Exclusive – Retired NYPD Lieutenant Joe Cardinale Reflects on 9/11 22 Years Later: It’s ‘Etched in Everybody’s Minds’

The devastating terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, are “etched in everyone’s minds,” retired NYPD Lieutenant Joe Cardinale told Breitbart News Daily, reflecting on the losses 22 years later and describing the harrowing scenes at the Staten Island landfill, as first responders combed through the wreckage after the attack.

“I just can’t believe it’s 22 years. And I mean [it’s] etched in everybody’s minds, and we’re reminded about it every time we go for our our a wellness check for the World Trade Center program that they have, and we’re reminded about it still to this day, every time we lose somebody else. And it just happens. It’s like almost a daily occurrence that we hear about somebody else dying from the effects of 9/11,” Cardinale said, adding that it is “like yesterday” and “still etched” in his mind, especially when he thinks of all those he lost.

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Cardinale mentioned the Vigiano brothers — John Vigiano Jr., a New York City firefighter, and his brother Joe — a police force detective. Both of them were fathers and lost their lives on 9/11.

“That, to me is the epitome of sacrifice by any family. And I knew Joe, he was a character. He was so much fun to be around. He’s one of the gutsiest people I’ve ever met in my life. And that family suffered a double tragedy that just went on and on. I mean, if you listen to the interview, anybody can go on YouTube and find the interview of the parents of Jan and John Sr. It’s just so heart wrenching. And the composure that they had given that interview just stays in my mind all the time,” he said, noting that Joe Jr. “now takes the helm for the father in truck seven.”

“Joe wouldn’t have done anything different. There’s no doubt in my mind, if he had a second thought about it, it was just going through that building, getting as many people out and rescuing him and as many people as he could, you know, and it was same thing with his brother,” he said.

“It’s all about, you know, dedication and sacrifice and willing to put your life on the line for somebody, for strangers, you know, and that’s exactly what happened,” he said, emphasizing that there were “so many heroes that day” — firefighters, Port Authority, police, NYPD, and EMS workers.

“They were the people in the building that were getting people out,” Cardinale said, emphasizing that they were the ones “escorting them out of the building and going back in.”

“Twenty-two years later, some people may forget, we will never forget. And I hope New York will never forget. All right, and I hope the world never forgets,” he continued, adding that the schools often “sugarcoat it.”

“They put a lot of, you know, it’s like a masquerade show in schools these days of what they teach. But it’s — people have to understand the sacrifice that was made that day. All right, the sacrifices that were made that day, they have to understand the families that are still going through with it,” he emphasized before describing the debris in the aftermath of the tragedy.

“They would take the debris from — they knew it couldn’t be done at the site. I mean, this was an undertaking like you never saw before. And the debris was brought by truck up to the landfill in Staten Island,” he said, adding, “the ground was so hard over there, that you know, the methane I can see it like it was — like it was like today. I can just see it in my mind.”

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“The methane was bubbling it was raining and the methane was bubbling to the ground. Right. So that was the only place that they can, you know, take on something of this magnitude,” he said, adding that it became “like a city” up there, decribing the gruesome and heart-wrenching scenes.

“But they had conveyor belts. And I you know, it’s a little graphic sometimes to describe this, but they had conveyor belts and detectives– not talking about seasoned detectives that have been on the job for a long time. … I hate to be graphic, but a body there was a complete body that came out. It was flattened. And, you know, they stop and it’s like, they have like a ceremony at the time,” he said, describing the harrowing scene.

“To us, it was sacred ground no matter what. We would not allow, on my watch, there was no pictures being taken,” he said. … “There were body parts that were recovered. It was jewelry that was recovered that they put into it was all broken down. But it was gone through as methodically as possible.”

“You know, the smell, you’ll never get over the smell of it that was up there. It was just a smell like you’ve never smelled before. It was unbelievable. And I’ve smelled death before, but this was different. This was very different,” he said, noting he worked at the landfill until he retired.

“The things we saw at that landfill was just unbelievable,” he said. “Unbelievable.”

“We couldn’t even comprehend some of the things that we saw, like a uniform that was buttoned up in the front and blown out the back … and it was, somebody was wearing that uniform, and they were just pulverized,” he said, adding that first responders who were there “keep it in your mind” to this day.

“And you only speak about it to the people that were there. You know, and it’s like, what I just told you about that uniform, that sticks in my mind. You know, and it’s, you know, we found engagement rings, we found — there was so much stuff that was recovered and we try to get back to everybody — IDs. Right? And it was just amazing the way this was handled up there. I mean, if they ever do a documentary, they should do it on what the efforts were up at that landfill,” Cardinale added.

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