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9/11 My Story…

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~Where I was on 9/11~

I was in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, at 8:30 in the morning grabbing a subway to my very first day as an Intern on a TV show. As a college student my scheduled varied, and it was unusual for me to be up and out in Manhattan that early in the morning. And I remember thinking that it was one of the prettiest days I’d ever spent in the city. The sky was a perfect blue. I had a Walkman headset on, and as I walked to the subway a  random radio station played in my headset. As I boarded the subway to work, my headset lost it’s signal and it went silent. A little before 9am, I began to make my way out of the underground station. As I got closer to the surface my headphones popped back on. It was no longer the radio DJ- it sounded a lot like a news voice I recognized. The voice was saying that NYC was possibly under attack.

(8:50 am)

Obviously that could not be true- so I assumed that this was a parody of some kind. A modern day “War of the Worlds” broadcast perhaps. I ignored it and studied my map. But as I started walking down the street I noticed that lots of bars had doors open with people gathering. People were watching TV sets. It was odd, but I assumed there must be a game on. I found the Warner Brothers lot and walked in. The show I was going to work on was one called “Third Watch” -it was all about the men and women who serve the City of New York as police officers, firemen, and paramedics in a fictional Precinct. As such- the show employed a lot of extras who were in fact real officers and firemen. They were all watching a TV. It was at that moment that I realized that the broadcast in my headphone speakers had been real. One of the Twin Towers had been crashed into, and it was on fire. I was stunned.

 

(9 a.m.)

The studio was on the shore of Brooklyn which directly faces the island of Manhattan. I followed my boss up to the very top of the high building we worked in. There were a handful of crew men on the top of the building, our height allowed us to see the Tower on fire from a very clear vantage point right across the river from us. As we watched it burning, another plane flew in the distance toward the towers. One of the crew suggested this was likely a plane that would try to direct water at the tower, to help put out the blaze. But the plane flew above our heads, straight into the second tower.

Our brains couldn’t wrap themselves around what we’d seen.  We all just kept watching silently. Afraid to move off the roof. Confused by what was happening. I was standing behind 8 or 9 big burly men. And then I realized that several of the men were moving. Just their shoulders. No sound. Their shoulders heaved up and down.  Silently crying for what they knew was happening in those buildings. It was now just after 9am.

Time stood still for what felt like a long time but was probably less than a minute- and then everyone snapped into action. I don’t have any sense of the time after this point. But at some point we got word that NYC officials were closing all the bridges and Tunnels. That set off panic as millions of people started to flee NYC. What many people don’t know, or remember is that residents of NYC had very good cause to believe that they as a city were being attacked.  The obvious response was to try and get out of the city to Brooklyn or to Queens. And with subways shut down the only way out was to walk.

(11 a.m)

The staff and crew were all given permission to leave, and get their families to safety. And my new boss asked me where I needed to go. I said I needed to get back in the city, that was where my apt was and where anyone I knew or loved was. Several crew people who didn’t know me offered to let me come with them to places out of the city. But I said I was sure I needed to get back in. Three other crew men had decided the same. So I was told to follow them- that they would help me get back into a city on lock down. It was decided that if we couldn’t get past the police barricades at the foot of the bridge near us, that we could borrow some of the costumes/props from the show. For instance bicycles that looked police issued.  It turned out that the show connections helped us get on the bridge in the wrong direction, so we didn’t need to do that. But we had to fight against a scared crowd that was swarming over the bridge -going in the opposite direction as us. We held hands at times to try and push through the crowd. At one point the crowd began to scream as several military planes came zooming over us stopping above us. Were they carrying bombs, terrorists? It wasn’t till days later that I found out they were American planes sent to protect the bridge full of people, and NYC from any other aircraft’s that might try to fly into NYC airspace.

 

 

Who I was with:

The men I was fighting my way across the bridge with, I found out were going back to an island they believed was being attacked because: one had a child in a school there, one had left his dog at home, and one had a mother in a nursing home. And none of them were willing to get to safety until their loved ones were with them. When we reached the end of the bridge we hugged and wished each other luck. Their courage and love for their families I will always remember.

 

The Aftermath:

When I reached the foot of the bridge the smoke cloud from Ground zero had already reached 50th street. And a horrible smell was hung in the air. The smell stayed in NYC for weeks. In Manhattan I found my Aunt and Uncle in Manhattan safe. My best friend was safe, and because she couldn’t make it out of NYC she stayed with me in my eastside apartment for several days. We layed in my bed together, watched news coverage and cried. We awoke in the middle of the night to blaring sirens and watched hazmat trucks racing down streets. I walked the mostly empty streets of NYC days after, and I will never forget the way people held each others gaze. Just strangers walking down the street- you would look into each others eyes in a way that I have not experienced before or after 9/11. It was a brotherhood & sisterhood. It was during this shift  that people started taking turns standing and waving and cheering as responders went into the debris of the towers to try and save people or find their remains. Candle vigils. I remember walking into a church one day- and finding it full of silent people praying.

 

It was also during this time that NYC became littered with posters of the missing. Desperate relatives posting their photos on every surface. As days went by it became clear these posters had become memorials to those that had died. Reading the posters became compulsive for me. How could I read about one persons lost life, but not the next? At one point I realized I had to stop, so I picked a poster and looked at the face on it. A very young woman. And I promised to at least not forget her. Her individual face.  And I haven’t. And as I have had momentous life moments I have remembered her and her life stopped before she could have those same moments. And it sobers me. It reminds me how precious life is.

 

What does it all mean to me?

I heard recently on NPR that the kids in high school right now are the last to have any memories of their own of 9/11. They were tiny kids when it happened, but some have shadowy memories of how they heard. Soon the kids that learn about 9/11 in school will be relying completely on their history books. And on the memories of those that were there. So many people across the country feel that they own that days terror. And so on this the 10 year anniversary of 9/11:  I hope that those in NYC and Washington will over time share their stories. Because it’s one thing to be scared watching a TV newscast, and another to be scared for your life. To know those you saw that day lost theirs. And I hope that the REALITY of what happened will not over time be washed away into dead grey words in a history book. And I guess  in a nut shell what I hope what students see when they one day read about 9/11 is – all the destruction that hate caused.  And also that in a very scary time  – NYC and the rest of the country showed up to support each other. That people gave of their time, their blood sweat and tears for others. Many, many gave up their lives for strangers. It showed us in an instant the worst be could all be as humans. And simultaneously 9/11 showed us – what we could be in our most beautiful and self less moments.  Let us not forget to pass that on.

A month Later

Third Watch eventually came back on TV, and the first episode was a chance for the real Police, paramedics, and firemen that had survived 9/11 to share their stories. And so I leave you with the beginning of that episode. In their own words.

 

Have you written about 9/11? If so leave your link in a comment and I’ll be sure to visit. This post linked with “Dollop of my Life”

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Comments

  2. Angelia Sims says

    I had no idea you were so close and saw the second plane. I remember you were in NYC, but gosh….I’m so sorry. I know it must have been so hard being right there.
    Thank-you for your very moving account. I hope no one ever forgets and the kids coming up relate more to it than just in a history book.

    Reply

  3. Diana says

    Thank you so much for sharing your memories Shannon. It made me cry to look back and remember so many feelings. It made me cry to think that you were seeing and feeling it first hand. It definitely changed me forever. It was also a motivator to join the military… to somehow help.

    Reply

  5. Jersey Diva Mom says

    What a riveting account. I’m in north Jersey and we spent the morning desperately trying to reach people who worked there. The smell blew our way at times. It was horrid, wasn’t it. That day and the following were a blur of military jets circling and a blanket of sadness. You are right that it also brought about a together. NY was devastated, but NY shined at that moment

    Reply

  7. Erin Brady says

    Wow. Thank you so much for sharing your experience that day.

    That terrible day.

    I can’t believe it has been ten years. To me, it feels like yesterday. And yet, so much has changed since that day and as a result of that day.

    I will never forget.

    Reply

  8. Angela says

    Shannon,

    Thank you so much for writing about what happened in your shoes on 9/11. It is very sobering to read what you experienced. I can’t even fathom what it must have been like to see that 2nd plane fly into the tower. Wow. Your perspective is much different than how mine was– though we both share the same feelings, frustrations and heartache.

    I will work on my 9/11 post. I think I will jot down some notes on paper and think about it for awhile. Will be good to reflect on this unforgettable moment in our history.

    Thanks again for your post. It gave me goosebumps.

    Hugs!

    Reply

  9. Linds says

    Wow. You were THERE. That’s incredible and I am sure so hard for you to forget… I can’t imagine the emotion. Just watching the videos and hearing everything over again made Drew and I cry last night. Thanks for linking up and sharing your story!

    Reply

  12. Cambria says

    Wow! Quite a story. I am so happy you and your loved ones were safe. I am so sad for all the loss.

    I was working on the show NYPD Blue in LA when the attacks happen. I remember getting up early for an early call time and watching the drama unfold on the television. I didn’t see the first plane hit, but the second one.

    I was pretty young and didn’t completely “get” what was happening. And as soon as I got to the studio, we were all sent home.

    Reply

  15. Melissa B. says

    A poignant, gripping story. I live in DC. I’m a high school teacher, and was about to start a lesson when the first plane hit.

    Here is my original post about 9/11/01: Seven Years Ago Today

    Here is a followup post: Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?

    And here is my post for today: Oh, Say Can You See?

    My students were terrified. Most of them had parents who worked in the Pentagon. And it’s true: Most young people don’t remember much about 9/11. High school seniors were in 2nd grade; High school freshmen were 4 years old.

    I’m trying my best to make sure, at least in my little corner of the world, that we never forget!

    Reply

  16. beth confusedhomemaker says

    Thank you for sharing. Thank you for opening up your memories and letting us in. I know it must have been hard to write this and to take yourself to that day & the days immediately after.

    And it really was a beautiful start of a day all across the country that morning, a perfect September day wasn’t it? Who would have thought it would change in a moment? And yet in that moment it did change & may we never forget. May we always remember. May we carry on the memory and pass it on so that they will never be forgotten.

    Reply

  18. janene says

    Wow…what your story felt like…I ca not even imagine. Glad you are safe. Blessings to all whose lives were touched by 9/11

    Reply

  19. Kim says

    I did share my own remembrance of that day. I hope we never forget and pass on to our children the courage and spirit of love that people who were in the middle of it gave to each other. Thanks for sharing your remembrance of where you were and how it unfolded for you. Hugs…

    Reply

  21. Barbie says

    I cannot imagine your feelings as you were so close to those planes on that day. I know the impact it had on me just by watching on TV. May we never forget.

    Reply

  23. Nikki says

    awww beautifully written Shan:) you know its funny I didn’t know it was your first day at your internship!? It was my first day too at fox publicity! I was so nervous and excited and when I got there all I could see on the big screen outside was a plane flying into the towers, and I thought it was fake at first! I called my Dad, he told me to go inside, he didn’t really think it was real either as he was so calm! I think he thought it was a tv show I was talking about. After a bit we all decided to leave and I walked to school and then to meet you at your aunts apt. I remember staying up all night and watching the news and the next morning going out to get us coffee at Dunkin donuts, it was the oddest quiet outside. Love you Shan, I’m so thankful that we are both safe and that we were able to spend that scary time together! you’ve inspired me to write about my story too, but its late now so i’ll write it tomorrow:)

    Reply

  26. Janice says

    I read on another blog that it was also their first day at a new job but they weren’t in NYC. She said that it really bonded them.

    I was teaching third grade and I wrote about that on my blog. One of them seemed to understand the significance but most didn’t.

    http://drawingthelinesomewhere.com/remembering-911/

    Thanks for sharing your experience that day in NYC while so many of us were just watching it unfold.

    Reply

  30. Carrie says

    Oh my gosh. I’m in tears. I was safely in bed in California when a friend called and woke me up to tell me…she heard it on the news driving home from L.A. in the very early morning. I struggle with how to handle this with my kids.

    Thank you for sharing your story. <3

    Reply

  32. Mariah Leeson (@Giggles_Galore) says

    I will never forget that day, I had just graduated from college and was a traveling consultant. I was in AZ and was supposed to be boarding a plane that morning to NYC, a frantic phone call from my grandmother woke me up and it took me a while to even process what was happening. I can’t even imagine being there during such a heartbreaking event, thanks for sharing your story!

    Reply

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