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09-11-2019 08:32 AM
I was traveling with my boss, headed to NY for meetings. Our original flight from DTW-LGA was cancelled the evening of 9/10 and we were rebooked on a later flight. If not for that, we would've been in the city when the attacks happened.
As it was, we were in the airline club in DTW, waiting to make our connection to LGA and prepping for our first meeting. We saw some replay of the first plane and thought "oh, what a horrible accident". When the second plane hit the tower, I knew something was very, very wrong. I pulled out my phone to call Avis to reserve a rental car to drive home. My boss, who didn't travel much, was not happy with me. She insisted that we'd be fine and the meetings would go on. I told her she could go without me, I was going home. I'd no sooner hung up with reserving the rental car when they announced that all flights were cancelled, the airport was closing and we had to get out.
We walked out to the Avis facility and the only vehicle they had for us was a giant SUV, with enough room for 8 people. The line of people trying to get cars was a least 1/4 mile long, and they announced that there weren't anymore cars available. We walked the length of the line, offering a ride to anyone going our direction. I was driving and said we'd drop folks at any exit on the highway. We ended up with a full vehicle, all colleagues from our company who worked for different divisions.
It normally takes just under 2 hours to drive the 120 miles home from DTW. That day it took 5. I still don't know why. Cell service was non-existent. One person in the group finally got through to their assistant and gave her names and phone numbers to call everyone else's families to let them know we were okay and on the way home.
I could go on, but i won't. It was one of the worst days of my life, but in the whole scheme of things, it was just terribly inconvenient. I SURVIVED. I'm still here. 3000 other people had a much, much worse day than I did. Quite honestly, I get mad when I see the flowery phrases and meme's that pop up every year on this day. I don't need to be reminded and I find it superficial and meaningless. My flight got cancelled for a reason. I'm still here fo a reason. I honor those who lost their lives that day in the best way that I can - by LIVING. By going on with my life. By not living in fear. By trying to make a positive difference every day. It's the best I can do.
09-11-2019 08:51 AM
That morning I was on I-75 south, hot-footing it to work, hoping 'my' exit wasn't too backed up so that I could make a 9 am start time. I was listening to Jim Harper's morning show on WMGC and as I neared the series of exit ramps that get you into downtown Detroit, I remember the station breaking in with an announcement from Peter Jennings at ABC News.
The North Tower had just been hit and there was so much confusion, I knew something happened, I just couldn't make out what exactly happened.
I started my day as usual and within 15 minutes or so I could hear a bunch of people talking as they were gathered down the aisle from one of my coworkers who had a small TV.
I called my fiance' (he was retired) and said, turn on the TV, something is going on and I think it's really bad.
He turned on his TV and when he told me what happened all I wanted to do was run. I knew where my parents were. My sister worked for the same company as me but in a different location (city). I pretty much knew where she was. I didn't know where my eldest sister was, where was her husband, where were her children.
Honestly I wanted everyone that I loved in the same room with me.
My company made an announcement over the PA that they were releasing everyone. Thousands of people trying to get out of downtown Detroit at one time.
I immediately went to my parents house. I lived down the street from them.
Besides the horror that I saw on TV that day, one thing I will never forget is the look on my Mom and Dad's faces when I arrived at their house.
As I type this I can feel the emotion that I felt on the day. Assuming I don't develop alzheimers disease, I will always remember the events and emotions of the day.
09-11-2019 08:58 AM - edited 09-11-2019 09:26 AM
My favorite radio station, The Ticket 1310, was broadcasting
while I was driving to work. I heard it all through their words
until i got to work & all the TVs were on.
Interesting enough, all week long, I continued to listen to the
statiokn....a sports station, which suspended all sports talk, of course.
That week was raw emotion from the guys I love.
I fell in love with them during that week.
Tears...anger...concern...
Every year they always recap on this day...at this time.
They live stream on the app IHeartRadio, if interested.
——————
Gosh, they just played the audio of that morning.
Still catches your breath.
09-11-2019 09:01 AM
You summed it up so well. It does feel like it was yesterday.
For days afterwards, I would just cry thinking about all of the innocent people who died, from the towers, to the pentagon, to the plane that crashed in the field.
Lee Greenwood's song, God Bless the USA would come on the radio and I would have to pull over and cry my eyes out.
Like you, I didn't know a single person who died, but I felt like I did.
Our world changed forever that day.
09-11-2019 09:05 AM
Lets all think about the bravery of the passengers on that plane, that gave their lives to save others. They are heroes too
09-11-2019 09:07 AM
I knew only one person working at Ground Zero that day, not in the towers but across the street at AIG. I knew he took the first train into the city every morning, and that he would likely be in his office. He was my next-door neighbor at the time, and I knew his family was across the country, at their vacation home in CA. I left a message on his home phone begging him to call me at any time of the day or night to let me know if he was OK or needed anything.
We lived in an upscale neighborhood of professionals where everyone always parked their cars in the garage, especially him. When he returned home later that day he purposely parked his car out in the driveway so the neighbors would know he had returned home safely. He told quite a story about the moments following impacts and how he and some other colleagues were able to get out of the city and back to NJ on probably the only trains still running, before everything stopped. He spent all morning and most of the afternoon driving his colleagues home all over northern NJ.
When I picked my young sons up from school that day, a dad came in to pick his children up. He was visibly dazed and a bit confused. He asked where he would go to work now that his office in the towers was gone.
As I said in an earlier post, this is just a tiny bit of what occurred in my world on this day eighteen years ago.
09-11-2019 09:32 AM
I was at a pharmaceutical firm’s headquarters the day folks were given their “downsizing” notice.
Arrived at 6 AM and scheduled nonstop with one-on-one meetings to advise folks of the career services they would get. At 11 AM had to take a bathroom break and saw hundreds of folks gathered in the lobby to watch the breaking news.
Ran back to my assigned next meeting and instead of saying “ I am so sorry to be meeting with you about the downsizing “, I was greeted with a big hug. WHAT ????
He then explained that he normally works in the World Trade Center and was happy to be here in PA today.
09-11-2019 09:52 AM
DH just reminded me about a co worker of his,whose wife worked in Tower 1 near the top floor. That day she called in a last minute day off.She had a sleepless night caring for their sick baby.Everyone in her office perished!!
She couldn’t deal with the guilt & had a nervous breakdown. She spent 3 months in the hospital & years in therapy.She has since become a grief counselor.Helping others has helped her heal.
09-11-2019 09:55 AM
This is one of the tragic events that happenend in my lifetime, i will never forget.
09-11-2019 09:56 AM
I hate this day.
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