9/11 - Where were you?
I was working for a company that serviced all of the Washington Mutual Bank accounts, including a Mortgage Center on the 24th floor of Tower 2, so I was there on August 23rd, 2001.
I cornered this poor girl, who was taking a smoke break, to pose for me in front of Tower #2, not knowing that only weeks later, I'd be wondering what her name was so I could find out if she made it out OK.
You can clearly see from her body language that she was saying, "Get two inches closer and I am calling Security".
.
Likewise, I met the sweetest Jamaican lady, Pat. I never got her last name.
August 23rd was a day when a guy in an ultra-light glider had gotten hung up on the torch of the Statue of Liberty, and it was all over the radio that morning. How could someone get that close to a National Monument without being stopped? We talked about that and we had a nice conversation about New York, Jamaica and Brooklyn, where she lived.
I could look out the window of the 24th floor to the South and see the helicopters circling, rescuing him from the torch. It was a Bazaar day, but I never imagined what was to come.....
I never found out if she made it out either. Lord, I hope so.
I was commuting via Delta between home and Florida at the time, every 3 weeks or so on business.
I was driving to work in Pompano Beach, listening to Howard Stern in New York on the radio when the news hit. It was compared to the stunt at the Statue of Liberty, but the news got worse quickly.
By the time I reached the office, the Internet was essentially grid-locked, so we couldn't see anything.
The owner of our company had an office in Tower #2. He handled all of the electrical work in the two towers, and he was in tower #2 when tower #1 was hit - ran over there and was there when tower #2 was hit.
He took some amazing photos. He was missing in action for over 24 hours. He was also a First Responder. He is OK, but will always be emotionally scarred.
Being in Florida at the time, I flew back home on the 1st day they let commercial flights fly again.
During the time when there were no flights, I could stand on the deck of the condo in Pompano Beach near the airport and regularly hear Military Aircraft flying the coast way overhead. No lights. It was eerie. They were the only jets in the sky.
In Florida, there was a lot of redneck reaction. Guys in pickup trucks with huge American Flags on the back.
Tee Shirts and Bumper Stickers.
The assholes that flew into the trade center actually took flight lessons there, and bought their tickets from a travel agency nearby, paying in cash and not asking for change from $500.
The day I left the airport in FT Lauderdale was tense. 25 Guys with guns at the ready. LONG guns and guys in camouflage. Nobody said anything funny. Nobody said anything, in fact.
Long lines. Don't stop your vehicle for more than 15 seconds. Lots of announcements on the PA. Stressed looks on every face.
Everyone thinking it, but not saying anything - in the airport or on the plane.
That day changed everything. I'm guessing that most people have changed their thinking since that day.
It's a memory I'll never forget.
We should never forget. Ever.
BASTARDS.
I cornered this poor girl, who was taking a smoke break, to pose for me in front of Tower #2, not knowing that only weeks later, I'd be wondering what her name was so I could find out if she made it out OK.
You can clearly see from her body language that she was saying, "Get two inches closer and I am calling Security".
.
Likewise, I met the sweetest Jamaican lady, Pat. I never got her last name.
August 23rd was a day when a guy in an ultra-light glider had gotten hung up on the torch of the Statue of Liberty, and it was all over the radio that morning. How could someone get that close to a National Monument without being stopped? We talked about that and we had a nice conversation about New York, Jamaica and Brooklyn, where she lived.
I could look out the window of the 24th floor to the South and see the helicopters circling, rescuing him from the torch. It was a Bazaar day, but I never imagined what was to come.....
I never found out if she made it out either. Lord, I hope so.
I was commuting via Delta between home and Florida at the time, every 3 weeks or so on business.
I was driving to work in Pompano Beach, listening to Howard Stern in New York on the radio when the news hit. It was compared to the stunt at the Statue of Liberty, but the news got worse quickly.
By the time I reached the office, the Internet was essentially grid-locked, so we couldn't see anything.
The owner of our company had an office in Tower #2. He handled all of the electrical work in the two towers, and he was in tower #2 when tower #1 was hit - ran over there and was there when tower #2 was hit.
He took some amazing photos. He was missing in action for over 24 hours. He was also a First Responder. He is OK, but will always be emotionally scarred.
Being in Florida at the time, I flew back home on the 1st day they let commercial flights fly again.
During the time when there were no flights, I could stand on the deck of the condo in Pompano Beach near the airport and regularly hear Military Aircraft flying the coast way overhead. No lights. It was eerie. They were the only jets in the sky.
In Florida, there was a lot of redneck reaction. Guys in pickup trucks with huge American Flags on the back.
Tee Shirts and Bumper Stickers.
The assholes that flew into the trade center actually took flight lessons there, and bought their tickets from a travel agency nearby, paying in cash and not asking for change from $500.
The day I left the airport in FT Lauderdale was tense. 25 Guys with guns at the ready. LONG guns and guys in camouflage. Nobody said anything funny. Nobody said anything, in fact.
Long lines. Don't stop your vehicle for more than 15 seconds. Lots of announcements on the PA. Stressed looks on every face.
Everyone thinking it, but not saying anything - in the airport or on the plane.
That day changed everything. I'm guessing that most people have changed their thinking since that day.
It's a memory I'll never forget.
We should never forget. Ever.
BASTARDS.