Thanks for the flag. Great article.
If you live in or around New York City, as I do, you are painfully aware that “It happened Here”. There is almost a certainty you personally knew someone or a family that had a relative in one of the Twin Towers. I've spent most of the last 2 days with a neighbor whose son-in-law was on the 102 floor of the first tower hit. Two days later all they know is someone working in an adjoining building for the same firm (Cantor and Fitzgerald) called immediately after impact and spoke directly to their son-in-law. He was fine and seem to realize exactly what had happened and was going to leave immediately. Cantor and Fitzgerald occupied several of the floors from 102 on up. Over a 1000 employees. As far as we know not a single Cantor and Fitzgerald employee made it out of the building. Of course it isn't that simple. We have been tracing down rumors that his boss and others supposedly made it out and were in critical condition in a New Jersey hospital. None of the rumors have proven to be more than a momentary wisp of hope that have now all but disappeared.
The impact and destruction hasn't been completely understood yet. In the case of my neighbor's son-in-law alone, he has in all probability died leaving behind a 2 year old set of twins and a wife who is 8 months pregnant. This is going to be so horrific that when the final casualty lists are published Americans are finally going to understand that wherever you live, whatever you do for a living an enemy has just told you in the most dramatic way possible that they see no distinction between American citizens an members of the armed forces of the U.S.