LtCol Rob Riggle, USMC, 9/11, Ground Zero

In 2022, we presented the oral history of U.S. Marine Corps veteran Rob Riggle, who later became famous as an actor and comedian. Riggle told us all about his service in Kosovo and Afghanistan and how his time in the service was a huge asset in his pursuit of a career in show business. During that interview, Riggle also mentioned being a USMC reservist in Manhattan on 9/11 and working in the search and rescue operation at Ground Zero for a week after the terrorist attacks. 

Today, we hear that part of his story in much more detail.

In this edition of “Veterans Chronicles,” Riggle takes us moment by moment through the 9/11 attacks, from wondering how such an airplane plane accident could happen to realizing our nation was under attack, and from what it was like on the stunned streets of New York City to getting notified that his unit was being called up to help at Ground Zero.

Riggle then describes the painstaking efforts to sift through six stories of rubble in hopes of finding survivors, the “bucket brigades” set up to prevent cave-ins, and how he nearly suffered a major injury during that time.

Finally, he explains how he then volunteered to go back on active duty – a decision that would have him in Afghanistan within just a few weeks.

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Veterans Chronicles