On the morning of September 11,2001 I was sitting at my desk located in Terminal C. at Logan International Airport East Boston Mass.I worked for a security company as a manager. The morning seemed like any other day kind of quiet , Tuesdays are not usually busy. While I was sitting at my desk going over schedules for the up coming week one of the ramp workers for Air Tran entered my office to tell me that an American Airlines plane had just hit the World Trade Center and that it was being aired on the news, that we should go up stairs to the Samuel Adams Lounge because it had a television set. So we went up stairs to catch the news, as I was watching the television they were showing the first plane hit the tower , with in seconds the second plane hit , which I found out later that day was United Flight 175. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, at that moment I knew this was no accident. So I left the lounge to return to my office as I entered my phone rang I was informed another plane had crashed into the Pentagon. I called my husband to tell him what had just happened we spoke for a few minutes then we said our goodbyes.So I decided to walk around the terminals to check on my employees to make sure everyone was okay, I was still in a fog over what just happened. I had to inform everyone to go home that the airport was closed until further notice, I was management so I had to stay all day. Three hours into the day I bumped into a friend of mine who also worked at the airport, as I approached her I said do you believe whats happening she didn’t answer right away she had a blank look on her face , she would tell me something that would change my life forever her daughter Maryanne who was also a good friend of mine who I had known for the 23 years I worked at Logan Airport was on United flight 175 that hit the World Trade Center. She told me Maryanne just wanted to go shopping, she would do that on her days off because she worked for the airline and flew for free.I hugged my good friend Anne and as i watched her walk away ,at that moment i never felt so helpless in my whole life.The weeks that followed were nothing like anything I have ever experienced, the silence in the terminals was deafening , and the sight of seeing American soldiers walking around carrying M16 is something ill never forget. Maryannes mother would give me a teddy bear wearing a white tshirt that said ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS FLIGHT 175. It gives me some comfort when ever I look at it which is daily.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Diane Gonzalez
Easley S.C.
On September 11, Greenville residents Steve Cook and his Dad, Hal (The Woodlands at Furman) were in Washington for the National 75-and-over tennis championships held at the Army Navy Club.
We were driving down Columbia Pike to the Pentagon Station and turned right in front of the Pentagon when a friend from Greenville called informing us about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center buildings. I was passing the conversation on to Dad when an unbelievably loud sound was coming toward us. Dad saw the plane first out of his passenger side window, screaming and about dropping to the floorboard. Not being able to see it from my side of the car, I didn’t know what it was and I dropped the phone in my lap, grabbed the steering wheel and stopped the car thinking we were about to be hit by a train! The Boeing 757 flew directly over our car and the second it passed I knew why Dad had screamed. The plane was clearly going full throttle, and it all happened so quickly. Dad yelled that it was going to crash into the Pentagon as I opened my window and we sat helplessly watching the plane plow directly into the target – our symbol of military might.
I grabbed the phone and told my friend what had happened but he did not believe me, saying that nothing was on CNN about the Pentagon. Dad and I got out of the car to find our camera and we were able to take a few pictures. The scene was silent after the massive explosion with flames and smoke billowing. It was hard to believe what we had just witnessed. We drove to the Army Navy Club and shared our story with the tournament players and many retired military folks who had seen the plane going full bore just above the tennis courts and golf course as it made its way to the Pentagon.
Steve Cook
Director of Tennis
The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center
My brother and I were in Philadelphia, Penn. We were coming out of the glass enclouser of the Liberty Bell. Within a few yards there is a T.V. station. Reporters came up to us with cameras and ask us what we felt about the situation. We were watching an outside T.V. and saw the second plane hit. Some people were serious but some were laughing like it was a joke.
The city was shut down because it was not known where another plane might hit. It was very irie to be in a large city which was quiet because no planes were flying. Many people were stranded there because very soon all buses, trains and cars were leaving the city. Fortunately we had our own car. Later we went to Winchester, Va and were able to watch all the terrible things on the news. Then we watched the New York Services and felt good again. It was so good to see the country come togather again and to support one another. May we be able to do that again, but without tragedy.
Grace Dickard
Greenville. S. C.
As was our custom in the mornings, my husband and I were watching Good Morning America. He left for work and then I heard the unbelievable news from Charlie Gibson. Of course I had called my husband, but sitting in the living room alone watching everything unfold was horrific. Then I got a call from my stepson who lived in Brooklyn. Not knowing what had happened, he had headed out to his car to go to work. Then he saw the tragedy unfolding from his parking lot. We stayed on the phone while the buildings fell–he watching it in person and me in front of the TV. We cried together in disbelief, trying to console each other.
Sharon Howell
There are two events on September 11, 2001 that stand out in my mind. I was awaken about 8:00 am by a severe, sharp pain in my rib cage area.Then I called for my husband to take me to the ER – fearing I had pneumonia. The ER at St. Francis East Side was eerily quiet, no one was at the reception desk and the waiting room was empty. Finally a triage nurse interviewed me; even she seemed preoccupied. Now I know that they knew the awful news. So did my husband who was notified by our son before we left home. He managed to mask his concern. The diagnosis was pulmonary embolus( blood clot) in my left lung with pneumonia. Much of the twelve days hospital stay is forgotten. However I know that those who lost loved ones, friends or co-workers can and will not ever forget the terrible tragedy perpetrated by profound hate.
Carolyn Caldwell
I was in Sterling Heights, Michigan on that unforgettable day. As a fire professional, I agonized with my colleagues in NYC and Washington as they responded to the needs of innocent people. Today, and every day, all of us need to remember our nation’s First Responders and our Military who serve unselfishly 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to keep us safe.
Steve Kovalcik
Fire Chief
City of Greenville
On September 11, 2001 I was a lieutenant in the patrol division with the Jefferson County Police Department in Louisville KY. I remember I was standing in a room with officers watching the news when the towers fell. This tragedy hit close to home for me because a close friend of mine works with NYPD and that area was his division. I tried to call him but no calls would go through to his cell phone or his home. It took five days before I heard he was safe and was working in the crumbling towers searching for survivors. It was so good to hear his voice but his words were so alarming when he stated “this is not supposed to happen in America”.
Chief Terri Wilfong
Police Department
The thing I most remember about the immediate response is that people just wanted to “do something” – - – fly the flag, reach out to people in need, reach out to local emergency responders, given blood (the line stretched for blocks), pray together, etc. And people did all of that. Suddenly, New York City was America and all of us. Unity and solidarity in the midst of grief was the feeling of the moment.
Knox White
Mayor of Greenville, SC
On that fateful day, Tunky and I had only recently returned to Greenville after eight years in Washington. I felt very connected to national issues and to our nation’s capital.
Watching the morning news on TV, we were alerted to the first crash and then we witnessed the second. Immediately, I had a feeling of desperation, helplessness, concern for my children and grandchildren, and for my country. What was happening? How could this be true? What would happen next? Were we in a major world crisis? Those unsettling feelings gave way to a deep sense of anger and desire for retaliation as we got more information.
Soon, though, those emotions were overcome by enormous pride in my fellow countrymen as we all came together in love, compassion, support and assistance for one another following a most horrific series of events on that “Black Tuesday.” That feeling and display of unity in our families, communities and country is what makes our nation so great. We are all so fortunate to live in this free democracy that is America.
Richard W. Riley
Former Governor of SC
Former U. S. Secretary of Education
September 11, 2001 is a day that will remain burned in our memories forever, as if a branding iron had been laid up our hearts. At Furman, we watched and listened in stunned disbelief as the tragic day unfolded. We reached out to one another. We grieved openly for the dead and wounded. We prayed for the families and friends of the victims. We donated blood and applauded the heroic efforts of police, firefighters, and rescue and medical teams. We hosted a memorial service, and we organized forums to try to make sense of what had happened and why.
Ultimately, we emerged from the year with an even stronger sense of community and unity, vigor and determination. We realized that the only proper response to the horrific events was to rededicate ourselves to our highest educational mission – the preservation of civility and humanity, compassion and tolerance, knowledge and understanding.
Dr. David Shi
Former Furman President
The events of 9/11 were of a surreal nature to me as they unfolded on that most tragic of days. I, along with countless others, were getting news updates that seemed to change from minute to minute. At the end of the day, the conclusions were all the same: America was under attack and thousands of lives had been changed forever. Looking back in reflection, the way of life in America had also been changed forever.
Harry Shucker
It was not so much where I was, but where My Oldest Daughter Jessica was.
I was in a training class in Duncan that was arranged by the company I was working for at the time, Fluor Corporation.
Jessica was living in New York City and was working for a law firm there. She was trying to decide whether or not to pursue a law degree by first working for the law firm. One of the employees where we were taking the class came in with the news of the first plane and later we had a small television to watch the news at lunch and at breaks. Jessica’s Mom called me to tell me that she could not get in touch with Jessica. After one of the towers fell a lot of communication was lost because it had a lot of cell towers on it. Jessica and other employees of the law firm had meetings in the towers from time to time, so we were all worried about where she was that day.
Later that day when we were finally able to talk to Jessica, we found out that the employees of the law firm had watched the events and the towers falling from one of the lawyer’s office windows. The law firm closed early and Jessica walked home to her apartment with people that were walking away from the towers and she said she felt like she was walking in a war zone. People were covered with dust and some were bandaged. In the weeks that followed Jessica volunteered to help feed the people working at ground zero.
Sincerely,
Greg Day
Simpsonville, SC
9/11 was one of those horrors seared into our individual psyches. A decade later? I lament the erosion of the unity and esprit de corps that was so evident throughout our country in the aftermath of that day.
Ken Johnson
Greenville, SC
Sept 11, 2001, 7: 15 am, New York City. This evening I’m attending the 9th anniversary party for Time Warner Cable Media Sale/NY1 News at Tavern on the Green. It’s been a month since my Dad passed on August 10 after a long battle with diabetes and heart disease. Once my Mom and I decided to allow him to gracefully pass on, guilt summoned me from time to time. I was feeling a bit low the night before about his passing and I thought the party might help push that miasma aside. Sometimes getting dressed up for a party where there are great people and fabulous food can lighten the spirit. This is the 5th year I‘ve been with the company and the routine of the day isn’t new to me. The decision to dress for the occasion early in order to avoid lugging clothes on the subway seemed to make sense, why not look great all day instead of for a couple of hours. One navy Nehru jacket, a pink and beige stripped pencil skirt, great tanned legs that easily slipped into a pair of brand new pig skinned lined navy mules with white leather bows , made an outfit that didn’t shout, look at me but would be noticed . The whole idea made sense at the time but in less than two hours I would regret my decision.
8:10 am — Running for the bus to avoid the short walk to the subway wasn’t easy. As I tried to increase my stride the pig skin mules slipped from side to side making me look like a drunk on a tight rope. No need to panic it was only going to be for a few hours. The clacking sound I made as I plummeted down the subway stairs was embarrassing. I tried to control my footing but the shoes decided to take a few dance steps on their own. It was still early so I didn’t have to endure the moans of the rush hour commuters getting annoyed with my lack of agility. Overall the absence of people guarantees me a seat on the E train into Manhattan.
22nd St. and 5th Ave. — Going up the stairs was an iota easier, but by the time I reached the half way point I realized I was going to need some major patch work done on my feet when I got to the office. How was I going to make it through the day with these stubborn mules? As I approached the street a quick gust of crisp air cleansed my body, the sun gently pushed its way out from behind the buildings, it was more than a pristine day, it was — beautiful. I took a deep breath and thanked God for the moment. “Today is a perfect day for the party,” I told myself as I elevated the dancing mules onto the cool concrete streets of New York.
8:47am — My eyes continued to climb the skyline; in the distance I heard people muttering, “Look; look up there.” I looked up and focused on the twin towers. Smoke of unknown origin billowed out of the North Tower. “It must be a fire,” I heard someone say; my eyes still focused on the building as I continued to hobble down 5th Ave. People were frozen on the corners, pointing their fingers upward; a strange stillness dominated the streets.
In the office a multitude of large TV screens sputtered out NY1 news reports … “A small plane has crashed into the north tower at the World Trade Center.” Gasps from everyone in the office, than a multitude of questions about what had taken place, “A small two engine plane lost control and hit the building,” someone asserts. The news reports are thin; everyone speculates how this might impact the days. All through the office, bodies with blank expressions are glued to the TV screens, everything has become blurred; even the words of the News reports are lacking continuity. I turn to my boss and whisper softly, “Do you think it might be terrorists’?” He looks at me not saying a word; I clearly understand his silence as his eyes veer back to the TV. Technically there was a few minutes before the work day actually began, a close co-worker of mine who’s several months pregnant whispers as she passes me by, “ I have to get something to eat, the baby,” as she begins to head down the hallway. My eyes went directly back to the news report where the screen showed a close-up shot of the fire now devouring the outer shell of the building and the dark grey smoke working its way up the side and blackening the sky. I began to feel anxious, a feeling of urgency runs over me like a cold sweat. “I have to stop her,” my boss turns and before he has a chance to respond I dart down the hall toward the elevator; yelling, “Does anyone have sneakers, size 7 or larger they can loan me?” Someone throws a pair of Keds over the cubicle wall and I quickly put them on and bee-line it for the elevator.
9:01am — There were mobs of people in the street, and trying to locate her in the crowd was more difficult than I anticipated. But there in a swarm of people crossing over to the other side of 5th Ave was one head that was not turned upward. That one head was only focused on the Bodega (a South American Grocery store) on the corner. I quickly ran toward her, grabbed her arm and said, “We’ve got to go back, NOW!”
9:03am — Stunned she looks at me. Our eyes simultaneously look towards the towers; a second plane slightly descends toward the building, striking it near the corner and comes out the other side, a huge plume of fire burst out of both sides of the building. Unable to digest the visual my brain goes into survival mode as we dart across the street back into the confines of the office where a false sense of safety prevails.
The phone at my desk is ringing frantically, people and clients from all over the country are calling trying to find out what’s going on. I wasn’t sure what to say.
9:40am — An emergency meeting is called and it’s decided that out of respect for the innocent victims and their families the TWC/ NY1 celebration would be canceled immediately.
My cell phone rings, it’s my husband, “Don’t go out, stay where you are, there could be bombs placed around the city, stay away from mail boxes, buses and trains and try to stay in touch with me, the lines are sure to get backed up. Just stay were you……….
9:59am — The huge screen in the conference room is filled with the cries of half the office workers as they watch the first tower collapse.
My cell phone rings, it’s my son, “Mom did you see what happened, I am working on a construction site in Jersey, I saw the plane come right over my head and hit the building. We’re all going over by ferry to help.”
How do you tell your son, who’s just becoming a young man, stay put, stay safe; you don’t, you support his efforts to help others in need.
10:28am –The North Tower collapses and the world changes forever.
Nearly 3,000 victims died in the attacks on the World Trade Center among them were 343 firefighters and 60 police officers from New York City and the Port Authority, and 8 private emergency medical technicians and paramedics. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals from over 70 countries around the world. (1)
For some 9-11 exist once a year, for us it’s a little more often. We may never know what dangerous debris my son was exposed to but we still have him, along with the shirt he wore at ground zero and a few pieces of the building and the World Trade Center Health Registry if we need it. So we pray for those families who have lost so much and we are thankful for the time we have together because we know each moment is sacred. Our family has agreed not to blame any one group for the misdeeds of a few. If we can’t live by that then we would have to be angry with the entire world. We plan on making the world a better place by bettering ourselves at every moment and we know that, “To see a face of love is to feel a heart of peace.” (2)
Teedonna E.
About the writer and her family: New resident of Greenville, S.C. and has never been happier.
My husband & I retired to Greenville three years ago from Long Island, NY. I had been semi-retired & my husband was also, down to working 3 nights a week doing security. I was washing my hair that morning when NBC announced that a plane had hit one of the twin towers. I immediately thought – oh my God, it’s an accident. When they announced that the 2nd plane had hit, I felt panic set in realizing that we were being attacked.
I immediately got a call from my husband saying he was getting a haircut when it came over the TV in a barbershop. Upon arriving home, we made/received phone calls from my children who both worked in Manhattan. They assured us they were OK but were being sent home.
When I think that we lived only a 45 minute train ride from this horrendous time in history, I am truly blessed that we were able to relocate to the south. We personally did not have anyone close that lost their lives but know of friends who did. Prior to relocating here, we used to attend every Sept. 11th since then a memorial ceremony held in Long Beach, Long Island on the beach. Many VIP’s attended but it was comforting to acknowledge that New Yorkers were never forgetting what happened to many innocent people on that day. They are truly in a better place!
Thank you for asking for emails on this
Sincerely,
Stephanie Flood
I remember staring in disbelief at the television as the events unfolded, and feeling so much sorrow – these were real people – fellow Americans – with spouses and children and parents…the news went from bad to worse that day… I wanted to shield my young daughter from the horrible explosions, panic and fear…and assure her that God was still in control…
Tammy Burton
Travelers Rest
While I was working, I was called to the office to look at the terrifying images. I felt total shock and disbelief. It has reminded me that every minute is precious.
-Anonymous
I was sitting on the third row in Mrs. Mixon’s history class during the tenth grade. It was second period. She got a call from the office and turned on the TV in the classroom. The images astonished us! We had never seen something so surreal and horrific. I was shocked and angered. I, as everyone else, knew that this day changed everything. My life has changed in that I am so much more aware of the world around me and of the dangers that are included in it. My love for my country blossomed after that day as did my appreciation for the sacrifice of those that defend Her.
-Anonymous
We left GSP by plane on the 10th of September bound for New York and a cruise of New England and Canada. That evening we left the harbor at 10 p.m. It was a beautiful fall evening so after dinner we went up on deck to see the sights. As we passed the Statue of Liberty and the Twin Towers, I wished I had had my camera but was too tired to go down to the cabin.
The next morning we were in Newport, Rhode Island. We were going on a tour so we had to report to the main lounge. All the officers on board seemed to be from the United Kingdom and one of them said to me as I disembarked, “You might want to watch the telly when you go ashore.” The rest is, of course, history. The show on board that night was New York, New York, but it was canceled. Everyone was subdued for a while but we had a service and collected $5,000.
Ten days later when we flew back to GSP, airport security was completely changed— along with our lives.
Two years later, we were on another Princess ship with the same captain as our 9/11 trip. He had to abandon the voyage half way through because of the Norwalk virus. I hate to think what would happen if we ever went on another voyage captained by him!
Marjorie J. Halladay
I was at work in my Summit, NJ office, having returned the day before from a west coast vacation on United Airlines from San Francisco. I couldn’t help wondering if the Newark – San Francisco flight that crashed had some of our flight crew or returning passengers on board. I’ll never know.
We had Spanish-speaking consultants in our office who interpreted the TV commentary from a Spanish TV station in NJ when the antenna on top of the World Trade Center disappeared with the building and knocked out the TV signal to the area.
My initial reaction when I first heard it from someone in the office with a radio on was that a private plane hit the WTC. A terrorist attack never entered my mind.
We went on a planned trip to London two months later and marveled at the kindness and sympathy expressed by the British people.
Every time I fly, go to a populated city, attend an event with lots of people or use public transportation, I am keenly aware of my heightened anxiety and relief when nothing eventful happens. I still can’t believe it sometimes.
Ellie
Greenville, SC
September 11, 2001, Ten Years On
That morning was fairly typical, except that I had declared a mental health day by not listening to NPR’s Morning Edition, or any other broadcast for that matter. My radio display remained dark, and my Washington Post lay unopened on the kitchen table. Both were testaments to my declaration of a “no bad news morning.”
My husband and I had recently decided to divorce so I had rented a small apartment in Arlington, VA, a few miles from the Pentagon. The apartment complex was located close to transportation, hike and bike trails, and shopping and dining were all in walking distance. My new roommate, a recently rescued greyhound, watched from the bed, as I leisurely prepared for a late morning appointment.
Shortly after 9 a.m. the phone rang. A friend in Texas was calling to find out if I was watching TV. “No,” I said, wondering what so important that it couldn’t wait until another day. She excitedly said, “Turn it on! A plane has flown into the World Trade Center.” Initially, I thought it was an accident—until the second plane hit the other tower. I stood frozen in front of the television screen, the phone in one hand and my coffee cup dangling in the other; my friend and I sharing our fears with our mutual silence.
My paralysis vanished when I heard and felt a tremendous explosion. The apartment walls groaned and the windows and glass sliding door creaked eerily as they flexed with the concussion. My dog flew off the bed, running towards me looking for comfort. Too stunned at that moment to be afraid, I matter-of-factly told my friend I had to get off the phone, as whatever had happened was very close by. The idea that Washington, DC, was also under attack quickly sunk in, and brought me to my knees. My dog and I both made our way to the couch, he buried his head in my lap and I stared at the TV. Outside my apartment sirens blared and thick clouds of smoke rose from the Pentagon.
While other Americans lived out their version of the horror of 9/11, I was one of the “lucky” ones. No one I knew was killed that day. The rumors that circulated that the State Department, where other dear friends worked, was under attack, proved to be untrue. My friend, who was returning from London, had her flight turned back. My husband’s flight never took off.
Later that day, I reluctantly drove down frighteningly deserted streets to have an impromptu meal with Foreign Service friends at their hotel. As we picked at the pizza we’d found at one of the only places open for miles around, we repeatedly looked out the hotel windows and up at the clear blue empty skies.
In the days, weeks, and months that followed, I experienced many things that demonstrated just how profoundly our lives had been affected and would be permanently changed. Driving across the 14th Street bridge one day I heard a plane coming in for a landing at National Airport. The engine seemed a little too loud, a little too close. I wasn’t alone in my observation as all the cars on the bridge slowed almost to a stop and the drivers craned their necks to look up into the sky. One afternoon a grocery store worker dropped a box of produce, making a loud sharp clatter. I jumped and another woman close by, began to cry. The worker put his arm around her shoulders, comforting her. Discussions with my neighbors, as we walked our dogs, centered on how they managed to get home that day, some of them walking for hours trying to find a way out of the District. And how the fighter jets streaking overhead filled us with fear until the news reporters told us that the planes were “ours.” Young men, who were just out of school or starting their careers, told me how they and their friends had enlisted in the military, or were planning to, and would be leaving soon. I numbly listened and wondered where it would all end.
Ten years on, incredible as the attacks that day were to me, I find even more incredible that the United States is waging three seemingly endless wars on terror. As I write this from my Greenville, SC home, I think to say our lives changed on September 11, 2001, is the “mother of all” understatements. Oh, and what happened to those “no news days” I used to periodically declare? They’ve become a thing of the past.
Kathleen Perry
Greenville, SC
September 10th is my birthday so I was just getting over that day (I do not get excited about b-days) I was at work and everyone but I was in a meeting. Someone from the newsroom came down and said a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. I thought “oh that is horrible, those poor people and their families”…… then another plane hit I sat in shock, then we get reports that the pentagon was hit, and another plane was headed to Washington, horror overtook me, I realized we were in terrible trouble. I called my Mom in Florida and she said, “Penny just quit, I am not falling for this kind of a joke”. I pleaded with her just to turn on the TV and she was overcome. I called my boys I just wanted to hear their voice and tried to call my husband.
You feel helpless, we at work scrambled to find a TV and we were in the basement watching a small b/w, and we all cried and just hugged each other. Then we went into the hall gathered in a circle and held hands and prayed. Later on one of my friends gave me a picture frame with a flag in the background to remember that day, I still have it on my desk.
When I got home I hugged my boys and husband with a mixture of relief to see them and feeling so much grief for the ones who could not hug their loved ones. We prayed and watched the events unfolding; I remember seeing our leaders standing in together and our President Bush walking across the lawn to join them. I thought that was one of the bravest things I saw, I know why they stood together, to show that we were not defeated, but I could not help but be frightened. But then as I watched the firefighters, policeman and first responders were working so tirelessly I began to see new heroes and people who are just everyday citizens ready to give everything to save someone else.
The days after the attack were very sad black days, but folks started speaking to one another in hallways and giving each other a smile, it was as if we all had to come together. I was so proud to see the flags flying on cars and everywhere you looked you could see one. We at the paper were concerned for our safety and started securing our building, the days of open door policies were gone and as with other businesses things would never be the same.
Our innocence and comfort was lost and as in Pearl Harbor the country regroups, changes the way we do things and move on, but never quite forgetting. Sometimes at night as I am walking my dog and I see a lone plane in the air, I am still struck with the thought…what if that plane is not going where it should be going, what if someone is on that plane with the thoughts of making it a weapon.
I always reflect on that day when I hear Alan Jackson’s: Where Were You When the World Stopped Spinning? I think that song so captured the feelings on that day, the day the world stopped spinning on September 11th.
Penny Cody
Account Relationship Specialist
Greenville News
On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I was sequestered in a conference room with a half dozen staff members of a Global 100 technology firm’s telephony team. We were discussing a marketing strategy, and someone pointed out that he’d read a story on CNN.com about something similar to what we were talking about. It being a high-tech firm, one of the team had her PC connected to a projector, and she immediately keyed “cnn.com” into a browser to find the story.
CNN.com didn’t load. Remember, this was 10 years ago. Google was 4 years old, but CNN and a few other sites were the ones we “techies” went to when we needed to verify that the Internet “had not been broken” and the problem at hand was local. The site finally loaded. It was a headline and an image of the top of one of the World Trade Center twin towers exploding. The short text below the horrifying picture indicated that an airplane had crashed into the tower. The word “terrorist” was not used.
The meeting quickly degraded to people shouting “Hit reload! There must be more information!” and many expletives expressed. One of the team remembered that the office had a TV on cable. We ran to turn it on, only to find the rest of the office staff standing with their mouths agape as a second plane hit the other tower. When the Pentagon was attacked, the word was swiftly passed for everyone to “do what they need to do; nothing substantive would be done, anyhow.”
I called my wife, who was at her parents’ home (they live four blocks from us in Greenville), her walk interrupted by her mother’s command through the rolled down front passenger window of her car “Get in. You need to come with me.” I told her I was fine and that I’d be home as soon as possible. We decided to see how things would further unfold before we made any significant plans.
Next I called my parents in Syracuse, New York, to let them know I was OK, so far. My mother answered the phone, I think, and her immediate response hearing my voice was “Well, at least you’re safe, living in Greenville. We haven’t heard from Mike or Paul, yet.” For an instant, I sensed my mother’s fear, that same fear that caused her to nearly squeeze the life out of me when, during my last year at Furman, she greeted me at the door having heard that a male Furman student had been killed in a car accident. I almost couldn’t bring myself to tell her, but she sensed it. “Mark, you are alright, right?” she pleaded. “Well, actually, I’m in Reston, Virginia. I can see Dulles from my hotel room window, and it’s a good thing that the glass was thickened for soundproofing because otherwise the Air Force fighter jets buzzing the airport would have shattered it by now.”
Dead silence. Trying to lighten the moment, I quickly added: “But don’t worry, Mom, I’ve decided that that old saying ‘possession is 9/10 of the law’ applies here, and I’m commandeering my Hertz rental car to drive home in the morning. I’ll let Hertz sort it out when I arrive at GSP.”
I’m one of four “stair step” brothers. We were born between February 1959 and March 1964, so we were pretty close. Heck, we were practically a baseball team when we needed one. My older brother (the first; I’m second), works in Wasington, DC, frequently at the Pentagon. He spent most of the day trying to get home. My youngest brother, who lives in Syracuse not far from my parents, happened to be on a job in Manhattan that day, 9/11/2001. We all came through that day unscathed, at least physically. I cannot, however, begin to imagine the toll that day took on my mother. Three of her four children were in harm’s way, and in a way none of us had experienced before.
God bless our armed forces and their families, and those who did lose loved ones on that ten years ago.
Mark A. Roosevelt
President
Roosevelt Associates, Inc.
SMB IT Strategy Consultants
I was heading to a morning meeting and noticed that the news was broadcasting a live report on a television in one of the conference rooms. I stopped to inquire what was happening and was told that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. As we were talking, we watched the second plane hit the other building. I was confused. How was it possible that two planes could “accidentally” crash into buildings so close in time. Then, it hit me that something bigger was happening. I canceled my morning classes, and we watched the events unfold on the large screen in my classroom. My students and I sat in shock as we watched the two towers come crashing to the ground. A week or so later, I was in New York City on business. I’ll never forget seeing the photos of lost loved ones posted everywhere. So many lives . . . so much grief.
Darren P. Lawson
Dean, School of Fine Arts and Communication
Bob Jones University
Enjoying a last walk on the beach at North Litchfield, the morning of 9/11 broke as a beautiful day. Little did I know what was about to happen. Back at our beach house my Mother and sister were packing up for our return to our Greenville County farm that morning.
When I finished loading the car, we turned on the TV while we enjoyed a last cup of coffee before hitting the road. Matt Lauer reported a plane had apparently hit one of the towers at the World Trade Center. I remarked to my Mother that my wife, Carol and I had recently had dinner there at Windows of the World with NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani. That was such a great view for a restaurant; I hoped it wasn’t that tower. Driving down Highway 17 almost to Georgetown my cell phone rang and my teenage daughter, Caroline, was excitedly calling from school in Greenville asking if we had heard about two planes hitting both towers in New York. I was stunned and knew this was no accident.
Stopping for gas at a station in Andrews, I was surprised I didn’t see any folks. After filling my tank, no one was around to take my money. I found all in the back of a garage area huddled around a small TV. They said to just leave it on the counter and they would get it later.
No one wanted to leave the set. For years, we have always stopped at an old country store at the crossroads near Salters, to buy a country ham when we pass that way. As I pulled over, there were two elderly gentlemen sitting on chairs at the door just shaking their heads and taking turns softly saying “It just ain’t right.” I paid the lady inside who, with tears in her eyes, shook her head as she handed me change and said, “All those people, all those people”! In Sumter, my mother and sister asked to stop for a yard sale. I pulled over. As they got out I heard the lady say “Have you heard? It is just awful.” The way she said the word awful had three or four syllables. I decided it was time to get off the back roads and head for the Upcountry as quickly as we could. When I pulled into the farm, my Mother’s cook, Mary, met us at the backdoor saying “Merciful Lord, what is going to happen next.” I didn’t know how to respond. I do know that September, 11, 2001 will always be remembered in my mind as a unique drive across our beautiful state from the coast to the foothills. The facial expressions of people I don’t even know are indelibly etched in my memory along with their voices of dismay. “All those people.” “It just ain’t right.” “It is just awful.” I pray that neither I, nor my country, will ever forget.
John D. Hopkins, Jr.
The Fieldstone Group
It was Monday afternoon, September 10, 2001. We were at the Greenbriar and had just finished a tour through the once secret underground bunker built to accommodate the president, his cabinet, and members of Congress in the event the United States ever experienced an enemy attack.
As we walked outside and into the bright sunshine I overheard someone remark, “do you suppose anyone ever seriously believed this country might need that kind of security?”
The very next morning–September 11–we watched with horror the unfolding and unbelievable attacks on America. Within hours we learned all airlines were grounded indefinitely and there would be no way to get home. At that point our only goal was “to get home”.
Charles Frazier’s book “Cold Mountain” unexpectedly crossed my mind. I realized that, as during any war, when all else failed, we could simply walk home.
Emilyn Sanders
On September 11, 2001, I was the Vice President of Communications at the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, and I was sitting at my desk on that beautiful, sunny day, getting ready for a ribbon-cutting at the new Charter Communications Building with my boss and pulling together information for several others meetings scheduled later in the afternoon. A little before 9 a.m., I received a call from a reporter at WSPA-TV, who wondered if I could direct her to any local businessperson that may fly in and out of New York City on a regular basis. When I asked why, the reporter said that a small plane had just crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center, and she wanted to talk to someone local about routinely flying over the tall buildings and the waters surrounding NYC.
At that point, I turned on the TV to see the coverage of the burning tower on the “Today Show,” and I remember thinking, “How does a plane accidentally fly into a tower? Something about that is not right.” I called my Manager of Communications John into my office and gave him the scoop, knowing he would have an interest, since he grew up in New Jersey just across the river. About that time, he and I both watched the second plane fly into the second tower, and we both looked at each other, as if we were asking, “Did that really just happen?” I said to him, “That’s got to be a replay of the crash that happened earlier.” But in listening to the NBC new anchors, we realized it was not a replay, and we both went a little white – especially my co-worker, who knew that his brother had a meeting scheduled at the World Trade Center sometime after 10 that morning.
As he got on the phone and tried to reach his brother and his parents, to no avail, I sent out an e-mail to staff and told them what had just transpired, and I cautioned that we didn’t know for sure if these crashes constituted terrorist acts, but the network news was now reporting that there were up to 6 to 8 airliners full of passengers that were missing and unaccounted for. As the news spread around the building, a lot of my co-workers gathered in the lobby of the Chamber building where a large Hitachi TV was located and began watching in amazement the coverage in NYC. At that time, we learned that another co-worker had a brother-in-law who worked in the Twin Towers, and he was making phone calls to try to reach someone with information in New York. We also became aware that a co-worker who was on vacation at the time was actually sightseeing in New York City, and we became worried about her, as well.
I and my Manager of Communications continued to watch the coverage on the TV in my upstairs office, and as it unfolded, we heard about the crash at the Pentagon, the other ‘missing’ planes, and then we watched both towers crumble into dust. When the second tower fell, John gasped, “They are GONE?!? Julie, they are gone! Since the day I was born, we have looked across the water and seen those towers. That’s all I’ve ever known.” And he started to cry, and it was only exacerbated by his inability to reach his parents in NJ and his brother, who was supposed to be attending a meeting at the World Trade Center.
I told John that he needed to go home, and I asked a friend and co-worker from the office to take him home. I then went to the President of the Chamber and said, “We need to let these people go home and get their kids.” He agreed, after hearing that the ribbon-cutting and a number of meetings were being canceled for the afternoon. And so, the Chamber closed early, and everyone left to go be with their families.
That’s all anybody cared about on that particular morning – jobs and work didn’t matter, meetings didn’t matter, our plans, our possessions…..nothing. None of that mattered. The only thing of any concern that day was gathering up our kids in our arms, getting all of our families under the same roof, holding them close, and hoping that we could protect them on a day when we knew the world had changed forever.
Tears come to my eyes at this moment as I’m thinking back on it and remembering the shock and horror, the fear, the helplessness, the anger, and the overwhelming desire to go home and simply hold our kids tight.
Julie J. Horton, APR
Government Relations Manager
City of Greenville
We were living in New Jersey at the time of 9/11.
We had gone to the West Coast on vacation the previous week and our return flight arrived back at Newark Airport in the very early morning hours of Sept 10. We flew on United from San Francisco to Newark. One of the planes which hit the WTC on 9/11 was a United flight from Newark to San Francisco. I have often wondered whether some or all of the flight crew our flight was returning to San Francisco the morning of 9/11.
The company I worked for was located in Nutley, NJ, which is about 10 miles west of midtown Manhattan. Sept. 11 was my first day back at work after vacation. That morning I had a 9 am videoconference with my supervisor, who was located in Switzerland. I went down to the videoconference room, which was located in the basement of our building, just before 9 am. There was a television in office area just outside the videoconference room, and that was when I first saw that a plane had hit one of the towers. We all kind of assumed it was some kind of accident, perhaps a small private plane that had gone off course or had some other problem. I went into the videoconference which lasted about an hour (I have no recollection of what was discussed). When I emerged from the videoconference it was around 10 am. By that time the second plane had hit and all hell had broken loose.
My company closed around noon that day and everyone was told to go home. As I was driving home on the Garden State Parkway, I could see smoke from the direction of lower Manhattan. I passed a number of emergency vehicles heading in that direction.
A couple of other things stand out in my memory. The first is what a picture perfect late summer day it was weather-wise. Clear blue sky, low humidity, comfortably warm temperature. Ever since then when similar weather occurs, it always reminds me of 9/11. The other thing was how quiet it was for the next several days because all air traffic was shut down. Where we lived, there was often a lot of air traffic because of our proximity to the New York area airports. It seemed very strange not to hear any airplanes for several days.
One final thought. A couple of nights after 9/11 we had a very violent thunderstorm. I heard from several people afterwards that this really unnerved them. I guess we were all still on edge.
John Mioduski