Iron Workers Local 25 member John LaPointe wasn't seeking any attention or recognition for his efforts helping in the search and rescue mission after the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center site.

He drove into New York on Sept. 12, and for the next week, participated as a volunteer in the effort to remove bodies and clear rubble. After the first week, LaPointe was a paid construction worker, helping to clear debris from the site until he was laid-off on Nov. 10.

Wayne County Sheriff Robert Ficano and Lt. Greg Morris thought LaPointe deserved a permanent momento for his efforts. Last month, LaPointe, was called to the Sheriff's headquarters in Detroit, and was surprised with a large plaque including a certificate of appreciation, patches from the City of New York Police and Wayne County Sheriff's Departments, photos of the destroyed World Trade Center site, and a photo of LaPointe with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

"I went because it was something in here, you know?" LaPointe said, thumping his heart. "By 10:30 that night, on Sept. 11, I was on the road. It was a calling. I had to be there."

LaPointe was working in Pennsylvania at the time, so his drive to New York was shorter than other volunteers who went to New York from Michigan and around the country. Law enforcement officers also went to New York - a contingent of officers from the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, including Lt. Morris, made the trip to help out.

"We were at the site, and John saw 'Wayne County' on my uniform, and said he was from Michigan, too," Morris said. "So that was the connection, and we hooked up for the rest of the week. He's a great guy, and we just wanted to do something to recognize what he did. John saw a lot of things that iron workers aren't supposed to see."

LaPointe, 52, is single and has been an iron worker since 1975. He said he toiled 87 straight hours when he first arrived in New York. He worked in the bucket brigade moving out bodies and body parts. Later he helped cut steel and rig it for removal. "I haven't talked much about it," he said. "It was awful." He added, "I'd do it again tomorrow."

In presenting the plaque, Wayne County Sheriff Robert Ficano said "the best quote I had heard about what happened after the planes crashed into the World Trade Center site, was that they didn't call in the heads of corporations to get the job done, the working people were already taking care of it."