The Levis in the Firetruck

William Langewiesche is a name I couldn't forget. The other day I bought two books while I was in Mitchell's Book Corner on Nantucket. One was his new book "The Outlaw Sea," a 'world of freedom, chaos and crime.' The book got my attention since I always gravitate to books relating to my favorite words. Voyage. Marine. Aircraft. So Langewiesche's book was a natural. But this author's claim to fame is another story. I first heard about him when a book he wrote was criticized by the press. He reported just after the 9/11 attacks that he had located a fire truck, deep below the rubble of the towers, that was full of new Levis. And this author maintained that NY's bravest, the sainted firefighters who attacked the blaze, had stockpiled these jeans in the truck and hoped to sell them. They had looted the stores below the trade center, and discovering this truck was proof that these fireman had other plans than just to save lives.

He was at the center of the firestorm after his expose...people didn't believe the story. That name rang a bell, I knew it.