Exactly 20 years ago today, the New York World Trade Center was subject to a terrorist attack. It changed the world forever. And it also changed the career path of EMG Project Manager Remco van den Berg. He witnessed the attack up close while he was working as an ENG camera man.

EMG Project Manager Remco van den Berg had only just become a cameraman when, in the year 2000, NOVA correspondent Twan Huys asked him to join him in the United States as his regular cameraman. Apart from filming for Twan, he also worked with Charles Groenhuijsen (NOS) and Greet de Keyser (VRT). Remco: ‘As a 24-year-old inexperienced cameraman, it seemed like a fun idea to become a ‘cameraman abroad’. I had gone to high school there and really loved the country. Wouldn’t it be great to combine my love for America with my passion for my job? To his enormous surprise, Remco was chosen from four (more experienced) cameramen. He had no idea what adventure would await him: 9/11.

On the road with Twan

Remco: ‘Twan told me that we were just going to take the time to shoot and edit. Before leaving for America, I had over six months to gain experience, so I immediately put out all the stops so I could go out there. I would be staying there for a year.’ His predecessor Joris Hentenaar had just had an amazing time covering the presidential elections of 2000. Remco: I expected to be making beautiful stories, but I never expected to end up in the middle of a global event.’

“This is war”

September 11th 2001 started as a normal day. Remco was working with Charles, covering an item about the economy. On the way back to Washington DC, they heard that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. Remco and Charles rushed to the airport to fly to New York. Remco: ‘We thought we’d fly out there to get some footage. That proved impossible. There were no trains either. By the time we took the car onto the highway, the Pentagon had just been hit.’ As they saw the smoke rise over their shoulders, Charles concluded: ‘This is war’. They went back to the office, where Remco and Twan decided to cycle to the Pentagon for their first 9/11 story. In the evening, they caught the only available train to New York.

A deserted Time Square

If you’ve ever been to New York, you know that Times Square is always full of cars and people. Remco: ‘That night, we stood in the middle of the square with a baffled look on our face. There was no one around.’ Ground Zero was a hellish place where press from around the world had gathered. Remco: ‘I have never seen so many satellite trucks in one place. Once in that situation, I lost all sense of time. We had to keep going. We bought a radio to be able to follow the news. In those days, you could only use your mobile phone for calls and text messages. We heard the craziest stories. What had really happened? We tried to stay close to Ground Zero and report the news with stand-ups.’ There was no ‘easy start’ when chaos broke out. In the end, they worked non-stop for three weeks. Remco: ‘You grow up fast.’

Support each other

All through that year 9/11 was a theme in Remco’s work, whether they covered the war in Afghanistan or a fireman’s funeral. Everything was largely dominated by the disaster. What made the experience bearable for Remco was his close cooperation with Twan. They were together almost all the time, so they could share their stories and emotions. Remco also got a lot of support from his colleague Peter Bakker. ‘Peter phoned me on vacation while I was editing the first item. It was great to be able to share experiences with Peter and to be able to talk about my items.’

‘On 9 September 2001, Twan and I had passed those giant buildings on skeelers on the way to Central Park. Two days later, there was nothing left but rubble. It is really bizarre.’ Even though he was there at the time, Remco still can’t believe what happened that day. He still regularly returns to the former disaster area.