Thursday, August 18, 2011

MEMORIES OF 9/11


As we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I thought it appropiate to include an article my husband wrote for a local newspaper. Also note the included watercolor painting by Artist Arthur Anderson.
BEFORE THE FALL
Arthur Anderson
http://artistanderson.com/

MEMORIES OF 9/11

By Bob Gilbert

As we approach the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I have vivid memories of that day.

The weather was crisp and clear, and I was at work in downtown Brooklyn.  At about 9 o’clock, a co-worker told me that there was a fire at the World Trade Center as a plane had crashed into one of the buildings.  I looked out of the window and saw dark smoke billowing from one of the towers in the distance.  Like everyone else, I felt great concern about the people inside of the burning building.

When a second plane crashed into the other tower, what we thought was an accident was revealed to be a terrorist attack.  I joined some co-workers on the building observation deck, where we could see smoke pouring out of the twin towers.

Our building administrator announced that there were no threats against our building and that it was safe to remain at work.  As things worsened, we were directed to go home, as mass transit and bridge and tunnel closures were imminent.

I was fortunate that my family members were out of harm’s way – my wife was at work in Staten Island, my daughter was at college in Philadelphia, and my mother-in-law was at home in Brooklyn.  I got in my car and headed home.  As I passed Flatbush Avenue, I witnessed an army of fire engines, police cars, and other emergency vehicles screaming north toward the twin towers with sirens and horns blasting – help was on the way.

I headed south on Fourth Avenue toward the Verrazano Bridge for my trip back to Staten Island.  It was late morning but it looked like rush hour – hundreds of people streaming out of subway stations and businesses, all rushing home as the subways and the city were shutting down.

A mile or two before the entrance to the Verrazano Bridge, traffic came to a complete halt because the bridge had been closed.  People got out of their cars and were milling around and sharing what they had heard to that point.  I borrowed a phone and called my mother-in-law, and let her know that I was headed home. 

When the bridge finally reopened, traffic crawled to the entrance, where a lone police officer waved us through one car at a time.  I crossed the bridge and was glad to be back in my own borough.

I listened to the car radio as the news reports poured in, and what I was hearing was surreal – the Twin Towers…the Pentagon… a plane brought down in Pennsylvania… 

I arrived home in the early afternoon, and, and my wife arrived about an hour later.  We watched TV as the disaster unfolded, trying to comprehend the incomprehensible.

It is amazing to think that September 11, 2001 started out so uneventfully and routinely.  Like so many of my fellow New Yorkers, I got up early, had breakfast, and headed off to work.  Who could have imagined on that clear sky morning what was about to happen?

Those are my memories of the morning and early afternoon of September 11, 2001.  On this tenth anniversary, hearts go out to those who lost loved ones on that day.

 

6 comments:

  1. SENT TO ME ON E-MAIL---SO I AM POSTING THIS
    So very heartfelt and touching. I think every American will remember where they were and what they were doing on that fateful day. Thankful for your words!

    k





    Kathy LaRocco

    Visit my Blog:
    http://artful-musings-of-kathyl.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very powerful & moving! Thanks for sharing such a personal account of a tragic day.
    ~Lauren

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  3. THESE THREE COMMENTS WERE E-MAILED TO ME, SO I POSTED THEM TOGETHER AS PEOPL'E COMMENTS:


    Bob's piece was very touching. It brought back memories and feelings of that day.

    Chelle Anderson



    sarootz@aol.com to me

    SAROOTZ WROTE:
    Interesting article. It's interesting to see how different people experienced the day.
    Being locked up in a classroom, I had no idea what was happening, other than parents picking up their children. I found out quite by accident when a para passed me by the the hall.
    BTW, I didn't know that Arthur painted. What an interesting talent to go with a musician wife.


    ARTHUR ANDERSON WROTE:

    Arthur Anderson Touching article, Linda. I am very touched to have my painting accompany it. Thank you
    http://artistanderson.com/

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  4. MY OWN PERSONAL COMMENT:
    I was teaching a second grade class when the custodian came in and asked me if I had any family working in the World Trade Center. After I said "no", he said "they did it again, they bombed the World Trade Center". Within 1 hour, my school was emptied of all of the children except for 10 , who had no one to pick them up. We thus learned that the building collapsed. By the next day, we learned that 7 children in my school lost one or both of their parents, who either worked at the buildings, or were Firemen who walked into the buildings to save people, and thus lost their lives. As Bob said, our daughter was away at college in Philadelphia, and she was in a panic that Bob would not get home- after she called the answering machine and no one answered. I am grateful that my family were all OK and safe, but it was devistating to learn the deaths of people we both knew, and knew of. this day, Sept 11, will always be a thorn in my side.

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  5. POSTED BY PAULINE GOODALL THROUGH E-MAIL:
    Iread Bob's article. Interesting to read as he was so close to it all happening. Must have been a worrying time for people until they'd heard from all their family and friends. Artie's painting was great. I loved the colours and the way the buldings seemed to be swaying.

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  6. NANCY WROTE:
    Great article on a difficult subject. Too many painful memories for me to write.

    ReplyDelete