Telling the Whole Story: 9/11 Survivor Speaks to Journalism Students

By Hailey Preston | March 10, 2026

Dr. Gordon Huie gave a presentation Monday on his experiences and research regarding the 9/11 attacks to a journalism class at the University at Albany. Photo Credit: Hailey Preston / The ASP

A 9/11 survivor shared a deeply personal account of the attacks with journalism students at the University at Albany last Monday (3/2), reflecting on his experiences near Ground Zero and the responsibility journalists have in shaping how American history is remembered.

Dr. Gordon Huie, a surgeon who previously volunteered as a docent at the now-closed 9/11 Tribute Museum in New York City, spoke to students in Visiting Assistant Professor Jill Konopka’s class about what he calls his experience as a “triple” — someone who was nearly a victim of the attacks, lost a family member and participated in rescue efforts on the day.

Huie explained that the Tribute Museum he once worked at focused on personal storytelling rather than relying on traditional historical artifacts. Former volunteers  — including survivors, family members and first responders — guided visitors through their own experiences from that day.

“The artifacts were the people,” Huie shared in an interview with the ASP. “There were about 350 survivors, family members and rescue workers who shared their personal narratives with visitors about what happened that day.”

Before the museum closed, Huie said he was there several days a week, speaking with visitors multiple times each day. Sharing his story, he said, became both a way to educate others and a way to cope with his personal trauma after the attacks.

“Every time I recount my narrative, it helps me decompress,” Huie said. “And I’ve realized that when people hear my story, it sometimes helps them open up about their own trauma.” 

He recalled one instance in which a visitor attending his talk revealed for the first time that he had been present during an Irish Republican Army bombing in Ireland. After hearing Huie speak, the man told his wife about the experience for the first time. 

“That’s when I realized I could act as a catalyst for other people to start healing,” Huie said.

One of the many photographs Dr. Huie brings with him when he speaks at schools or events. This one, in particular, is of the Twin Towers still standing.  Photo credit: Hailey Preston / The ASP

Huie, born and raised in New York’s Chinatown, was heading into a meeting near the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. As a former combat medic himself, he immediately suspected the United States was under attack once he saw the second plane strike the towers. 

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize it,” he said. “One building could be an accident. But when two buildings are hit in the same place, you know you’re under attack.” 

Huie said the events of that day brought a wave of intense emotions. 

First came anger as he watched the towers burn, followed by fear when they collapsed. 

“I was so scared I had tears coming down my face,” he said. “I kept thinking this was the second coming of Christ…but not how I imagined it.”

He soon shifted into the role he knew best as a surgeon, treating injured victims at New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital. With limited supplies, he stitched wounds in a hospital conference room using only the few surgical tools he had. 

“Picture a conference table like this one,” Huie said, gesturing to the table just big enough for an adult body to lay flat on. “No mattress, no sheet, nothing. The patient is just lying there while I sew them back together.” 

Huie stated he had never witnessed destruction like he had seen in Manhattan that day. “I’ve seen injuries from combat,” he said. “But I’ve never seen the amount of carnage that I saw in my own hometown on Sept. 11.”

Huie also lost his sister, Susan, who was attending a business meeting at the restaurant inside the North Tower that morning. She was among the thousands who died in the attacks. 

Huie said he always includes her photo in his presentations because he wants audiences to remember victims as individuals rather than statistics. 

“I don’t want people to see Susan as a number,” he said. “I want them to see her as my sister, and as someone who taught Sunday school for 17 years.”

Dr. Huie’s sister, Susan. Huie brings this portrait of her whenever he speaks, along with other important images. Photo Credit: Hailey Preston / the ASP

Huie said that when journalists reported on the attacks in real time, they understandably focused on the Twin Towers because they had only seconds to deliver information to viewers. 

“The reporter only has 15 or 20 seconds,” he said. “They don’t have time to explain that multiple buildings were destroyed or that there were fires everywhere.”

As a result, he believes many people today misunderstand the scale of destruction around Ground Zero. Huie said damage extended far beyond the towers themselves, including nearby structures like the Deutsche Bank Building.

According to Huie, remembering those details is crucial for future generations — especially as the attacks become more distant in time. Over the years, he has spoken internationally about the attacks, including in cities such as London and Berlin. He said many students overseas are hearing about the attacks in depth for the first time.

“In some places, this isn’t something they grow up learning about,” Huie said. “So when they hear it, they realize this really happened.” 

Huie said that sharing his story continues to serve two purposes: educating audiences and helping him process the trauma of the day. 

“When you tell the story,” he said, “you’re helping people understand history…but you’re also helping people heal.”