story4246.xml

story4246.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

While watching the Today Show,an announcement was made that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.Seconds later a man was on the phone to the host, stating that a large plane had hit.I raced to the phone to call my daughter-in-law to ask if my son Steve,was at work.She said no, that he was just outside talking.I told her "Thank God,he was home because a plane had just gone in to the WTC".She yelled out the door and told him and his two friends what I had just told her.You see,my son Steve is a NYC firefighter and I had remembered what he had said in 1993 when they blew up the underground of the WTC and he had been home and was not part of that rescue.
Minutes later my daughter-in-law was in my home crying that Steve and his firefighter friends had jumped in the pickup and was headed into the city.I tried to console her even though I knew this was going to be a bad one.The television now showed the second plane going into the south tower.I fell to my knees to pray for the safe return of my son and all those in that horrible situation.It wasnt until seven hours later that we knew Steve was ok.He was originally sent to the command center and then at the last minute was sent elswhere.Because of that last minute decision his life was saved.His firehouse lost eleven members.May there never be another unholy event as was on that September day in 2001.