9/11 Dark day for America

[Pablo]

I was in downtown Manhattan making a coffee delivery. I witnessed it all. I had over $50k in vending and coffee equipment in the trade center I watched 1/10 of my business income disappear and I lost a box truck. Following that I lost another good amount of business in downtown Manhattan. No damage to my equipment but nobody wanted to come back to work for a long time. Downtown was vacant. I watched people jump that still haunts me to this day. When your best option is to jump from 100 floors up I can't imagine what was going on up there. I literally walked for hours to get to my aunt's house in Brooklyn to call home. My family was freaking out they thought I was dead my wife sobbed on the phone it broke my heart . My brother came and picked me up took me home I was filthy exhausted and In shock. I laid on the couch for days stunned, devastated , shocked and depressed. I lost friends and neighbors. I remember driving by the Merrick train station LIRR was shutdown for days. Parking lot had cars in still parked. I realized those people died never came home. Many years later my nephew came in from San Diego he wanted to go Downton to see the memorial and museum. Inside I was extremely nervous going but didn't show it..We went on a Sunday morning my wife daughters and nephew. When I saw the memorial I walked up to it my knees buckled I went down to my knees sobbed uncontrollably..It all hit me at once. I was embarrassed to be that way in front of my daughters but I finally got it off my chest.. With hard work my business recovered and so did I

Very well written. Before I would just say “I can’t imagine”. Very personal thank you for sharing this with us.

 

[nickaluch]

@nickaluch, I'm in tears as I type this. God bless you brother. God bless America.

Thanks brother I was in tears typing it . It's not something I share often but I felt I needed to share tell my story. I was lucky that day I went to the WTC very early that morning before sunrise and everything went smooth and got out earlier than usual.

 

[4wd]

I was in Newfoundland when way too many and too large of planes started pouring in - confused folks overwhelmed the hotels …
The Newfs rose to the occasion and brought many folks to their homes …

 

[nickaluch]

Very well written. Before I would just say “I can’t imagine”. Very personal thank you for sharing this with us.

It was a long bad day in my life but I was lucky. I never thought the buildings would collapse until the first one did. At that point I needed to get the hell out of there. In my crazy young mind I thought everything would be fine and I can check on my equipment in a few hours. Young,dumb and invincible I guess

 

[Number_35]

My wife had a conference in Chicago a month later (October 2001) and I tagged along.

One of the lectures was open to spouses. An emergency doc from NYC recounted his 9/11 experience for us. IIRC, he worked in a hospital right in Manhattan.

Some nurses were outside the hospital smoking, saw the first plane strike the tower, and rushed in to tell the other staff.

Of course the emergency department was overwhelmed, as were the other hospitals in the metro area.

The doctor told us that they found out later that the lower half of the first tower had been built c. 1974 with asbestos used liberally in various of the materials. The use of asbestos was discontinued for the upper half of the 1st tower and none was used in the 2nd tower.

Anyway, there was a lot of airborne debris as the towers collapsed, and the doctor speculated that there would be a number of asbestos-related lung cancers showing up in NYC decades down the road, as well as the "firefighter cancers" (lymphomas and blood cancers) associated with exposure to burnt toxic chemicals.

I haven't heard how things turned out for survivors in the area. I hope the worst did not come to pass.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Con-Edison Utility said this to the workers with me: The governor's of New Jersey and New York said air sampling was fine. No respirator's needed, but about a month and 1/2 into this, Con Edison did their own monitoring and came back with some awful numbers. Tower 1 was built with asbestos fire retardant, that's about the time OSHA stepped in and stopped all new construction from having any asbestos. So, Tower 2 had no asbestos. But factor in furniture, copy machines, wiring coating, drop ceiling tiles, it didn't matter. It was just a sad day for the whole country. I have yet to build the courage up to see the 911 Memorial on Wall Street. Memories are still fresh in my head. One day before I die, I'll see it...

 

[goblin]

I was in France, couldn't reach my brother for most of the day. He worked in the building across from WTC.
All phone lines to the US were dead. Couldn't get through to anybody.
Eventually his girlfriend called and started babbling about how concerned she was for some other friend of hers she had not heard from. I turned displeasant and might have shared how much I cared about any other friend of hers when we couldn't get a hold on my brother.

Eventually got in contact with him - they had been evacuated from his building, and he stood around till the first jumper went off, at which point he burst in tears and left. He was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge with the rest of the crowd when the first tower fell. I asked him where he was when the second tower fell - he didn't know it had fallen at all. He heard it from me. He had sat looking in one spot the whole day.

 

[97prizm]

I’ll never forget it. I was sitting in my second period computer science class in high school and they stopped class to turn on the TV so we could watch it. The teacher said kids you are watching history unfold in real time. Bone chilling. I might have never joined the military if it wasn’t for that day. Wasn’t really on my radar. For sure changed the course of my life forever.

I was a freshman in college. My first semester. I had a public speaking professor who we think had family affected by 9/11. Afterwards for the rest of the semester he wasn't the same.

 

[nickaluch]

Con-Edison Utility said this to the workers with me: The governor's of New Jersey and New York said air sampling was fine. No respirator's needed, but about a month and 1/2 into this, Con Edison did their own monitoring and came back with some awful numbers. Tower 1 was built with asbestos fire retardant, that's about the time OSHA stepped in and stopped all new construction from having any asbestos. So, Tower 2 had no asbestos. But factor in furniture, copy machines, wiring coating, drop ceiling tiles, it didn't matter. It was just a sad day for the whole country. I have yet to build the courage up to see the 911 Memorial on Wall Street. Memories are still fresh in my head. One day before I die, I'll see it...

Cristian Todd Whitman EPA director told us the air was safe in downtown Manhattan she dam straight lied. I remember her face on TV making that statement like yesterday it stunned me then because no way that could be true

 

[demarpaint]

I was ordered to the Twin Tower sight a few minutes after the 2nd one dropped. Con Edison Utility Company Worker. I was charged with cut/capping gas mains feeding gas into the area to stop fires. Saw a lot, body parts, plane parts, ladies shoes and handbags. Knee high in that dust. No respirator. Worked down there for 2 months/ 12hr shifts. Had a great boss. He'd look up and see which direction the smoke was blowing, and change my work orders to work opposite of the smoke. He died from WTC complications @ 59. He saved my life. I'm fine. Get tested 1x a year and no cancer. I'll be 59 soon. I still can't get the constant " beeping" from the firemen's automatic alarms they all wore out of my head. Those things beeped for a month, till the batteries died. Con-Ed's decontamination worked like this. You finish you're shift. They blow you off with an air compressor hose. Then wash the trucks with soap and water inside and out. Employees were a number. We didn't get new clothes. You took them home and washed them yourself. We were disposable. Not their $ 80k trucks though. You get back in in the truck and drive back to the yard, go home, repeat. All scheduled vacations were cancelled. Terrible company, except for that 1 supervisor who saved my life. A lot of my co-workers have already passed from related illness's.

My brother worked for Con Ed during that time as well. IIRC I started there a few months prior to 9/11. I remember him telling me they stored a lot of the destroyed vehicles at the Astoria facility. I think he was in building maintenance at that time.

 

[2dogs]

I was on vacation watching things unfold on TV. Got the phone call "vacation cancelled report to command". I was an NYPD sergeant. Was assigned to a few blocks on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn watching an empty road; except once in while a bulldozer or construction equipment rode past, presumably going to the site to assist in the search for survivors. The next few months were spent around the site or on regular patrol at my precinct'

I will never forgive our government and the EPA for saying the air was safe. More cops and firemen died from 911 cancers than on that day.

 

[demarpaint]

I was on vacation watching things unfold on TV. Got the phone call "vacation cancelled report to command". I was an NYPD sergeant. Was assigned to a few blocks on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn watching an empty road; except once in while a bulldozer or construction equipment rode past, presumably going to the site to assist in the search for survivors. The next few months were spent around the site or on regular patrol at my precinct'

I will never forgive our government and the EPA for saying the air was safe. More cops and firemen died from 911 cancers than on that day.

Yes, the air was anything but safe. IIRC it was Christy Todd Whitman saying the air was safe, sad. Many people knew better but did what they had to do anyway, years later a lot of them paid the ultimate price.

 

[I<3oil]

My wife had a conference in Chicago a month later (October 2001) and I tagged along.

One of the lectures was open to spouses. An emergency doc from NYC recounted his 9/11 experience for us. IIRC, he worked in a hospital right in Manhattan.

Some nurses were outside the hospital smoking, saw the first plane strike the tower, and rushed in to tell the other staff.

Of course the emergency department was overwhelmed, as were the other hospitals in the metro area.

The doctor told us that they found out later that the lower half of the first tower had been built c. 1974 with asbestos used liberally in various of the materials. The use of asbestos was discontinued for the upper half of the 1st tower and none was used in the 2nd tower.

Anyway, there was a lot of airborne debris as the towers collapsed, and the doctor speculated that there would be a number of asbestos-related lung cancers showing up in NYC decades down the road, as well as the "firefighter cancers" (lymphomas and blood cancers) associated with exposure to burnt toxic chemicals.

I haven't heard how things turned out for survivors in the area. I hope the worst did not come to pass.

Health Impacts​

An estimated 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants, risk of physical injury, and physically and emotionally stressful conditions in the days, weeks, and months following the attacks. Responders who worked on the rescue, recovery, and relief efforts reported a range of illnesses soon after the attacks. Survivors who lived, worked, and attended school in Lower Manhattan, some who remained throughout and some who returned to their lives in the disaster area, started reporting illnesses as well.

 

[I<3oil]

I was on vacation watching things unfold on TV. Got the phone call "vacation cancelled report to command". I was an NYPD sergeant. Was assigned to a few blocks on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn watching an empty road; except once in while a bulldozer or construction equipment rode past, presumably going to the site to assist in the search for survivors. The next few months were spent around the site or on regular patrol at my precinct'

I will never forgive our government and the EPA for saying the air was safe. More cops and firemen died from 911 cancers than on that day.

Eerily similar to the US Govt. and VA for 2 decades saying "burn pits are safe, it's fine!" Huge thank you for Congress finally passing law that the VA had to finally come out the next day and say, "omg burn pits are so bad, what happened!? How could this happen?!?"

 

[02SE]

Eerily similar to the US Govt. and VA for 2 decades saying "burn pits are safe, it's fine!" Huge thank you for Congress finally passing law that the VA had to finally come out the next day and say, "omg burn pits are so bad, what happened!? How could this happen?!?"

It's nothing new. Citizens and enlisted were also told the Nuclear Bomb tests were safe to viewers, and those so-called downwinders. Lots of people died as a result from cancers, including family. The Big Beautiful Bill, reinstated compensation to those effected.

 

[I<3oil]

It's nothing new. Citizens and enlisted were also told the Nuclear Bomb tests were safe to viewers, and those so-called downwinders. Lots of people died as a result from cancers, including family. The Big Beautiful Bill, reinstated compensation to those effected.

View attachment 300126

Well, part of that was it was so new at the time, they really didn't have any better idea. Burn pits though otoh....yeah....

 

[02SE]

Well, part of that was it was so new at the time, they really didn't have any better idea. Burn pits though otoh....yeah....

That sounds nice, but isn't true. Scientists knew. It boils down to (some) people being expendable, in order to win the cold war. The general population, and lower ranking military, were kept in the dark. To save me a bunch of typing, I'll post this link: https://library.nau.edu/speccoll/exhibits/daysofarchives/downwinders.html#:~:text=In the name of national security, military and,promote and fund uranium mining and atomic testing.

 

[uc50ic4more]

I was in Newfoundland when way too many and too large of planes started pouring in - confused folks overwhelmed the hotels …
The Newfs rose to the occasion and brought many folks to their homes …

The folks in Gander coming out to help is a story we still commemorate today.

There was also a pretty popular musical based on the situation: https://comefromaway.com/story.php

 

[GMFan]

I was on break during 2nd period of my freshman year of high school. At the time I lived in the suburbs of just north of NYC. Some kids in my school lost parents that day. I remember an announcement was made over the PA system from the principal.

I remember for months after 9/11 people were courteous to one another in public, there was patriotism, people were proud to fly the American flag, people were united no matter political party, churches were full. It was a surreal time to be alive. Everything seemed to change afterwards. It was the worst of times but we saw the goodness of people. The police, the firefighters who ran into burning towers to save people. It was human goodness and self sacrifice on a colossal scale.

Perhaps in my lifetime it was the greatest contrast of the worst of humanity and the best of humanity. The brave men on the plane over Pennsylvania who said “let’s roll” after saying goodbye to their loved ones by phone call.

There was a loss of innocence that day. The twin towers, these two nearly iconic, unimaginably large structures, practically a symbol of our country, full of our people crumbled into dust in a matter of seconds when they came down. It changed me.

I’ll never forget.

 

[goblin]

And a thought for Henryk Siwiak...
Wrong time, wrong place, wrong day.