nmah5634.xml

nmah5634.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-09-04

On that day, September 11, 2001, I was on my way from the U.S. Tennis Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing, NY to the Wall St. Stock Exchange with other drivers, to pick up Lincoln vehicles which were on display the previous day as a promotion for the Lincoln-Murcury Division of Ford Motor Company. We had just gotten on the Grand Central Parkway and headed toward the Triborough Bridge when ,Tony , my companies V.P. informed us via Nextel, that a plane had flew into the World Trade Center. We assumed it was a small plane. As a retired FDNY Captain with 36 years of service, I was eager to get to the site ,which is a few short blocks from the WTC site, to see if we could help out. We had the car radio on but not the news. As we proceded toward the bridge I could see from my window what appeared to be smoke rising from the southwest. I thought to myself that's a lot of smoke from a small plane. Minutes later Tony came on again and told us a second plane hit the building, not knowing at the time that it was the other WTC tower. I knew then that this was no accident. However we continued our approach to the Triborough Bridge unaware of the magnitude of the damage to the building. About five minutes later Tony called again and said, "Dino where are you?". Dino answered," were about five minutes from the bridge". I could see unmarked emergency vehicles passing us by and drivers stopping their vehicles, getting out and looking at the column of smoke rising in Lower Manhattan. Still not knowing what all the details of the incident and the progress of the attack we proceded. Then Tony called a third time and said, "Come on back (New Rochelle, NY) they're going to lock down the City". With that we got off the Grand Central Parkway and headed back in the opposite direction to our shop via the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. Upon arrival at the shop I was told that the building fell down and two attacks was made with jet passenger planes on the two towers. Ironically the shop TV was inoperable so the visual of the falling tower was not seen. To me "fell down" means toppled in an upright position(it actually "pancaked" collapsed) and I said that the toppling of the tower in that way would kill a lot of people in its fell zone. I cried at the thought of the resultimg dead and injured. I knew many of those who were killed would be firefighters and their supervisors that I had known.

Yes, I got religion. I see life as precious because it is so fragile and must be constantly looked after. I see people as people nothing more and nothing less who have the same desires as everyone else. I pay more attention to my family now than I did before, I am more understanding. I am more politically alert than before. I pay attention to what the politicians say and do and judge them by their character. I pray for the survival of this nation and the destruction of its enemies. I encourage my children and my grandchildren to be patriotic and love their God and their country.

The heroics of all those people who did their best to rescue their fellow men and women but lost their own lives. The innoncent victims who never had a chance. The love, compassion,unity, and civility that the people of this nation ,especially the NYC Metropolitan Area of NY, NJ and Ct., exhibited toward each other. The tremendous outpouring of material charity by the American people. Those rescue and recovery workers who worked around the clock for eight months. The support from all the volunteers that fed ,clothed and comforted those workers. We were truly "one nation indivisible" at that time. But most of all I remember all the firefighters funerals and memorials,the sadness of the survivors and their families, that I attended in my old uniform. May Almighty God bless and keep them in all eternity.

Yes, I flew it for 18 months 24/7 night and day. The flag is a symbol of this nation free and indivisible; it should be respected, handled and flown with dignity