2006年VOA标准英语-'Aftermath': Book Profiles NYPD Detective's 9/1

By Kane Farabaugh
New York City, NY
08 September 2006
 
watch Sept 11 NYPD Detective

September 11th, 2001 was a day that changed the world.  For one New York City police detective who moonlights as a still photographer, it was a day that changed his career, his marriage and his life.  VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports on how the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks ended one path in retired¹ Detective John Botte's life, and started a new one.

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John Botte  
  
His hair is graying... 
His lungs are permanently² damaged and he routinely runs a fever... 
He says he is severely³ in debt...
His 12-year marriage is over...
He was forced into early retirement⁴ as a New York City police detective...
Now he's facing a potential lawsuit⁵ from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office...

All because John Botte found himself in the right place at the right time to capture some of the most haunting images taken in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"[It] Just shows the emotion.  The emotion of the police officers.  Of the rescue workers.  Of human beings," says Mr. Botte. “Of people that would do it again a thousand times over.  Every single person would give their life again including me."

Botte behind the camera    
  
Botte was born in the United States. But he grew up in Italy and spoke⁶ no English when his family came back to the U.S. when he was a young child.  His love affair with photography began when he was eight years old, at a soccer game at Giants Stadium he attended with his father.

"Actually, I had asked to get money to go get something at the concessions⁷, and he hands me the camera and says, 'Here, play with this,’ and I fumbled⁸ with it, and I started getting into it and I became pretty good."

But John Botte did not grow up wanting to be a photographer.  He chose to be a police officer.

From patrolman to undercover detective, Botte found himself in the heart of New York's crime wave in the 1980s.  Murder, drugs and robbery were all parts of his daily job.

 
Botte's work as a crime scene photographer was featured on a Newsweek magazine
  
"You had a crack epidemic⁹.  Homicides were 2,000 -- 2300-plus homicides a year.  And at a very young age -- I was 22 -- I went to organized crime as a narcotics¹⁰ agent.  So you're basically living in the crack dens¹¹ buying crack and heroin¹² and you're acting¹³ like a street guy and becoming one of them." 

Life on those streets led to one promotion¹⁴ after another until his career led him to the Crime Scene Investigation¹⁵ unit.  A cover of Newsweek magazine captures him on duty at the scene of a homicide.

All those days and nights intercepting¹⁶ drug pushers and murderers.  All those grisly scenes of misery¹⁷ and death captured by his crime scene camera could not prepare him for the moment that would forever change his career… and his life.

"When that second plane hit… that was like the kiss of reality, man."

A Botte photo of the World Trade Center site  
  
It was no surprise to Botte that New York City Police Commissioner¹⁸ Bernard Keric wanted him to be part of a special security detail at Ground Zero in the wake of the attacks.  Keric was a fan of his photography work.  Botte could not be an official photographer for the NYPD because of a conflict of interest.  But Keric encouraged him to do what he did best.

"He was aware of my method of photographic expression.  And he gave me the unique situation to express myself photographically."

It was an assignment that would curse John Botte.  From September through December of 2001, he took hundreds of photographs of the urban destruction in Lower Manhattan.  He did so in the worst health conditions, breathing in toxic¹⁹ air that would eventually cripple his lungs.

"It felt like walking into hell.  And the smell and the vapor²⁰ would draw you in.  And as you walked in, the air got thicker and heavier and the ash, the dust, was ankle deep."

 
A Botte photo 
  
His images are some of the most iconic of the aftermath of 9/11.   

All that he saw, all that he took pictures of, all that you see in stark²¹ black and white, would take its toll²² on his emotions… and his family.

"When I say that I lost all regard for much around me, it was just… you know, I became distant.  I kind of lost interest."

Because of his failing health, Botte was forced into early retirement in 2003 and now collects a disability pension.

The images he took those four months in 2001 appeared in several books, including Bernard Keric's autobiography²³ "The Lost Son."  Though that book made millions of dollars, Botte says he never saw a cent for the pictures he took.

He was in the middle of a divorce, unemployed²⁴, and tens of thousands of dollars in debt when he received an offer to publish the pictures in a book of his own.  Botte was hopeful it would help him recoup some of his expenses.

"Aftermath: Unseen 9/11 Photos by a New York City Cop" was released in mid-August in the United States.  That same week, the city of New York threatened to sue the publisher for the book's profits.

The city contends that Botte was on police time using privledged access to take the photos.  While Botte admits that's true, he says he did not use police equipment or money to take and develop the pictures.  He adds it would also take a lot of book sales to begin making a profit, which is not what his book is about.

"The whole mission of those photographs was about the dedication²⁵ of my profession.  The dedication of my profession visually and as a public servant."

Any potential lawsuit has yet to make its way into the court system.  Botte claims complete ownership of the photos.  But he has indicated he's willing to reach a settlement by donating some of the profits to the New York Detectives Widows and Childrens Fund -- after he's managed to recover some of the costs it took to get the book published.

One thing a settlement won't help him cure is the pain he'll carry with him for the rest of his life.  Pain in his lungs from breathing the toxic air.  Pain in his heart for parting ways with his wife and his career.  And the pain of betrayal he now feels by the same city he once swore to serve and protect.

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

5 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

8 fumbled   

（笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下

参考例句：

• She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
• He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他（瞎）摸着衣兜找票。

9 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

10 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 dens   

n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋

参考例句：

• Female bears tend to line their dens with leaves or grass. 母熊往往会在洞穴里垫些树叶或草。 来自辞典例句
• In winter bears usually hibernate in their dens. 冬天熊通常在穴里冬眠。 来自辞典例句

12 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

15 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

16 intercepting   

截取（技术），截接

参考例句：

• The police had been intercepting my mail, ie reading it before it was delivered. 警方一直截查我的邮件。
• We've been intercepting radio transmissions from Moscow. 我们已从莫斯科拦截到无线电信号。

17 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

18 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

19 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

20 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

21 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

22 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

23 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

24 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

25 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。