nmah5625.xml

nmah5625.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-09-01

I was bound for California, a passenger on an American Airlines plane that was on the runway at Logan Airport in Boston at the time that, unbeknownst to us, the second plane hijacked from Logan crashed into the World Trade Center. While we awaited take-off on the tarmac, the pilot announced that our flight would be delayed, a common occurrence that about to turn into a singular experience. About 15 minutes later, the pilot made a most unusual announcementour flight was canceled due to a national grounding of planes. I turned to the woman next to me, saying, What the heck is this? I never heard of such a thing. The pilot then said that we had to deplane, take all our belongings with us, but that we could not leave the terminal. He added that we were free to use cell phones to let others know about our status. The woman seated to my left called her husband who in turn said that CNN was reporting that a hijacked jet had struck the twin towers.

As we filed off the plane and returned to the terminal, I saw a long line of people standing outside an airport bar. Upon reaching them, I found that everyone was straining to see a television. There was a collective gasp as we all watched a tower fall. I was unaware at the time that two of my children were witnessing the same scene at their school. Since they did not know my flight number, they were terrified that one of the planes was mine. I was unable to contact them for two hours since the degree of telephone traffic rendered cell and airport pay phones useless.

At some point, through the public address system, we were advised that the airport was going to close and that we should retrieve our luggage. As we approached the security checkpoint, we were met with the unexpected sight of a whole line of Massachusetts State Police who seemed to be scrutinizing each passenger. Someone said the luggage from our plane was being searched.

My son Erik had never left the airport since he caught some early CNN coverage and anticipated at least some delay. He later found me at the baggage claim where people were telling each other about the latest development, the crashing of another plane, this one at the Pentagon. As people were speculating that we were being invaded, I was grateful for my sons presence and I hugged him closely. By the time I was able to get my bag, the airport was virtually deserted. We found ourselves in the only vehicle on the road. Nearby tollbooths were unmanned and open. It was an eerie journey home: a chill ran through me as imagined how terrified the hijacked passengers must have been and how close I had come to being one of them.

Every time I fly, I find myself carefully looking over my fellow travelers for signs of anything suspicious. I wouldn't describe myself as paranoid; rather, I feel alert to new concerns I never considered before September 11. Also, it has saddened me to realize that so many middle-Easterners hate Americans.

America has vulnerabilities that can't be ignored.

We always flew a small flag but got a larger one after September 11. The American flag is more appreciated today as a symbol of unity and patriotism. Americans have probably not felt this strongly about our country since December 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked.