Dear Friends and Fellow boat builders,
I would like to thank you for all your kind words thoughts and prayers. Not just for me, but for the victims and their families, and all the rescuers at the WTC disaster. Those prayers felt tangible to me, and I knew, I was never alone on, in and through that pile of rubble. I knew you were there with me.

To those of you who posted messages of solidarity from around the world. All I can say is a thank you, and express a pride in our friendships on the kinder side of this global village. Your kindness has seeped deep into the heart of this nation and me personally. To the Canadians bretheran all I can say is God Bless you. We share more then a land. While I was on the pile I had the opportunity to work with a man from Montreal. When asked about that, he said in clipped brogue. "If we are going to be neighbors...... I'd rather be a good neighbor" All I can say is that feeling is deeply mutual.

I need to say that I am no hero. There were only 400 heroes at the WTC. I did see them feel them, but I do not rank among them. They were the courageous fire fighters, the EMTs, police officers and Port Authority workers who chose to go into those towers Tue. morning, knowing almost certainly that it would collapse. Their sacrifice resulted in a huge alteration in the final counts of the missing and wounded. They showed courage bravery and heart and made the sacrifice that none of us, no matter what our profession of faith, really know weather we could actually give, if asked. All we who have responded to this scene have done, is tried to honor their sacrifice and tried to represent the towns, communities, families and places of worship that we come from. All of whom are pulling for NYC and the nation. We responded knowing we represent all the others who wanted, with all their hearts, to be there. In that respect, it is my hope that my actions have proved worthy of representing each of you.

I have been asked off-board, a number of questions that are not easily answered. Rather then respond individually, here is a link that may provide a better explanation

http://www.nhpr.org/content/fullmonty_view.php/1688/

I offer it in the spirit of, this is how I tried to represent you, the members of the KBBS. I hope it is healing and honoring both in tone and in spirit.

I would like to thank every person at the R2K at Newfound Lake. You collectively made the right decision not to let the bad guys take the goodness and meaningful times out of our daily life, out of the lives of good people. Had you canceled the R2K the ones who gave up their humanity to perpetrate this, would have succeeded in destroying just one more good thing. By making the decision you did you stood for something in the face of evil.

In your decision and all that I have seen these last few days I have come to know that the perpatrators of this crime against all human beings made a horrible miscalculation. Yes, they made us bleed and yes they stole the treasure of fine people, fahters mothers sons and daughters ;oved ones all. But in the end, all they did was make us (all people living who in grace) stronger. There were only 100 of them. I have stood with 60,000 individuals who intend to paper good over bad to plant good seed where other sowed discontnet. I have stood with those many for days now. Beleive it: Goodness and human courage is the phoenix that always rises like an eagle straight out of the ashes of such misdeeds. Goodness will prevail.

For me personally, I came out of the horror of Manhattan to the goodness and rightness of the people who build things rather then destroy. I saw what good hands with good tools can do. I came out of a situation of devastating images to the etched in granite values of the town of Bristol, NH. Thank you.

As some of you know, my tasking was to perform SAR and engineering reconnaissance of the subterranean floors under the WTC and to Search the void spaces in the rubble pile. As much as it was a privilege, it was an intense situation. As I drove into Bristol, I saw a sign in front of the fire station that read "You can not destroy the foundations of freedom." I believe that message was providentially meant for one who had just spent 3 days evaluating the broken foundations of the WTC. God Bless you for that message. I needed to see it.

More then that, Your hugs understanding words and out-and-out kidnapping me out of my own sadness to go for morning paddles, to allow scarred lungs and torn muscles a chance to breath deep clean fresh air. to build boats together, to watch children play, to break bread, to sing, light candles and pray together was nothing short of medicinal. I am deeply grateful. Words can not begin to express my gratitude.

I am grateful for you understanding. I know I was darn near incoherent and whoawfully unprepared for my talk Friday night. Thank you for your gracious understanding and helping me pull that session off, despite a set of neurons that weren't firing in full sequence. In my rush from there to here, I forgot to bring Rehd's cookies and that has been bugging me. I guess I'll bring em next year.

Finally, to those of you from NYC. You have been a shining example to the nation and to the world of what is possible in the face of monolithic evil and misguided zeal. I am proud to have had the privledge to stand side-by-side with you, in your worse moments, but also in the light of your collective testament of courage and raw rugged strength. I beleive, have watched you in your finest hour! You have been nothing short of an inspiring candle of hope to me and to the world. Both as individuals and as a community, You have my greatest admiration.

God Bless New York, This nation, and this World.

!RUSS