As he helped out at his local church while off-duty on the morning of 11 September, John McCole had absolutely no idea of the horror he would encounter later at the World Trade Center. He was urgently recalled to work and two minutes away from the collapsed first tower, he heard the words "The second tower is down" being frantically repeated on his radio. This book begins as John enters the aftermath of the WTC collapse - the hot air thick with ash, twisted metal and debris, fires, rescue services, casualties and chaos. "I thought if there"s a hell, this is what it must look like." It continues through the nightmare days that followed and explores the emotional and physical strain that he faced and how he dealt with it. As the months have passed, John has gradually gained perspective and he shares his memories of life as a firefighter with the many colleagues that he lost in the tragedy. The Second Tower is Down is a gripping, moving, personal story of one man who had to endure the unendurable.