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History of September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack/Personal experiences|
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I turned it on to see the horrific scene of the first plane crashing into one of the towers. Ignoring that I had school in a few hours, I sat down and watched the news. At that time, they said anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 people may have been in the towers. Of course, this number decreased as time went by. Then I saw the second plane hit, nearly live. I couldn't believe it. When I got to school, all the students were speaking about the terrorist attack. Teachers were forced to discipline because it gfot so out of hand. Feelings of fright and vulnerability could be felt everywhere. Our principal made an announcement, and right after that, we did our pledge of allegiance--it was the first time I had ever done the Pledge of Allegiance. Before, I had never said it because I didn't believe what it said, but I felt like I had to say it, for America. I lost my grandpa, Evan Zulch, added to the casualty list here. |
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I turned it on to see the horrific scene of the first plane crashing into one of the towers. Ignoring that I had school in a few hours, I sat down and watched the news. At that time, they said anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 people may have been in the towers. Of course, this number decreased as time went by. Then I saw the second plane hit, nearly live. I couldn't believe it. |
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When I got to school, all the students were speaking about the terrorist attack. Teachers were forced to discipline because it gfot so out of hand. Feelings of fright and vulnerability could be felt everywhere. Our principal made an announcement, and right after that, we did our pledge of allegiance--it was the first time I had ever done the Pledge of Allegiance. Before, I had never said it because I didn't believe what it said, but I felt like I had to say it, for America. |
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I lost my grandpa, Evan Zulch, added to the casualty list here. |
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From my point of view: |
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From my point of view: |
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After a while I called Katya, using my new ultra-swank headset / microphone, so I could leave my hands free and chat about nothing and everything for hours on end. And, of course, standing on the rooftops I felt that I was compelled to shout out "She Loves me!!!" at the top of my lungs -- when one is presented with the opportunity to shout it from the rooftops, one really must, I feel. |
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After a while I called Katya, using my new ultra-swank headset / microphone, so I could leave my hands free and chat about nothing and everything for hours on end. And, of course, standing on the rooftops I felt that I was compelled to shout out "She Loves me!!!" at the top of my lungs -- when one is presented with the opportunity to shout it from the rooftops, one really must, I feel. |
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From the Neighbors' point of view: |
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From the Neighbors' point of view: |
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From my point of view: |
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From my point of view: |
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I teach at the University of Michigan, and my days at work are Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My first class is at 9 am. So, my alarm is always set to 7:30am every morning so that I can get used to the fall routine of getting up early. It's a radio alarm which I have set to NPR? and I wake up every morning to Morning Edition and listen to what is happening. It's a GE alarm clock, and I don't know about other clocks because this one is old an dthe only alarm clock I have ever had, and the reason I say all of this is to say that it only plays the radio for one hour. I guess that is so that it will turn off after you have left. GE figures you will wake up when the radio comes on, and before the hour is over you will be out the door. GE market research must have determined that most people set their alarm to, like, forty-five minutes before they have to leave or something.
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I teach at the University of Michigan, and my days at work are Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My first class is at 9 am. So, my alarm is always set to 7:30am every morning so that I can get used to the fall routine of getting up early. It's a radio alarm which I have set to NPR? and I wake up every morning to Morning Edition and listen to what is happening. It's a GE alarm clock, and I don't know about other clocks because this one is old an dthe only alarm clock I have ever had, and the reason I say all of this is to say that it only plays the radio for one hour. I guess that is so that it will turn off after you have left. GE figures you will wake up when the radio comes on, and before the hour is over you will be out the door. GE market research must have determined that most people set their alarm to, like, forty-five minutes before they have to leave or something. |
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So I got up. It was 8:30 am and I got. Normally when I get up I go to watch the weather channel, but because I had listened to so much radio, all of it so wonderfully calming, and because I had no where to be that day, I didn't turn on the TV. I just picked up the new issue of [WIRED magazine]? and started to read an article about Programmable Matter. There was stuff about quantum wells and semiconductors and all kinds of sci-fi possibilities for matter that could change its actual elemental make up. Gold to lead. Alchemy. Transmutation. |
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Anyway, what this means is that on Tuesday the alarm turned the radio on at 7:30am. But I didn't have anything to teach, and my girlfriend doesn't need to be to work until eleven, so we just rested in bed listening to NPR?. Now, right now, I don't know what was on. I don't remember anything about the program. I just remember being in bed with my girlfriend, waking up slowly to the sound of Todd Mundt and the other NPR? people and just sort of relishing how relaxing the day seemed already. I had almost no grading to do and nothing scheduled at all. So I just laid in bed for an entire hour until the radio turned itself off. The radio figured I should be at work by now and I didn't feel like arguing. |
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And then my friend David Nelson called. Sara answered the phone and she said, quickly, "Dave says that the internet is down and that we need to turn on the TV." |
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So I got up. It was 8:30 am and I got. Normally when I get up I go to watch the weather channel, but because I had listened to so much radio, all of it so wonderfully calming, and because I had no where to be that day, I didn't turn on the TV. I just picked up the new issue of [WIRED magazine]? and started to read an article about Programmable Matter. There was stuff about quantum wells and semiconductors and all kinds of sci-fi possibilities for matter that could change its actual elemental make up. Gold to lead. Alchemy. Transmutation. |
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So I did. And there was a shot on CNN of two smokestacks, one of them smoking and the other not. And I had no clue what I was looking at. It was a moment where the perspective was all shot and it was unclear how big anything was supposed to be. Out of the right side of the frame came an airplane, and it seemed like it must have been a model, because of its apparent size as related to the smokestacks. And then the plane hit the second smokestack, which, at that moment, became the WTC. I could see that it was a pair of buildings and the second one was detonating, and then I could hear what [Aaron Brown]? was reporting. |
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And then my friend David Nelson called. Sara answered the phone and she said, quickly, "Dave says that the internet is down and that we need to turn on the TV." |
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And at first I laughed. And I thought, this is like some movie. And now, days later, I realize what I meant in my mind when I thought, This is like a movie. |
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So I did. And there was a shot on CNN of two smokestacks, one of them smoking and the other not. And I had no clue what I was looking at. It was a moment where the perspective was all shot and it was unclear how big anything was supposed to be. Out of the right side of the frame came an airplane, and it seemed like it must have been a model, because of its apparent size as related to the smokestacks. And then the plane hit the second smokestack, which, at that moment, became the WTC. I could see that it was a pair of buildings and the second one was detonating, and then I could hear what [Aaron Brown]? was reporting. |
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What I meant, what I think every one means when they think, this is like a movie is this: They mean that this is NOTHING like a movie because it is happening. |
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And at first I laughed. And I thought, this is like some movie. And now, days later, I realize what I meant in my mind when I thought, This is like a movie. |
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And everything was sort of out of whack.
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What I meant, what I think every one means when they think, this is like a movie is this: They mean that this is NOTHING like a movie because it is happening. |
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And everything was sort of out of whack. |
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New York, New York. |
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New York, New York. |
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There were no security announcements in my building, which is quite tall, so I decided that the best thing to do was to leave and head down to the East Village, where my boyfriend lives, hoping that he would have evacuated the area in time. I met a friend at the corner of Ave. of the Americas and West 52nd St. and we made our way down Park Ave. |
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There were no security announcements in my building, which is quite tall, so I decided that the best thing to do was to leave and head down to the East Village, where my boyfriend lives, hoping that he would have evacuated the area in time. I met a friend at the corner of Ave. of the Americas and West 52nd St. and we made our way down Park Ave. |
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This is my experience of that day, at least some of it. |
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This is my experience of that day, at least some of it. |
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--- |
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I had a job interview--I had been part of the dot-bomb world, terrified of not getting a job--and I was driving on I-290 on my way to Westmont when Noah Adams broke into a fluff piece on NPR about young teachers in Chicago. A plane had hit the World Trade Center, he said, but it wasn't clear why. Maybe the navigation system broke? Maybe it was a commuter plane? Maybe a private one? maybe... maybe... |
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I had a job interview--I had been part of the dot-bomb world, terrified of not getting a job--and I was driving on I-290 on my way to Westmont when Noah Adams broke into a fluff piece on NPR about young teachers in Chicago. A plane had hit the World Trade Center, he said, but it wasn't clear why. Maybe the navigation system broke? Maybe it was a commuter plane? Maybe a private one? maybe... maybe... |
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By the time I came out, the towers had collapsed, the pentagon had been hit, and a plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. |
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By the time I came out, the towers had collapsed, the pentagon had been hit, and a plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. |
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That night, I was sitting at home, after having been glued to the TV all day, when I saw it for the first time. The camera panned across people hanging out the windows above the fires, before the buildings collapsed. Tons of them. You could pick out the colors of the suits they wore. They were at the windows, just standing there, wind whipping the skirts and the hair and the ties. And then one fell. And another. And another. Like popcorn beginning to pop. Now, a month later, those are the images that won't leave my head. -- |
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That night, I was sitting at home, after having been glued to the TV all day, when I saw it for the first time. The camera panned across people hanging out the windows above the fires, before the buildings collapsed. Tons of them. You could pick out the colors of the suits they wore. They were at the windows, just standing there, wind whipping the skirts and the hair and the ties. And then one fell. And another. And another. Like popcorn beginning to pop. Now, a month later, those are the images that won't leave my head. |
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I was at the World Trade Centre (I work at the World Financial Centre building, across the highway from the WTC) on Tuesday morning. I walked out of the WTC just minutes (probably 8 minutes) after the plane slammed into the first tower. As I got out of the PATH train (which runs through the bowels of the WTC) I could smell something burning. There is a restaurant at the same level and I thought they must have had a minor accident. Sure enough, the fire alarm lights were blinking. People usually ignore these lights as these are a frequent occurrence. Of course, people at the restaurant were ignoring the alarm. |
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I was at the World Trade Centre (I work at the World Financial Centre building, across the highway from the WTC) on Tuesday morning. |
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I took the escalator that takes me to street level. As we approached that level, I suddenly saw people on the escalator above me running away; there was a great deal of commotion and shouting. I thought it must be a hostage situation and dashed toward the exit I usually take. I saw a man being supported by a policeman. It looked like he was bleeding. I assumed he had been shot and took off like a mad man. I slowed down when I realised that all the shops around me were closed -- and the scene outside the glass door some 50 feet before me was a little murky. There appeared to be some smoke outside. I wasn't sure what was happening. |
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I walked out of the WTC just minutes (probably 8 minutes) after the plane slammed into the first tower. |
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I walked to the exit and stepped out. It looked like a scene from a war movie. The street looked like a war zone. I immediately drew parallels to Beirut. Then another thing struck me -- the smell of burning had not gone away at all! How could a restaurant fire deep down smell all the way up here? I wondered. Then I saw the debris all around me -- some of it was still burning. I chanced to look up -- then the horror of it dawned on me. The WTC was burning! I whipped out my cell phone and tried to call my wife. No signal. Obviously everyone around me was using up the cell sites -- not enough network bandwidth to get my call through. |
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As I got out of the PATH train (which runs through the bowels of the WTC) I could smell something burning. There is a restaurant at the same level and I thought they must have had a minor accident. Sure enough, the fire alarm lights were blinking. People usually ignore these lights as these are a frequent occurrence. Of course, people at the restaurant were ignoring the alarm. |
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Usually I turn right and go to my office. But the way towards my office appeared to be impassable. There was just too much debris there. So I crossed the road in front of me and then turned right to my office. Still no go. There was a police officer blocking my path. I stopped. But several others pushed through. He told me the only way was to go one block and then try to turn right. I did just that. That road had debris. I was pushing along when I saw -- right in front of me -- a huge hunk of what appeared to be freshly hewn beef sitting on the windshield of a car. I was shocked! What kind of person would store freshly cut meat -- even temporarily when taking it out of a truck and putting it into cold storage -- on the hood of a car? Just then a couple of people put a sheet of white cloth on that. Then I heard some women screaming and pointing to something below. I looked down, and a scant six inches from my foot I saw a foot. |
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I took the escalator that takes me to street level. As we approached that level, I suddenly saw people on the escalator above me running away; there was a great deal of commotion and shouting. I thought it must be a hostage situation and dashed toward the exit I usually take. I saw a man being supported by a policeman. It looked like he was bleeding. I assumed he had been shot and took off like a mad man. I slowed down when I realised that all the shops around me were closed -- and the scene outside the glass door some 50 feet before me was a little murky. There appeared to be some smoke outside. I wasn't sure what was happening. |
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I managed to cross the highway that separates my office from the WTC. I struggled up a small embankment and watched as people poured out of my office building. I still did not know that a plane had crashed into the WTC. Then I heard someone say so. I just did not believe him. I thought to myself, this is a small fire -- these people should be able to contain it quite easily. Why would my building be in danger? I walked up to the security staff at my building and asked them if they were planning to evacuate the building. They said 'Not yet, but it could be any moment.' Decision time. Should I go up or go home? I decided foolhardily to go up. Since I work on the sixth floor -- any emergency exit would not be quite as painful as, say, an exit from the 38th floor (which is where I used to work). I pressed on up, took the first elevator. |
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I walked to the exit and stepped out. It looked like a scene from a war movie. The street looked like a war zone. I immediately drew parallels to Beirut. Then another thing struck me -- the smell of burning had not gone away at all! How could a restaurant fire deep down smell all the way up here? I wondered. Then I saw the debris all around me -- some of it was still burning. I chanced to look up -- then the horror of it dawned on me. The WTC was burning! I whipped out my cell phone and tried to call my wife. No signal. Obviously everyone around me was using up the cell sites -- not enough network bandwidth to get my call through. |
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Just as I got off the elevator, I saw a couple of people rushing out of an adjacent office, saying they had just seen a second plane hitting 'our' building. Oh no! All I wanted to do at that time was call my wife and tell her I was coming home. I opened my office -- which I share with three others -- dialed home, only to find that I could not get through. I dialled again. In the meantime I heard the people on my floor rushing to the emergency door. I managed to get through to my wife and told her the WTC was burning, that there had been another plane crash and that I was trying to return home. Then I left. |
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Usually I turn right and go to my office. But the way towards my office appeared to be impassable. There was just too much debris there. So I crossed the road in front of me and then turned right to my office. Still no go. There was a police officer blocking my path. I stopped. But several others pushed through. He told me the only way was to go one block and then try to turn right. I did just that. That road had debris. I was pushing along when I saw -- right in front of me -- a huge hunk of what appeared to be freshly hewn beef sitting on the windshield of a car. I was shocked! What kind of person would store freshly cut meat -- even temporarily when taking it out of a truck and putting it into cold storage -- on the hood of a car? Just then a couple of people put a sheet of white cloth on that. Then I heard some women screaming and pointing to something below. I looked down, and a scant six inches from my foot I saw a foot. |
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I was the last person on my floor to leave. As I wended my way down the stairs I was struck by how calm people were. This New York resilience is something I saw time and time again today. We left the building and I got out -- now I realised the second plane had slammed into the other WTC tower. Someone standing by said to me he had seen the plane coming from near the Statue of Liberty and slamming into the tower. |
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I managed to cross the highway that separates my office from the WTC. I struggled up a small embankment and watched as people poured out of my office building. I still did not know that a plane had crashed into the WTC. Then I heard someone say so. I just did not believe him. I thought to myself, this is a small fire -- these people should be able to contain it quite easily. Why would my building be in danger? I walked up to the security staff at my building and asked them if they were planning to evacuate the building. They said 'Not yet, but it could be any moment.' Decision time. Should I go up or go home? I decided foolhardily to go up. Since I work on the sixth floor -- any emergency exit would not be quite as painful as, say, an exit from the 38th floor (which is where I used to work). I pressed on up, took the first elevator. |
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I kept turning back to see what was happening. I saw at least three or four people jumping from what must have been the 40th or 50th floor of the WTC tower. They were flying out only to slam into concrete -- which I fortunately did not witness. They were obviously jumping from the fire and willing to take a chance with the jump. I was horrified. I looked at the pavement below me and saw many, many empty high heeled shoes. Did they come from the explosion? Not possible because they were all in pairs and undamaged. Then I got it -- this must have been people watching while the second plane crashed into the building. |
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Just as I got off the elevator, I saw a couple of people rushing out of an adjacent office, saying they had just seen a second plane hitting 'our' building. Oh no! All I wanted to do at that time was call my wife and tell her I was coming home. I opened my office -- which I share with three others -- dialed home, only to find that I could not get through. I dialled again. In the meantime I heard the people on my floor rushing to the emergency door. I managed to get through to my wife and told her the WTC was burning, that there had been another plane crash and that I was trying to return home. Then I left. |
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By now I was numb. It was almost 9:15 am. Or 9.20 am. I wasn't looking at my watch. I saw a few people with digital cameras taking videos and pictures of the building going up in flames. I kept walking until I reached a subway station I knew existed. I got into the subway numb with shock and escaped from the area. |
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I was the last person on my floor to leave. As I wended my way down the stairs I was struck by how calm people were. This New York resilience is something I saw time and time again today. We left the building and I got out -- now I realised the second plane had slammed into the other WTC tower. Someone standing by said to me he had seen the plane coming from near the Statue of Liberty and slamming into the tower. |
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I got off the subway at 14th street and 4th Avenue and trudged all the way up to 33rd street and 8th Avenue. A mighty long walk, considering that each street takes about a minute at a brisk pace and each Avenue takes about 4 minutes. I reached Penn station at around 10 am. I got into what would be the exit train for me, the 10:43 am going home. Unfortunately they evacuated Penn station so I had to wait outside for about four hours before ultimately reaching home by the same train around 3:30 pm. |
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I kept turning back to see what was happening. I saw at least three or four people jumping from what must have been the 40th or 50th floor of the WTC tower. They were flying out only to slam into concrete -- which I fortunately did not witness. They were obviously jumping from the fire and willing to take a chance with the jump. I was horrified. I looked at the pavement below me and saw many, many empty high heeled shoes. Did they come from the explosion? Not possible because they were all in pairs and undamaged. Then I got it -- this must have been people watching while the second plane crashed into the building. |
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I am glad to be alive. I hope and pray the thousands of souls that died there today go to heaven in peace. It was never their fault. It never is. |
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By now I was numb. It was almost 9:15 am. Or 9.20 am. I wasn't looking at my watch. I saw a few people with digital cameras taking videos and pictures of the building going up in flames. I kept walking until I reached a subway station I knew existed. I got into the subway numb with shock and escaped from the area. |
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I got off the subway at 14th street and 4th Avenue and trudged all the way up to 33rd street and 8th Avenue. A mighty long walk, considering that each street takes about a minute at a brisk pace and each Avenue takes about 4 minutes. I reached Penn station at around 10 am. I got into what would be the exit train for me, the 10:43 am going home. Unfortunately they evacuated Penn station so I had to wait outside for about four hours before ultimately reaching home by the same train around 3:30 pm. |
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I am glad to be alive. I hope and pray the thousands of souls that died there today go to heaven in peace. It was never their fault. It never is. |
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*Name: Mike A.(Filipino) *Age: 13 *Date: Nov. 17, 2001 *Location: Quezon City, Philippines *Reaction: WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENIN!!!??? |
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*Name: Mike A.(Filipino) *Age: 13 *Date: Nov. 17, 2001 *Location: Quezon City, Philippines *Reaction: WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENIN!!!??? |
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It was Tuesday Evening here in our country, and I had just finished my hw. in school. |
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It was Tuesday Evening here in our country, and I had just finished my hw. in school. |
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It was 11.00pm here in the Philippines when both towers collapsed. I can't believe it, it was really true, it says on the tv LIVE! I didn't want to sleep that terrible night, but my body cant handle it and I prayed and I prayed wishing my father'll still be alive and I suddenly slept on the chair. I woke up at 5:00 am in the morning our time to prepare for school, and at last my mother talked to my father and he said he was safe. All those anxieties are finally gone but I thought about the people still waiting for their loved ones . I felt very sorry for them and the Sept. 11, incident will forever be sealed in my mind. |
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It was 11.00pm here in the Philippines when both towers collapsed. I can't believe it, it was really true, it says on the tv LIVE! I didn't want to sleep that terrible night, but my body cant handle it and I prayed and I prayed wishing my father'll still be alive and I suddenly slept on the chair. I woke up at 5:00 am in the morning our time to prepare for school, and at last my mother talked to my father and he said he was safe. All those anxieties are finally gone but I thought about the people still waiting for their loved ones . I felt very sorry for them and the Sept. 11, incident will forever be sealed in my mind. |
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Matthew Farley was the partner in charge of the New York branch of Philadelphia's Drinker Biddle & Reath on September 11. Mr. Farley used a BlackBerry? device, and excerpts from his e-mail on that fateful day were published in the November 2, 2001 edition of The American Lawyer. The story is archived on the Web at [www.law.com]. |
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US Governmental Response - Responsibility - Hijackers - World political effects - World economic effects |
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US Governmental Response - Responsibility - Hijackers - World political effects - World economic effects |
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