Posted by
Sunny on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 9:37:34 AM
This is a repost from last year and the year before. Reading over it, I'm glad I wrote this down. The details have faded over time.
I was sitting in my office at home preparing and coordinating an order for one of my largest customers. I was on the phone to the manufacturer in Chicago checking on shipping. My home phone rang but I didn't answer it. I got everything taken care of with the order and the phone rang again.
I went down the hall and picked up the phone. My sister was on the other end and simply said in a tear filled voice, "did you see what they are doing to NY?" I can't remember exactly what I said or anything further from the conversation. I turned on the TV and witnessed the rerunning of the plane strike. My office phone rang and I ran down the hall. My supplier was double checking on the order. I asked if he was near a TV. He said they had it on as his wife had just called to let him know.
The morning went really fast. No sooner had I learned of the event, the Trade Center was gone. My wife was at work. I called and wanted her to come home, but she was a social worker dealing with children who needed her more that day than I did. I spoke with friends across the country. One in CT was in meetings at work and I gave him a play by play when the towers went down. He didn't believe me at first. He said probably just a piece fell off. His wife is a teacher, and on that day they did not tell the kids what was happening. They slipped the teachers a note, continued their lessons, and let them out at the end of the day.
I remember calling my grandparents and telling them to stay home. They said they were going to the bank to get their money out. My wife called, she had talked to her sister, and said her dad was going to San Francisco out of Boston. He takes this flight every three weeks. For about 30 minutes or so, we were scared. But luckily, he was scheduled on the 9:30 or 9:45 am flight and called us on the way back to his home.
I continued talking to friends and family. Updating them about the Pentagon and a report flashed that there was another plane headed to DC. After the crash, I had no idea of the heroism of those passengers.
My dad was in Chicago on business. After being evacuated from a building they thought was going to be hit, he found a hotel room and confirmed he was alright. My mom was keeping me updated. He ended up renting a car along with three other people and drove the 1000 miles or so home. Colleagues were stuck in Las Vegas at a trade show and also had to drive home.
My wife came home from work. We sat in front of the TV . There were no other TV channels other than news. Most of them defaulted to CNN. We flipped between all the major news channels. God Bless America on the capitol steps, Bush gets back to DC, donations and blood, news that a pilot was from the next town over, calm and quiet outside, searching the rubble. The shock was beginning to wear off. I remember pacing and cursing. We went to sleep late.
Palestinians on that day
Bush's National Address that night
Giuliani's Press Conference that day