Remembering 9/11

We all remember what we were doing 8 years ago when terrorists changed our lives. Many of us have personal stories and a knot clinches in our stomachs when this day arrives.

My link to New York on this day was through my 22 year old son who we had just delivered to his first professional job at Lehman Brothers. When the attacks began that fateful morning, I knew his office was across the street. But was he there or had he been in the towers that morning? At 2:30 that afternoon I finally heard from the mother of a friend of his that he was okay, and he was able to get through on the phone lines himself that evening. He had been in the towers twice that morning, and he had been scheduled for a breakfast at the top of the towers. The company had cancelled it due to the economy but he was indeed across the street from the attack. The aftermath certainly took its toll on him but like a soldier returning from the war, he has spoken about it very little. My story has a jubilant ending unlike some of the rest of you. Let's all remember not only the victims of the attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania, but all of the emergency personnel and volunteers who were there during and after.

Some books and films you might request:

9-11 : a tribute. 2002.

United 93 [videorecording] / Universal Pictures. 2006.

September 11, 2001 : a collection of newspaper front pages / selected by the Poynter Institute. 2001.

Let's roll! : ordinary people, extraordinary courage / Lisa Beamer with Ken Abraham. 2002.

102 minutes : the untold story of the fight to survive inside the Twin Towers / Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn. 2005.

Last man down : a firefighter's story of survival and escape from the World Trade Center / by Richard Picciotto with Daniel Paisner. 2002.

World Trade Center (DVD)/ Paramount Pictures. 2006.

Saint of 9/11 : the true story of Father Mychal Judge (DVD) . 2006.

SH