I was just finishing my morning coffee when I looked out the window, which looked North, and saw the other building blow up. At the time I had no idea what happened. My first impression was that it was a construction accident and there was some kind of a gas explosion.
Anyway, we evacuated the office in a matter of minutes and headed downstairs. In every emergency training they tell you not to take the elevator but walk down. Well, I took the elevator and got down safely.
Unfortunately, several of my colleagues who were slow to evacuate and stayed behind lost their lives.
Once downstairs I was heading uptown. On the street I met a few of my co-workers and we walked together. We were already a safe distance away when the two buildings collapsed. Our office was in the rubbles.
This day was Tuesday. We stayed home for the rest of the week but on the following week we started to get our act together and started to work in other locations.
The company offered counseling service to us the survivors, but not too many employees took advantage of it.
As tragic as it was, we wanted to put this behind us and go on with our lives. Not to forget it but not to dwell on it either.
Everybody in my office have pictures of the people we lost. We remembered them every day, but life went on.
I know that firemen and policemen lost their lives on that tragic day as well as all the innocent people who just went to work and their only misfortune was that they were at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Now, here is my commentary about the situation today.
I am writing about this because the news in New York is full of a new Navy ship named USS New York that arrived here today. Her claim to fame is that there is seven tons of steel in her structure that came from the World Trade Center.
I am sick and tired of the WTC stories that are being controlled by some families who lost their loved ones. These families don't want life to go on.
Second World War was over in Europe in 1945. Eight years later, in 1953 Europe was rebuilt. No one was forcing the issue of memorials to the people who died there. Nobody held annual memorials where they read the names of the six million jews who were killed. People wanted to remember but at the same time wanted to go on with their lives.
Here, eight years later they still can't get the three or four buildings finalized because of constant arguments about disturbing certain areas where there might be remains.
It is a shame that people lost loved ones but please, let it go! I know families who lost their loved ones and they resent all this hullabaloo. They want to mourn in private and they want to go on with their lives.
Another thing bugging me is the constant talk about the heroes. Well, without any doubt the firemen and the police were heroes. They were the professional ones. There were countless nameless amateur heroes but nobody talks about them.
I guess the policemen/firemen lobby is stronger than the amateur lobby. The problem I have with this hero worship, is that to be a policemen or firemen is a very dangerous profession. When they go off to work they all expect to go home to their families at the end of the day. They don't deserve to die but it is not unexpected in their line of work.
But tragedies do happen. More to these people than to innocent office workers whose biggest "tragedy" during any work day would be if their computer conks out and they could not e-mail their friends.
I think it is time to stop this state of bereavement and let life go on as it should.
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