Remembrance of 9/11

boston.com

Almost anyone in the world who was at least five September 11, 2001 can answer the question posed by the post title with little difficulty. This blogger moved from New York City to another state several months before that horrific event but had many friends and colleagues who still lived there. Consequently, when a woman who shared an elevator ride in the parking garage at the office building where I worked started shouting into her cell, I heard her say," Oh, my God!", which drew every riders' attention. She then whispered, "A plane just hit one of the World Trade Center Towers."

I exited the elevator along with my fellow passengers and ran toward the office. No one there had yet heard the news, so I went to the meeting room and turned on the TV just as the second plane collided with the South Tower. A sense of foreboding discounted any excuse I might have offered to explain away the disaster. One plane might veer off course, but two? Never!

By then, everyone had assembled in that room with all eyes staring in disbelief as the TV blared. We worked for one of the Big 5 firms, and, since I was the only one who had worked in NYC, I told them we had a large consulting group working in the South Tower. Repeated attempts to reach the firm in New York failed, and we were sent home because working was out of the question in light of what happened.

After watching the footage of the two planes creating infernos of one of my favorite places in NYC, I tried unsuccessfully to reach friends who lived in other Burroughs and nearby suburbs. Finally I connected with one of my colleagues much later that day and learned that the entire team of consultants had escaped safely, thanks to one of the men who had lived through the 1993 Trade Center bombing. When repeated announcements instructed people to return to their offices, he responded, "Hell no!" and led the group of over forty down the stairs. They didn't stop until they reached the office in Midtown Manhattan many miles away.

While I didn't live through the debacle personally, I fretted every moment until I heard from friends in lower Manhattan near the WTC and in Brooklyn Heights. I repeatedly heard It could have been worse, but for all those who lost a loved one or dealt with relatives and friends who suffered severe burns and other major injuries those words had no meaning. Since 9/11 many first responders have also died or suffered with severe health problems from inhaling smoke and dusty debris from the rubble.

Each time I visit the city and take the subway that I used frequently to the World Trade Center, an eerie sensation overcomes me. Instead of exiting and seeing a newsstand directly in front of me, I see a wall. which feels as though I have reached the end of the world. As a reminder to what was, this post includes a picture of the WTC prior to 9/11 below. The memory of that iconic scene will live forever in me.