Florence chaplain recalls New York experience 10 years after 9/11

For chaplain Richard Sale, memories of what took place in the days and weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are just as vivid now as they were 10 years ago while he watched the events unfold in New York City.

Sale serves as the chaplain for the Florence Police Department and is among the ranks of only about 115 chaplains nationwide to also serve for the FBI.

Throughout his years serving the community, he was called upon to assist emergency workers following the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and received the same type of call Sept. 11, 2001.

Like many other people across the country, Sale was working when the first plane hit one of the World Trade Center towers and received a message about what had taken place. Almost immediately, Sale’s presence was requested at the site to minister to law enforcement, EMS and fire personnel on the scene.

Sale and a group of other chaplains planned to fly from Florence to Newark Airport in New Jersey, but instead were forced to land in Philadelphia.

From there, the group rented a vehicle and made the journey right into the heart of New York City to see the devastation firsthand and try to minister a message of hope in the midst of what, to many, appeared to be a hopeless war zone.

“It was total unbelief,” Sale said of the reaction by emergency workers on the scene. “They were working in automatic mode and being on auto-pilot, or whatever you might say; it made them just do their jobs and they had little time to really think about what was going on.”

Sale said he chose to work the night shift during the two weeks he stayed in New York, helping to counsel and minister to firefighters, police officers and EMS workers who were struggling to deal with the immensity of the tragedy that lay before them.

“You could see on their faces the disbelief, the heartache, going and digging for bodies. I stood there, hour after hour, watching them bring bodies out from the rubble and watching people stand in amazement because they didn’t know what had happened,” he said.

Sale said the nights he spent counseling first responders were trying, even on him, and said he had to take moments to try and take in what was taking place and how he could help those who were trying to help others, as well.

“Just seeing the heartbreak that was happening down there, at times I would get so filled with emotion myself,” he said. “I found a little place that was my refuge and I sat down on a little bench where I could look across the river and see the Statue of Liberty and I would sit there and meditate during the night and try to regain my strength and go back.”

Sale said firefighters and officers would often ask him to stop and pray with them, or even just offer words of encouragement.

He said reflecting on what took place brings back vivid and very difficult memories. He also said it gives him solace in knowing that he helped those who were dealing with so much.

“I’m very humbled and I’m thankful that God gave me the opportunity to go and be of service to people who truly needed help at that particular time,” Sale said. “I feel like a very small speck in a big world, just trying to do my part.”

In addition to the trip Sale made to New York immediately following the attacks, he made about a dozen more trips there to assist in counseling efforts for those involved.