I wanted to share a few memories of 9-11-01. We lived in Arizona during this tragedy. I remember watching the TV screen in horror while getting ready to go to work. I worked in the 26 story QWEST building in downtown Phoenix and arriving at work was worrisome. At that point in time, reports were filtering about the plane hitting the Pentagon, then the one that crashed in PA. There were rumors flying that more planes were in the air, targeting buildings all over the US. We could stand at the window overlooking the IRS building and see men on the roof, standing guard with machine guns. We normally had a great view of the planes leaving Sky Harbor Airport, but there were no planes. The only planes you could see or hear were the fighter jets, screaming through the sky, from nearby Luke Air Force Base. It was very disquieting. It was hard to focus on work. We would walk in and out of the break room where the TV blared all the breaking news.
Shortly after this event, the mandatory fire drill was held. Normally, when we would file down the stairs and out of the building, to meet at our designated gathering place in the parking garage, there would be talking, laughing, greeting co-workers from different floors and groaning at the enforced exercise and personal relief, I worked on the 12th (actually the 13th) floor instead of the 26th.
That particular drill, everyone filed silently down the stairs. I believe we were all reflecting on the thoughts and feelings of the victims of 9-11 as they traced the same steps, knowing it was not a drill and it was real.
That event changed all of us on a national and a personal level. I would like to include a link to a recent video I received regarding the
World Trade Center Memorial.
