Saskatchewan man remembers helping in New York after 9/11 attacks

For one Saskatchewan man, September 11 was more than something he watched unfold on television – it became an experience he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

Even 25 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Henri Regamey, a retired Salvation Army officer living in Saskatoon, said he remembers feeling “disbelief and utter shock” as he watched the planes crash into the World Trade Center towers.

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“I just couldn’t believe that was happening,” he said. “I thought it was a movie or something.”

Regamey said that at the time, he could never have known that just two weeks later he would be on his way to New York City, joining volunteers in an emergency van to help however they could at the site where the Twin Towers once stood.

“I never thought that I would go down there and be a part of that within just a short time,” he said.

For Regamey, there was no hesitation about why he was going.

“I just felt like I could maybe help, and I believe I did when I was down there,” he explained. “I felt like I was very helpful to the many people.”

When he arrived at the site, Regamey said it felt like a war zone. More than two decades later, the images of what he saw remain vivid in his mind.

“Everything was white and like soot,” he said. “Everything was bent and twisted. There were iron workers. There were just so many different personnel there.”

Amid the destruction, Regamey said his work with the Salvation Army meant helping provide food and support to those affected by the terrorist attacks. He said he still remembers the stories of the people he met there.

“Standing with a firefighter, looking over the rubble and all the twisted metal and just the dust, and I’m just talking about the loss of his fellow firefighters,” Regamey said.

“That sticks in my mind the most – listening to this individual. I don’t remember his name, but I remember the conversation. It was very powerful.”

After spending a two weeks helping in New York, Regamey said he remembers coming home to Saskatchewan tired but grateful to be reunited with his wife and kids.

“That was enough. Part of me wanted to stay longer, but part of me was exhausted physically and emotionally,” he said.

“Two weeks can be a long time in a situation like that.”

Regamey said it’s still hard to comprehend just how much time has passed since the attacks.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years,” he said.

But even after so much time, Regamey said he still has some tangible reminders of the work he and the Salvation Army did at Ground Zero, including some of the letters students from across the United States wrote to thank emergency workers and volunteers.

“I have some of those as well in my keepsake bin,” Regamey said.

–with files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick