story6714.xml
Title
story6714.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-12
911DA Story: Story
It was the start to a Tuesday much like other Tuesdays before - except I was going to visit New York City for a conference that day. My wife Joy was packed and ready at home, waiting with her mother on my return from a weekly business referral meeting. My meeting started at 8 AM, and usually lasted until about 9 AM. We had decided to drive to New York, rather than fly, since it was less expensive for the three of us...
When I left my meeting I hardly noticed the big screen TV in the lobby of the car dealership where we met, since I was in a hurry to get home and get started toward NYC. This was 8:50 AM. Then, on my way home, I listened in disbelief to the radio and heard a plane had hit the North Tower of the WTC. It was 8:59 AM when I arrived at home, took my wife into my arms as we both watched in disbelief the second tower being hit by another airplane. I immidiately thought "we are so lucky that this conference was scheduled on the 12th, or we could already be there, and might have gone up on the WTC observation desk on a beautiful day like this".
I tried to call the conference provider to find out if they still planned on having the conference, and they initially said they would. Realizing they probably had no idea of the magnitude of the events unfolding, I decided to call work and find out what they would like for me to do. Ultimately, I stayed home watching TV in disbelief and finding out later the conference was cancelled, since no one could get in or out of lower Manhatten anyway (the conference would have been on 42nd St.).
Some days later I found out from our cousin that her brother was the fire captain John Jonas of the few people who survived on the stairs by helping a woman down who slowed them enough to be in the only spot to survive that day inside the North Tower after it collapsed. I still have chills running up my spine when I think about all the people who had no idea what was happening, and who died needlessly.
The images of that day are still burning in my head, and I wish we will never have to go through anything like this again. Let's not go to war with anyone, and try to preserve peace!
When I left my meeting I hardly noticed the big screen TV in the lobby of the car dealership where we met, since I was in a hurry to get home and get started toward NYC. This was 8:50 AM. Then, on my way home, I listened in disbelief to the radio and heard a plane had hit the North Tower of the WTC. It was 8:59 AM when I arrived at home, took my wife into my arms as we both watched in disbelief the second tower being hit by another airplane. I immidiately thought "we are so lucky that this conference was scheduled on the 12th, or we could already be there, and might have gone up on the WTC observation desk on a beautiful day like this".
I tried to call the conference provider to find out if they still planned on having the conference, and they initially said they would. Realizing they probably had no idea of the magnitude of the events unfolding, I decided to call work and find out what they would like for me to do. Ultimately, I stayed home watching TV in disbelief and finding out later the conference was cancelled, since no one could get in or out of lower Manhatten anyway (the conference would have been on 42nd St.).
Some days later I found out from our cousin that her brother was the fire captain John Jonas of the few people who survived on the stairs by helping a woman down who slowed them enough to be in the only spot to survive that day inside the North Tower after it collapsed. I still have chills running up my spine when I think about all the people who had no idea what was happening, and who died needlessly.
The images of that day are still burning in my head, and I wish we will never have to go through anything like this again. Let's not go to war with anyone, and try to preserve peace!
Collection
Citation
“story6714.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 6, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/19552.