story4679.xml

story4679.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was working for Thales ATM, Inc. as an electronic technician. A few coworkers had stopped by to tell me the news. At first I thought it was a joke. I proceeded to help install a television in the employee lounge area. Several faces started flowing through my mind. I once worked in the World Trade Towers as a service repair technician. Many of the people I dealt with came to mind as I recalled those days 10 years earlier. I was overwhelmed by feelings of loss. When the pictures on the television showed the first aircraft, live pictures of the second were soon etched in my mind. The horror and devastation became very real. If I had not made the decisions I had in the past it could have been me. I empathsized with the people jumping from the towers. The horror of burning would be too much for me to bear as well. Shock soon turned to anger when news of the responsible parties were made known. The senseless slaughter of innocents was beyond my comprehension. The anger soon turned to depression where I ended up in the hospital a few weeks later. I did not realize the impact such an incident would have on me. Perhaps it was because of the closeness I felt to those who died. Much like the Kennedy assasination this day shall be forever in my thoughts when September 11th comes around.

James Alan Cole