Changed by 9/11: Anthony Ramirez

Anthony Ramirez grew up in Babylon Village and graduated from Babylon High School in 1999. He worked in emergency services in Manhattan the day of the attacks. He tells Patch his story as he reflects on the tenth anniversary of September 11th.

For Anthony Ramirez, September 11, 2001 was a career-changer, but not in the way you might expect. In contrast to the 9/11 narrative we've all come to be familiar with, that tells how the events of that day inspired many to join the armed forces or become first responders, Ramirez's story is one of stepping away from those front lines, yet still having to reckon with the experiences of those early days for years to come.

"I used to do medical transports for a small ambulance company in the city. I was at a hospital downtown that day when we saw the second plane hit the second tower on TV. We immediately got called in to the scene. I arrived right after the towers fell.

I was at Ground Zero for two days, working a 24-hour shift. After I was relieved I volunteered at St. Vincent's Hospital. We treated the many people who were injured."

Ramirez remembers the details like it was yesterday.

"The hospitals were so packed. When you went into St. Vincent's E.R. waiting room there were beds set up all over. They were treating people on stretchers in hallways. Each patient had a tag on their foot with a color that indicated the severity of their condition. Those who were weren't as badly injured had to wait to be treated."

The sights and sounds of those days led Ramirez to decide he no longer wanted to work in E.M.S.

"The stuff I saw was just kind of crazy...the injuries, the way people were waiting in triage, everyone's reactions. I know a lot of people would think the opposite, that 9/11 would make you want to work in emergency services, but not for me."

He also underwent a brief scare, when his brother, a police lieutenant in the city, was unreachable right after the attacks. Ramirez, who grew up in Babylon Village, still lives here with his wife, and works in the automotive business, something he was familiar with and returned to after leaving E.M.S. work. He owns a small independent auto appraisal and consulting firm in West Babylon.

"I liked helping people but 9/11 was like being in a war. Every year is an important anniversary. For me 10 is just a number. With what I saw and experienced, I don't need a tenth anniversary to remember. I will never forget."