YOUR 9-11 STORY

MARK

I was in my office at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Andover, MA. There was suddenly a commotion in the cubicle area so I went out to see what was going on. People were talking about a plane hitting the world trade center. I went back to my office to call my wife who was at home with my 3 yr old and 6 month old  sons to see if she knew what was going on.

During the conversation the 2nd plane hit and within minutes we knew it wasn’t an accident. My heart skipped as I thought of my daughters. My three girls were all in grammar school and we wondered if we should get them, afraid that this was only the beginning. It was recommended that everyone stay were they were, not panic and keep the roads clear. I spent the majority of the day in the company’s auditorium where they had set up the news coverage on the large projection screen.

I snuck out early, when school was out to pick up my girls, and felt a state of relief when we got home and were all together. It didn’t last long though till the fear what could happen next crept back in. It was a scary and strange time for weeks after with no planes in the skies and people hesitant to go out and gather in public places.

originally posted Sep 2021

YOUR 9-11 STORY

ANJAN

I was near Frankfurt in a town called Wetzler. I was to fly back to India the next day 12/11 via Amsterdam to New Delhi. In my hotel room I was seeing TV news of the twin towers collapsing and also about the attack on Pentagon on 9/11 evening German time. It sent shivers down my spine.

George W. Bush appeared on TV and said “we are in a state of war”. The words showed the gravity of the murderous assault by perverted outlaws on the world’s largest democracy. Was wondering and felt too sad about the thousands of innocent lives lost.

Frankfurt airport that early morning on 9/12 was a different place with very tight security in place. Huge, full size sniffer dogs, screening, critical X Ray checks and so on. After landing at Amsterdam, I found it jammed with several hundred travelers incl tourists squatting on the floor taking rest, as seats were full. Flights were cancelled. From Heathrow airport and from many other European airports flights were not operational.  Many US airports had also grounded flights. Hence the travellers were stranded as there was no mobility by air.

Hotels fully booked, neighbourhood residents around Schipol airport, Amsterdam were offering accommodation voluntarily to stranded people. This gesture is unforgettable. Public announcements were continuously being made at the Schipol airport about vacant accommodations. I waited for a few hours and then saw that my KLM flight to New Delhi was cancelled. After a few more hours of waiting, they announced a NorthWest airlines (KLM’s partner airline then) flight to Mumbai. There was a mad scramble to get seats in the Boeing 747. I was lucky to get a seat. New Delhi flights were cancelled as these had to over fly Afghanistan. After the 9 hour flight I landed in Mumbai. I told everyone that not only the US but its allies in Europe too faced the brunt of the 9/11 attacks.

orignally posted Sep 2021

YOUR 9-11 STORY

JOHN & KIM

Kim’s sister lives in Poughkeepsie, New York and we had made flight reservations for spending the Christmas Holidays there that year. When 9-11 happened we decided to leave the decision up to our two children Jennifer 15 and James 13 if they still wanted to go.

They said yes. We went down to ground zero and witnessed the devastation first hand. Both Jennifer and James wrote on the temporary wall expressing their condolences. It was a very heart wrenching experience and to remind us for the rest of our lives Kim has the Towers tattooed and I have and Eagle with the skyline in the background tattooed also. We Will Never Forget.

originally posted Sep 2021

YOUR 9-11 STORY

MICHAEL

Visited NYC 30 days before the tragedy. Family had dinner at Wild Blue, a part of the restaurant Windows of the World. Was seated next to a window and got great videos of inside the restaurant, the other tower and the Statue of Liberty. Watching the towers coming down was especially emotional for us as we had the chance to talk to many of the employees who worked there. We felt much more attached to the disaster.

originally posted Sep 2021