September 11 Reflections
As I sit here one week short of the third anniversary of September 11, 2001,
I think back to what I remember. What I remember most is probably the feeling.
I think most of us know it. It was a sense of being overwhelmed, like the
way Ground Zero was bombarded by 100 stories of building crashing straight
down into one spot. There was numbness, but there was also a palpable overload;
a combination of images and your own thoughts trying to make a place in your
mind. My story of course is not as dramatic as those who were there, but it
is mine.
My day started approximately Monday afternoon. I worked the night shift
at a company in Oriskany and hadn't gotten used to the scheduled yet. Of
course, Tuesday early morning was much the same as any other. My shift ended
at 9am Tuesday morning. Even though the first plane had hit, the news hadn't
filtered down to everyone yet. I then heard a report on the radio between
songs that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Again, this was plane
#1 and it was a potentially dangerous event, rather than a coordinated attack.
As I changed to 95X, it was a different story.
95.7 FM is the local affiliate for the Howard Stern show. It was probably
the best radio source for information for the hours following the first impact.
Being a news junkie, I listened as I made my way home. This made me one of
a small number of people who did not wake up to the sight of the burning
towers. It also kept me away from a TV for a good 15 minutes.
By then cable news had full coverage. I was watching MSNBC, but the pictures
were all the same. Two planes had crashed, removing the idea that this was
an accident. Soon a third plane had hit the Pentagon. All US air flights
were canceled. These two hours were like a whirlwind. Plane crashes, the
towers falling, domestic groundings all occurred before 11am. I continued
to listen to Howard after the towers fell. 95X dropped the show after 10:30.
I then turned to the Albany station from my house and then from my car. As
the afternoon progressed, things became somewhat hazy as I was approaching
a 24 hours without sleep. Remember the extensiveness of the situation. By
11, nearly every channel had some newsfeed. From a media standpoint, it was
oddly fascinating. Each network was represented on their cable partners.
CBS on MTV, VH-1 and Nickelodeon. ABC on ESPN, NBC on CNBC and MSNBC. CNN
was on most of the others. Strangely, the only channels still airing regular
programming were Disney and Soapnet.
The afternoon brought the first lull. The news was filled with rescue efforts
and unconfirmed rumors. I slept a little while and called work. Of course,
they wanted me to come in at midnight anyway. I did. It was very strange
to drive near even a small airport. I made sure to carry every kind of ID
with me. The radio was somber and monotonous. Constant reports replayed over
and over. It was very strange over the next days. I only saw my co-workers
for an hour a day in the morning. More stories came out. Eventually, the
Anthrax letters came out and a new wave emerged.
My story is not extremely poignent or interesting but I decided to write
it anyway. Watching "Seven Days in September," I thought of my experience
of the events. I also thought of the sense of community in New York City.
I wish the United States could offer the same to the world community. The
question is whether they would accept. My offer is to help them fight terrorism.
The cost is for them to help us. Recently, Russia has suffered a horrible
hostage event by terrorists tied to al-Quaeda. Spain was struck by a pre-election
attack and now France has journalists held hostages by Iraqis (or al-Quaeda)
because they ban head scarves from schools.
Again, I say let us help you. Help us. Let's help each other. Let's not 'contain'
this. End this.