story10491.xml

story10491.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-03-20

Our home was disassembled; we were having our floors sanded and polyurethaned. Our TV was disconnected in the garage. My sales rep. called me from Florida hey did you hear the news? A small plane hit the World Trade Center. No way I said. Then my contractor showed up and confirmed the news.

It was a beautiful day, a day you knew you wouldnt see again until after a long winter. Not a cloud in the sky, clean air, perfect for short sleeves.

I had to see for myself. I drove to the top of my hill, a hill I had been driving for 22 years, where I had clearly seen the twin towers that morning when I drove my son to school. Sure enough the smoke was rising from the WTC. Staining that crystal blue sky.

I turned around and retuned home. Still in shock from what I had just witnessed. I did the only thing I knew I should. Went upstairs gathered my uniform, vest and weapon. We were sure to get the call. Packed the car tuned in the radio and went to work. We were all in shock and dying for information. With the Internet down at the office and telephone service weak. Our only solution was to make an antenna for a TV we had in the training room. We got a Spanish news station and one of the guys was translating.

One of the guys I work with was at a sales meeting in San Francisco (a meeting I was supposed to attend traveling on flight 93); he called me for the scoop. I told him what I knew and he quickly decided to drive back. A drive that would take him nearly 50 hours.

I got the call at 1030. The City Of Yonkers was closing its offices and activating its entire police force including the Auxiliary Police. I got my gear from the car and got dressed. We had to report to the 1st pct. for our assignments. The place was in lockdown, we were at war, and I had never seen so much blue nor such emotion.

We were sent to patrol the train stations within the city limits. No radios could be spared so we exchanged Cell Numbers and hoped for the best. We used our private cars and tried to help as best as we could. We all wanted to be in the middle of things, help with the rescue, but we did what was needed to help our fellow Americans. I just hope that seeing a uniformed officer waiting at the station was a comfort to the commuters trekking home from NYC that night. I like to think that it was our day to serve, a day we trained for our whole lives. We had 100% turnout that day.

Listening to the news added to the tension. I was so happy to be home that night. But the streets of Yonkers were eerily silent. I think we were all inside watching CNN and waiting for more bad news.

Two weeks later I was back on a plane to Atlanta, two middle-easterners seated in front of me. I looked at the guy next to me and we gave the nod to each other, saying we could do whatever had to be done. Needless to say they didnt move the entire flight. I always felt bad about that; it was pretty unfair to stereotype them like that. But that was the feeling in NY after that day.

Working in Atlanta I felt like they were so disconnected from the events and emotions of NYC. This feeling carried across the country wherever I went. Looking back I know it was me, feeling sorry that I couldnt have done more.

I moved my family to Florida 6 months later, I travel to NY every 6 weeks and I still cant get used to the changed skyline as you drive from Newark airport.

I was leaving the supermarket the other day and there was a Veteran selling poppies, he had a bunch of pins on his vest from his travels and from different Veteran activities. I bought a poppy for my son and we walked to the car. I had a NYPD 911 flag pin in the glove box, so I walked back and offered it to him. He was surprised and gladly accepted it and proudly added it to his collection, I could see a tear forming in his eye.

I cry whenever I see the images of that day.