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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2021)
INSIDE A MIXED BAG OF FOREST GROUSE | OUTDOORS & REC, B1 September 11, 2021 WEEKEND EDITION $1.50 Reflecting on a tragedy Editor’s Note: This is the second in a fi ve-part series by EO Media Group looking at the issue of the lack of workers for jobs in Central and Eastern Oregon — why workers are not returning to previ- ously held jobs and how busi- nesses are pivoting to function without being fully staff ed. Employee shortage leads to altered business models Alex Wittwer/The Observer Steve Ruth poses for a portrait at his Perry home on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. Ruth was one of the many Salvation Army volunteers who went to New York City to provide support to victims, families and fi rst responders after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Businesses remain flexible to survive worker scarcity during pandemic Steve Ruth looks back at time spent volunteering at ground zero following Sept. 11 att acks By DAVIS CARBAUGH By DAVIS CARBAUGH and ALEX WITTWER The Observer L A GRANDE — Steve Ruth remembers the horrors of 9/11 all too well. The Perry resident, a member of the Salvation Army, assisted in day-to-day operations at the on-scene morgue at ground zero and provided counsel to workers and family members of the casualties. Ruth does not consider his actions heroic, but he was one of the many volunteers who put their life on hold to assist at the site of the World Trade Center attacks in Lower Man- hattan, New York, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. EO Media Group LA GRANDE — Enter- prise isn’t the largest town in Eastern Oregon, with a popu- lation of 2,052. But it’s just a few miles from the ever-pop- ular town of Joseph and its vistas across Wallowa Lake to the peaks of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. In a normal summer, Ter- minal Gravity Brewing in Enterprise would be busy all days of the week serving local, handcrafted beers to patrons and traditional brewpub fare. But due to a labor shortage this summer the company had to cut hours during its lunch rush, and close altogether on Tuesdays. Natalie Millar, chief exec- utive offi cer of the Wallowa County brewery, said it’s an inevitability that they’ll have to close for even more days as their skeleton crew of cooks, servers and hostesses return to school — high school, to be exact. “I just see it as what we’re called to do,” he said. “We dealt a lot with the public that was coming in to pick up the remains of their loved ones. The coun- seling stretched to many areas of the gamut.” Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks that day when 19 al-Qaida terrorists hijacked four commercial air- planes in a plot orchestrated by Osama bin Laden. Two planes, American Air- lines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center before Amer- ican Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. The passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 fought back against the hijackers before the plane crashed into a fi eld, missing its intended target in Washington. Ruth, a Salvation Army business administrator and emergency disaster coordinator, fl ew in from St. Cloud, Minnesota, to assist in the day-to-day operations at ground zero. He spent 17 days on the scene in March 2002 as the cleanup eff orts extended for nearly a year after the attacks. During his time at ground zero, Ruth worked primarily at the on-scene morgue providing grief and trauma counseling to families, fi rst responders and other workers on the scene. See, 9/11/Page A5 See, Workers/Page A5 Robert Giroux/Getty Images/TownNews Content Exchange On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, a coordinated terrorist attack saw two hijacked commercial airplanes crash into New York City’s Twin Towers, a third plane into the Pen- tagon, and a fourth into a fi eld in western Pennsylvania. In the Manhattan crashes alone, 2,753 people were killed, and an additional 244 people died in the other two loca- tions. The attacks were the most devastating terrorist activity to ever take place on American soil. INDEX Classified ...............B2 Comics ....................B5 Crossword .............B2 Dear Abby .............B6 WEATHER Horoscope .............B4 Lottery ....................A2 Outdoor & Rec .....B1 Obituaries ..............A3 TUESDAY Opinion ..................A4 Record ....................A3 Sports .....................A6 Sudoku ...................B5 Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Sunday 46 LOW 74/46 Mainly clear Partly sunny BID FAREWELL TO SUMMER WITH A BARBECUE CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 107 2 sections,14 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. More contact info on Page 4A. Online at lagrandeobserver.com
