story4511.xml
Title
story4511.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-11
911DA Story: Story
The first report of a plane hitting the North Tower came as I was getting a ride to work in Arlington, VA, with my Dad in his old Olds Delta 88. When the report first came, I remember my Dad said that it was "some bloody terrorist" who had done it. My Dad was born and raised in Manhattan (in NYC) and has what is in my opinion, a typical New Yorker attitude. He always goes right to blaming someone or something and it is by habit, that I always disagree with him. So it was that I disagreed with him this morning and said that "how do you know it isn't simply an accident?"
I don't remember where I was when I heard the second plane hit but by then, it was obvious that I was wrong. I sat and watched the TVs for a bit before deciding to go downstairs to Starbucks and get my coffee. On my way to the elevator, the plane hit the Pentagon. I work for a Federal agency--located about 1 1/2 miles from the Pentagon so then I began to worry that "they" could target any Government agency. However, I still went for coffee as the entire thing held a surreal quality for me and I for some crazy reason assumed that they would simply put the fires out and rescue people from the top of the WTC's with helicopters. The velocity of the entire situation had not sunk in yet.
Once back in the office, we realized we could see the smoke pouring out of the Pentagon from our corner office window. My office is on the top, 12th floor. We went back to watching TV and, still believing that the fire would be extinguished and folks rescured, I left the room with the TV. A short time later, I heard people yelling "Oh my God, it fell down," and racing back in to the room in time to see the dust cloud engulf lower Manhattan and the tower gone.
Thinking about the event today, a year later, still gives me an empty, depressed feeling and makes me want to cry. I feel very connected to New York, having spent every Christmas there at my grandparents on East 25th Street, and many trips in the summer, and visiting my cousins who live on Staten Island near the ferry. I've been up in the towers about 4 times over the years. The last was 4 years ago when I took my then 7 year old son up in them for the view. I was just looking through my momento box where I keep ticket stubs and various items and found my ticket for the WTC observation deck. I did not even know I had it until the other day when I saw it there.
Even though I live in closer proximity to the Pentagon than the WTC's, I feel more connected and more heavy hearted when I think of the WTC's. I guess because of the enormity and the realization that these buildings that have stood there most of my life, that I've visited, are actually gone. That people had to make the unthinkable decision to burn alive or jump 110 stories, when I'm afraid of heights and I'm sure many of them were too. The fact that the buildings pulverized the bodies and there was almost nothing to find. The Pentagon was a trajedy as well, of course.
At least some good has come from all this with American's renewed patriatism and willingness to help others etc.
I don't remember where I was when I heard the second plane hit but by then, it was obvious that I was wrong. I sat and watched the TVs for a bit before deciding to go downstairs to Starbucks and get my coffee. On my way to the elevator, the plane hit the Pentagon. I work for a Federal agency--located about 1 1/2 miles from the Pentagon so then I began to worry that "they" could target any Government agency. However, I still went for coffee as the entire thing held a surreal quality for me and I for some crazy reason assumed that they would simply put the fires out and rescue people from the top of the WTC's with helicopters. The velocity of the entire situation had not sunk in yet.
Once back in the office, we realized we could see the smoke pouring out of the Pentagon from our corner office window. My office is on the top, 12th floor. We went back to watching TV and, still believing that the fire would be extinguished and folks rescured, I left the room with the TV. A short time later, I heard people yelling "Oh my God, it fell down," and racing back in to the room in time to see the dust cloud engulf lower Manhattan and the tower gone.
Thinking about the event today, a year later, still gives me an empty, depressed feeling and makes me want to cry. I feel very connected to New York, having spent every Christmas there at my grandparents on East 25th Street, and many trips in the summer, and visiting my cousins who live on Staten Island near the ferry. I've been up in the towers about 4 times over the years. The last was 4 years ago when I took my then 7 year old son up in them for the view. I was just looking through my momento box where I keep ticket stubs and various items and found my ticket for the WTC observation deck. I did not even know I had it until the other day when I saw it there.
Even though I live in closer proximity to the Pentagon than the WTC's, I feel more connected and more heavy hearted when I think of the WTC's. I guess because of the enormity and the realization that these buildings that have stood there most of my life, that I've visited, are actually gone. That people had to make the unthinkable decision to burn alive or jump 110 stories, when I'm afraid of heights and I'm sure many of them were too. The fact that the buildings pulverized the bodies and there was almost nothing to find. The Pentagon was a trajedy as well, of course.
At least some good has come from all this with American's renewed patriatism and willingness to help others etc.
Collection
Citation
“story4511.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed April 7, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/13484.