story9480.xml

story9480.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-09-06

I?m a night person, and I have been working nights for the past 11 years. On September 10th, I came home from work about midnight. Normally, I would sleep till 11am ? 12 pm. But September 11th, 2001 was different. My wife is an early childhood teacher. Both my daughters attend the same school where my wife teaches. They got up early that Tuesday, and I was awake but stayed in bed. When they left I got up to work on some school work. It was about 8:50 am. I put on my television to the NY1 news channel. I saw a hole in one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I called my mom. ?Mom, what?s going on?? She told me a plane crashed into the World Trade Center. ?What?!? I told her to wake up the ?kid.? The ?kid? is my brother, who works nights just like me. In fact we are in the same line of work. You see, I was the training sergeant for the NYPD?s 32nd Precinct in Harlem, New York City, responsible for training 12 probationary police officers who recently graduated from the NYPD Police Academy. My brother was one of my trainees. We looked forward to this day, September 11th, 2001. We were going out tonight, his birthday. We were going to Remy?s Lounge, a club, blocks away from the World Trade Center. Anyway, I told her I will call her back. A little while later, I see a small object by the second tower of the World Trade Center. A plane. Then an explosion. The reporters reported that an explosion from one tower ignited the other tower. I said, out loud, ?No you idiots, another plane hit the other tower!? Minutes later they confirmed what I thought I saw. Another plane hit. We?re under attack. I called my wife?s job. Busy. My brother calls me. ?What?s going on?? I tell him, ?I don?t know, and, Happy Birthday?? I try to call my wife again, this time on her cell phone. No service. The first tower collapses. My brother calls. ?I?m not going into work bro, it?s my birthday.? I tell him no problem. I take a shower. I get in my car and go to my wife?s school. A 10 minute drive. I told her to get the kids and come home. She refuses. I ?order? her to obey my wishes. She tells me, ?I think we will be safer here.? She?s right, I think. I know I will have to go into work on my day off. I go to my youngest daughter?s classroom. ?Something bad happened and I got to go to work. I love you, ok?? ?I love you too daddy.? I go upstairs to my oldest daughters? classroom. ?Something really bad happened and I have to go to work.? Her teachers asks, ?Are you a fireman?? ?No, I am a cop.? I hug and kiss her, go back downstairs and hug and kiss my wife. I tell her I love her. ?Do you think something else is going to happen?? I tell her I don?t know. I go back home. The second tower collapses. I?m hypnotized on what I have been seeing on TV, or am I terrorized? My phone rings, ?Pick me up, I?m going in with you,? my brother says. I get my gun and shield. I jump in my car, drive to my parents house to pick up my brother. ?Get your second gun.? He tells me it?s not authorized to be carried yet. ?Carry it.? I get to East 138th Street off the Major Deegan Expressway. The Bronx cops are not letting anyone into Manhattan. We immediately display our shields out of the window, I look to my left and right and see dozens of off-duty police officers flashing their shields demanding entry into Manhattan. We get in. I walk into the 32nd Precinct. Chaos. I get 8 police officers assigned to me, one being my brother. I was posted by Harlem Hospital. An hour later several people approach me with terror in their eyes. ?More planes, More planes!? I look up and see 2 planes very high up. They are circling. I notice them to be oddly shaped. ?They?re our planes, our fighters!? It was a long night. I worked a month of 12 hour shifts with no days off. I went to the site. I saw body parts; I smelled the death in the air. I recovered and bagged body parts. There is one memory I will hold on to forever. My wife is not an intimate person. Doesn?t really hug or hold. I got home after that tragic day. I took a long hot shower and got into bed. I sat down. I was overwhelmed. My wife got up and held me. It felt as if she held me for days. I cried. Man, did I cry.
REST IN PEACE MY 23 HEROES.