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New York City heroes visit the other ground zero

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Stephen McKinley

Firefighters and police officers from New York visited Kabul, Afghanistan, last week on a trip that was part pilgrimage, part healing experience, part relief effort.

The six heroes included firefighter Joseph Higgins, who lost his brother, also a firefighter, in the disaster at the World Trade Center.

Traveling “from ground zero to ground zero,” as they put it, they visited U.S. troops and brought a plane load of food and aid to an orphanage on the outskirts of Kabul. They were the guests of the U.S. 10th Mountain Division at Bagram air base, whose soldiers guided them around the war-torn capital city, now inextricably connected to New York after Sept 11.

“We are here to show that we don’t hold Afghan people responsible,” Higgins said. “For us to be here, ground zero to ground zero, is extremely emotional. I’m so proud to be here right now.”

His NYPD colleague Det. Thomas McDonald agreed. “We’ve come to bring aid to the people of Afghanistan,” he said, “and to tell them we don’t hold them responsible for the actions of a few terrorists.”

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The heroes were glad to be able to bolster the confidence of the U.S. troops who were their hosts. Fire Chief Larry Connors told reporters, “I’m proud to be here to tell the troops they’re the best and that millions of Americans will be thinking about them, especially on Christmas Day.”

At the orphanage where the New Yorkers delivered food and medicine, children appeared delighted but confused as to who the visitors were — some had not even heard of New York before.

For Higgins, the most poignant moment of his trip was when he buried in the dusty Afghan ground a piece of concrete from the twin towers, a piece of metal from one of the hijacked planes, and a gold bracelet bearing the name of his brother.

Timothy Higgins died on Sept. 11. In the rubble of the towers on Sept. 27, his brothers, Joseph, Mike and Bob Higgins, found his body.

Said Higgins, after he buried the mementos, “I hope — maybe in 20 years or so — some Afghan will find these things and learn what Americans did to bring them freedom.”

A U.S. soldier told reporters that he and his fellow troops had been burying pieces of the World Trade Center all over Afghanistan.

The aid flight was sponsored by the Spirit of America fund, created by Guinness UDV and its parent company, Diageo Plc.

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