bigbadbob's Blog

    I was just getting ready to take my daughter to the doctor when she said, “hey dad…guess what? A plane just flew into the World Trade Center!” I said, “Are you serious?” “I’m serious. It’s on the news now.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. We were both totally shocked and called my wife by cell phone on our way to the doctor. She knew I would not kid about something like that and turned on the radio in her office. Only two weeks prior, her company finished the installation of the emergency alarm system at the WTC, and it worked. Now she couldn’t believe what I was telling her. She had men down there and immediately tried to call them on their radios and cell phones. They could not be reached.  When I arrived at the doctors office I told to everyone there what had just happened! They looked at me in disbelief, figuring that I’m always making people laugh, then they looked at my face and realized I wasn’t kidding around and that I would never poke fun at something like that.  I went behind the receptionist’s desk and turned on the TV without asking and they saw for themselves, one of the buildings was on fire, the other one not. (Yet!)

   When we got home we turned on the news right before the second plane hit. Then it happened. We watched both buildings collapse and couldn’t believe what we were seeing. NOBODY COULD!

Sure we felt it big time, because we lived here and knew people who worked there, but it impacted EVERYONE! You didn’t have to live here to feel the pain. My wife’s company was working there for both the World Trade Center and the Port Authority.    She knew and had dealings with many of the people who were no longer going to be there. Five of her former coworkers were working on the antenna on the second building when the second plane hit. My next door neighbor was working in the area when the buildings came down and thought his life was over. He was part of the people who were running to get away from the smoky debris. He was ready to jump in the Hudson River, to get away from it all. He retired and never got over it and is still efected by the memory.

   Even though it seemed surreal, it really happened.

   You don’t have to live in New York to have stories about that day. If anybody ever doubted the compassion of New Yorkers, this disproved that doubt. People from all over jumped in to help, but it would never be enough and couldn’t reverse what happened.

   This past Monday my wife and I had business with one of our lawyers. His office is on Broadway next to Trinity Church where they’ll have a memorial service on September 11 for those who were lost seven years ago on that tragic day. We’re down there a lot and always find it hard to  see the crater that was once WTC.

   We should never forget. I know I won’t!

   Out of respect for those lost, their families and friends, I will not remark about those cowardly agents of the devil who did this to hard working innocent people.

   I just hope that they ROT IN HELL!

BOB