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The Falling Man

Do you remember this photograph? In the United States, people have taken pains to banish it from the record of September 11, 2001. The story behind it, though, and the search for the man pictured in it, are our most intimate connection to the horror of that day.

By: Tom Junod, Esquire

In the picture, he departs from this earth like an arrow. Although he has not chosen his fate, he appears to have, in his last instants of life, embraced it. If he were not falling, he might very well be flying. He appears relaxed, hurtling through the air. He appears comfortable in the grip of unimaginable motion. He does not appear intimidated by gravity's divine suction or by what awaits him. His arms are by his side, only slightly outriggered. His left leg is bent at the knee, almost casually. His white shirt, or jacket, or frock, is billowing free of his black pants. His black high-tops are still on his feet. In all the other pictures, the people who did what he did — who jumped — appear to be struggling against horrific discrepancies of scale. They are made puny by the backdrop of the towers, which loom like colossi, and then by the event itself. Some of them are shirtless; their shoes fly off as they flail and fall; they look confused, as though trying to swim down the side of a mountain. The man in the picture, by contrast, is perfectly vertical, and so is in accord with the lines of the buildings behind him. He splits them, bisects them: Everything to the left of him in the picture is the North Tower; everything to the right, the South. Though oblivious to the geometric balance he has achieved, he is the essential element in the creation of a new flag, a banner composed entirely of steel bars shining in the sun. Some people who look at the picture see stoicism, willpower, a portrait of resignation; others see something else — something discordant and therefore terrible: freedom. There is something almost rebellious in the man's posture, as though once faced with the inevitability of death, he decided to get on with it; as though he were a missile, a spear, bent on attaining his own end. He is, fifteen seconds past 9:41 a.m. EST, the moment the picture is taken, in the clutches of pure physics, accelerating at a rate of thirty-two feet per second squared. He will soon be traveling at upwards of 150 miles per hour, and he is upside down. In the picture, he is frozen; in his life outside the frame, he drops and keeps dropping until he disappears.

More at http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN

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Good afternoon, OESY. Thank you for your post.

That picture is amazing ... I will never forget seeing our fellow citizens falling, jumping to their deaths. So many horrible pictures from that day. So many heros, that day.

God Bless America.

I had seen that photo, but had never read the story behind it. Thanks for posting that. Like so many images from 9/11, it is hard to see, but necessary if we are to truly never forget. That imagine must never disappear from history. No matter how desparatley we might wish for all of it to have just been a horrific nightmare, it wasn't, it did happen. Terrorist who hate us and our freedom visciously attacked us. Real people died, real heroes and real patriots leapt into action that day and gave their lives for people they didn't even know.

What we must never forget is this; they still hate us.

That Pic of the Falling Man and the Article Brought Tears, and the Emotions are just Indescribable as we Remember 911. I'm So Very, Very Thankful that George W. Bush has been our President, and not Albert Gore, who would have Probably Done Nothing in Response to the Terrorist Attacks. My Anger Burns Against the Lunatics I've Seen on the Internet who Think President Bush is Responsible for 911; that it was an 'Inside Job.' Instead of Hating the Terrorists who did this, they Hate our President; Unbelievable! :(

My Heart is So Grateful for All the Heroes of 911, and I'll Never Forget those who Lost their Lives. God Bless them and Hold them in His Arms Forever.

One more note:

I've been touched by Norberto's image. I think the authors got it wrong regarding Mister Hernandez ... "In truth, however, the Falling Man fell with neither the precision of an arrow nor the grace of an Olympic diver. He fell like everyone else, like all the other jumpers -- trying to hold on to the life he was leaving, which is to say that he fell desperately, inelegantly. In Drew's famous photograph, his humanity is in accord with the lines of the buildings." No, I believe Norberto fell looking down in the belief that he might be able to avoid hitting someone on the ground, for he may have been a jumper, but he was definitely not a killer, a murderer like the evil Islamic scum who flew those planes into the towers. Watcxhing the crushing ground rushing toward him, Norberto may have thought he could avoid hurting anyone else. He should be remembered for that grace in his soul.

Sends renewed sadness based,what a horrifric day, chills through me,that photo of the Falling Man,does.

This is always heart-breaking for me. What a horrible day that was. I’ll check the link when I get through my pings.