911 VIDEO AUTHOR REPLY

MEMBERS : 10,310

HOME NEWS REPORT CARD RESEARCH TOOL BOX TIP HOTLINE

911 VIDEO AUTHOR REPLY

Please pass this on to your brother for me.

I was driving to work as I did every day for the last 3 years, finally having attained a position in my company that afforded me my own parking space in Manhattan. A perk if you know anything about Manhattan. It meant that you were gradually becoming one of the players in the NY market. As I exited the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel I did what I always did that day, I swerved to the far right because no one ever liked that lane, as you had to be first out of the box or you'd get bogged in.

They had only opened up the West Side Highway totally maybe 2 months before and it was a pleasure to drive during rush hour these days--you know, before everyone and their brother knew they opened another main artery to clog.

I passed the twin towers as I have a thousand million times. This time though the earth shook and I thought, what the hell is that? Then I heard an explosion and then debris started raining down on my car. I did what any NY'r would do, I gunned the car and got it the hell out of there as quickly as I could. Immediately I heard the sirens of the emergency vehicles. I still did not know what was going on but I knew whatever it was it was major.

I got my car a few blocks away and realized that with all the emergency vehicles now coming on the side of the street I was going, I would not be able to go farther, so I dumped my car in a garage and started walking. The radio stated that the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane and I thought immediately that some schmuck in a small aircraft couldn't negotiate the turn and slammed into the twin towers.

As everyone else that was walking away, we kept looking back at what appeared to be a gash. There was only a whisper of smoke at the time and then it turned to black smoke and it started pouring out of the north tower. It was about this time that I noticed the other aircraft approaching and I thought to myself why is he flying so low, not even thinking that he was facing the wrong way from what I was used to seeing.

The unthinkable happened. He turned the aircraft right for the south tower and slammed into it. No matter what the pictures depict or what you've seen on TV, I've never, ever, ever seen an explosion like that one. It was huge. It was too much for my brain to handle. I knew instinctively it was an attack, but all the while I was thinking NO, this is not happening. I'm still home asleep and this is a really bad dream.

I started walking back toward the towers to see if I could help. I called my job to tell them and they were aware of it, being about a mile or so away (which was a birds eye view). Police, Fire and EMS people were on the scene and having us stand back. When they rebuked my every effort to help, I decided to walk to work and figure out what to do from there.

You talk with people on the way and some with radio's told me that another plane had hit the Pentagon. And you aren't really walking in stride. You walk a foot and you turn around and stare for 15 minutes at a time. Wondering who the hell did this and why. Wondering if any of your friends are dead. Trying to figure out what floors they hit on and then clicking off those you knew on which floors of which tower.

People were jumping from the higher floors. It was horrifying. I saw some of them hit and they turned to instant---it was grewsome. I will never forget watching that husband and wife who jumped into oblivion, holding hands on the way down. What must they have seen or felt that caused them to do that I can only imagine. I stood there mesmerized unable to move, unable to comprehend, unsure of whether the attack was over.

Then I saw the military jets streaking through our skies and I thought where the hell were you guys when that second plane hit? Irrational, I know, but who was rational that day?

Then the south tower came down. Honest to God it was slow motion and it looked like the entire top of the building had started to slide. Then a huge amount of dirt and debris came pouring out the top and it actually looked like it was sinking, if you know what I mean. The plume of smoke that started rising looked like something out of a horror flick. You started running because the smoke was overtaking you; no matter what street you turned onto.

A lady was screaming as the smoke started to overtake her and I stopped and went back to her. At the last second I spotted a parked van and I pushed her onto the ground behind it and I curled myself into a ball and stayed against that van. First the smoke was like grey-white and it was hot, humid stuff. Then it turned darker grey and you had trouble breathing. Your eyes started burning. A putrid smell that I still can't get away from and the taste was nothing I have ever tasted before and yet no matter how much Listerine I use I still cannot get rid of it. Then it turned black and you couldn't see anything in front of you and you panicked. You frantically waved your hands before where you were sure your face was but you couldn't tell because you couldn't see. You imagined you looked like Helen Keller. It felt like it lasted an hour or more.

I puked. I got out whatever it was that had filled my mouth and after puking I breathed and puked all over again. I was breathing stuff in that was prohibiting me from breathing but I tried anyway. I threw my suit jacked over the lady and I pulled my shirt over my mouth to get some sort of air. My eyes felt like there were sand paper covering them every time I blinked.

After some time, I went to where the lady was and she was gone as was my jacket. I started wandering. I tried doors that were locked and I remember thinking it was odd they were locked. A Police Officer found me and he guided me to where a doctor or nurse or ems person was. They strung an IV right there and they washed out my eyes and after awhile they removed the IV and had me move on, telling me to go to the nearest hospital to get my eyes checked. The Police Officer had turned back to the World Trade Center. He was buried in the rubble of the North Tower coming down.

He saved my ass that day. My cousin and 37 friends weren't so lucky. I'm dealing with that and have been going to funerals and memorials all last week, tomorrow and Thursday.

My mind has been numb since. Going through the motions. I volunteered to give out food and I did it at Chelsea Piers the following Sunday. It was then that I saw ground zero and those images I will take to the grave with me as well.

Your brother came because the enormity of what had happened hit him and he had to act, like so many of our hero's. He ran toward while most of us ran away. It was his actions and the actions of hundreds of emergency workers that was able to keep the loss of life to the minimum. In excess of 25,000 people were saved that day and that is the legacy of the World Trade Center attack. Not the deaths, not the carnage and not even the terror. So many more lives were saved.

We all changed that day and I am having a horrible time getting through this, but I will get through it because of that Police Officer and the hundreds like him who ran toward instead of away. We have to get through it so that those bastards that did this won't have won. We have to be defiant and return our lives to as normal as we can.

Tell him for me to hug his children daily and never to go to bed angry at his wife. This has taught us that life changing events can happen at any given moment. Even on a beautiful autumn morning at the start of a humdrum work day in the beginning of the week.

We will get through this one day at a time because it is our duty to get through this. We are American and we are New Yorkers and we cannot allow some cunning fundamentalist lunatics to dictate policy--whether or not we agree with the policy in the first place--by attacking people who are guilty of nothing other than going to work. We must rally around our government in a cohesive manner to deal with the immediate threat NOW. Recrimination can come later, but the unity that this has garnered must be sustained in the coming years....or they win.

Allow him his time to grieve; hell I am still shaking inside although I appear to be rock steady outside. But after he grieve's he has to get back to routine. Or as close to it as he can. It will be tough, I do not know that I can practice what I am preaching; but we have to try. We owe it to all whose lives were taken, to all who gave their lives and to all who risked their lives. Otherwise they died in vain. I cannot allow that to happen. I might not be able to make much sense out of this, but I will be damned if we cave in to these maniacs.

Thank him from the bottom of my soul for responding to our emergency. He will be in my prayers as will the rest of your family.

Steve

	911 VIDEO AUTHOR REPLY

	Please pass this on to your brother for me. I was driving to work as I did every day for the last 3 years, finally having attained a position in my company that afforded me my own parking space in Manhattan. A perk if you know anything about Manhattan. It meant that you were gradually becoming one of the players in the NY market. As I exited the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel I did what I always did that day, I swerved to the far right because no one ever liked that lane, as you had to be first out of the box or you'd get bogged in. They had only opened up the West Side Highway totally maybe 2 months before and it was a pleasure to drive during rush hour these days--you know, before everyone and their brother knew they opened another main artery to clog. I passed the twin towers as I have a thousand million times. This time though the earth shook and I thought, what the hell is that? Then I heard an explosion and then debris started raining down on my car. I did what any NY'r would do, I gunned the car and got it the hell out of there as quickly as I could. Immediately I heard the sirens of the emergency vehicles. I still did not know what was going on but I knew whatever it was it was major. I got my car a few blocks away and realized that with all the emergency vehicles now coming on the side of the street I was going, I would not be able to go farther, so I dumped my car in a garage and started walking. The radio stated that the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane and I thought immediately that some schmuck in a small aircraft couldn't negotiate the turn and slammed into the twin towers. As everyone else that was walking away, we kept looking back at what appeared to be a gash. There was only a whisper of smoke at the time and then it turned to black smoke and it started pouring out of the north tower. It was about this time that I noticed the other aircraft approaching and I thought to myself why is he flying so low, not even thinking that he was facing the wrong way from what I was used to seeing. The unthinkable happened. He turned the aircraft right for the south tower and slammed into it. No matter what the pictures depict or what you've seen on TV, I've never, ever, ever seen an explosion like that one. It was huge. It was too much for my brain to handle. I knew instinctively it was an attack, but all the while I was thinking NO, this is not happening. I'm still home asleep and this is a really bad dream. I started walking back toward the towers to see if I could help. I called my job to tell them and they were aware of it, being about a mile or so away (which was a birds eye view). Police, Fire and EMS people were on the scene and having us stand back. When they rebuked my every effort to help, I decided to walk to work and figure out what to do from there. You talk with people on the way and some with radio's told me that another plane had hit the Pentagon. And you aren't really walking in stride. You walk a foot and you turn around and stare for 15 minutes at a time. Wondering who the hell did this and why. Wondering if any of your friends are dead. Trying to figure out what floors they hit on and then clicking off those you knew on which floors of which tower. People were jumping from the higher floors. It was horrifying. I saw some of them hit and they turned to instant---it was grewsome. I will never forget watching that husband and wife who jumped into oblivion, holding hands on the way down. What must they have seen or felt that caused them to do that I can only imagine. I stood there mesmerized unable to move, unable to comprehend, unsure of whether the attack was over. Then I saw the military jets streaking through our skies and I thought where the hell were you guys when that second plane hit? Irrational, I know, but who was rational that day? Then the south tower came down. Honest to God it was slow motion and it looked like the entire top of the building had started to slide. Then a huge amount of dirt and debris came pouring out the top and it actually looked like it was sinking, if you know what I mean. The plume of smoke that started rising looked like something out of a horror flick. You started running because the smoke was overtaking you; no matter what street you turned onto. A lady was screaming as the smoke started to overtake her and I stopped and went back to her. At the last second I spotted a parked van and I pushed her onto the ground behind it and I curled myself into a ball and stayed against that van. First the smoke was like grey-white and it was hot, humid stuff. Then it turned darker grey and you had trouble breathing. Your eyes started burning. A putrid smell that I still can't get away from and the taste was nothing I have ever tasted before and yet no matter how much Listerine I use I still cannot get rid of it. Then it turned black and you couldn't see anything in front of you and you panicked. You frantically waved your hands before where you were sure your face was but you couldn't tell because you couldn't see. You imagined you looked like Helen Keller. It felt like it lasted an hour or more. I puked. I got out whatever it was that had filled my mouth and after puking I breathed and puked all over again. I was breathing stuff in that was prohibiting me from breathing but I tried anyway. I threw my suit jacked over the lady and I pulled my shirt over my mouth to get some sort of air. My eyes felt like there were sand paper covering them every time I blinked. After some time, I went to where the lady was and she was gone as was my jacket. I started wandering. I tried doors that were locked and I remember thinking it was odd they were locked. A Police Officer found me and he guided me to where a doctor or nurse or ems person was. They strung an IV right there and they washed out my eyes and after awhile they removed the IV and had me move on, telling me to go to the nearest hospital to get my eyes checked. The Police Officer had turned back to the World Trade Center. He was buried in the rubble of the North Tower coming down. He saved my ass that day. My cousin and 37 friends weren't so lucky. I'm dealing with that and have been going to funerals and memorials all last week, tomorrow and Thursday. My mind has been numb since. Going through the motions. I volunteered to give out food and I did it at Chelsea Piers the following Sunday. It was then that I saw ground zero and those images I will take to the grave with me as well. Your brother came because the enormity of what had happened hit him and he had to act, like so many of our hero's. He ran toward while most of us ran away. It was his actions and the actions of hundreds of emergency workers that was able to keep the loss of life to the minimum. In excess of 25,000 people were saved that day and that is the legacy of the World Trade Center attack. Not the deaths, not the carnage and not even the terror. So many more lives were saved. We all changed that day and I am having a horrible time getting through this, but I will get through it because of that Police Officer and the hundreds like him who ran toward instead of away. We have to get through it so that those bastards that did this won't have won. We have to be defiant and return our lives to as normal as we can. Tell him for me to hug his children daily and never to go to bed angry at his wife. This has taught us that life changing events can happen at any given moment. Even on a beautiful autumn morning at the start of a humdrum work day in the beginning of the week. We will get through this one day at a time because it is our duty to get through this. We are American and we are New Yorkers and we cannot allow some cunning fundamentalist lunatics to dictate policy--whether or not we agree with the policy in the first place--by attacking people who are guilty of nothing other than going to work. We must rally around our government in a cohesive manner to deal with the immediate threat NOW. Recrimination can come later, but the unity that this has garnered must be sustained in the coming years....or they win. Allow him his time to grieve; hell I am still shaking inside although I appear to be rock steady outside. But after he grieve's he has to get back to routine. Or as close to it as he can. It will be tough, I do not know that I can practice what I am preaching; but we have to try. We owe it to all whose lives were taken, to all who gave their lives and to all who risked their lives. Otherwise they died in vain. I cannot allow that to happen. I might not be able to make much sense out of this, but I will be damned if we cave in to these maniacs. Thank him from the bottom of my soul for responding to our emergency. He will be in my prayers as will the rest of your family. Steve