9/11 oral histories available to public from Library of Congress

As a physician specializing in infectious diseases, Dr. Benjamin Luft knows that listening to patients is vital.

But while treating first responders as the director of Stony Brook University's World Trade Center Health and Wellness Program, Luft listened to stories of courage and sacrifice, and began capturing his patients' stories of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Now, that collection of nearly 500 oral histories is permanently archived in an online collection in the Library of Congress to ensure the stories become etched in the nation's collective memory.

The interviews, conducted between April 2010 and September 2024, chronicle courageous accounts of the day itself, but also the complex emotions and long-term consequences of 9/11.

"These stories were about their response, their courage, their camaraderie and their love for one another," Luft said in an interview. "I thought that was really important for us to know as a nation. When we speak about remembering 9/11, we can go back to hear these testimonies of people who were there."

The collection, housed in the American Folklife Center, includes 484 video interviews and corresponding transcripts and can be searched by responder names, hometowns and occupations, according to university officials. The accounts are also organized into five categories: "The Day America Was Attacked"; "Rescue, Recovery & Cleanup"; "Development of Diseases & Loss"; "Resiliency"; and "Family Member Perspective."

Luft said there are countless stories that have resonated with him in the collection, including an account from Tyree Bacon, a court officer who was rescuing a woman, who had been burned, from the south tower when the building collapsed, trapping them in the rubble.

Bacon felt his way to a stairwell and was later rescued, but lost three colleagues who entered the tower with him.

In an interview, Bacon, 61, of Islip, said he and multiple family members who responded have dealt with a host of 9/11-related health issues, from respiratory and cognitive issues to cancers. His wife, who also responded to the attacks as a police officer, beat breast cancer shortly after retiring, he said.

"We all have the scars of PTSD and visions of that day," Bacon said, adding that he found it cathartic to talk and share his story through Stony Brook's program.

It crossed the entire spectrum of our society. This was America at its best.

—Tyree Bacon, of Islip

He finds the project especially moving because it not only includes first responders, but also an array of New Yorkers who responded, including food service workers and massage therapists.

"It crossed the entire spectrum of our society," he said. "This was America at its best. We got hit, people stepped up, people sacrificed, you know, from all walks."

Nicole Saylor, director of the American Folklife Center, said adding the testimony to the library is historically important for researchers, families and future generations.

Saylor said it's significant that the project includes the long-term effects of 9/11, providing a "wider lens" on its aftermath.

"There's a lot of value in understanding what people went through and how devastating and impactful these things can be over the course of decades," she said in an interview.

Luft said collecting the stories has been especially meaningful, and some are also part of a documentary he co-produced, "9/11: An American Requiem," that will be screened for free at the Staller Center for the Arts on Thursday at 7 p.m.

"I've been practicing for well over 40 years, and this really has been the highlight of my career," he said. "Serving these people who are truly heroic, who had a tremendous amount of courage and sense of patriotism."