I Will Never Forget!

[1320racer]

I spent about 6 weeks at ground zero starting at around 11:00pm on 9/12. My employer at the time, a leading NYC Construction Management Company was tasked with supporting the search and rescue efforts, later the recovery effort at the North Tower and ultimately the cleanup and stabilization of the foundation. What I can tell you is that the news coverage, film footage, could not, did not convey the magnitude of death and destruction just as I can not in a brief paragraph. It was an experience I will never forget.

[Cglrcng]

I was safe in N.W., AZ that morning, saw the 2nd plane hit on TV as I was headed 3 hrs. away to Phoenix to pick up a friend that had just had a Heart operation @ The Phoenix Heart Institute and was due to be released that day.

And, as I headed for the door the phone rang (it was my eldest Son, who lived in Buffalo, NY, and worked for Global Crossing), he had over the prior 2 decades literally wired the world flying all over the planet on commercial aircraft "Business Class" installing the routing switches, for the Worldwide Internet Backbone, and was then installing newer tech smaller package hardware, to replace the old outdated bulky hardware), and his first words were "Dad...I'm Ok!" (I was relieved but totally clueless as to what hat he was even talking about).

I had no clue to tie anything together, but his next words (as I am still watching the news), he says "My Crew got out of the communications bunker and they are safe, and I am currently landing across the river in New Jersey now, as I had to stay behind last night to pick up a part in Syracuse this morning, so I arrived this morning instead of yesterday with the rest of my crew, but they got out safely. (He never once called me from work before or since that day).

And then it all clicked as soon as he said New Jersey and across the river, and I hurriedly asked "are you talking about the World Trade Center?" (His answer was "not inside either tower, but yes, we were scheduled to be working in a communications bunker in the footprint of the Tower that I just watched fall, as I landed across the river), and my crew was evacuated an hour ago, I am getting off the plane now to go meet the Ferry."

They had to rent a car to get back home. (But they were safe, many others were not as lucky).

It was a long reflective drive to Phoenix and back, and yes the skies were eerily silent and empty. I also will never forget! (It is a small, sad, and dangerous world at times).

Years later he told me (another job was cancelled elsewhere), so the scheduling on the WTC job was just pushed up 2 days totally by chance and circumstance, and that all important part he was waiting for was simply shipper delayed, so he waited for it.

He rarely talked about his work, beyond his enjoying the world traveler aspect (being only 1 of only an exclusive few that did what he did), that he enjoyed the work immensely and it paid very well, and how well he was treated by Airline Employees across the planet that treated him like a VIP as he was well beyond a frequent flier, as he travelled Business Class in his comfortable "Global Crossing Uniform" of Company adorned Polo Shirt, Shorts, White socks and Tennis Shoes, and how many Business Class Suits gave him the evil eye, when he was elevated often to First Class first.

The last place I worried about him working was in the good ol' U S of A, and, that day educated me that I was wrong. And I can remember it like yesterday.

[Pete Lanciers]

Monday morning at 05:30 I’m in the front yard in my PJ’s lowering my flag to half staff… one of my neighbors a couple of houses down is leaving for work, and spies me in the process, pulls his pickup to the side of the road. So I’m thinking as I finish securing our colors, he’s gonna laugh his *** off at me for my state of dress… instead he gets out puts his arm around me and we weep silently in the sunrise…

[Rich Biebel]

My company did some generator service work for the Salvation Army that had a large support station at West and Vesey along with 2 other smaller locations around the site. We were there a few weeks after the attack. We first went to the S.A.'s main site further uptown to get the proper ID badges to be able to go to the site. We drove down the Westside and were greeted by cheering spectators. West and Vesey was just one block from the sight and it's where I got the first view of the "pile"
One other site was at the back of the Church property that was untouched....We were told if we heard 3 siren blasts to run away from the large black building across the street, that " Might" fall.....60 story Millenium Hotel !
The last site was all the way around on the Hudson River side. Up the block was the photo op site where Pres, Bush and others would be brought to. We saw Gov. Pataki one day waving to everyone. Was an unreal experience and unforgettable.....Extreme carnage, burnt smell, papers everywhere, water everywhere, large generators powering buildings, Many, Many armed guards and military, FBI, Police and thousands of people working on beautiful sunny fall days. We also were by the city morgue location with hundreds of pictures posted of those missing.......I hope we never see anything like it ever again...I have never been back there since but really would like to visit the site sometime to see what we can do when we stick together and work at it !

[lorenr]

I don't talk about it too much, but think about it a lot. I don't really have a good answer for what happened.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked and immediately brought the US into World War II, the Japanese people suffered horribly for their feudal system of government. There was very little sympathy. My father and every one of his friends hated the Japanese. The US did not let up until we completely changed their government and completely remade Japan.

In the case of 9/11 that has not happened. Makes me wonder.....

Religion is a large part of it, however, so is a lack of, or the wrong type of education.

I just ordered, "The Only Plane in the sky - An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff".

Thanks

[Carguy49]

I hope you enjoy the book. When I got mine and was reading it my eyes got very damp many times. It gives the reader much to think about.