Herb Trimpe Address withheld by request New York October 17, 2002 To whom it may concern,     It is with great pleasure that I write a letter on behalf of Miranda Alcott and the wonderful work she was  involved in at Ground Zero, the World Trade Center disaster site in New York City.  I was a morgue chaplain at the site, involved in the spiritual aspect of the recovery of human remains and was privileged to work with people who provided assistance to all the New York City agencies working there.  Miranda was one of those people.  To be precise, her outstanding work was essential to the emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of the workers at the site.  But that's not the whole story.   Under the auspices of Disaster Relief K-9, Miranda worked in partnership with her beloved Crisis Intervention Canine, Whisper.    I myself was a recipient of the unique counseling offered by Miranda and Whisper.  It is impossible to describe the circumstances that existed at Ground Zero during the recovery period.  Workers from the city agencies, many of whom had been coming to the site since day one were haggard, overworked, driven, even obsessed with staying on the job until it was completed.  Many kept at it long past the time when it should have ended for them, and there were those workers, as some have described it, with the "thousand mile stare."  These are the people who Miranda came in contact with.  There are the people who, as the result of her high moral character and integrity, benefited from her skill and her caring.  The value of Miranda's work at the site cannot be measure.    I remember the first time Miranda and Whisper came to the morgue.  The response by the workers was immediate.  The EMTs. The medical examiner, the police assigned to the area, and the clean-up contractors were drawn to Miranda and Whisper.  And they in turn, responded.  In the morgue environment, scratching a dog's head and giving her a hug, was refreshing and soothing -- a welcomed relief to the necessary work being done, and Miranda's easy going manner and user-friendly style was obvious that those she was ministering to were greatly edified.  Miranda's sensitive and caring spiritual perspective offered a much appreciated service to those in need.  I cannot think of, or recommend more highly, anyone more qualified to work in the filed of Crisis Response/Disaster Relief than Miranda Alcott. Very sincerely yours, Herb Trimpe, deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of New York