Ohio Funeral Directors Recall 9/11 Volunteer Work

As the United States marks the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, two Ohio funeral directors remember how they helped contact victims' families and set up a mobile morgue in Manhattan. Bob Shank of Witzler-Shank Funeral Home in Perrysburg worked from a motel room at LaGuardia airport to track down relatives of those killed at the World Trade Center. He told The Sentinel-Tribune of Bowling Green he asked family members about scars, tattoos, jewelry and hair color, information that could help authorities identify remains. His son, Bob Shank Jr., went to the Trade Center site to help set up the morgue and run a database to collect identification information. The men volunteered with the national Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, a group that helps during mass fatalities.