9/11 10 Years Later

10 years can sure fly by in the blink of an eye. Though my life has changed tremendously since the fateful day in American History simply known as 9/11, looking back on the day it seems like yesterday. Thinking of the sights, sounds and smells brings up instantaneous goosebumps. 

I don't want to make myself more important that I am with my last statements since there were many many others whose lives were changed for the worse, especially for the family and friends of those 2977 civilians, 343 FDNY, 23 NYPD. 37 PAPD and 8 private EMT's whose lives were taken. This is how I remember that day.

Being a native born New Yorker I have seen my share of events in this city be it through TV, radio and/or live including watching the original attacks on the World Trade Center during February 1993 on TV. But nothing that I knew could brace me for the events of Tuesday September 11, 2001. The irony of the matter was that I was at the World Trade Center site that day before Monday September 10, 2001. There was a vibrant shopping center/mall space there and I remember stopping off at the Borders book store purchasing a few paperback novels, a few donuts from the Krispy Kreme and taking the E train on my way to the Bronx.

I was staying at Brigette's place (at the time we were still dating) on Castle Hill Avenue. I woke up to go to work and put on NY1 to see the footage of one of the Twin Towers ablaze and wondering aloud to no one in particular if this was a commercial for a new movie. Looking back on it how naive of me was it to think so. Soon enough I realized that this wasn't a concept from the mind of a movie director but in fact real life. I changed the channels on the TV and saw different angles of the same image. I truly knew that something horrible was happening. Though the images of that day's events are crystal clear in my mind and soul, the time frame is blurred so forgive me if the series of events are convoluted. The next few events seemed to happen in rapid fire.  Little did I know how bad it was. The second plane hit the other Twin Tower. The first building hit succumbed to the structural damage it sustained in conjunction with the burning jet fuel causing it to come crashing down into itself and those who were inside an around the area. The clouds of dust and debris seemed to take a life of their own when the second building collapsed adding it's own cloud cover to the area which could be seen for miles around. The mass evacuation of survivors had begun into Staten Island, New Jersey and into the outer boroughs and other areas. For possibly the first time ever, the city that never sleeps was silent, in mourning and numb.

Two nights later I was working at Bleecker Street Bar and could smell the the remains of the WTC in the air. I can still smell the stench now. A week later we were able to enter state and federal building in downtown NYC under new security rules. Life as we knew it had changed.

To show you how much things have changed technologically, I remember walking my dog Buddy and over-hearing kids saying to themselves "I think I heard that something happened in Manhattan today". Yes kids something indeed had happened. Today not much happens in the world that we can access and find out about in the virtual blink of an eye. And here we are 10 years later in another virtual blink of an eye.

In closing this post I would like to briefly mention two people. One is my friend Lourdes Vega who worked  in the World Trade Center complex and was in one of the buildings. She was able to make her way out to safety and the chaos that was 9/11 was occurring around her. The story of how she got out and the events that unfolded around her are chilling and I won't dare go into them here since I can't do it any justice. She was able to survive and move on in life creating her own family enjoying the same freedoms that those who attacked us would try to extinguish. Nothing I can say will ease your experiences of that day. All I can say that I'm glad that you are here making the world a better place. Love ya.

The other is Frank Mancini. I went to High School with Frank and found out a few days after 9/11 that he was one of the 2977 civilians declared dead. I believe that he worked at the World Trade Center. We didn't always see things eye to eye in the good old days but you were a fun dude to hang out with at the Le Club pool hall under the El and at the strip by Astoria Park. You were taken way too fast. May You Always Rest in Peace and crack jokes and make people smile in Heaven as you did here on Earth. Love ya bro. 

May all those lives taken on that fateful day in NYC, Washington DC and in Pennsylvania Rest in Peace.

FH