It was a beautiful fall day, wasn't it? That's what everyone says. The crisp air that morning. Clear mile high blue skies.
I was still dealing with Lyme disease and my course of doxycycline so maybe I didn't appreciate the day as much as usual. or maybe it was just another day at work. We had been having a small yet particularly irksome and persistent problem within the call center ACD. The Williams tech was on site working with me to resolve it.
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
American Airlines Flight 11 North Tower 8:46 a.m.
I got the first phone call from my mom. The news was reporting a small light aircraft had crashed into one of the World Trade Center Towers.
Well, that's weird, I thought. I did a quick check of the internet news sites (CNN, MSNBC and ABC) but found nothing. I walked in and told my boss then went back to fixing my irksome little problem.
United Airlines Flight 175 South Tower 9:03 a.m.
My mom called again. She said a second plane had hit the other tower.
"Where did you hear that?"
"I was watching the news and saw it happen!" A little panic in her voice.
What the hell is going on. It can't be a second accident because of smoke from the first. Are we being attacked? Still not able to find much on the internet and not much time to look at the moment.
Walked in and told my boss this as well. Then back to the irksome problem.
American Airlines Flight 77 The Pentagon 9:37 a.m.
"Okay, they can stop this now." The third call from my mom.
"Stop what?"
"There's just been an explosion at the Pentagon. They don't know if it was a plane or a missile or a bomb."
Back in to my boss.
"Holy shit!"
He needs to contact some honchos. We're a gas utility and we now have security concerns on our hands.
Jumpers
"Oh my god you can see people jumping out of the towers."
"Make sure (my 3 year old) isn't watching any of this."
South Tower Collapses 9:59 a.m.
"One of the towers collapsed!" mom said.
"What do you mean, part of it came off?"
"No, the whole thing just collapsed like an accordion."
Outside to have a smoke with the Area VP and some others.
"How many do you think were killed" asks someone.
"Could be as high as 50,000 depending on how many were able to get out, right?"
"oh my god"
"Jesus"
"Holy shit"
United Flight 93 Shanksville, Pa. 10:03 a.m.
Reports are coming in on the internet and radio and now TV set up in dispatch. Several planes in the air still. One headed toward Camp David. One hit Camp David. One headed toward the White House or Capitol. The Capitol is on fire. Etc.
My boss tells me the decision is for now to leave the phone lines open for all calls but if things get too crazy then we need to be ready to switch to gas leaks and other emergency calls only.
It didn't matter. By now the phones had gone eerily silent. America was too busy watching events unfold and talking to or trying to contact their loved ones.
Another call from my mom. No one could contact my cousin's fiance. She was supposed to be staying at the hotel between the towers for a conference there.
My aunt was trying to reach my uncle. He had a business appointment in D.C.
North Tower Collapses 10:28 a.m.
"THIS IS WAR!" our radio communications tech.
We watched it live on the TV in dispatching.
I turned to the Williams Tech. He told me they had just ordered all their techs out of Harrisburg an hour west of us and no one was to go in until further notice.
We watched it live on the TV in dispatching.
I turned to the Williams Tech. He told me they had just ordered all their techs out of Harrisburg an hour west of us and no one was to go in until further notice.
Later that day we found out my aunt had reached my uncle. He was on the D.C. beltway when she reached him, he was unaware of what was happening. When she told him he turned around and headed straight home to Allentown.
It wasn't until the next day that my cousin reached his fiancé. As it turns out when she tried to check into the hotel they didn't have her registration and she wound up staying at another about a mile away. Watched events unfold from there unable to contact anyone because of the phone lines being down.
When I got home from work my 3 year old said
"Daddy! They knocked the towers down!"
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so [are] the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. -- Ecclesiastes 9:11,12 --
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