9/11 + 5

[ChileMass]

Never forget this happened. Your home country was viciously attacked and 2500 of your fellow citizens were killed by religious fanatics who want to bring down our society. Your neighbors lost their Mom or Dad, son or daughter. It's a day for reflection and to think about what we stand for individually and as a nation.

Please post no flames or nasty political commentary. We all know that 9/11 was a terrible day for all of us and the subsequent war is going badly in many repsects (this coming from a Republican who still supports W). AZ.com is not about politics and we are not going to solve this problem here on this website. One thing I'd like to avoid is offending any members or visitors who may have lost loved ones by cheapening their sacrifice with political squabbling, so let's please have none of that.

How about we all post where we were when the attacks happened and any personal stories of getting out of NYC or what our friends/families went through? I sincerely hope this is not in bad taste for anyone in the NY/NJ/DC areas that lost family.

For myself, I was working in my office at home when my wife called me into the living room telling me that a jet had just crashed into one of the World Trade towers in Manhattan. I was shocked, but remembered the old stories of the B-17 bomber that flew into the Empire State building back during WWII, so I thought it must just be a terrible accident with a plane way off course. NBC was showing the video on the Today show, and shortly after I went back to work. A little while later I was getting more coffee and passing by the living room again and saw Katie Couric interviewing a woman from the streets of Manhattan by cellphone. They were talking about the debris coming down from the first plane and a TV helicopter was flying around the towers, just perfectly to catch the sight of the second plane flying into the second tower and exploding. The woman being interviewed screamed over her cellphone and the connection ended as we all watched the fireball engulf the second building. It was unreal - watching this happen on national television - it as like a bad movie, but it was actually happening. I was dumbstruck. Instantly, you realized this was not an accident and we were under attack. This was crazy! This doesn't happen in NY. For the next couple of hours my wife and I sat glued to the TV and watched the towers fall. More unreal moments. Watching the firefighters go to work on the TV and the mass exodus out of the city was something. Everyone was looking out for each other, and for several weeks after, there was a unified spirit here in the US that I have never experienced. We should always try to remember that and be extra kind to each other.

So no flames on W (you can flame Osama bin Laden all you want) or political stuff. How about your personal remembrances and what you took away from that day.

 

[SkiDork]

I was standing at my desk on the 58th floor of 2 WTC (also known as the South Tower) when United 175 slammed into our building. Thats what 2-58 means in my sig. I got knocked to the ground by the impact. With the help of God I managed to walk out of the building along with thousands of others in the stairways.

It sounds corny but I do appreciate life and my family a hell of a lot more. I pray that the people with hate burning inside themselves so much that they must do these things can eventually see the error of their ways. It will probably take a lot of time for that to happen, unfortunately.


I actually have my entire story written up, but it's at home. I'll post it here tomorrow.

 

[andyzee]

Dork, I'm happy you made it.

 

[SkiDork]

thanks

 

[loafer89]

I was attending the third day of the Boston Gift Show at the convention center when our neighbor (from Arizona) told my partner and I that a plane had just hit one of the Twin Towers.

With the clear weather in Boston and New York we thought it odd for it to be an accident, but got back to work as normal, if only for a little while.

A little while later when people starting telling us that yet another plane had hit the other Twin Tower everyone in the convention center knew this was no accident.

My partner and I made our way to the adjoining Double Tree hotel in time to see the first tower collapse and I remember that my Partner and friend started to cry. When the y both fell down he was fairly inconsolable, as he is a Brooklyn native and watched each tower being built, so for him it was like losing twin children.

As news came in about the attack on the Pentagon and about flight 93, the atmosphere in Boston changed from fear and disbelief to pure unadultered anger against an enemy we did not yet know about.

The most ironic part is that my wife dropped us off at the convention center at 8:00am and left for home as she had to work and we where to fly home on the shuttle after the show was over.

Nancy drove all the way south nearly to Bridgeport without her radio on!!!!!!!! and did not find out about September 11th until she was stoped by a state trooper who told her to find the nearest safe spot to get off the highway and stay off after telling her what had happened to our country.

My wife actually had a reservation on the ferry and tried to get on, but they where only taking emergency vehicles bound for NYC, so she got a room at the Bridgeport Holiday Inn and tried to contact me (most phone circuits where occupied) Whe she finally reached me in the early afternoon she told me she would risk anything to reunite me with my son and herself and take us all home.

The things that I remember most about that time are:

1) The errie quiet after all planes where grounded, as the convention center is right near Boston Logan.

2) Walking to our hotel through a deserted Boston as there a state of emergency had been declared.

3) Driving home on wednesday night to NYC and seeing no World Trade Center and a plume of smoke drifting northward over Manhattan.

 

[ChileMass]

I was standing at my desk on the 58th floor of 2 WTC (also known as the South Tower) when United 175 slammed into our building. Thats what 2-58 means in my sig. I got knocked to the ground by the impact. With the help of God I managed to walk out of the building along with thousands of others in the stairways.

It sounds corny but I do appreciate life and my family a hell of a lot more. I pray that the people with hate burning inside themselves so much that they must do these things can eventually see the error of their ways. It will probably take a lot of time for that to happen, unfortunately.


I actually have my entire story written up, but it's at home. I'll post it here tomorrow.

Wow - Dork - that's incredible! I, too, am glad you are here today and look forward to reading your story. Which floor did the plane fly into? It couldn't have been far above your office.

 

[SkiDork]

Wow - Dork - that's incredible! I, too, am glad you are here today and look forward to reading your story. Which floor did the plane fly into? It couldn't have been far above your office.

United 175 hit between 78 and 84, 20 floors above me

 

[loafer89]

I am currently crossing the sound on the ferry to go to work and the captain just asked everyone to observe a moment of silence.

Today is a sad day for so many of us........

 

[Greg]

I was at work and the guy who used to work for me said his mother just called and that a plane had hit the WTC. Like many early reports, she said it was a Cessna or small personal plane. I clearly remember logging into CNN.com to see the North tower on fire. I can't remember if I read any of the reports, but soon after that I was not able to access any news Websites at all for the rest of the morning.

My wife was home recovering from foot surgery and I think it was her that called me to tell me about the second plane. Eventually she called and told me that the towers collapsed. I clearly remember not believing her. Or at least thinking she must be exaggerating. After hearing about the Pentagon, I also remember calling my brother who's always been a big history buff and was always up to speed on current events. I remember asking him "what's going on?" and I clearly remember him just saying with a shaky voice, "I don't know, Greg....".

I left work shortly after noon. I gues I was partly nervous about what was going to happen next, but mostly, I just needed to get home and see how this all happened with my own eyes. On the drive home, I still couldn't rationalize it all. I couldn't imagine how those buildings could be gone (as a kid I was always fascinated by the WTC and Empire State Building). It then occurred to me just how many people probably died and that's when the sadness really hit me.

I watched the news for the rest of the day. Ever since, I've always tried to keep current on what's going on in the world. For the weeks following 9/11, I listened to talk radio to and from work. Before then it was usually a CD or some silly morning show. I wasn't personally affected by 9/11, but I truly feel for the people that lived through it. SkiDork - I too look forward to reading your story.

I briefly talked about what happened on 9/11 to my 3 year old this morning. I just told her the basics, and that I'd tell her more about it when she was older.

 

[andyzee]

In my case I was at work when the first plane hit. March of that year I had implemented a Network Operation Center for my company. It had two large TVs in it. I saw the first plane after it hit on those TVs and called my wife to tell her the small plane just hit one of the toweres. After awhile people started gathering in our NOC to watch the story as it unfolded. We saw the second plane hit and at that point realized this was no accident. Then heard the news of the plane hitting the Pentagon. At that point I called my boss aside and informed him that I live about 5 miles outside of Manhattan (you could see WTC from my kitchen window) and that I have to go home to get my wife. He asked where I would take her and I informed him that it didn't matter, I just needed to get her away from the area.

As I started driving home, I had the news on and heard that the first tower collapsed, I thought I heard wrong, it was unbelievable. Then I heard the second one collapsed. All the way home I could see the smoke filled sky. I was unable to call my wife to let her know I was coming. When I got home she was suprised to see me and asked what I was doing home, I told her to get dresseed as quick as possible and that we were leavinge the area. At that point my plan was to get her to my sister's house, who lives about 50 miles from NYC and go back to work. We passed my job on the way and found everyone leaving, when Iasked what was happening, I was informed that they closed the company due to the fact that too many people had friends and relatives that lived in downtown Manhatan.

At that point I continued on to my sister's and then decided to go to PA for the day. I just tought it was a good idea to be as far away from NYC as possible. My parents are buried in PA, so we visited their grave, got something to eat and then headed back to NJ. Traffice at that point was at a standstill due to the fact that roads had lanes closed specifically for emergency vehicles. Finally made it home by about 8-9PM. In response to Dork's thread, I wasn't there, but I will never forget. I used to see the WTC every day on my way home from work and admire it, now it's just a blank space, I miss every single day.

 

[bvibert]

I was at work listening to the local radio station while I worked when they broke in with news that some sort of plane had hit one of the towers. I went into the lab that was next to my cubicle at the time to tell some of my fellow co-workers. At the time I thought it was a small plane. When I returned to my desk to listen for more news I heard that another plane had hit the other tower and that they were passenger jet liners, that's when I knew it was something serious. Shortly afterward someone brought a small TV into the lab and we were all glued around it watching as the first tower collapsed, then the second. We watched as news of the Pentegon and flight 93 unfolded. We couldn't believe what we were seeing. It's still hard to believe. The rest of the day was kind of a blur.

 

[John84]

I was at school, and one of my teachers had just wished me a happy birthday when another teacher came in and told us what had happened.. The first thing I thought about was my dad who often went to the Pentagon on business (roughly once a week). When I got home I was relieved to know that he had a doctor's appointment that day and never went into work. For weeks after he couldn't sleep at night because the area that the plane hit was where most of his business took place; he lost many colleagues that day.

 

[teachski]

I remember that horrible day like it was yesterday. Knowing that my cousin worked in the WTC kept me on the edge all day. It wasn't until night that I learned he was ok. His pre-school aged child had become ill on the way to child care and he went home with her from the day and was going to work from his home office...until he heard of the attack. After he heard he went into the city and attempted to get closer to the WTC leaving his child with the neighbor. Of course, he did not get close at all, but he was also trapped there. Traffic was horrible and many streets were closed. Phones often did not work because of the number of people all trying to use them and jamming the curcuits. He said it was like "HELL".

I was in a classroom near a National Guard Armory and the Quabbin Reservoir. We were dismissed early and did not return for a couple days. It was a scarry time.

 

[catskills]

I remember that day as a clear sunny day much like this one 5 years later. I remember thinking those jets flew just above my head down the up state Hudson River Valley while I drove to work. I remember seeing my coworker and close friend of 25 years expression in the hall way at work and asking what’s wrong. He said we are under attack, the WTC has been hit. I remember standing there thinking about what he just said waiting for a smile to indicate he was surely joking. The expression on his face indicated he was serious. Later the hall TV monitors at work showed the devastation over and over and over.

I was thinking of all the NYC Police and Firefighters I ski with. Are they ok? It turned out they were ok. Months later the wear of going to dozens of funerals could be seen on their faces.

I found out later another coworker was working close by the WTC. I also found out that the Valedictorian from Boston University's class of 2001, my son's graduating class, was in one of the planes that hit the towers.

Looking back what I miss the most is a world where most/many people on the planet liked, trusted, and respected Americans. Sadly, five years later since 9/11 that is no longer the case. Since 9/11 we Americans lost our way in fear and blew the world's trust and respect. To quote Ellen Goodman, "We went from the Twin Towers to Abu Ghraib, from civil defense to civil war, from innocent passengers to soldiers in Haditha. We blew it all on Iraq. In one poll, Europeans now find us more of a threat to world stability than even Iran. In a survey of 14 countries, none of them believe that removing Saddam made the world safer. And in Iraq itself, only 2 percent of the people now believe we invaded to liberate them from tyranny while 76 percent think we did it ``to control Iraqi oil.''.

Will American's ever gain back the world's trust and respect again that was lost since 9/11? :sad: Are Americans and the entire free world loosing basic simple freedoms defined by the 1215 Magna Carter (the will of the king could be bound by law) and right to trial by ones peers ? I fear yes.

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. Benjamin Franklin Nov 11, 1755.

This is not about Republican vs Deomcrats. This is about all Americans of all faiths and all political parties. Sadly all Americans need to find our way again.

 

[bigbog]

....

Terrorists can't reach our shores, don't worry....just make sure you get a good table for lunch at the most fashionable restaurant in DC. Those friggin' little Allah-worshipping camel drivers are always angry about somethin'!
Too bad more of the Media, along with Congressional members...couldn't have spent more time getting a taste of what our foreign policy looks like to the average foreigner...rather than putting in time at the pool of the local Hilton....

 

[SkiDork]

and here is my story:

======================================

My WTC attack experience

I arrived at work on 09/11/01 at the usual time of 04:35 AM. It was a pretty clear night out there, as I looked at the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano Bridge through the windows which face south. I ‘m located on the 58th floor of 2 World Trade Center, also known as the South Tower. I work for a company called Bridge Information Systems, which occupied 58 and half of 57.

I had my usual 2 cups of coffee, while I was checking the systems, catching up on e-mail and reading about the latest happenings in the industry as I do every morning.

The next people on my side of the floor started arriving at the usual 07:30 or so. They turned on the lights (I always keep them off in the morning, I like that better, you can still see fine).

Around about 08:40 or so I got a call from my parents. We were chatting about something when all of a sudden there was a very loud bang, followed almost immediately by a shower of thousands of pieces of 8-1/2 x 11 white paper, along with some flaming debris. The flaming debris and ash fell on the surrounding rooftops and the street. The paper was just fluttering around everywhere.

I told my parents that someone must have exploded a letter bomb up on the roof of our building, as that is where the observation deck is. I hung up with them and proceeded to call my wife and tell her I think some kind of bomb went off. She said she would check the TV and get back to me. By this time it was approximately 08:55.

She called back quickly and said that a plane had hit the other tower. I thanked her and walked over to the other side of the floor, which faces north. I looked up. There it was, a huge flaming and smoking hole in the side of the building about 20 or 30 floors up. The atrium between the two towers was littered with dust and debris.

I ran back to our side and told my boss and a few other co-workers that a plane had hit the other tower. We all ran back to check it out, and then walked back to our side. We discussed whether or not we should go downstairs. My boss and 2 others took the local elevator down to the 44th floor skylobby, but were told to go back up as there was no reason to evacuate. They came back up.

I was back at my desk. At about 09:00 or so the fire alarm announcement came, they said “Everything is OK with 2. The only problem is with 1 so if you’re in 2 please stay where you are” I walked back over to the north side and looked again at the hole. Someone said “Oh my God, someone is jumping’. As soon as I heard that, I walked right back to my desk. That was not something I wanted to witness.

Now, about 5 minutes after the announcement there was another very loud bang which actually rocked the building and knocked me on my butt. White boards fell off the walls, and some of the walls cracked. I immediately knew we were under attack. I grabbed my wallet and headed for the stairs.

In the hallway as I passed the freight elevator I could hear it freefalling, and people screaming. I also heard the cables thwacking against the walls of the elevator shaft. I then entered the staircase. There were some people in it, but the going was fairly quick. It got progressively slower with each floor. I grabbed my crucifix, which was around my neck and started reciting the Lords Prayer over and over again. I never stopped saying it. In the back of my mind I had the feeling the building may fall (I thought we might get hit again). Every so often the procession of people would come to a halt, which was not pleasant. It stopped a total of 6 times, each for about 1 minute. I didn’t know if it would ever start up again. Thankfully it always would, albeit a minute or two later. On some landings there were women’s shoes and clothing that people had discarded. There were some women behind me who were crying and saying “I hate this building I hate this building” and I actually said to myself “no more tall buildings for me…” Thankfully our staircase was lit and there was no water in it. We didn’t pass any firemen, I think they were probably mostly all in 1. When we got to the 44 skylobby we had to switch staircases (actually the staircases just went around the elevator shafts so there was a horizontal walk to get to the next section). It was here that I saw the head of security of Morgan Stanley, he was holding a megaphone and saying “keep moving, keep walking, you’re doing OK” – reassuring us so to speak. At the time I didn’t know who he was but later on I say a dateline NBC show about him. Apparently he went back up to make sure everyone in his company had gotten out. Unfortunately he didn’t make it out. I finally got down about 30 or 40 minutes later. That’s when I started seeing firemen. I looked out to the mall and saw a bunch of debris but it was a quick look and I didn’t see any of the carnage of the people jumping. The police escorted us to the lower mall level and then out by Borders books on Church St. They told us to walk over to Broadway, which I did at a fast pace.

When I got to Broadway, I turned left and headed north. I looked back at the buildings just once, and got overcome by sadness and grief when I saw the large burning and smoking holes. The World Trade Center was like a friend to me, I was very excited to be working there. This was just so horrifically sad to see a friend in as bad shape as this. Little did I know what was yet to come. I resolved not to look back again.

I headed toward the courthouses and ran into another coworker standing by City Hall. I told him that I could not stop and gawk with all the thousands of others. I had to keep walking. I was still shaking with fear and sadness at this point.

I made my way north toward Penn Station, winding my way through the streets. I kept trying to call Maria on the cell phone, but it was just not getting through. It was rather hot and humid out and I started to sweat. I stopped in at a Korean deli and bought a bottle of water as all I had had was coffee that morning. I kept moving toward Penn Station. The streets were virtually empty, except for emergency vehicles.

Next I stopped by a building and eavesdropped on a conversation between a doorman and a passerby. I heard the doorman say something about a tower falling down. I thought he was simply referring to the Television tower on top of 1 WTC. I pressed on toward Penn Station.

When I got to 30th Street and I heard from others that Penn station had been evacuated, I stopped by the police precinct and asked where the nearest church was. The policeman said there was one on the next block between 6th and 7th. I strode over to St. Francis of Assisi and entered the church. There happened to be a mass in progress, although nearing the end. I sat in a pew and participated in the rest of the mass. They had everyone come up and get their forehead stamped with something I knew not what. I got stamped. When the mass was through, I spent another 30 minutes going to each Jesus and/or Mary statue there, getting on my knees and thanking them for sparing my life. I also prayed for the poor souls who were still trapped in the building, not knowing about any collapse. I lit a candle. I put $10 into the poor box. I left the church.

Across the street was a firehouse. I wandered over there where I encountered other citizens talking with the firemen who hadn’t been called yet. They were performing an immensely useful public service – making the general public feel welcome to just mill around in front of the firehouse, a virtual “safe haven”. I felt overwhelming respect for these brave men. All I had wanted to do was to flee that terrible scene, yet all they were going to do was run towards it. They truly are New York’s Bravest.

One of the firemen informed us that 2 WTC had collapsed to the ground. I felt shaky and overcome with grief. After all this was my building. The fireman asked if I would like to sit down, which I did.

Another passerby asked the firemen where he could donate blood. I immediately thought to myself “that’s a damn good idea”. I can pay back some for sparing my life. The firemen said the nearest hospital was Bellevue over on 28th and 1st. I started out for Bellevue. On the way I picked up a large chocolate chip cookie, as I still hadn’t eaten.

I made it over to Bellevue and waited in front along with the throngs of others. At one point they asked if anyone was a universal donor, which I am. I was told to go inside to wait. They gave me a long questionnaire to fill out. I borrowed a pen from a man in a white coat. I filled out the form. I then could not find the man I borrowed it from so I passed it along to another prospective donor. I also gave an interview to a New York Times reporter.

They took groups of 50 upstairs and started to take our blood pressure, temperature and pulse. The nurse commented that my pulse was a bit high (100) and she would come to check it again later. I explained that I had just left 2 WTC. The rest of the group heard this and started asking what had happened. I started relating this story. They were in awe. They started offering me food and juice, which I took advantage of as I was still hungry. The woman next to me gave me a hug, which I really needed at this point. The hospital personnel eventually came out and told us they had run out of blood bags and could not take out blood today. They thanked us for making the effort. I was not disappointed, as I had done all that I could.

I now exited Bellevue hospital and called Maria. She said that Eric from the Killington chat room had offered to have me come over to 40th and Park where he was. He said there was food and refreshments there and he would help me get home. I started out for 100 Park Ave. As I left the hospital I offered an interview to a Channel 7 news crew. They accepted. A few blocks north I encountered a Channel 2 news crew who also took my story.

When I got to my destination it turned out that the whole building had already left. I then called Phil from the Killington chat room who had offered to have me stay with him. I told him that I would walk over to Penn Station and check out the situation. If it was still not running, I would take him up on his offer. I walked west along 40th street.

I eventually came to a 7 train subway stop. I descended the stairs and found that the 7 was indeed running. I got onto the 7 train which goes above ground in Queens. I did not look at the WTC at all. I didn’t want to. I had planned on catching the LIRR at Woodside, but an announcement was made that no LIRR service was available there. I instead changed at 74th St. for the E train to Jamaica. There I lined up at the “Babylon” sign and waited for a man with a megaphone to announce what track the train was to be on. 15 minutes later a Babylon train arrived on track 7 which I was able to board and get home on.

Aftermath so far: Fox News saw the Times story and asked me to appear on the O’Reilly Factor show. I agreed and on Wednesday (09./12) was limo-ed into Manhattan, appeared on the show and then was limo-ed home. I also went in on Friday (09/14) to again appear on Fox News, this time with Linda Viesters. And here I now sit.

Aftermath #2: The firehouse where I spent an hour or so was the firehouse that Father Mike Judge lived (makes sense because it was across the street from St. Francis of Assisi and he was a Franciscan Priest). Father Judge was the Fire Dept. chaplain who was killed by a falling person while administering last rites to a fellow human.

Aftermath #3: On the 1 year anniversary, I went down to ground zero and walked the perimeter. It took an hour. I stopped and prayed a few times. I was choking back tears the whole time. In the afternoon I was able to ring a large bell in the street between the firehouse and St. Francis church where I had been one year earlier.

 

[Greg]

I remember that day as a clear sunny day much like this one 5 years later. I remember thinking those jets flew just above my head down the up state Hudson River Valley while I drove to work. I remember seeing my coworker and close friend of 25 years expression in the hall way at work and asking what’s wrong. He said we are under attack, the WTC has been hit. I remember standing there thinking about what he just said waiting for a smile to indicate he was surely joking. The expression on his face indicated he was serious. Later the hall TV monitors at work showed the devastation over and over and over.

I was thinking of all the NYC Police and Firefighters I ski with. Are they ok? It turned out they were ok. Months later the wear of going to dozens of funerals could be seen on their faces.

I found out later another coworker was working close by the WTC. I also found out that the Valedictorian from Boston University's class of 2001, my son's graduating class, was in one of the planes that hit the towers.

Looking back what I miss the most is a world where most/many people on the planet liked, trusted, and respected Americans. Sadly, five years later since 9/11 that is no longer the case. Since 9/11 we Americans lost our way in fear and blew the world's trust and respect. To quote Ellen Goodman, "We went from the Twin Towers to Abu Ghraib, from civil defense to civil war, from innocent passengers to soldiers in Haditha. We blew it all on Iraq. In one poll, Europeans now find us more of a threat to world stability than even Iran. In a survey of 14 countries, none of them believe that removing Saddam made the world safer. And in Iraq itself, only 2 percent of the people now believe we invaded to liberate them from tyranny while 76 percent think we did it ``to control Iraqi oil.''.

Will American's ever gain back the world's trust and respect again that was lost since 9/11? :sad: Are Americans and the entire free world loosing basic simple freedoms defined by the 1215 Magna Carter (the will of the king could be bound by law) and right to trial by ones peers ? I fear yes.

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. Benjamin Franklin Nov 11, 1755.

This is not about Republican vs Deomcrats. This is about all Americans of all faiths and all political parties. Sadly all Americans need to find our way again.

Unbelievable. It sounds like you're blaming America for 9/11.... :blink:

This is also getting pretty political. I would truly hate to have to lock this thread so please keep it non-political and just describe your experiences from that day.

 

[noski]

and here is my story:

======================================

My WTC attack experience....

.

man, SkiDork... it still makes me teary. Thank you for reminding me what I am blessed with. I have no idea how one heals from an life changing experience like this.

 

[andyzee]

.

man, SkiDork... it still makes me teary. Thank you for reminding me what I am blessed with. I have no idea how one heals from an life changing experience like this.

Same here, thanks for sharing that Dork.

 

[Sky]

Dork, Loafer, AZ and Catskills...you all had substantially close experiences.

Dork, what a story. Thanks for sharing.

Like some of the other responses...when I heard a plane hit the WTC, I totally assumed it was some small plane flying too close. I was busy with the day's efforts when we were all alerted of the facts and the live coverage.

Boston news was busy with flight origination, hotel searches (Westin) and an AMTRAC rumor (someone was leaving the city by train).

A terrible day punctuated by many heroic acts.