"Ken Turner told me to rent a car and go," said Disaster Mental Health Volunteer Peggy McGee-Smith of her instructions from the Greater Buffalo Chapter's Emergency Services Director on September 11, 2001. "I think I got the last rental car. I never thought that planes wouldn't be flying, and the only other cars driving in were ambulances. We didn't think about it, we just went."
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The 9/11 Memorial during a personal visit there in
December 2013 |
Smith, of Kenmore, hadn't been back to Ground Zero in New York City since serving in the
initial Red Cross response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 until returning last month to support the opening of the
9/11 Memorial Museum. Smith was joined by Marjorie Beldue of Spencerport and Ferris Todd of Canandaigua as the Red Cross partnered with the 9/11 Foundation to offer on-site counseling and on-call assistance during the dedication.
"This is mainly for the family members, so it may be a very tough time for some," said McGee-Smith. "It's an honor for so many of us that were there to be asked to help. It's like it's coming full circle, a sense of completion."
