Photo credit: 9/11 Memorial staff
Accession Number: C.2013.14.1
Dimensions: 27 in X 33 in X 2 in
Dimensions (Metric): 68.58 cm X 83.82 cm X 5.08 cm
Dimensions (Metric): 68.58 cm X 83.82 cm X 5.08 cm
Source: Manuel Rodriguez
Credit Line: Gift of Manuel Rodriguez
Description
Black button-up "Birdie" brand jacket, size XL. The jacket is covered in various patches for agencies such as the Department of Sanitation, Port Authority Police Department, and FDNY. Many of the patches are commemorative in nature. The name "Manny" is embroidered in red on the right breast, and "United We Stand 9-11-01" is embroidered above the Twin Towers on the left breast. The back of the jacket is embroidered in red with "Local 282 Teamsters | Local 40 Iron Workers." A bulldozer, 18-wheeler, backhoe, and an iron worker are also embroidered on the back. "Local 16" is embroidered below the bulldozer and "Local 14" is embroidered below the backhoe. Above the 18-wheeler are the Twin Towers, colored like an American flag.
Black button-up "Birdie" brand jacket, size XL. The jacket is covered in various patches for agencies such as the Department of Sanitation, Port Authority Police Department, and FDNY. Many of the patches are commemorative in nature. The name "Manny" is embroidered in red on the right breast, and "United We Stand 9-11-01" is embroidered above the Twin Towers on the left breast. The back of the jacket is embroidered in red with "Local 282 Teamsters | Local 40 Iron Workers." A bulldozer, 18-wheeler, backhoe, and an iron worker are also embroidered on the back. "Local 16" is embroidered below the bulldozer and "Local 14" is embroidered below the backhoe. Above the 18-wheeler are the Twin Towers, colored like an American flag.
Historical Notes
In September 2001, Manuel “Manny” Rodriguez was working for United States Armor, driving a bulletproof trailer loaded with U.S. currency to and from Federal Reserve Banks across the country. He and his work partner arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, with a shipment early on the morning of September 11, 2001. The two were asleep in their fortified vehicle when Secret Service agents suddenly alerted Rodriguez that the nation was under siege. After seeing the attacks on television, Rodriguez, a Bronx native, realized that his hometown was being targeted.
While returning to their home base in Colorado, Rodriguez and his partner felt compelled to head to New York and assist with the recovery efforts underway at Ground Zero. After calling his old union hall, Rodriguez and his partner finished their assignment with United States Armor, resigned from their positions, and hitch-hiked a ride with a truck bound for New York. They arrived at Ground Zero in late October 2001. Rodriguez recalled that the smell of death permeated the air, dredging up memories of his time in serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam.
Under the direction of Anthony Grace Construction Company, Rodriguez’s initial work at Ground Zero involved operating Euclid trucks to move accumulated debris and descend into the pit as more twisted steel was removed. Using grapplers, debris was loaded onto the truck and brought up to street level, where uniformed personnel sifted through it before being moved onto barges headed to Fresh Kills Landfill. Rodriguez remained at Ground Zero through the official end of recovery operations in May 2002, sleeping and eating at St. Paul’s Chapel.
In September 2001, Manuel “Manny” Rodriguez was working for United States Armor, driving a bulletproof trailer loaded with U.S. currency to and from Federal Reserve Banks across the country. He and his work partner arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, with a shipment early on the morning of September 11, 2001. The two were asleep in their fortified vehicle when Secret Service agents suddenly alerted Rodriguez that the nation was under siege. After seeing the attacks on television, Rodriguez, a Bronx native, realized that his hometown was being targeted.
While returning to their home base in Colorado, Rodriguez and his partner felt compelled to head to New York and assist with the recovery efforts underway at Ground Zero. After calling his old union hall, Rodriguez and his partner finished their assignment with United States Armor, resigned from their positions, and hitch-hiked a ride with a truck bound for New York. They arrived at Ground Zero in late October 2001. Rodriguez recalled that the smell of death permeated the air, dredging up memories of his time in serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam.
Under the direction of Anthony Grace Construction Company, Rodriguez’s initial work at Ground Zero involved operating Euclid trucks to move accumulated debris and descend into the pit as more twisted steel was removed. Using grapplers, debris was loaded onto the truck and brought up to street level, where uniformed personnel sifted through it before being moved onto barges headed to Fresh Kills Landfill. Rodriguez remained at Ground Zero through the official end of recovery operations in May 2002, sleeping and eating at St. Paul’s Chapel.
Curator's Comment
Manny Rodriguez was born in Spanish Harlem and raised in the Fort Apache neighborhood of the Bronx during the 1960s. His passion for Latin jazz and salsa, tied closely to his Puerto Rican background, inspired him to become a percussionist. He regularly played congas on the street with other musicians as a young teen, eventually landing gigs at popular clubs like the Copacabana, La Mancha, and the St. George Hotel in Brooklyn.
A product of a rough neighborhood, Rodriguez almost landed in jail at age 17. A judge presented him with a choice to either serve his time on Rikers Island or join the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Rodriguez chose the Army and dropped out of high school to attend training camp in Fort Polk, Louisiana He served a tour of duty in Vietnam in the early 1970s. Upon Rodriguez’s return to New York, he joined Teamsters Union Local 282. Rodriguez’s Army experience—where he’d obtained a government license authorizing him to drive tankers, bulldozers, and trucks loaded with weaponry and explosives—was his ticket into Local 282. One of his early jobs was with Bronx Iron Works, a firm that specialized in structural steel and primed him for his service at Ground Zero.
HIDE
Manny Rodriguez was born in Spanish Harlem and raised in the Fort Apache neighborhood of the Bronx during the 1960s. His passion for Latin jazz and salsa, tied closely to his Puerto Rican background, inspired him to become a percussionist. He regularly played congas on the street with other musicians as a young teen, eventually landing gigs at popular clubs like the Copacabana, La Mancha, and the St. George Hotel in Brooklyn.
A product of a rough neighborhood, Rodriguez almost landed in jail at age 17. A judge presented him with a choice to either serve his time on Rikers Island or join the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Rodriguez chose the Army and dropped out of high school to attend training camp in Fort Polk, Louisiana He served a tour of duty in Vietnam in the early 1970s. Upon Rodriguez’s return to New York, he joined Teamsters Union Local 282. Rodriguez’s Army experience—where he’d obtained a government license authorizing him to drive tankers, bulldozers, and trucks loaded with weaponry and explosives—was his ticket into Local 282. One of his early jobs was with Bronx Iron Works, a firm that specialized in structural steel and primed him for his service at Ground Zero.
HIDE
