VA Employees Aid in New York Tragedy

Three Houston VA Medical Center employees recently got a sobering, up-close, personal view of the Sept. 11 tragedy that devastated New York City.

Working as mental health volunteers through a sharing agreement between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the American Red Cross, Su Bailey, director of the Trauma Recovery Program, and social workers Leonard Denney and Vince Clancy were summoned to New York after the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

"The Houston VA has always shown a big commitment to the community," said Denney, noting that the VA granted authorized absence for he and his colleagues to respond to the national crisis. "However, this was not a vacation," Denney explained. "This was some serious, hard work."

Denney said the group worked 10-, 12-, and sometimes 14-hour days during their 15-day assignment.

This was a crisis unlike any other that the experienced trio had ever encountered. Not only was it a disaster scene; it was also a crime scene.

"Everybody had a gun but us," Bailey said, describing the tight security at Pier 94, the makeshift family assistance center in Brooklyn where she and Denney were assigned.

The center, which offered various support services, such as DNA sampling, expedited death certificates, expedited claims for veterans’ families, and temporary assistance, presented Bailey and Denney the opportunity to provide a lot of on-the-spot counseling and assessments.

"These were civilians who never in their wildest dreams thought they’d ever see this," Bailey said, noting that not only the victims, but also the support staff, would sometimes become overwhelmed.

For Clancy, a former firefighter and Queens native, the events of Sept. 11 were especially moving. He worked out of Gateway Plaza and was assigned to "Ground Zero," where he assisted families who were returning to the eerie neighborhoods where their apartments once stood.

"It was like an apocalypse – just so devastating, and kind of scary," he said.

Clancy described the atmosphere at Ground Zero as surreal. Fires surfaced every day as workers sifted through rubble. And even while wearing masks, the air was terrible. In fact, there were instances when Clancy and his entire team experienced respiratory problems.

But despite any hindrances, Clancy counseled firefighters, policemen and construction workers. However, he said what he found most gratifying was being able to help families. Clancy and other volunteers pushed for additional assistance from the Red Cross’ Family Services to meet people’s immediate needs, such as food and shelter.

"I think we helped a lot of people out," he said.

All of the Houston VA volunteers agree that having worked with combat veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder made them better equipped to respond to the New York tragedy.

"This was such a horrible event that what these people saw is comparable to what combat veterans saw," Bailey said.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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