Monthly Archives: May 2007

9/11

E-files on 9/11 stolen from NYC vehicle

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What the hell were graphic medical examiner photos of 9/11 victims doing on a laptop in an unattended vehicle?

May 3, 2007 — A laptop containing “sensitive information” about 9/11, including graphic photos of victims, has been stolen from a vehicle used by a top medical examiner official that was parked near Ground Zero, The Post has learned. Frank DePaolo, director of special operations for the ME’s office, discovered the disturbing theft about 7:30 p.m. Monday [emphasis added mine] when he returned to the city-owned SUV, which he had parked in front of 100 Church St.

The computer has “confidential files” about 9/11 victims, including “information about the discovery of new bones and body parts that have been recovered” and “graphic photographs” of remains, said a source familiar with the incident.
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NYPD spokesman Paul Browne also confirmed the theft, but declined to comment on the contents of the computer.
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The theft occurred in a well trafficked area near the site of the deadliest attack on American soil. The SUV is marked “OCME” – Official Chief Medical Examiner.
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It was unclear if DePaolo … was downtown on 9/11-related duties at the time of the break-in.

Marked vehicle or not, a laptop with those types of photos and files should never have been left unattended.

9/11, Support our troops, War on Terror

911 young officers were commissioned that May morning

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Retired Army officer Michael A. Newton writes in this morning’s Washington Times:

Phil graduated from West Point in the class of 2005. Like all civilized people, he and his classmates were horrified by the shock of September 11. The difference for them was that they were in their first year at the academy. They stood together on the Plain in silent midnight vigil as the trumpet mournfully blew and as the shock of events wore off they gained the certitude that they would serve our nation in time of war. At that point of their cadet careers, Phil and his classmates could have chosen to leave. They were the first post-September 11 class to choose to serve, and in an eerie fortuity 911 young officers were commissioned that May morning.

As is true of every other casualty, that e-mail had a face and a personality and a story. Phil was not flashy. He was a quiet young man who generally thought before he spoke. He was not from an aristocratic line. Life did not hand him success because of his family name or wealth. He worked hard to graduate and succeed at the academy while helping his friends along the way. He carried himself with a steadiness and dependability that was admirable. His attributes in life were precisely those that Americans should be entitled to expect of West Pointers who commit themselves to the service of this republic.
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In my four trips to Iraq, I have seen much progress, but also much that is dismaying. There are legitimate ways to express dissatisfaction with events on the ground in Iraq, but it is the height of hypocrisy for Congress to complain about rampant factionalism and bureaucratic bungling in Baghdad even as they set the world class standard in Washington. In depriving our troops and their families of the funding they need in order to pander to a political faction, Congress abdicates its solemn obligations.