‘You never get over that’

MARION - Pictures of the American flag juxtaposed with the World Trade Center towers, a snapshot of Thanksgiving dinner with a firefighter's family, commemorative flags handed out each time she left the Red Cross post in New York City and a firefighter's helmet decorate Beverly Kriegel's Marion home.

“They are going to be there until I'm gone, because those three times there meant an awful lot to me,” said Kriegel, 78.

A trained and seasoned volunteer for the American Red Cross, Kriegel arrived in New York City a few days after terrorist hijackers crashed commercial airliners into the World Trade Center towers. The trip changed Kriegel's life before her plane even landed in Newark, N.J., she said.

“I think it was hardest when we flew over ground zero, and smoke was still coming up,” she said. “The tears were there.”

On the ground, Kriegel spent most of her time counseling the men and women who lost a loved one in the attacks. She was stationed in a hotel room, and firefighters would bring her names of people who needed counseling.

As she was nearing 70 at the time, Kriegel said, she flew home every so often to rest up.

“I would get pretty worn out,” she said, “but as soon as I thought I was rested enough, they wanted to send me back, and that was OK with me.”

Her family members worried about Kriegel, she said, but they didn't stop her from boarding the plane over and over again.

“It fulfilled my heart,” she said. “Everyone wanted to do something across the country. I was fortunate that I was able to go.”

Kriegel said she has always loved the American flag, but her service after Sept. 11 has made it personally symbolic.

“Every time I see it now, I think of Sept. 11. It's a daily thing yet for me,” she said. “You never get over that.”