For Those Who Knew Someone In/Around the Twin Towers on 9/11...

[PLFXpert 0]

CSpence started the thread on "Where were you?" and I was curious how many people knew someone who died, or just who was there that you were worried about.

Thought it would be nice to have a thread to share your memories.

And that concludes my sappy moment of the day.

I didn't have anyone close to me in or around the Twin Towers that day...

My aunt works in the Pentagon, though. Word was out right away to our family that she was fine.
I feel very fortunate.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[StreetScooby 5]

My boss at that time was supposed to be at the top of the 1st tower at a financial software conference. The only reason he lived that day was due to production problems. He came into work instead.

My boss's neighbor had a young son who was on the bond desk at Cantor. They actually spoke just after the first plane hit. Everyone was being told to stay in their desks, so that's what the guy's son did (not that he could have gotten out anyway). The son died.

My lawyer had just closed a deal whereby a web designer had sold his product to Cantor. The web designer died, also.

We are all engines of karma

[Rebecca 0]

A friend was in the 2nd Tower that particular day for Morgan Stanley training - the instructions went from "stay calm, stay at your desks..." to "Evacuate using the stair wells now!"

She watched as some women kicked off their high heels to run, but in the midst of it all, she flashed back to the scene in Die Hard where Hans Gruber said, "Schiess den Fenster!... SHOOT THE GLASS!" and she wisely kept hers on...

They emerged on the first floor and ran past the fireman directing them out. She just kept running and running.

She finally ran right into several colleagues many blocks away before they straggled back to their hotel, where a triage center and coms had been established. It took her several days to get bussed home to TX.

Her little boy is now over 1 year old.

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[PLFXpert 0]

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She watched as some women kicked off their high heels to run, but in the midst of it all, she flashed back to the scene in Die Hard where Hans Gruber said, "Schiess den Fenster!... SHOOT THE GLASS!" and she wisely kept hers on...

I have much practice running in heels.

I'm glad your friend is OK.

The whole "stay at your desks" thing has been brought up a lot in different scenarios since. I forget where I read it, but there was a bomb threat in a building where, in fact, there actually was a bomb they later found (not one that could have done major damage, but bomb nonetheless). Some people left. Some did not...

But, from 9/11 forward I've decided to go w/ my gut and not what "my boss", should I have one, says.

And most people don't even like their boss---so it's even crazier to think they'd trust him/her with their life. But, of course, I see both sides...blah, blah, blah.

But threats have taken on a whole new meaning since 9/11 that's for sure.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[skydemon2 0]

"I have much practice running in heels."


I hate to admit it but Id probably pay to see that!!

As for this post, today sucks and I feel bad for anyone who lost someone because of it!

Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone!

I like to start my day off with a little Ray of Soulshine™!!

[billvon 3,120]

I wasn't close to the Twin Towers that day, but two days before we had been in NYC to see a show with my parents and Amy. Amy talked me into going back to Boston with her instead of flying back that night.

I changed the flight from JFK to Boston, and spent an extra day in Boston with her. That night we were late to the airport (naturally) and I barely made it onto the plane. We then taxiied out and sat there for 2 hours. At first they said we'd be taking off in a few minutes, then in half an hour, then in another hour. The flight attendant near me was reassuring someone that if the flight got cancelled they'd get us on the first flight out tomorrow.

We finally took off, and I got home very late.

The phone woke me the next morning. It was Amy asking if I'd gotten home OK. She told me what had happened.

I got on American's website and checked the flight schedule. The first flight from BOS-SAN (via LAX) on that day was AA flight 11.

[PLFXpert 0]

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I hate to admit it but Id probably pay to see that!!

For you, I'll even throw in a pony-tail swing and limpy wrists.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[PLFXpert 0]

Yowza.

Hoo-ray for being late!

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[skydemon2 0]

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I hate to admit it but Id probably pay to see that!!

For you, I'll even throw in a pony-tail swing and limpy wrists.

Oh you know just how I like it!!

Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone!

I like to start my day off with a little Ray of Soulshine™!!

[Rebecca 0]

The stories that creep me out are the people that were or weren't there by a stroke of fate...

Someone just told me about standing in an airport (Logan I think) with his buddies, being bumped off one of the flights, when a woman set up a royal twit fit about her seat and about getting home. A man stepped forward and said, "Ma'am, you can have my seat. I'm not in that big a hurry."


You never know when a random kindness might save your life.

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[skysmurf2 0]

My sister was meant to be in the Towers that day for a Goldman Sachs (I think) interview - her plan was to arrive at the Towers early in the morning, have breakfast, review her notes and then interview in the afternoon. There were two flights leaving Ithaca (she went to Cornell) that day - an early morning and a later one. She was booked on the early morning (as she wanted to be there early) luckily she decided she wanted to sleep in and managed to swap flights. She never made it to the Towers. It took my parents 6 hours to find out that she was safe (we lived in a different country and all the phone lines were busy); I will never forget that day and our near miss.

My sister isn't usually lazy, thankfully that day she was. My deepest sympathies to those who were not so lucky.

[ntrprnr 0]

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CSpence started the thread on "Where were you?" and I was curious how many people knew someone who died, or just who was there that you were worried about.

Thought it would be nice to have a thread to share your memories.

And that concludes my sappy moment of the day.

I didn't have anyone close to me in or around the Twin Towers that day...

My aunt works in the Pentagon, though. Word was out right away to our family that she was fine.
I feel very fortunate.

Balewa Blackman was a running buddy of mine. He'd just started with Cantor Fitzgerald. He was so, so psyched about the new job.

To this day, I imagine him making sure anyone who could have gotten out did. I'm sure he was there, looking for an exit, helping anyone who needed it. That's who he was.

He was a good man.

http://prdifferently.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/09/on_september_11.html

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[PLFXpert 0]

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I'm sure he was there, looking for an exit, helping anyone who needed it. That's who he was.

He was a good man.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[weegegirl 2]

My brother Matt was running late that morning and was stuck in traffic. Otherwise he would have been there. It was my nephew's birthday and him and some of his NYU buddies were walking to meet my brother at the towers. They made it to a few blocks away when the first strike happened. They were all split up from each other in the chaos. My brother-in-law was supposed to be there for a Microsoft conference that morning, he got called off of it last minute. However many people close to me lost friends and family. I was at work when it all went down. My father called me crying hysterically because he thought Matt was there. It took the entire day to get in touch with him. I will never forget that stress and fear.

[fireflytx 0]

Like I said in a previous post, I used to drive into NYC every weekend to party and hang out since i only lived an hour away. I stayed away from the city for few weeks. I will never forget the next time I drove in. The towers were the first thing you would see now it was just towers of smoke. I walked down to the site which they had pretty well blocked off. It felt erie, it smelled bad, you felt the grit of all the debris on the sidewalks and streets. I just started to cry right away.

Recently when I went home to PA. My friend Eve and myself took the train into the towers were there is still a stop in nothing but a big hole.

"Well behaved women rarely make history"

[lawrocket 3]

My sister was supposed to have a meeting with Raytheon engineers in Santa Barbara that day. They were flying in from Boston Logan. The engineers never made it.

My old secretary's brother perished in one of the towers.

A college friend of mine was SUPPOSED to be at the Morgan/Stanley office later on that day, and the plane hit a couple of hours before his meeting time.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Muenkel 0]

As I stated in the other thread, my sister lost her brother-in-law and my cousin lost his brother-in-law. Both were Cantor Fitzgerald and neither bodies were recovered. Coincidentally, both of their wives were pregnant at the time.

Chris

_________________________________________
Chris

[Rebecca 0]

OK, my version was mostly accurate...

Here's the story from Monica herself: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4175059.html

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[GogglesnTeeth 6]

I tried to post this last night.... but someone killed the forums!!!!
Here is someone's home video of the North Tower from just across the street or so.
http://media.revver.com/broadcast/59686/video.mov

Goggles and Teeth

"You fall like a greased safe!!!"

[gravitational 0]

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CSpence started the thread on "Where were you?" and I was curious how many people knew someone who died, or just who was there that you were worried about.

The company I used to work for was on floors 34-38 (or 32 to 36) and I was supposed to be there on 9-11. Trip got postponed on 9-10 when the co-worker I was flying out to meet went into pre-mature labor. I was talking on the phone with another co-worker giving a play by play of WT1 when the second plane hit.
Didn't lose anyone so we were lucky.

------
Michael

[noblesmelissa 0]

A friend of mine here in Texas was job searching and got a letter that he had landed an interview in one of the towers on 9/11.

The kicker is that the letter got lost in the mail and he did not receive it until the 12th...