Over the weekend i watched a Documentary on the September 11th attacks on the History channel. The program showed the day through the documentation of various people in various parts of the city, video taping the event be it with cell phone or video camera. It was powerful and done well with no voice overs or interviews etc. just minute by minute representation through the eyes of the various people recording and capturing the events that happened that day. Every person in America was affected by the attacks that day and every single one of us has a 9-11 story. Here's mine.
I was sleeping on the morning of September 11th, 2001. I normally slept until noon or so because i worked the second shift at Sears Tower as a Loading Dock Supervisor with security. Yep, I worked at the tallest building in the world on September 11th. I remember my phone ringing quite a few times before i picked it up. The first call i picked up was my girlfriend (and wife now) Kristina telling me about the first plane hitting the tower and how the media is saying its a terrorist attack. I groggily turned on the t.v. and i distinctly remember seeing the second plane hit the other tower and i remember thinking 'this is a dream.' The next call i picked up was my boss at the Tower asking me if i was coming to work that day and if i was, to report as early as i could. (i worked second shift 3pm - 11pm.) I said of course i would be at work. Kristina pleaded with me to not go in to work. But what could i do? I went not because I'm brave and not because I'm super patriotic. I had nothing else to do honestly. I sure didn't want to just sit home.
I'll never forget the otherworldly feeling i had when i exited the subway to work. It was around noon if i remember correctly. Downtown was deserted. It was like out of a movie. No one was on the streets. No cars, no cabs, no pan handlers, no newspaper salesmen, no business people, no one. Our own building had been evacuated but they wanted security to remain there because we were supposed to be a target. When i got to work there were Federal Officers everywhere. Rumors and disinformation was the order of the day. Phantom cars and missing U.P.S. trucks. We received 13 bomb threats that day. I remember an older Indian man drive by the building slowly and laughing at us as we stood outside patrolling the building. I remember thinking the world will never be the same.
A few years later i quit. I was there 13 years.I haven't been back since i quit.
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