Almost from the moment they heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, Needham firefighters had one thing in mind: “How can we get there?” Within 24 hours, five members of the Needham Fire Department arrived in New York City to help with recovery and cleanup at Ground Zero, working for two days, mainly in the area of the fallen South Tower. They were joined by two more local firefighters who had come on their own to join the efforts. While working on the scene, the firefighters came across these five postcards bearing images of the towers—postcards that had been sold in a souvenir shop at the top of the South Tower, according to one of the men, who asked not to be singled out. The experience of being at Ground Zero on Sept. 12, 2001 is one that none of the volunteers will ever forget. “For us to sit down and think about that day … we really can’t, because there’s too much to absorb,” the firefighter said. A local delegation has returned to New York nearly every year since to mark the anniversary of 9/11 and will be there this year.