This week's hero is...
Officer Moira Smith!
Moira Smith was born on February 14, 1963. She became a police officer in the NYPD in the year of 1988 and served for the next 13 years. Her main focus was teaching the people of New York about fire safety emergencies. She was regarded by many as being very dedicated to protecting those around her. However, nothing could have prepared her for September 11, 2001. On that day, Officer Smith's training and dedication would be put to the ultimate test.
September 11, 2001 was a day that began like any other for the United States. The average citizen was up early in the morning and headed to work. In New York City, more than 20,000 people headed to the World Trade Center complex for work and tourism. Few of them could have predicted what would happen after 8 AM. At 8:46 AM, a hijacked plane (American Flight 11) crashed into the upper floors of North Tower. Hundreds of people were killed or severely wounded by the impact and more than a thousand became trapped throughout the tower.
Within minutes of the crash, thousands of rescue personnel (Officer Smith included) rushed to the scene. They immediately began to evacuate the two buildings. Just as minutes after Officer Smith arrived on the scene the situation became even more dire. United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. Officer Smith quickly ran into the lobby of the South Tower to evacuate the people inside and direct them to safety.
One of the biggest dangers for the evacuees was falling debris (and bodies). Officer Smith quickly organized a route to an exit that was mostly clear of debris and fire. She kept people moving in a slow but orderly fashion and told them to keep doing so without looking at the scene around them (she wanted to prevent them from seeing the carnage). Smith did this to prevent mass hysteria that could cause a human crush or a bottleneck at the exits of the South Tower. She personally escorted a number of severely injured or disoriented people to ambulances.
During the evacuation, a photograph was snapped of her escorting a severely wounded man (Ed Nicholls) out of the building. Ed Nicholls was one of only 14 people to escape from the impact zone of the South Tower. Despite his severe wounds, he would survive. This photograph would become an iconic image of 9/11.
It would also be the last of Officer Moira Smith. Immediately after escorting Nicholls to an ambulance, Smith reentered the South Tower. She was last seen heading up the stair case to help a woman who was suffering an asthma attack. Minutes later at 9:59 AM, the South Tower collapsed. The North Tower would collapse 29 minutes later at 10:28. A total of 2,763 people were killed at the World Trade Center. Officer Moira Smith was one of 71 police officers (and one of two female officers) who died in the collapse of the towers. She was 38 years old.
The morning of September 11, 2001 was probably the saddest in American history. However it is important to acknowledge and remember the heroism of those who came to rescue. Numerous men and women like put their lives on the line to help their fellow citizens. As a result of their heroism, more than 20,000 people were saved from the World Trade Center before the towers collapsed. Officer Moira Smith was one of those people. She truly was a remarkable woman who was dedicated to helping as many people as she could. I believe that she should be regarded as one of the greatest heroes in American history.
https://www.investors.com/news/management/leaders-and-success/nypd-moira-smith-rescued-hundreds-911/
http://www.moirasmith.com
http://womenyoushouldknow.net/remember-911-story-nypd-officer-moira-smith/
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1034730.1331146509!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/hamill8n-1-web.jpg
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