20 Years Later: Sacramento Chaplain Who Served At Ground Zero Says She Was ‘Born To Do It’

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As flights crossed the state were grounded connected September 11, 2001, a section chaplain boarded a subject cargo level bound for New York to assistance counsel archetypal responders astatine crushed zero.

Sacramento Law Enforcement chaplain Mindi Russell present believes it was the time she was calved for.

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Chaplain Russell has 2 trunks afloat of memories from her 16 days of providing prayers and comfortableness to archetypal responders moving astatine the tract of the World Trade Center 2 decades ago.

“This was my hard hat, and erstwhile I was astatine crushed zero I had to deterioration my hard hat,” Russell said. “It doesn’t look that agelong ago.”

Russell conscionable happened to beryllium connected the National Transportation Safety Board’s Red Cross unpaid database that September of 2001 and got the telephone to service archetypal responders successful the archetypal hours aft the September 11 attack.

“Things were unimaginable,” Russell said. “People saw things that were unimaginable.”

Russell recalls the dignity of the hunt and rescue efforts successful the particulate and debris, crews carrying distant each assemblage recovered successful the rubble successful a flag-draped casket.

“One time, I was asked, ‘Just basal present erstwhile they bring retired different assemblage and pray,’” Russell said. “OK. So they would spell close to the morgue, but I was lasting close determination to commune arsenic they took the bodies away.”

The show of the crumbled towers is seared into her memory.

“Those towers, erstwhile you walked astir crushed zero, determination was not a hint of an office, desk, phone, record cabinet,” Russell said. “There was nothing.”

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In the 20 years since the attacks, Russell has besides seen much nonaccomplishment from her clip astatine crushed zero—the deaths of galore who breathed successful the toxic particles.

“You know, respective of my partners person died due to the fact that of immoderate of the illnesses and cancers they got,” Russell said.

Russell has besides been diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, oregon COPD, and tin nary longer supply chaplaincy services astatine wildfires. She is present certified by the World Trade Center Health Program to person aesculapian assistance arsenic a responder. She was conscionable certified past week aft 15 years of filing paperwork.

“So present they’re going to find retired each the things that happened to maine medically, physically due to the fact that of being astatine crushed zero,” Russell said.

Russell has nary regrets. She believes responding to 9/11 was her beingness calling.

“I cognize wherefore I was born,” Russell said.

A beingness that led her to crushed zero successful those worst days. Chaplain Mindi Russell provided comfortableness successful the chaos.

“But idiosyncratic asked maine was it worthy it, and each 1 of america would accidental the aforesaid thing: absolutely,” Russell said. “And I’d bash it again, knowing precisely what I’d endure from.”

Russell has besides responded to the aftermath of the massacre astatine the Munich Olympics and Hurricane Katrina.

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She says due to the fact that of her aesculapian conditions, her enactment arsenic a chaplain volition present halfway connected those successful request successful Sacramento from present on.