Hello Friends.
Boy, has the direction of my blog changed over the time I worked on it. It was one of those rare blogs that I needed to research for facts, names and figures. By the time I did that I had a very cold and clinical view of what was a day that changed America for the generation we live in. Did I want it to be just facts? Was it going to be cold? yes. I decided that the facts and figures are for the history books to teach our children, grandchildren and generations to come. My blog is about people, it's about people we lost, people who survived and perhaps a small view of how I felt that day and feel now. I wanted to put faces to this event so it just isn't about planes that crashed, buildings that fell and a "numbers" of people who died. Those people were not just numbers. They were living, breathing human beings that loved, lived and unfortunately in many cases didn't walk away from this cowardly act of murder.
Our journey starts on a beautiful September morning. The date September 11, 2001. It was a truly beautiful day and I remember going into work early, around 6 a.m.because I had an appointment with a doctor and needed to leave the office around 8:45 to make the appointment at 9:30. As I walked out of the building I got a call from my friend Sherry Springer and she was telling me that a plane hit the World Trade Center. We kept talking as I walked over to my car parked in Pittsburgh at Kaufmann's parking garage. During a drive that should have taken 20 minutes that time of day but took over an hour Sherry and the radio kept me in the loop of what was happening. I couldn't believe my ears. Sherry kept telling me the building was swaying and I remember responding, well those tall building are made to do that, just like our US Steel building here in Pittsburgh does. I know I just kept driving, but I was seeing car's pulling over and people sitting on the side of the Parkway and you could see their faces just sitting there blank, crying or looks of disbelief. I was scared I just wanted to drive. I was actually afraid to stop. We then heard the 2nd plane had hit. We knew this was no accident. I had to go through the Squirrel Hill tunnels and my thought was this could be happening all over the country and I wanted out of the tunnel. I was getting closer to my appointment and I have no idea why I felt I had to go but I did (of all places it was the gynecologist!). I started calling my family, I couldn't get Mom and Dad, I spoke to my sisters, Ruth and Donna. In the mean time talking to Sherry on and off. More and more news coming in. I called my friend Jim Glenn to make sure he was OK, I was worried about everyone being as scared as I was. I called my friend Geoff in Syracuse NY and got his machine and left a message saying I hope he was OK. I also called Danny in England to tell him to turn on the TV as he worked all night and I didn't think he wanted to sleep through this. It would be another 14 hours until we spoke again. I got to the doctor,we watched on TV what was happening. Then, as I was leaving the doctors office phone rang and the receptionist said, it's for you! Well...I was surprised. It was my supervisor Karen calling to tell me not to come back into Pittsburgh as they were evacuating, they found the doctors number in my Rolodex cause they couldn't get through to my cell phone.. I told her I wasn't planning on it and headed home as I wanted to get to my Mum and Dad. So, as every American did that day, we sat, watched and prayed as the four planes hit, two in New York City, one at the Pentagon in Washington DC and one in all places a field in Shanksville Pa, which is about 2 1/2 hours from Pittsburgh. That plane had been in our airspace! The President had ordered all planes down but still everyone wasn't accounted for. Mum, Dad and I watched in horror as buildings fell, as things came fluttering out of window, which I asked my Dad, what is that Daddy, is it paper flying. He gently explained to me no honey, those were people falling from the building. I think I screamed then. and turned to my Dad as said are we going to be OK and Daddy said to me "Pammy I don't know". This my story, which is not dramatic it's just the point of view of an average American Citizen.
Here is what we slowly learned in the next few days
19 militants associated with Islamic extremist group Al Qaeda hijacked 4 airliners an carried out suicide targets against target's in the U.S.A. 3000 people were murdered that day including more than 400 police officer, firefighters and EMTS. These are just the cold hard facts. I could go into time lines, but again that is for the history books. I now want to talk about several people that were either murdered that day and some who survived. Let's meet some of these people.
In the World Trade Center Tower 1, was a man named Shannon Lewis Adams, age 25. He came from a small town called Star Lake NY, population 860. He was so proud of working in the World Trade Center that on his business care he gave his address as Tower 1,101st Floor, World Trade Center. He was a fixed-income accountant for Cantor Fitzgerald. Not bad for a kid from a high school class of 34 kids! His father described him as "going 100 miles and hour all the time". He was so loved that at his memorial service, his friends gathered for an Irish Wake. They all filled up the motels in 15 mile radius! This was a man who had great things ahead of him for sure.
One of the 92 people on American Airlines Flight 11that crashed into the North tower was a lady named Lisa Fenn Gordenstein. She was a merchandise manage of TJX, She was 41 years old (my age at the time). The CEO of her company, Ted English said about Lisa "Lisa had a heart as big as the ocean. She was the person to whom other associates went for help and she was always available for her co-workers. She was a great businesswoman and a wonderfully creative merchant. Most of all, Lisa loved being a Mom" She left behind her husband David, two daughters, Samantha and Carly, her Mom, Stepfather,grandmother and Sister. Lisa was not just a number to her family, she was theirs and now she was gone.
On United Flight 175 was a family, perhaps not a traditional family but a family none the less who all died together. They were Ronald & Daniel Branthorst-Gamboa and their 3 year old son David. They were visiting friends in Boston and returning to Los Angeles. Daniel ,41, was an accountant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Los Angeles and Ronald, 33 was the manager of a a Gap store in Santa Monica. David,3, was named for Daniel's brother, was adopted in 1998. David was described "as the spirit of Ron and the intellectual curiosity of Daniel". Ronald and Daniel were a couple for 13 years.They were proud adoptive family and planned to adopt another child. Again,not just a number but a loving, thriving family.
Flight 77 American Airlines slammed into the west side of the Pentagon killing 125 military and civilians. One gentleman was Charles E. Sabin age 54. He served in Viet Nam, leaving with the rank of Captain. He worked at the Pentagon for years as a civilian. His family could not reveal what his job was. His brother stated "It's still hard to realize he's really gone. He was a good neighbor, a great leader and most of all he loved his country." Also taken that day with Mr. Sabin was a lady by the name of Angelene C. Carter. She was a civilian accountant who worked in the Pentagon. She was described as a devoted wife and mother and active member of her church. She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Angelene is special to me. I didn't know her, but I wear a memory bracelet with her name on it. Every year for the past 9 years Dan and I have honored her memory in several different ways. One is that we give a patriot pin to at least 50 of our friends and family with a picture of her and her story. Mr. Sabin and Mrs. Carter just went to work that day as they did any other day, but did not have the choice to go home..
Now flight United Flight 93 California bound was a story that we all know well. There was Captain Jason Dahl at the controls. he began his flight training at the age of 13! We know many of the other names of people by heart as they were able to communicate with family, officials and loved ones because they were aware of what was happening through out the country. The plane crashed into a field in Shanksville PA killing 45 people, but not before people like Todd Beamer, Mark Bingham and Jeremy Glick took matters into their own hands and tried to regain control of the plane. They revolted using weapons such a boiling water and their own hands. It is believed that his plane was headed for The White House and these brave people gave their lives in an effort to stop what was happening. Also on that flight was a young man by the name of Bernard Curtis Brown II. He was 11 years old and was on a trip to California sponsored by the National Geographic Society. His Mom described him as someone who woke with unusual energy. One of his hero's was Michael Jordan. Such different people all placed together for whatever reason on the same flight.
We must also remember all the Firefighters, Police and EMTS that were ;lost that day. As we would be running away from the carnage these brave people would be running towards it not knowing if they were coming out. That takes an amazingly brave person to do this.
Now we do have two stories of survival. One from shear will and the other who was lucky enough to be on floor 55 of 1 World Trade Center, which was below where the plane hit. It still didn't mean she had any guarantee of coming out alive. The lady on the 55th floor is from a company in Murrysville PA called Mine Safety Appliances. Her name is Judy Colfer and she is from Greensburg PA. She is a devoted mother and was a devoted wife to her husband Gene who passed away in 2004 of Cancer. She recalls on the 35th floor a New York City lieutenant came running up the stairs, he grabbed her and asked what floor she'd come from, trying to determine how far the fire has spread. he told her "You'll make it out" Mrs. Colfer said he had piercing blue eyes and she didn't think he made it out. The fireman told them when they got out to run , run for your life. The building collapsed an a female voice said "reach out your hand" and wrapped it around hers. The smoke was so thick the woman could just her her screaming but couldn't see her. A cab driver picked them up and they fled but not before they picked up a young man named Mark. Mrs. Colfer spend two days at Mark's apartment in New Jersey until some MSA colleges came for in a car and drove her home. She still hears from Mark sometimes, but he's moved South as he couldn't bear staying in the City. Mrs. Colfer has never been back to New York City. Dan and I had the honor of hearing her speak on the 1 year anniversary at Hillcrest United Presbyterian Church. There we all sat for 2 1/2 hours listening to this tiny little woman's story of survival. It was one of the most moving experience's of my life.
Our last story of survival is one of a lady by the name of Lauren Manning. Now she maybe a name familiar to some of you as her husband wrote a book that consisted of the email he sent to friends and family keeping them posted on her condition entitled Love, Greg and Lauren and was published in 2002. Mrs. Manning at the time was a Sr. Vice President and partner at Cantor Fitzgerald. This investment bank took up several floors of the World Trade Center and lost 658 employees. Mrs. Manning had just entered the building when the plane hit the north tower. A wave of burning jet fuel exploded from one of the elevator shafts engulfing her in flames.. She ran onto the street and a bystander extinguished her. She was loaded into one of the first Ambulances to arrive and taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital burn unit. She was burned over 82.5% of her body and they didn't expect her to make it through the first 24 hours. She was one of the 17 victims treated there. She was there for 3 months followed by 3 months at a rehab center. She says it was the thought of her son that kept her going. As she was burning he was her thought that she had to live for him! She has had many surgeries and through shear will lived. What she experienced is unimaginable, but then, most of what happened that day is.
I've now introduced you to some of the brave souls from that horrible day. God took some home, others he left here as they have a job to do and I feel that job is to be a physical reminder of what happened that day. As Todd Beamer said on flight 93 "let's roll" that is what the survivors did...they rolled on with life. His message was advise as well as a command. For those who did not go home that day perhaps this little missive will help put them in someones memory and on September 11th you might say a prayer for them. They are with God, but they have left family, friends and many loved ones that need those prayers.I am so thankful I got to go home that day to my family. Now I look back 10 years later and at times it seems like a bad dream, but it's not. The images we all saw can never be unseen or undone so let us never forget and teach our future generations about the American people from that day and their bravery in the face of death.
With respect, sadness and American pride I write this. God Bless America.
Pam
Some of my sources were: Wikipedia, The Boston Globe, The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.
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