#1475 | Tuesday, July 16th 2002
I got off the R train in Times Square and headed for work. At that moment the first tower was hit but I had no idea till I reached work and saw it on tv. The first thought was a terrorist attack. I was in the Trade center in 1993 missing the first attack by 1/2 hour. At that point I called my wife who was working on the east side and told her we have to get out of Manhattan. I calle my brother who worked a few blocks from me and told him were going back to Queens. Let my Mom know at her home everyone was ok.

I picked up my wife and we statred walking up to the Queensboro bridge about 11am. By now the towers were gone. As we walked over the bridge into Queens you no longer saw the towers, just thick black smoke. It was an erie sight I will never forget. You had to think to yourself is this really happening. At that moment NYC was in bad shape. I remember as we walked over the east river almost three hours after the attack why there was no military presence in the air, no fighter jets or military helicopters and it was such a clear day visibility was nothing less than spectacular. I finally made it home which is just accross the east river. It was on the warm side that day temps were around 80 degrees. With no trains running we walked about five miles till we caught a livery car in Long Island City, Queens who was kind enough to pick up my wife and I. As we reached our block thats when the thunderous sounds of the fighter jets passed over our neighbor hood.

For the next week or so our neighborhood was filled for what it seemed twenty four hours a day with sirens,helicopters and fighter jets. I am born and raise in NYC and this was truly the first time sirens bothered me.

I think the next four weeks or so most of us living and working in NYC where in a state of shock. I attended several Funerals at St. Patricks on 5th ave so the events continued for many months for us here.

Now we are approaching the first anniversary and I have not been to wall street since the attacks. I dont know when I will be able to go there. For me it is not a tourist attraction. The towers wher apart of my NYC life from a kid to my adult life. I have worked in them and traveled through them on my way to work, I still can picture inside and out vividly in my mind. I can say now that I miss them.

I wait for the day we can bring closure, but we should as a nation never forget that the enemy still lives among us. liberty and Freedom have a cost and should be defended.
For a brief moment in time I felt it was in jepordy. I never want my children to have that feeling.

SWS NYC

SWS | 36 | New York

#1260 | Wednesday, May 8th 2002
I was at work at 110 wall when someone called and said a plane hit the world trade center, we thought it was a small plain at first. until someone said it was passanger jet, (its amazing how clear I remember this) I looked out the window and saw all thease papers flying all over.at that point we ran into my bosses office to watch his tv, thats when the second plane hit,and my buiding shook with this huge roar behind it. our phones and ims were going nuts.people calling us to get out,I tryed calling a friend of mine at cantor,but to no answered. thats when the owner of the firm came up and yelled everyone out, now I have three guys that work for me and we were all scared. I told them to grab all the water they can.
we started down to the street level, we looked outside and , it was snowing, I looked up and the towers were burning. I tried calling my wife at that point but the cells were all down. we started to walk towards the bklyn bridge I thought to myself if I can get us to bklyn I can get us to a friends house. as we approched the bklyn bridge the first tower came down. a cloud started coming towards us, someone yelled don,t panic stay calm, wet ur shirts and put it over ur nose. and belive it or not one person
paniced no one ran,it was so surreal. I felt a tear runing down my face as I strated to cry thinking about my wife my daughter and all my friends at cantor, where six months before i worked on the 104th fl.
as we made it to the middle of the bridge the secound tower fell, it was amazing, how one secound they were there and the next they were gone. people were crying and helping eachother, their was no black no white no nothing but people americans helping americans. as sad as this was that day it made us one united..

carmine | 36 | New York

#1230 | Tuesday, April 30th 2002
I was in Washington, DC. Close to the Pentagon. My brother worked in the WTC. It was very scary.
Elizabeth | 36 | Connecticut

#1113 | Tuesday, March 26th 2002
I was sleeping befor the first plain hit. I got up for work and turned on the news to get a traffic report, like i did every morning, and found that a plain hit the twin towers. Then while watching more I saw the second plain hit I was suprized I never thought this would ever happen to NY or at least the USA. then the rest of the day and for 2 days longer I sat glued to the tv watching all the events hoping there was no one I knew or grew up with. I am a 30 year vet of NY. I still wonder if there was anyone I ever knew there that died. God Bless all the familys of NY and of the victims of the sdad moment.
M. | 36 | Colorado

#1088 | Wednesday, March 20th 2002
I was ill that morning. I had gotten my kids off to school and the went back to bed. I had called in sick. My husband called me from work asking if I had put on the TV. I had not. He said to put it on right away; there was something huge. After we hung up I watched the news as I had not since the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy in 1986. I am not a news watcher. I am not a TV watcher at all. But over the next few weeks, I was riveted. I was concerned for the victims and the survivors. I was praying for them all. I still am and I am so grateful to the heros who have given their lives for our country and our people. I am particularly touched by the heroism of the crew and passengers of flight 93 which went down in Pennsylvania. I pray for the lost and for their families and other loved ones.
I am from Wisconsin and we here were physically far removed from the violence. But it has effected our lives like anyone else's. Terrorism is poison. It gets in the air and it contaminates everything. But we are Americans and we will triumph. God Bless America!

Momma | 36 | Wisconsin

<< | < | showing 16-20 of 30 | >| >>
search again

welcome
view / browse
search
about


link us



website: wherewereyou.org
All entries are copyright their original authors.