Photo credit: © Joe McNally
Accession Number: C.2015.266.2
Dimensions: 109 in X 44 in X 0.08 in
Dimensions (Metric): 276.86 cm X 111.76 cm X 0.2032 cm
Credit Line: Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum. © Joe McNally.
Howard Hawkins, Iron worker, International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union, Local 40
Description
Life-sized Polaroid photograph taken by Joe McNally depicting Howard Hawkins, Ironworker, Local 40. Hawkins is wearing a heavy Carhartt coat and gloves with blue jeans. He is holding his wrecking torch in his hands and wearing a red hard hat with goggles perched on top.
Historical Notes
Ironworkers were among the first wave of skilled construction personnel to arrive at the World Trade Center disaster scene to assist in the immediate recovery. At Ground Zero, the trade brought special knowledge about how to cut and remove the steel systematically. In the days after the attacks, Howard Hawkins and his colleagues worked 12-hour shifts with firefighters and K-9 teams in areas with possible survivors. In the weeks and months that followed, they assisted crane and grappler operators working to clear the space. Hawkins reflected to the photographer, "You have bad days, when you see a body or families mourning. Good days are when you feel all the support. People lined the West Side Highway, cheering you when you finished a shift."