The reporters were still saying, at that time, that the plane was a small aircraft, and I though it was just a terrible accident. It affected me personally, however, as until one month prior, I had been working at the World Trade Center on the 77th Floor of the South Tower. After 6 months of taking the Delta Shuttle out of Reagan every Monday and returning on Friday, I'd elected not to continue the contract when it came time for renewal. I usually stayed in the Trade Center Marriott, and would have been staying there on that day had I renewed that contract. I still have my security pass for the building
I was watching the TV when the second plane hit, and I immediate knew that this was not an accident. My first thought was of my former co-workers that still worked in the Trade Center, and how so many of them had hated working there after the 1993 bombing. The rest of the day, I watch transfixed, as the rest of that fateful day unfolded.
In the days that followed, I eventually contacted all of my former co-workers and found that all of them were safe - either working at home on 9/11 or they'd gotten out in time. The people who did not make it out were the huge number of wonderful people who manned the front desk of our shared office, the coffee vendor in the lobby of the underground, and so many great New Yorkers. May God rest their souls... I thank God that I did not renew that contract...
I was at my desk in my office and I heard the sirens. My office is between an ESU squad and the CrossBronxExpwy firehouse. I’ll never forget the sirens. I had WABC radio on and Curtis Sliwa was on talking about reports of a small plane hitting one of the towers. I listened to the radio throughout the day, trying to contact my mom, who was out of the house and saw the smoke from the bronx. She saw on the banks’ tv what happened and she was terrified. I kept on trying to get my son stationed in Japan at the time. I called by brother and he was freaking out because my SIL was going shopping and she goes down there sometimes. By then the second tower was hit. We all knew what it was by then.
I finally got my sister in Staten Island and she was hysterical. Her next door neighbor worked on the 95th floor of tower 2. Minette would never come home to her 16 year old daughter again. The school called my sister and asked her to come and take her home with her. Still I could here the sirens and just wierd quiet. When I got home that night and saw everything on tv I was numb. When I saw the fire trucks I cried. 7 guys from the 2 houses I mentioned above never came back. To this day, everytime I hear them going out on a job I say a silent prayer to be safe and come back safely. Seeing the people on tv looking for their loved ones holding up pics were devastating. There are so many memories. I do have 2 of Minnettes plants that are still growing in my kitchen 7 years later.
The people all swore they would never forget and damnit they have forgotten it and that makes me MADDD!!!!
All Gave Some, Some Gave All.... God Bless them all.