The Day the World Stood Still
September 11th 2001
This day will be forever etched in my mind. It started in a classroom for me. I was re-certifying my paramedic license at the EMS academy when our lead instructor came in and addressed the class, saying that “a small plane” had struck the WTC.
We looked outside and could see a column of smoke from 10 miles away. Class was immediately suspended and we mobilized and headed into the site. I remember looking at the towers as we approached the Queens Midtown Tunnel, by this time the second plane had struck the towers. We went into the tunnel, lights and sirens screaming. When we emerged on the Manhattan side, the South Tower was gone! Arriving at West St. and Chambers St. we began approaching the site on foot when the North Tower collapsed.
Smoke, debris, papers, anything and everything was in the air. I was on scene for more than 36 straight hours. We did all we could to save the trapped, the evacuees and the wounded.
Since the Towers were the tallest structures in NYC, they had all of the TV and radio masts on top of them. When the towers went down, so did our communications. We were told, by word of mouth, that our Country was under attack. Whoever it was that had done this, had also attacked Boston, Chicago, Seattle and D.C.. We were also told that this was the “first” wave. That we could expect car bombs to be going off next.
Not one of us thought that we were ever going to go home. Oddly though this fact, consigning yourself to the knowledge that you were going to die today, was strangely comforting. I was at peace with myself and determined to do the best that I could to help others until I was killed.
This was taken on my next tour at the site. Some where around September 15th 2001. On the day of the attack, I had no protective equipment.
