Your 9/11

I got up late that day. I didn't turn the radio on until I was more than halfway to work. The local comedy duo morning show guys were relaying news in an exceptionally serious tone, which was quite a shock. Both buildings had already been hit. I had a long commute back then, and I remember thinking this is how people must have felt finding out about Pearl Harbor. I switched to listen to ABC news coverage on the radio, and heard the second tower go down right as I got to work. Peter Jennings was covering it.

The internet was slowed to a crawl and none of the news sites would load. I checked FR, which I had been lurking at since grad school in 1998 or 1999. Followed those threads. Signed up for an account in December of that year.

It's odd, the whole thing really stuck with me. Sometimes I go to youtube and watch the live newscasts from that day, since I didn't have access to a TV until that night. It messes with your mind; you just can't totally grasp the enormity of it.

I was an analyst at a trade finance bank in Miami. I was listening to the Howard Stern show on the way to work when Stuttering John Melendez came in stating that a plane had hit the towers. Howard didn't believe him, but after it was verified, I thought that it was merely an accident. When the second plane hit, I knew it wasn't an accident.

Got to work where I found my coworkers gathered around the radio trying to figure out what was going on. I called my father to let him know. After getting permission from my boss, I went across the street to Citi to look at the events as they unfolded. It was in the Citi lobby that I saw the first tower go down.

We were sent home from work around 10:30, as no work could get done in such a circumstance. I spent the rest of the morning calling friends who worked in lower Manhattan (thankfully none were working in the trade center).

I spent the rest of the day angry and slightly disoriented. I walked around the streets of Coral Gables which were eerily quiet. I stopped to talk to an elderly Peruvian man wearing a nice Tourneau who told me that he felt bad about the people who died/were dying, but that the US BROUGHT IT ON HIMSELF. Were he a younger man, and I had not been so emotionally drained, I would have socked him. I told him to go to hell, as I tried to find a bar that was open.

I lived in Brooklyn Heights, right across the river from Downtown Manhattan, on 9/11. I heard that a small plane had hit the towers and I was headed toward the Brooklyn Heights Promenade in order to see it for myself when I heard the sound of the second plane hitting the Towers. I’ll never forget that sound - the hollow “boom”, the only thing I can compare that sound to is the sound of a thousand kneelers hitting the floor in an old cathedral - and the way the windows in the building I was walking past shook as that “boom” sounded. I went to the Promenade and saw both towers on fire, thousands of papers streaming out across New York Harbor amid the acrid black smoke. Anyone who says it looks like a movie: it didn’t. Those papers...such a small detail that no filmmaker would ever think of, were the thing that made it real to me.

An hour later, when the towers fell, I was in a law firm nearby in Brooklyn Heights where a friend worked, sitting in the conference room watching television. We heard the screams of the lawyers upstairs when the North Tower, which was the centerpiece of all the windows in the law offices on the upper floor, collapsed out of sight.

I’ll never forget that day, and the days afterward as a woman who lived in my building searched in vain for her husband.

Yet so many seem to have forgotten. We should have to watch the films of that day every year. Every child in every American middle school and high school should have to watch footage of that day.

Never forgive. Never forget.

I still remember going to work that morning in Bedford, MA. It was a glorious morning with deep blue skies and my radio was tuned into the sports talk radio station who were whining about the Pats stinking up the joint in their season opener (they would go on to win their first Super Bowl that year).

I was in my office with the door closed doing a performance review with one of my employees when I saw a lot of activity through the glass of my office window. Somebody was dragging the television set into the main office from the training room which I thought was quite odd.

Then my cell phone starts ringing and with the caller ID I see it is my sister - who never calls me at work. At almost the same time, the cell phone of the employee I was reviewing started going off with the phone number of his wife. Both of them told us that BOTH World Trade center towers were hit.

The rest of the morning was a blur. I remember paging all my technicians who were working downtown Boston and telling them to get out of the city. By 10AM, there was rush hour traffic leaving Boston!

I finally left the office mid-afternoon and it was really eerie, like a Sunday afternoon. Nobody was around and traffic was extremely light. I remember looking up at the sky and seeing no airplanes at all which was really odd since Logan was only 15 miles away and right next to my office building was Hanscom Air Field, the third busiest airport in New England. I remember being chilled by the thought that the hijackers who crashed the planes probably flew right over my office building as that was the favored path of departing jets heading west.

I stopped at the gas station to fill my tank because for some reason, I thought I might need to take a long trip on short notice. As I was pumping the gas, a military fighter jet screamed overhead on its way to Boston.

For days and weeks afterwards, we were all waiting for the next attack to happen. Would it be chemicals, poison in the water supply, suitcase nukes? I had technicians quit because they never wanted to go into the city again. One of the techs decided to start a new career painting houses and he is still doing that today.

I will say this, if you had told me back then that there would not be another terrorist attack on U.S. soil for at least the next 7 years, I'd say you were naive. We were all expecting more attacks. Someday, President Bush will get the proper recognition for this.

At about 8:40am on that morning, I was walking into the Court building on Adams Street (actually, the Court St. entrance) in Downtown Brooklyn to start serving jury duty.

As luck would have it, I had been halfway to the train station before I'd realized that I'd left my Walkman on the kitchen table, so I didn't bother going back for it. I figured I'd just get a newspaper. Besides, I didn't know how well I'd be able to pick up AM inside the building anyway.

I sat in a dark room watching a video on How to Be a Good Juror, oblivious to what was going on right across the river. We were told to relax in the room that they have and I looked out the window at the Marriot Hotel. Traffic on Adams St was snarled, not moving. Must've been an accident on the Brooklyn Bridge, I thought. (It was a block away.)

People were standing around outside the hotel. Must be waiting for a tour bus or something. What did I know.

Fire trucks and ambulances started flying by on the wrong side of Adams Street, which had no traffic. Okay, traffic doesn't come into Brooklyn much in the morning, but something was odd here. I had been facing 180 degrees from where I needed to be looking.

Finally, they had made an announcement. America was at war, under attack. The World Trade Center and the Pentagon had been destroyed. The were trying to get coverage on the TV sets in the jury rooms. I don't think they succeeded. Even if they wanted to, only CBS would be available because it still broadcast from the Empire State Building.

People were beside themselves, many broke down, everyone was rushing for the payphones. I met a woman who had been listening to her radio. She let me share her earbuds. She was shaken and needed a cigarette. I don't smoke, but I walked her to the smoking room. (There was one on the floor. Quite a few people were there.)

We were dismissed. Not much was going to get done in the Court building that week. Groups of people huddled outside with questions, comments, gossip and hearsay. Some of the lawyers said they saw it happen. What kind of plane was it?

Does anyone know if the trains are running? What about the buses? No trains. No LIRR. A few buses and they're all packed. It was time to start walking and no one wanted to walk alone. We walked in groups.

Dust was falling from the sky in downtown Brooklyn like a dirty snow that was covering the cars. Papers fell too. We started walking up Atlantic Avenue. People were wondering around with their cell phones out trying to get a signal. no luck.

We took a turn down Third Avenue. I needed to. I wanted to stop at my mother's house. It was a good resting point for me. The group I'd tagged along with decided to join me. One guy stopped in a hardware store for masks and passed them out.

When we passed Third St and reached the Gowanus Canal, we had our first real look. It was like a scene out of a bad movie. The skyline was there. But the Towers were missing. Just a terrible column of smoke and a cloud drifting our way.

We didn't stay long. We kept walking. I made it to my mother's house and said good-bye to the others. Some were walking all the way to Staten Island. One who had joined our group had walked over the Brooklyn Bridge -- after having walked down 50 floors of Tower 1. God was looking out for him.

I watched some of the coverage until the trains were running again. I took one that left me about a mile or so from my inlaws, the meeting place for the rest of the family. I stopped in at St. Athanasius on the way. I hadn't been there since a wedding about 15-20 years earlier. I stayed for a little while and walked the rest of the way.

Thankfully, my wife, who worked at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge on the Manhattan side had evacuated immediately before the trains had stopped running.

It's not a walk that I'll forget ever forget.

I was at work, in a cubicle type office... when, I heard someone say “Something has happend at the WTC”. I got on-line, and tried to look for info. NO SITE was up... except, FreeRepublic.

I stayed on/off here for the couple of hours.. and, caught some updates on the radio. I also talked a little with my wife on the phone... she was watching the TV.

Shortly after the towers fell, my company released all workers for the day.

What I will always remember most was, two things:

1) As I drove through some very low rent housing projects, the bums on the sidewalk looked at me in my car... and, we shared a moment of solidarity. They were doing this to US.

2) As I was driving home... I kept wondering: Where is the next hit? Here? In a mall? Another city? Where?

Thankfully... we’ve taken the battle TO THEM, and nothing had happened since.

God Bless those who lost their lives, and all their families.

My 9/11 was truly a bitter/sweet day. My Wife, and my two oldest Sons and I started that day on a really wonderful note: my Wife took a pregnancy test and it was positive - it was our third son announcing his imminent arrival. I habitually tune into Fox News, and the minute I turned the TV on, I was the first images of the first plane crash.

The reporters were still saying, at that time, that the plane was a small aircraft, and I though it was just a terrible accident. It affected me personally, however, as until one month prior, I had been working at the World Trade Center on the 77th Floor of the South Tower. After 6 months of taking the Delta Shuttle out of Reagan every Monday and returning on Friday, I'd elected not to continue the contract when it came time for renewal. I usually stayed in the Trade Center Marriott, and would have been staying there on that day had I renewed that contract. I still have my security pass for the building

I was watching the TV when the second plane hit, and I immediate knew that this was not an accident. My first thought was of my former co-workers that still worked in the Trade Center, and how so many of them had hated working there after the 1993 bombing. The rest of the day, I watch transfixed, as the rest of that fateful day unfolded.

In the days that followed, I eventually contacted all of my former co-workers and found that all of them were safe - either working at home on 9/11 or they'd gotten out in time. The people who did not make it out were the huge number of wonderful people who manned the front desk of our shared office, the coffee vendor in the lobby of the underground, and so many great New Yorkers. May God rest their souls... I thank God that I did not renew that contract...

I remember very clearly how beautiful the sky was that morning. After my office building was evacuated, I filled up my vehicle with gas, went to the bank to get $5K in cash (thinking that the next wave of attacks would be the banking system) and got the gun out of the safe.

I stood on my deck watching the fighter jets fly over my house heading towards NYC.

I then went to the local hospital to donate blood and was turned away because the hospital was on lockdown expecting a wave of victims.

The next morning, I ran to the newsstand to buy a newspaper thinking that the day before was just a bad dream.

I will never forget the funerals and the memorial services that I went to.

I will never forget that day. I will never forgive those responsible.

I had the morning off from school to take my 12 year old to get her braces put on. I was watching a morning show, while telling her to hurry up, when I heard the newscaster say something about 'breaking news.' They announced the first plane crash and then we saw the second hit. A short time later, we heard about the Pentagon - maybe I have the sequence wrong, it was shocking. I called my husband who works next to the Capital and told him what had happened. He doesn't get radio, so he didn't believe me and thought I had to be kidding. In tears, I begged him to get out of the building NOW and he said "You want me to go into my boss and say my wife wants me to leave because she misheard a news report and thinks we are under attack" While we were talking, his boss came in and told him to leave. Ironic.

Later at the orthodontist, I watched the news reports on a small TV. At one point, the ortho and my daughter came out to see the news. With a mouth full of wires sticking out every which a way, she leaned against me and we cried together as we saw the towers fall. The office was stunned silent. The doctor took her by the hand and went back and finished the job.

At school later that day, parents started filling in with wild reports of what was going on in the city. The children whose parents worked at the Pentagon were in the worst shape imaginable. I sat with two girls, sisters, who had both parents work there. Too scared to cry, they just wanted to be held. When their mom and dad walked in, it was the most poignant reunion I'd ever seen. Later the mom told me how much she appreciated my kindness to her girls. To this day, we are still friends.

Through all of this I tried to get my husband on his cell phone. FINALLY about 2 pm I got ahold of him. I asked him where he was and he said "Oh, I'm in a pub with Bob. The traffic was too heavy, so we decided to stop, get a beer and a sandwich." I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or angry.

It was a day of bewilderment, sorrow, laughter, and relief. But it destroyed the childhood notion that I had of basic safety.

Below is an introduction I used for a guest speaker at the university where I teach. It is my hope that some of you will recognize his name.

---------------------------------------

Tuesday, September 11 began for me in much the same way as any other Tuesday. Because of our work schedules, both my wife and I had the morning off and had decided to sleep in. Just before 9:00am, we turned the television on to see what was happening. On the screen appeared live video of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers. A large column of black smoke billowed out of the North Tower and newscasters speculated that a small plane had accidentally crashed into the side of the building.

My wife’s brother and his family had moved to New York several years before and he worked near the Trade Center. In an attempt to find out if he was safe, Libby tried frantically to reach him on his cell phone with no success—the lines were overloaded.

A few minutes later, we watched as a second plane—not a small plane, a jetliner—plowed into the South Tower of the Trade Center. Immediately we knew that this was no accident.

Concern turned to panic, and after a couple of more tries Libby was able to reach her brother’s wife on their home phone.

As Libby called to update family members, I watched in horror as the South Tower came crashing down in a cloud of concrete dust. Thirty minutes later, the North Tower followed. Although I never indicated my true feelings to Libby, I knew that her brother had most likely been killed.

For six long hours, we heard no new information regarding his condition or whereabouts. The last word from his wife—he was on his way down to the Trade Center to see what he could do to help.

After what seemed like an eternity, the phone rang and we received the news we had so anxiously awaited—my wife’s brother was safe. Although many families lost loved ones that day, we thanked God that ours had been spared.

The events of September 11, 2001, had a profound effect on the citizens of the United States. Many people were inspired to rise above the tragedy and offer financial or emotional support to the families of the victims. Others traveled across the country to help with the rescue and recovery efforts.

This evening, you will hear the inspirational story of one man whose actions made a difference in countless lives. His vision for what a church should be helped transform a small chapel near the World Trade Center into a place of rest and refuge for rescue workers and emergency response personnel.

Many words can be used to describe this extraordinary individual. To his congregation, he is a priest. To many, especially those he ministered to in the days following 9/11, he is a hero. I am proud to say that to me and my wife, he is family. It is my privilege and great honor to welcome the Rev. Lyndon F. Harris.

Was in Phoenix for work, awoke to the news showing the first tower smoking and saw the 2nd tower get hit etc. Was to fly home that afternoon so first reaction was the heck is going on, will I be safe etc. Called into work told them I was not coming in for a while until I figured out what was going somewhat. After watching in horror for a while decided I had to go into work.

After a quick shower I saw my cell had a message on it. It was a good friend of mine from college who was renting from me at home in Minnesota. He knew I was coming home that day and just left a message to see if I was ok, where I was etc.

It was at that point that all the intensity of what we all saw hit me. I realized that there were literally thousands of people leaving the same kind of message to their loved ones who would never answer those calls. Loved ones who one minute were working away and the next were killed by insane fanatics. Needless to say I was overwhelmed and had a long and powerful sobbing in saddness for all the people who would be affected.

I was able to visit ground zero in 2005 and it was very humbling to witness what was literally an evolving cemetary where the souls of the thousands that perished were at rest. Those events have, as others have noted, changed me as well.

Pray for forgiveness and pray for a better world tomorrow and everyday going forward.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.