I would like to tell the world my side of the 9/11 story. We hear so much of the heroics of New York's Finest, Bravest and other uniformed services that we totally lost sight of what really happened on that fateful morning.
I worked in my office on the 91st floor of 2 World Trade Center with a view to the North. I got to the office early as usual and I was deep in my thoughts when at 8:46 American Airlines Flight 11 impacts the north side of the North Tower (1 World Trade Center) between the 94th and 98th floors.
I heard some noise and when I looked up I saw things flying out of those floors. Papers, furniture and other things. Didn't understand what happened. My first instinct was that there was an explosion of some kind because there was constant construction and improvements done in these buildings.
Some of my colleagues decided to leave and I also grabbed my jacket and went out to the lobby and took the elevator down to the 86th floor. That was the transfer point to the main elevator that went non-stop to the first floor.
At this point there were no public announcements of any kind.
Some people on the 86th floor said they smelled airplane fuel which meant it had to be a plane that hit the building.
The main elevator arrived and contrary to all experts' advice I took the elevator down to the Main Lobby.
Unfortunately and tragically just about at that time there was a Port Authority announcement on the loud speaker advising people in Building 2 that there was no problem and all should return to their offices.
Unfortunately, many people took the advice and consequently they all lost their lives. Including my boss and more than ten of my colleagues.
The person who made the announcement is unknown and I wonder how he sleeps today.
As I said I went down and eventually went to the lower level of the building. I was on my way toward the exit when at 9:02:54 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 175 impacts the south side of the South Tower of the WTC between the 78th and 84th floors.
Everything shook, people screamed and we all ran towards the exit. When I reached the street I saw my building smoking and things flying out in all directions. It was a terrible sight.
Some of my colleagues decided to walk down 91 floors. They were in the stairway when the plane hit the building. Rushing down was impossible because of the increasing number of people.
At one point the stairway walls started to crack and it became a race for survival. Fortunately, most of the people in that stairway made it out alive.
I had an elderly colleague who was slow to move. One of the young engineers from my firm stayed with her throughout looking danger in the face and helped her out of the building. Another lady was slightly overweight and had bad legs and obviously was not able to move as quickly as needed.
She was willing to step aside and let others pass but some gentleman, and I do mean GENTLEMAN, helped her down and she also survived.
At this point everybody was on their own. There were no police or firemen present. Only the ominous announcement lingered in the air that everything is under control, return to your offices.
I am sick and tired of hearing the heroics of the professionals. These people are trained to deal with catastrophes like these. What about the heroics of the ordinary people who gather up their last courage to help their fellow humans regardless of race, color or religion. These are the real heroes in my eye.
And the unknown voice that sent people back to their deaths nobody talks about.
