Stephen “Bones” Reid told Fox News that the national unity he has seen during the global coronavirus pandemic reminds him of 9/11.
Reid was a New York Police Department (NYPD) detective in Manhattan on September 11, 2001. The hijacked planes that hit the World Trade Center flew over his head that day. Almost two decades later, “Bones” is working as an EMT paramedic in Westchester County, New York. As the novel coronavirus — formally classified COVID-19 by the World Health Organization — battles humanity across the world, Reid finds himself in a familiar position.
The 9/11 survivor was asked about the danger of becoming a global pandemic statistic because of his place on the front lines, but he has viewed his life since 9/11 as credit to be shared. “More than likely. But I’m also on borrowed time to begin with,” he said. “I was one of the lucky ones.”
He is not the only veteran first responder still on the front lines, despite the chronic respiratory ailments that the terrorist attack left behind — with the increased risk that goes with it. “Even if they knew that the air wasn’t safe, just like now the air isn’t safe, you still have people that will go right back in it,” Reid said. “It’s just the selflessness, the sacrifice that, you know, it’s a calling.”
Reid is also on the front lines of another crisis: lack of medical supplies. He has already spent over $1,500 of his own money to ensure he and his compatriots can continue saving lives. “We’ve probably got a week’s worth of supplies,” Reid said. “And they said the apex hasn’t even hit yet.”
Reid has turned to social media to source funds and materials from individuals and businesses that he and his fellow paramedics can use. The response, even in the midst of a crisis, has kept his spirits up. “Today was and still is a great day. We got a lot of stuff done,” he wrote in a Facebook update on Monday. “WE. Not me. US. WE. Together. I am just the messenger.”
“My PayPal account swelled. I have just about enough to cover the order coming in on Wednesday,” he continued. “Everything else so far with straight donations. If we should go over, I will use it to purchase more masks.” But more than anything, Reid is exhorting his fellow Americans to stay focused, and stay unified.
“I pray to God that this brings us back together again and it’s not like, you know, September 12th and there’s flags everywhere and everyone’s got a flag on their car,” Reid said. “And then February, March those flags start getting tattered, you know? Common courtesy goes out the window.”
“I just hope we learn from this, that we come out stronger,” he concluded. “Everyone has a role in this.”
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