nmah5219.xml

nmah5219.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-10-10

I was working at Allegheny Airlines in Flight Operations. I remember the shift was very quiet.Excellent weather, no Air Traffic control problems etc. I was sipping coffee, and chatting with the dispatcher next to me, when a Crew Scheduler turned around in her chair, and said a plane just hit the WTC. We thought it was probably a sightseeing plane, or traffic helicopter or some such thing.
We eventually did turn the TV on in the office, and saw the fire. I phoned to Cape Cod to my Mom and told her to put the TV on, and while talking to her, the second plane hit. The fact it was a second airplane really didn't register as we thought it was a tape of the first airplane.
Around this time, we got word of the Air Traffic System shutting down till noon, then 2pm and then indefinately. The timing of the crashes(Pentagon,WTC) were such that our planes were mostly in their hubs. After confirming all our aircraft were on the ground, I went out for air and a co worker came out for air shortly after and mentioned the crash of flt. 93. She also mentioned a prison was nearby. Through all this, we realized how close we worked to Three Mile Island (our office is 2 or 3 miles from TMI) we wondered if it were a target. Soon after, I gave up my computer to crew scheduling so they could move around displaced crews and I went home.

My life has changed in that I don't feel safe about my job at an airline. I've become very cynical about the airline industry. I thought it was very cold that Gordon Bethune laid off all those people at Continental the saturday after the attacks. Newark NJ is a Continental hub and I'm sure some of the people laid off had relatives in the rubble. Sadly, the bottom line has to be met, but the layoffs, etc. have solidified my belief in Socialism. Don't let anyone tell you different, but the airlines weren't hurt by the terrorists but by the greed of the people who own or manage them from high up.

That the seperation of Church and State MUST remain intact!
Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson thought it was God's punishment against gays et all, well, September 11 was not God, it was not Satan. September 11 was just life nothin more. Christians (which I am) are very capable of the terrorism that the Al Queda has done. The United States was attacked (wrongly attacked I must stress...innocent people had no cause to die...the Al Queda absolutely must be beaten)because we really are arrogant as a nation. This arrogance such as for example not being in on the landmine treaty, the way we fear Cuba etc. Is what led to this. Bush mentioned also "you are with us or against us" is laughable as it is polarizing and let's no one have a dissenting opinion which is what this country is all about. The other thing he mentioned about hating liberty is crazy because they would have attacked Canada and Australia as well. It is American arrogance that caused this. Make no mistake though, the attacks were criminal and cowardly and the people who died or injured were innocent and didn't deserve what happened. I don't know who in the future will read this 50,100 years from now, but keep your family and friends as treasures in your heart.

My feelings on the flag remain the same. You don't have to prove your patriotism to anyone. Waving a flag doesn't make you patriotic.Voting makes you patriotic, showing up for jury duty makes you patriotic.I think having the flag on your car, and because it's raining you don't feel like voting is the ultimate hypocrisy. I think the people all hunkered down in front of the tv, flying the flag on the front porch, and being too afraid to fly really don't deserve to fly the flag.