story20625.xml

story20625.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2006-09-11

I was a contractor assigned to Abacus Techn./Department of State. I was currently working on identifying certain "FMS Cases" and collecting pertient information and entering the information that I found into a Unix database, that could be used at a later date by the attorneys in the building to build a case against Iran/Iraq. Plus I was listening to what was happening to the "Twin Towers" in New York City.
Then through an in-house e-mail system, one of the attorney's that had an office on the outside facing the "Pentagon," sent an e-mail notifying everyone in the building that the "Pentagon" was just hit by something. So I looked out a window to see what he was talking about. All I saw was a lot of Grey, Black, and White smoke coming out of the far right side of the "Pentagon." I was supposes to go over there (Pentagon) to meet some friends for an early lunch, but a little voice inside me told me not to go over there, cause something is not right. So I decided to call my friends, but I never have the chance to make that call.
Then we were told by one of the main Attorneys in charge to leave the building and wait for further instructions from your bosses on whether or not to return to work the next day. Then I called (cell phone)my wife on the way to metro Station, to tell her to turn the TV on and see what's happening in New York and Washington, DC, then all of sudden my phone went DEAD, all she told me was all she heard was sirens blaring in the backgound and could bearly hear what I was trying to tell her.
What is usually a 30 minute ride on the metro (Foggy Bottom - Van Dorn Metro)took over 1 1/2 hrs. that day. Because the Metro was "shut down" from Rosslyn to Crystal City, and the only way it (Metro) was going was to Faifax and away from Washington, DC. So I was buses from the Rosslyn Metro to Braddock Rd. Station. All of the metro cars were cramped pack with people trying to get home and check on if any of thier family memebers were alive or hurt in New York or the Pentagon. Plus some of the passengers were very upset, frustrated, cause some of thier friends worked at the "Pentagon or the Twin Towers." By the time I got home it was 1330 hrs and I had several messages on my answering machine. So I had to listen to all of the messages and then I had to answer all of them and that took me 2-3 hours to answer them all. Cause the phone line were so jammed up with everyone else trying to call each other. Later that night my wife wanted to see how bad the "Pentagon" was hit, so we drove up I-395, so she could see how bad it was hit. By the time we with the 14th Street Bridge exit, the traffic suddenly came to a skreaching halt, all we could see was a caravan of black SUVs and Police cars driving towards the "Pentagon." So we decided to turn around and go back home. As we were passing the "Pentagon" my wife and others drivers on I-395 had the opportunity to see the Firefighters and other rescuers lower the "American Flag" over the side of the "Pentagon" (was found in the rubble in one of the offices).
From that day (9/11/01) on I will take it "1" day at a time (living), if you know what I mean. Because you can walk out the door of your place and suddenly die. And the only One can tell you how long you're going to live is Jesus Christ.