Boots
- Description
- Timberland brand pair of black leather women's boots, size 5 1/2. The boots are significantly damaged, with the rubber soles severely melted and shedding.
- Historical Notes
- Damaged boots worn by NYPD officer Carol Orazem on the evening of September 11, 2001. The soles of the boots are melted from the heat of the pile at Ground Zero.
Curator's Comment
A Staten Island native, Carol Orazem joined the New York City Police Force in 1983—a time when the department was predominately male. For seven years, her detail was in Manhattan’s 1st precinct. In 1990, Orazem was re-assigned to the “plain-clothes” detective unit in Manhattan South, eventually moving to the NYPD Intelligence Division headquartered in Brooklyn South.
On the evening of September 10, 2001, Detective Orazem was working undercover, posing as a prostitute on Surf Avenue in Coney Island. The high volume of arrests from this sting operation prolonged her shift into the early morning hours of September 11th. She did not arrive back home to Staten Island until very early the next morning. Orazem was asleep when Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46am. Her husband, recently retired from the police force, woke her up immediately to relay the disturbing news. Orazem watched live television news coverage of Flight 175’s strike on the South Tower, immediately comprehending that an act of terrorism was underway. Soon thereafter, the NYPD dispatched her to Liberty and West Streets, immediately southwest of the World Trade Center site. She grabbed her raid jacket, threw on a pair of boots, picked up her Lieutenant and two other officers from Staten Island, and proceeded into Manhattan.
From the car, Orazem and her three coworkers saw the Twin Towers ablaze as they drove over the Verrazano Bridge. At the point of reaching the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel heading toward lower Manhattan, the South Tower collapsed, filling the tunnel with dust and smoke. The situation worsened with the collapse of the North Tower, trapping them in the tunnel for a couple of hours. Eventually, they made their way cautiously out of the tunnel, driving into unremitting smoke and dust.
Orazem and her coworkers left their vehicle at the tunnel’s mouth and walked toward Ground Zero. They participated in the rescue efforts underway, remaining on-site throughout the night and into the morning of September 12. When Orazem eventually left, she was directed to a wash station at the South Street Seaport, where she was stripped to her undergarments and hosed down before receiving clearance to return home. Back in Staten Island, she discarded the soiled clothes she had worn that day but decided to retain her boots. Their soles bear visible melting scars from the extreme heat conditions Orazem and her fellow first responders encountered on the pile.
On the evening of September 10, 2001, Detective Orazem was working undercover, posing as a prostitute on Surf Avenue in Coney Island. The high volume of arrests from this sting operation prolonged her shift into the early morning hours of September 11th. She did not arrive back home to Staten Island until very early the next morning. Orazem was asleep when Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46am. Her husband, recently retired from the police force, woke her up immediately to relay the disturbing news. Orazem watched live television news coverage of Flight 175’s strike on the South Tower, immediately comprehending that an act of terrorism was underway. Soon thereafter, the NYPD dispatched her to Liberty and West Streets, immediately southwest of the World Trade Center site. She grabbed her raid jacket, threw on a pair of boots, picked up her Lieutenant and two other officers from Staten Island, and proceeded into Manhattan.
From the car, Orazem and her three coworkers saw the Twin Towers ablaze as they drove over the Verrazano Bridge. At the point of reaching the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel heading toward lower Manhattan, the South Tower collapsed, filling the tunnel with dust and smoke. The situation worsened with the collapse of the North Tower, trapping them in the tunnel for a couple of hours. Eventually, they made their way cautiously out of the tunnel, driving into unremitting smoke and dust.
Orazem and her coworkers left their vehicle at the tunnel’s mouth and walked toward Ground Zero. They participated in the rescue efforts underway, remaining on-site throughout the night and into the morning of September 12. When Orazem eventually left, she was directed to a wash station at the South Street Seaport, where she was stripped to her undergarments and hosed down before receiving clearance to return home. Back in Staten Island, she discarded the soiled clothes she had worn that day but decided to retain her boots. Their soles bear visible melting scars from the extreme heat conditions Orazem and her fellow first responders encountered on the pile.
- Accession Number: C.2014.480.1
- Dimensions: 7 in X 3.5 in X 9 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 17.78 cm X 8.89 cm X 22.86 cm
- Source: Carol Orazem-DiPaolo
- Credit Line: Gift of Carol Orazem-DiPaolo
First RespondersGround ZeroNew York City Police Department (NYPD)Rescue and RecoveryWorn or Used on 9/11
All materials made publicly available by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on this site are intended for research and educational use only. Users may need to obtain other permissions for their intended use(s) and are responsible for determining copyright status and securing these permissions.
To inquire about copyrights and reproductions, contact: xxx@911memorial.org
