lc_story128.xml

lc_story128.xml

born-digital

story

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no

2003-12-18

First aware of attack on World Trade Center as I was driving to work in Syracuse, NY at 8:50 am Tuesday, September 11, 2003. In my office at about 9:00 am, we turned on the Television and learned of the enormity of the event and also witnessed the second plane hitting the south tower.
At about 9:20 am, I phoned my daughter who lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and who was expecting the birth of her first child the following week. She was unaware of the attack although she did say that she had been hearing many fire and ambulance sirens. A short time later smoke from the fires had reached her neighborhood about five miles north. On Thursday, Sept 13, my wife and I took the train from Syracuse to New York's Penn Station for a week's visit.

The strongest memory of that day is the horrific TV views and trying to understand the insane hatred that would drive men to commit such an unspeakable act against so many innocent people.
Also, in moving around the Upper West Side on Friday and Saturday, we passed many fire stations with candles filling the open doors in memory of lost firemen and police.

The attacks have made us more conscious of our vulnerability especially to the
terror provoked by suicide bombers. But the fact that over two years has gone by without another significant terrorist attack taking place in the United States by these extremists shows that President Bush and his administration have taken the right action both overseas and at home to improve our security.