that house. Plus, the fire department chaplain died.” Every day, hundreds of people looking for loved ones plastered pictures on the satellite truck. One plea came from the father of 28-year-old Melissa Vincent. “I can’t find her. I can’t get a hold of her. Anything you can do to help?” he pleaded through tears. “She worked at the World Trade Center. She was on the 102nd floor of the first tower. We haven’t heard from her since 9 a.m. Tuesday.” I asked what message he had for her. “Just that I love her and I want her to call,” Vincent’s father said. “All I want is her back, I don’t care. All I want to do is find her.” Melissa Vincent died Sept. 11, 2001. For years, orange Task Force 1 markings remained visible at Ground Zero, showing the team had searched those buildings. Rapp explained from the Javits Center in 2001 that “planes plus” markings indicated they found plane parts and human remains inside. “That’s where we were last night. We were in some areas with real deep voids. Where our team is right now is a four-story garage underground.” Illness related to Ground Zero killed at least six members of Task Force 1, including Rapp. Twenty-five years later, others still battle the physical and emotional scars of what they saw in New York. The mark of Ground Zero stays with Indiana first responders for a lifetime. ...read more read less