Soldiers' Angels New York

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2,996 is a bloggers tribute to the victims of 9/11.

Zhe “Zack” Zeng

Zhe "Zack" Zeng was born in Canton, China. He emigrated to the United States with his parents in the late 1980's. They settled in Brooklyn, New York. On that beautiful early fall morning of September 11, 2001, Zack was on his way to work at the Bank of New York on Barclay Street, not far from the World Trade Center, when he saw the first plane strike the towers from a nearby subway stop.

Zack had attended the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, graduating in 1995. While in Rochester, Zack also held a job at the University and was trained as an Emergency Medical Technician. He worked with the Brighton Volunteer Ambulance. He went on to earn his masters degree in 1998 before returning to Brooklyn. On September 11th, the Bank of New York building was safely evacuated but knowing there would be injured victims waiting for medical care, he gathered all the first aid kits he could carry and responded. The last known images of Zack were aired on FOX TV in New York, shown helping an injured woman on a stretcher before the South Tower collapsed.

Zack's friends and co-workers were not surprised to learn he ran toward the scene, that is just the kind of person he was. They remember him as humble, intelligent, committed, kind, giving and selfless. A young man who was dedicated and took care of his family. Zack has been memorialized in the following ways:

-A space dedicated in James S. Gleason Hall at William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at University of Rochester in memory of Zack and Jeffrey R. Smith, another graduate of the school who was lost at the World Trade Center.

-The EMS Memorial, Empire State Plaza at Albany, New York

-"Tree of Life" Permanent Memorial at the "To the Rescue" Museum in Roanoke, Virginia

-Zhe Zack Zeng Way in Chinatown, New York City, adjacent to a park where he used to meet his friends.

Zack was 28 years old. I never had the opportunity to meet Zack, but by all accounts I am sure he was the sort of person I would have liked and trusted. He died doing what he had trained to do, and what he loved doing... helping people.

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