NEW YORK - As most Americans slowly put their lives back to normal in the months following 9/11, there still exists thousands of men and women who enjoy no such luxury.
Included in that group is Northumberland County Coroner James F. Kelley who unselfishly assisted the New York Medical Examiner's Office following the attacks.
Kelley, who also serves as director of Kelley Funeral Home in Coal Township, contacted the examiner's office and the National Funeral Directors Association after the attack offering to help. Kelley was initially told they were not yet prepared for volunteers, but he would be contacted if his services were needed. That call came in November as volunteers continued to locate bodies buried in the rubble.
In March 2002, Kelley began fielding documents, working in a lab and taking DNA swabs from family members to assist in the identification process. He worked 14-hour days for two weeks.
"Each day was different, depending on what they had going and what was found at the recovery site," he said. "It was busier than it was in beginning. We are talking about two-110 story buildings that had to be removed to get to people."
When an item was brought to the office, it was examined and assigned a number that identified its precise storage location. Kelley said each item, regardless of size, was kept separate from others and given its own number.
"The filing process was unbelievably detailed," he said. "I still have trouble wrapping my head around the system they had to collaborate themselves."
After two weeks, the tragedy hit too close to home for Kelley. The last person he examined had the same first name as his youngest son, Kieran. The last family he talked to were relatives of a man named Walter, which was the same first name of his father-in-law. Although the examiner's office wanted him to stay, he decided it was time to go home to his wife and three children.
"I missed my kids. I missed them terribly," Kelley said. "God was telling me it was time to go home."
Looking back, Kelley said his experience resulted in him developing friendships with the people he worked with. He also gained valuable experience as a coroner and funeral director.
"There were some tough times right after, dealing with what I saw," he said. "(I am) not one to talk about it, but the next time I talked a little more about it, instead of keeping it inside."
Kelley only visited Ground Zero once, but said the images on television of the destruction at the World Trade Center were like night and day compared to the horrible sights and smells of being there in person.
"I hope nobody has to do something like this, but I would go again," he said.
"I hope it never happens again," he added.