Saturday, July 15, 2006
Moments of Courage, Acts of Grace, Triumps of Will
Part of 9/11 Week on The History Channel(R): Moments of Courage, Acts of Grace, Triumphs of Will ... COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO World Premiere Sunday, August 13, 2006 at 8 p.m. ET/PT (July 13, 2006)
PASADENA, Calif., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Hijackers prepare for their own deaths. A firefighter sends his wife off to work, 81 floors up in the World Trade Center. Loved ones scramble to reconnect amid the rubble. Wives watch on television, knowing their husbands may die. The September 11, 2001 disaster unfolded in many ways for many people, and a myriad of different stories intersected in Lower Manhattan, at what is now known as Ground Zero. The shock, fear, courage, and triumph of 9/11 is presented through the eyes of those who lived it in COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO, a special presentation premiering Sunday, August 13, 2006 at 8 p.m. ET/PT 9/11 on The History Channel.
Exactly when the 9/11 story began to play out is a different story for different people. For much of America, it started on the morning news and continued over a terrifying few hours that stretched into days, weeks and beyond. For the firefighters of Ladder Six in New York City, it began when the roar of a low-flying plane interrupted their morning coffee at the station. For hijacker Mohammed Atta, it started months earlier, in flight training schools in Florida. World Trade Center security director John O'Neill, a 25- year FBI veteran and a leading authority on terrorism, had warned America of the looming threat following the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, and even predicted that the terrorists would attack the towers again. COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO follows these storylines and many others in the time leading up to the attacks in New York to the brutal aftermath, with dramatic recreations, personal interviews, and archival footage, in the process showing the tragedy and triumph that became the twin hallmarks of 9/11.
COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO doesn't just tell the stories of individuals, but re-creates how the events unfolded, minute-by-minute, with very real tension and uncertainty building. Would more planes hit? Could the fires be put out? How much time until the towers fall? And most importantly, who was affected. This re-telling of the 9/11 tragedies dramatically conveys the emotional intensity of people's lives, as all the elements rush toward a convergence during 102 pivotal minutes -- starting from the impact of the first plane and continuing to the collapse of the North Tower.
Highlights of COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO include: * The early efforts to pursue the terrorists, including warnings from Italian officials) and the secret memos to President Bush advising that Bin Laden was "determined to strike on U.S. soil." * The story of John O'Neill, a 25-year FBI veteran who was the U.S. government's leading expert on Al Qaeda, but who quit his post in frustration to become head of security at the World Trade Center. * Tracking the terrorists in their planning for the attacks, including their preparations for death and the infamous purchase of boxcutters the night before. * The heroic efforts of Rick Rescorla, a corporate security head for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter who was instrumental in helping evacuate the Towers. Friends and loved ones recall corresponding with him over the phone as the Towers burned. * Selfless acts that serendipitously resulted in survival, including the stories of Ladder Six Captain Jay Jonas and bank executive Brian Clark, both of whom delayed their escapes from the Towers to help others who were trapped. * The reactions to the hijackings in flight control centers, and the chilling realization that the planes were headed for New York and Washington. * Firefighters recall the painstaking climb up stairways carrying 110 pounds of equipment, and the race back down to escape the collapse, including several who were trapped under the collapse and lived to tell about it.
Executive Producer for The History Channel is Carl H. Lindahl. COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO is produced for The History Channel by Story House Productions.
The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned three Peabody Awards, six News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 89 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at www.History.com.SOURCE The History Channel
PASADENA, Calif., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Hijackers prepare for their own deaths. A firefighter sends his wife off to work, 81 floors up in the World Trade Center. Loved ones scramble to reconnect amid the rubble. Wives watch on television, knowing their husbands may die. The September 11, 2001 disaster unfolded in many ways for many people, and a myriad of different stories intersected in Lower Manhattan, at what is now known as Ground Zero. The shock, fear, courage, and triumph of 9/11 is presented through the eyes of those who lived it in COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO, a special presentation premiering Sunday, August 13, 2006 at 8 p.m. ET/PT 9/11 on The History Channel.
Exactly when the 9/11 story began to play out is a different story for different people. For much of America, it started on the morning news and continued over a terrifying few hours that stretched into days, weeks and beyond. For the firefighters of Ladder Six in New York City, it began when the roar of a low-flying plane interrupted their morning coffee at the station. For hijacker Mohammed Atta, it started months earlier, in flight training schools in Florida. World Trade Center security director John O'Neill, a 25- year FBI veteran and a leading authority on terrorism, had warned America of the looming threat following the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, and even predicted that the terrorists would attack the towers again. COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO follows these storylines and many others in the time leading up to the attacks in New York to the brutal aftermath, with dramatic recreations, personal interviews, and archival footage, in the process showing the tragedy and triumph that became the twin hallmarks of 9/11.
COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO doesn't just tell the stories of individuals, but re-creates how the events unfolded, minute-by-minute, with very real tension and uncertainty building. Would more planes hit? Could the fires be put out? How much time until the towers fall? And most importantly, who was affected. This re-telling of the 9/11 tragedies dramatically conveys the emotional intensity of people's lives, as all the elements rush toward a convergence during 102 pivotal minutes -- starting from the impact of the first plane and continuing to the collapse of the North Tower.
Highlights of COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO include: * The early efforts to pursue the terrorists, including warnings from Italian officials) and the secret memos to President Bush advising that Bin Laden was "determined to strike on U.S. soil." * The story of John O'Neill, a 25-year FBI veteran who was the U.S. government's leading expert on Al Qaeda, but who quit his post in frustration to become head of security at the World Trade Center. * Tracking the terrorists in their planning for the attacks, including their preparations for death and the infamous purchase of boxcutters the night before. * The heroic efforts of Rick Rescorla, a corporate security head for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter who was instrumental in helping evacuate the Towers. Friends and loved ones recall corresponding with him over the phone as the Towers burned. * Selfless acts that serendipitously resulted in survival, including the stories of Ladder Six Captain Jay Jonas and bank executive Brian Clark, both of whom delayed their escapes from the Towers to help others who were trapped. * The reactions to the hijackings in flight control centers, and the chilling realization that the planes were headed for New York and Washington. * Firefighters recall the painstaking climb up stairways carrying 110 pounds of equipment, and the race back down to escape the collapse, including several who were trapped under the collapse and lived to tell about it.
Executive Producer for The History Channel is Carl H. Lindahl. COUNTDOWN TO GROUND ZERO is produced for The History Channel by Story House Productions.
The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned three Peabody Awards, six News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 89 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at www.History.com.SOURCE The History Channel
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
A Traumatic Reliving of 9/11
LITTLE FALLS, N.J., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- "World Trade Center," the upcoming movie from Oliver Stone, could induce high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder and re-traumatization, says former police officer, Franciscan Friar and now renowned police psychotherapist Peter Killeen.
It may qualify as an artistic response, but Oliver Stone's upcoming "World Trade Center" stands the risk of causing stress and post-traumatic stress disorder in many involved with the disaster.
"Visual and auditory stimuli act as triggers in the horrendous flashbacks associated with post-traumatic stress disorder," says Peter Killeen, a renowned police psychotherapist. "It happens often with war veterans, and the release of this movie could trigger similar disorders in survivors and others involved."
Stone's movie, to be released exactly a month before the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, tells the story of two Port Authority officers, the last two survivors extracted from Ground Zero, as well as the heroic saga of their rescue. The movie stars, among others, Nicholas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Pena and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Killeen, who holds a Master's in Counseling Psychology and Masters in Theology, is a nationally recognized stress management therapist, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor. When 9/11 happened, Killeen played an active role, working directly with the Port Authority police force, which suffered a loss of 37 officers. A former member of the Franciscan Order and close friend of Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., Fire Chaplain for the FDNY, who lost his life on 9/11, he currently serves as a consultant with police unions and federal agencies as a stress specialist.
Killeen's eclectic background in both healthcare and law enforcement makes him a much sought after talk show host. As host and producer of "The Police Connection Radio Show" and author of the political serial thriller "The Infidel Factor", he has been interviewed on many radio and television programs, including Court TV's "Crier Today", LETN (Law Enforcement Television Network), CNBC-TV, WOR Radio 710AM and NPR.
"My work with the police agencies, and my extensive experiences as a police psychotherapist, lead me to believe that the release of 'World Trade Center' runs the potential risk of re-traumatizing the already traumatized rescue workers, police officers and survivors," says Killeen. "These people have lived through the horrors of that day and the days that followed and will continue to carry those memories throughout their lifetime."
Contact:
Peter J. Killeen
27 East Main Street
Little Falls, NJ 07424
Phone: 973-819-8537
http://www.thepoliceconnection.org
pjkil@earthlink.net
It may qualify as an artistic response, but Oliver Stone's upcoming "World Trade Center" stands the risk of causing stress and post-traumatic stress disorder in many involved with the disaster.
"Visual and auditory stimuli act as triggers in the horrendous flashbacks associated with post-traumatic stress disorder," says Peter Killeen, a renowned police psychotherapist. "It happens often with war veterans, and the release of this movie could trigger similar disorders in survivors and others involved."
Stone's movie, to be released exactly a month before the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, tells the story of two Port Authority officers, the last two survivors extracted from Ground Zero, as well as the heroic saga of their rescue. The movie stars, among others, Nicholas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Pena and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Killeen, who holds a Master's in Counseling Psychology and Masters in Theology, is a nationally recognized stress management therapist, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor. When 9/11 happened, Killeen played an active role, working directly with the Port Authority police force, which suffered a loss of 37 officers. A former member of the Franciscan Order and close friend of Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., Fire Chaplain for the FDNY, who lost his life on 9/11, he currently serves as a consultant with police unions and federal agencies as a stress specialist.
Killeen's eclectic background in both healthcare and law enforcement makes him a much sought after talk show host. As host and producer of "The Police Connection Radio Show" and author of the political serial thriller "The Infidel Factor", he has been interviewed on many radio and television programs, including Court TV's "Crier Today", LETN (Law Enforcement Television Network), CNBC-TV, WOR Radio 710AM and NPR.
"My work with the police agencies, and my extensive experiences as a police psychotherapist, lead me to believe that the release of 'World Trade Center' runs the potential risk of re-traumatizing the already traumatized rescue workers, police officers and survivors," says Killeen. "These people have lived through the horrors of that day and the days that followed and will continue to carry those memories throughout their lifetime."
Contact:
Peter J. Killeen
27 East Main Street
Little Falls, NJ 07424
Phone: 973-819-8537
http://www.thepoliceconnection.org
pjkil@earthlink.net
