At the time this happened, I was between jobs, so I was home that day. At this time I lived on Long Island, and was to go for an interview that afternoon at the Empire State Building. My father woke me up with the news that a plane had hit the WTC. Immediately I am thinking it was an accident with a small plane, just as it had been with the Empire State Building many years before. I had not looked out the window to notice how beautiful the day was, so it was not apparent this could have been a deliberate attack.
Next I went to the radio, where it was mentioned that flames were coming out of the top of Tower One. I went to the television to see what footage there was. At first there was no reception. But then I got a clear channel, and was watching closely. I left the room for a minute, during which time the Tower Two was struck. I found this out, when my older sister, called to tell us that there was "another big explosion". I went back to the TV, and saw the instant replay, assuming that this explosion occurred in the first tower. When I saw the footage, my first thought was: 'This is coming from the other tower. How is this?' Then right away I heard the words "other plane" and it was all clear. I was glued to the screen, only to leave the room once again after an hour. During this time, Tower Two collapsed, and I heard that news from my mother, who was borderline hysterical. At first I was overwhelmed by what that meant. I was imagining that the building had toppled, crushing other buildings and the people in them. I could not begin to fathom the destruction and loss of life that must have occurred from that alone. Although the tower collapsed on itself, I was still overwhelmed knowing that hundreds, maybe thousands were still inside when it happened. Then that feeling was intensified yet again when I watched Tower One collapse on live TV later on. I was in shock. All I could feel was this tremendous void, like the world had come to an end, and sorrow for those who were lost.
Other members of my family, and people I know were present when all of this was in its midst.
My brother in-law worked at One World Financial Center, which is right across the street. As soon as he could, he contacted his friend who worked in World Trade Tower Two, telling him to get the F out of there. This was before the 2nd plane. His friend was assuring him that he was fine, that his building is not affected. Then the phone went dead.
My uncle/Godfather was meeting my brother in-law that morning in his office with a client of his who was visiting from California. Their meeting had just begun when the first plane struck. It was a very close call for him. My brother in-law's business address was One World Financial Center. That morning my uncle got mixed up, and went with his client to One World Trade Center. It was only because my uncle decided at the last minute to call my brother in-law to confirm the address that he and his client were not in that building at the moment of impact. Fortunately they made it to the correct offices. When the planes struck, they did not realize what had happened. All they heard was a loud boom. They looked out the window down toward the street, thinking there had been a huge accident, and could see everybody down there looking upwards. They followed suit, and at that point saw Tower One burning. With that, my uncle and his client raced downstairs and out of the building. My uncle went north toward Grand Central Terminal to board a Metro North Railroad train to Connecticut, and his client, who was staying in New Jersey, boarded a ferry boat over to either Staten Island, or NJ, where he had his rental car parked. He jumped in the car, and drove all the way back to California. My brother in-law, after having that fateful phone call with his friend, ran down the parking garage, got in his car and buzzed out of there to Long Island before the city locked down.
My cousin worked in Tower One, at Fuji Bank, which was in the impact zone. She was very lucky, as she was down at the subway terminal buying a new Metro Card when it happened. She was usually a few minutes late to work. That day it saved her life. She managed to get away unscathed, but was covered in dust resulting from the towers falling later that morning.
Another cousin who was one of the firefighters on the scene was injured when Tower Seven fell later that day, and almost lost his life. Although he recovered, he lost lung capacity, and had to retire because of it.
A neighbor's son, who was also a firefighter, was killed when Tower Two collapsed. His entire company who had come in from Brooklyn was wiped out. His body was never recovered.
A neighbor from across the street at that time, worked as an electrician in Tower Two, and got out in the nick of time. He was just a few floors below where the plane hit, and when it did, he ran for the stairs. He managed to get out, and far enough away from the building before it collapsed. His boss and coworker were not so lucky. Those two poor souls were in an elevator when the tower was struck, and were stuck there until it collapsed.
An old high school friend of mine, who I had not seen or heard from in years was lost, and his name was on the Missing list for months. He was not found.
I will never forget that day. Although I was not physically present, I will never forget watching the coverage, especially of Tower One collapsing live before my eyes. I was in a daze for a week. There was one eerie component to the coverage that I will never forget. As I mentioned above, I was scheduled to go for an interview that afternoon at the Empire State Building, and from the numerous camera angles showing footage, there was one which showed the Twin Towers from a distance, with the Empire State Building in the foreground. It was as if to say it was next.
Another eerie coincidence of that day was that before my father woke me to give me the news of the towers, I was having this vivid dream of a group of women caught in a burning hotel, making their way down the stairs to get out.
I pray to God we never undergo another horror like this, and that those who are mourning the loss of loved ones find peace.
God Bless,
James
