nmah5399.xml
Title
nmah5399.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2003-01-10
NMAH Story: Story
Here's a note I wrote to friends and relatives on the day after, telling of how events transpired here in Washington. I'm saving it for my children and grandchildren to get a glimpse of that terrible day. I save it also for me to re-read myself occasionally to remember what righteous indignation should feel like, and why we are currently engaged in the struggle against what otherwise would seem so far away.
pax,
T.J. Holland
-----Original Message-----
From: Holland, T.J.
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 5:57 PM
To:
Subject: RE: We are in sorrow !
Dear Cousins and friends,
Thank you so much for your kind words of solidarity and support; I have received notes and calls from friends and family all over the globe expressing such heartfelt human sympathy, and it is most appreciated. Our nation has indeed been shaken by the horrific events of yesterday.
As in New York City, here in Washington in particular we have experienced the unimaginable. Keep in mind that our nation -- and specifically our generation -- has never known war on the homefront. The blows came in such quick succession that it was difficult for the mind to process. You likely know the general outline of the events of the day, so I'll just share a few of my experiences here in Washington.
A normal morning at the office, barely begun, was interrupted just before 9 a.m. by a colleague coming into my office telling me to bring up "CNN.com" and find out the news because he'd just had a phone call from his wife telling of a plane crash at the World Trade Center in New York City. For several frustrating minutes the internet would not cooperate -- one assumes that too many people were trying to access the news websites at once and they jammed up. At the same time I got a call from a good friend of mine who works for the US Congress on Capitol Hill. He also told me to pull up the internet news. And when I told him I couldn't, he filled me in on the crash telling me there had been a second plane to hit the other tower, which almost certainly proved the action to be a terrorist plot.
We have a television set in the lobby waiting room which normally plays only marketing videos and headline clips. So we re-channeled it to receive CNN in order to follow the story of the disaster in New York. It was clearly no accident, but the question running through everyone's mind (or at least mine) was: who is responsible?
Keep in mind that my office is in the Headquarters Building of the World Bank. The Annual Meetings for the World Bank and the IMF at the end of this month have been targeted by anarchists and anti-globalists for huge and possibly violent demonstrations. The same forces that rioted and caused such unrest (and a death) at the G-8 Economic Summit in Genoa two months ago are apparently amassing 100,000 like-minded protesters for the disruption of the Meetings. So therefore, the foremost question in our minds while we watched New York burning was: is this the beginning of activity by the anti-globalists in preparation for the Meetings? The World Trade Center would be a primary target for the violent anti-globalists, as would be the World Bank and IMF (across the street). We were all pretty nervous.
Then came the news of an explosion at the Pentagon. Now, the core of Washington is not really all that big -- remember it's only 16 blocks from the Capitol to the White House, and another 10 blocks to the Potomac River. Just across the river is the Pentagon, which can be clearly seen from the rooftop terrace of our building. The reports were that an explosion had ripped through the Pentagon and that there was fire on the National Mall (where the Washington and Lincoln Monuments, Smithsonian Museums, etc. are located). Next came reports of a car bomb at the State Department. And an explosion at the Capitol. I tried to call my friend on the Hill, but there was no answer. Rumor had the Capitol being evacuated. Then the television reports said that the White House was being evacuated with personnel being told not only to leave, but to RUN. It was believed that a plane from Dulles airport nearby had gone missing, was possibly hijacked, and was targeting the White House or the Capitol.
We are only 3 blocks from the State Department, and only one block from the White House. There was no panic in our offices, but reliable sources tell me that up on the 12th and 13th floors, where they could see the burning Pentagon, people were running and crying and jostling each other to get out of the building. Overall, the evacuation was orderly and immediate. At this point we felt fairly certain that the Bank was not a direct target, but clearly the White House and Executive Office Building next door to us were. What if they shot down an incoming terrorist plane? Upon what building near the White House would it fall? What if rumors of Chemical- or Biological-Warfare agents being used were true? Everyone wanted to get as far away from the neighborhood of the White House as possible. As quickly as possible. Downtown Washington was in evacuation.
Rumor had it that the Metro trains had stopped running. And even if they were running, they would be packed to overflowing; and besides, it seemed like a bad idea to get into a tunnel not knowing what would happen next. A colleague of mine kindly offered to take me and several others in his car across the river and to the west into Virginia toward my home. As we crossed the several blocks to his parking garage, the scene outside was truly surreal. The Hollywood movies do, in fact, get this part right. All the streets and the Avenue were complete gridlock. Cars were everywhere, and not a one moving. Police and security guards armed with automatic weapons moved purposefully, but without much effect. Huge numbers of people were on the sidewalks and in the streets, walking across between the cars in every direction. There were no strangers in Washington yesterday morning. Everyone on the streets spoke to everyone else. "Is your cell phone working?" "Did you hear. . . ?" "Is it true. . .?" "Do you know if. . .?" And over it all, spreading like a wound across the stone-clear late-summer blue sky rose a plume of black greasy smoke from the Pentagon.
We spent about half an hour in my colleague's packed car making our way the few blocks to the Roosevelt Bridge across the Potomac. As all the cars inched slowly forward, all the pedestrians in that quarter of the city seemed to be streaming toward and across the bridges. Normally, only on occasion will you see a runner or a cyclist crossing the bridge in his exercise togs. But yesterday a river of high heels and patent leather, sneakers and work boots, wing-tips and dress-oxfords carried thousands of Washington's professionals across the Potomac bridges to perceived safety in Virginia.
Flight. Refugeeing. From Washington! I'm angry now typing it. The scene was heart-wrenching. The bridge was packed with cars and fleeing pedestrians. And so was the next bridge upriver at Georgetown. While the Memorial Bridge, down-river between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, was eerily empty of anything . And behind it the burning Pentagon with its dagger of smoke. Fighter jets and military helicopters swarmed overhead while National Guard and police vehicles wailed past us into the City. To call it a nightmare diminishes the reality of it.
On the highway westbound toward my home we had a grisly reminder of the hell that had been unleashed. Several civilian vehicles came speeding up the curb lane (the 'shoulder' of the highway) with horns blasting. The driver of the first car had his arm fully extended out the window, holding something out (a badge, perhaps?). And behind him came a pick-up truck out of the tail-gate of which hung a pair of spit-polished shoes and soot-smudged USArmy-green uniform trousers. The man was covered with a yellow rain poncho, while a colleague held his head. I pray they made it to the hospital in good time.
I and my colleagues all made it safely to our respective homes in just a few hours (normally 20 minutes). We were lucky. Others were on the road until well into the afternoon. The phones, especially long-distance lines, were extremely troublesome because of so many callers trying to locate loved ones.
My mother was mid-air over the Atlantic Ocean on a SwissAir flight from Zurich to Miami, returning from 10 weeks "home in Denmark" with family. Television reports informed us that all air traffic in the USA had been immediately grounded, and that any incoming international flights already past turning around would be re-routed to Canadian airports. Although we knew (as well as one can) that she would be safe, we had no way of finding out where Mom's plane would be put down. And she had no way of knowing what had become of us in Washington. She'd heard the pilot's announcement, but not clearly. She'd heard something about "hi-jackers, explosions, the World . . ., and Washington, DC." So, of course, she thought of me at the World Bank in Washington. Other passengers quickly straightened her out, thankfully. They tried several Canadian airports and were finally welcomed someplace north of Montreal (Mirabel? Mirabeau?) She tells of incredible security measures checking them as they deplaned. The community there came together to provide a dinner for the stranded travelers, and we are hopeful that they will soon be able to resume their journey and make it home.
Kim and the children are well, they were safe in the suburbs during it all. But the husband of Jack's teacher at St. Paul's School was at the Pentagon yesterday morning, and has not yet been heard from -- we fear the worst. Kim took over the class from her so that she could go. Everyone here is directly connected in so many ways to this unfathomable, heinous act.
Thank you again for your love, support and prayers, especially for the people of New York and of Washington. All are needed now. It has helped me to write this out. Now if only I can find a way to answer Jack's question of "Daddy, why did they do this?"
with much love,
TJH
-----Original Message-----
From: JØRGEN LINDELØV []
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 4:11 AM
To: T.J.Holland
Subject: We are in sorrow !
Dear TJ and Kim !
We are feeling with you and all Americans because the terrible action against World Trade Center and Pentagon. We hope that no of your relatives or friends are among the people who are dead, hurt or missing.
We were very glad to have your mother here in Denmark.
We think that it was a good visit and we learn your mother to know as a beautyful and nice lady. We like her much.
The best wishes for you and all Americans.
Birgit and Jørgen
pax,
T.J. Holland
-----Original Message-----
From: Holland, T.J.
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 5:57 PM
To:
Subject: RE: We are in sorrow !
Dear Cousins and friends,
Thank you so much for your kind words of solidarity and support; I have received notes and calls from friends and family all over the globe expressing such heartfelt human sympathy, and it is most appreciated. Our nation has indeed been shaken by the horrific events of yesterday.
As in New York City, here in Washington in particular we have experienced the unimaginable. Keep in mind that our nation -- and specifically our generation -- has never known war on the homefront. The blows came in such quick succession that it was difficult for the mind to process. You likely know the general outline of the events of the day, so I'll just share a few of my experiences here in Washington.
A normal morning at the office, barely begun, was interrupted just before 9 a.m. by a colleague coming into my office telling me to bring up "CNN.com" and find out the news because he'd just had a phone call from his wife telling of a plane crash at the World Trade Center in New York City. For several frustrating minutes the internet would not cooperate -- one assumes that too many people were trying to access the news websites at once and they jammed up. At the same time I got a call from a good friend of mine who works for the US Congress on Capitol Hill. He also told me to pull up the internet news. And when I told him I couldn't, he filled me in on the crash telling me there had been a second plane to hit the other tower, which almost certainly proved the action to be a terrorist plot.
We have a television set in the lobby waiting room which normally plays only marketing videos and headline clips. So we re-channeled it to receive CNN in order to follow the story of the disaster in New York. It was clearly no accident, but the question running through everyone's mind (or at least mine) was: who is responsible?
Keep in mind that my office is in the Headquarters Building of the World Bank. The Annual Meetings for the World Bank and the IMF at the end of this month have been targeted by anarchists and anti-globalists for huge and possibly violent demonstrations. The same forces that rioted and caused such unrest (and a death) at the G-8 Economic Summit in Genoa two months ago are apparently amassing 100,000 like-minded protesters for the disruption of the Meetings. So therefore, the foremost question in our minds while we watched New York burning was: is this the beginning of activity by the anti-globalists in preparation for the Meetings? The World Trade Center would be a primary target for the violent anti-globalists, as would be the World Bank and IMF (across the street). We were all pretty nervous.
Then came the news of an explosion at the Pentagon. Now, the core of Washington is not really all that big -- remember it's only 16 blocks from the Capitol to the White House, and another 10 blocks to the Potomac River. Just across the river is the Pentagon, which can be clearly seen from the rooftop terrace of our building. The reports were that an explosion had ripped through the Pentagon and that there was fire on the National Mall (where the Washington and Lincoln Monuments, Smithsonian Museums, etc. are located). Next came reports of a car bomb at the State Department. And an explosion at the Capitol. I tried to call my friend on the Hill, but there was no answer. Rumor had the Capitol being evacuated. Then the television reports said that the White House was being evacuated with personnel being told not only to leave, but to RUN. It was believed that a plane from Dulles airport nearby had gone missing, was possibly hijacked, and was targeting the White House or the Capitol.
We are only 3 blocks from the State Department, and only one block from the White House. There was no panic in our offices, but reliable sources tell me that up on the 12th and 13th floors, where they could see the burning Pentagon, people were running and crying and jostling each other to get out of the building. Overall, the evacuation was orderly and immediate. At this point we felt fairly certain that the Bank was not a direct target, but clearly the White House and Executive Office Building next door to us were. What if they shot down an incoming terrorist plane? Upon what building near the White House would it fall? What if rumors of Chemical- or Biological-Warfare agents being used were true? Everyone wanted to get as far away from the neighborhood of the White House as possible. As quickly as possible. Downtown Washington was in evacuation.
Rumor had it that the Metro trains had stopped running. And even if they were running, they would be packed to overflowing; and besides, it seemed like a bad idea to get into a tunnel not knowing what would happen next. A colleague of mine kindly offered to take me and several others in his car across the river and to the west into Virginia toward my home. As we crossed the several blocks to his parking garage, the scene outside was truly surreal. The Hollywood movies do, in fact, get this part right. All the streets and the Avenue were complete gridlock. Cars were everywhere, and not a one moving. Police and security guards armed with automatic weapons moved purposefully, but without much effect. Huge numbers of people were on the sidewalks and in the streets, walking across between the cars in every direction. There were no strangers in Washington yesterday morning. Everyone on the streets spoke to everyone else. "Is your cell phone working?" "Did you hear. . . ?" "Is it true. . .?" "Do you know if. . .?" And over it all, spreading like a wound across the stone-clear late-summer blue sky rose a plume of black greasy smoke from the Pentagon.
We spent about half an hour in my colleague's packed car making our way the few blocks to the Roosevelt Bridge across the Potomac. As all the cars inched slowly forward, all the pedestrians in that quarter of the city seemed to be streaming toward and across the bridges. Normally, only on occasion will you see a runner or a cyclist crossing the bridge in his exercise togs. But yesterday a river of high heels and patent leather, sneakers and work boots, wing-tips and dress-oxfords carried thousands of Washington's professionals across the Potomac bridges to perceived safety in Virginia.
Flight. Refugeeing. From Washington! I'm angry now typing it. The scene was heart-wrenching. The bridge was packed with cars and fleeing pedestrians. And so was the next bridge upriver at Georgetown. While the Memorial Bridge, down-river between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, was eerily empty of anything . And behind it the burning Pentagon with its dagger of smoke. Fighter jets and military helicopters swarmed overhead while National Guard and police vehicles wailed past us into the City. To call it a nightmare diminishes the reality of it.
On the highway westbound toward my home we had a grisly reminder of the hell that had been unleashed. Several civilian vehicles came speeding up the curb lane (the 'shoulder' of the highway) with horns blasting. The driver of the first car had his arm fully extended out the window, holding something out (a badge, perhaps?). And behind him came a pick-up truck out of the tail-gate of which hung a pair of spit-polished shoes and soot-smudged USArmy-green uniform trousers. The man was covered with a yellow rain poncho, while a colleague held his head. I pray they made it to the hospital in good time.
I and my colleagues all made it safely to our respective homes in just a few hours (normally 20 minutes). We were lucky. Others were on the road until well into the afternoon. The phones, especially long-distance lines, were extremely troublesome because of so many callers trying to locate loved ones.
My mother was mid-air over the Atlantic Ocean on a SwissAir flight from Zurich to Miami, returning from 10 weeks "home in Denmark" with family. Television reports informed us that all air traffic in the USA had been immediately grounded, and that any incoming international flights already past turning around would be re-routed to Canadian airports. Although we knew (as well as one can) that she would be safe, we had no way of finding out where Mom's plane would be put down. And she had no way of knowing what had become of us in Washington. She'd heard the pilot's announcement, but not clearly. She'd heard something about "hi-jackers, explosions, the World . . ., and Washington, DC." So, of course, she thought of me at the World Bank in Washington. Other passengers quickly straightened her out, thankfully. They tried several Canadian airports and were finally welcomed someplace north of Montreal (Mirabel? Mirabeau?) She tells of incredible security measures checking them as they deplaned. The community there came together to provide a dinner for the stranded travelers, and we are hopeful that they will soon be able to resume their journey and make it home.
Kim and the children are well, they were safe in the suburbs during it all. But the husband of Jack's teacher at St. Paul's School was at the Pentagon yesterday morning, and has not yet been heard from -- we fear the worst. Kim took over the class from her so that she could go. Everyone here is directly connected in so many ways to this unfathomable, heinous act.
Thank you again for your love, support and prayers, especially for the people of New York and of Washington. All are needed now. It has helped me to write this out. Now if only I can find a way to answer Jack's question of "Daddy, why did they do this?"
with much love,
TJH
-----Original Message-----
From: JØRGEN LINDELØV []
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 4:11 AM
To: T.J.Holland
Subject: We are in sorrow !
Dear TJ and Kim !
We are feeling with you and all Americans because the terrible action against World Trade Center and Pentagon. We hope that no of your relatives or friends are among the people who are dead, hurt or missing.
We were very glad to have your mother here in Denmark.
We think that it was a good visit and we learn your mother to know as a beautyful and nice lady. We like her much.
The best wishes for you and all Americans.
Birgit and Jørgen
NMAH Story: Life Changed
NMAH Story: Remembered
NMAH Story: Flag
Citation
“nmah5399.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed November 22, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/42150.