Where were you on 9/11? We started asking our viewers that question this morning here on WMBFNews.com. The answers were fascinating. We used some ofthe comments on today's afternoon newscasts & will be using more on WMBF News at 11 and WMBF News Today. I thought I'd share my 9/11 story.
September 11, 2001 got off to a pretty typical start. I was supposed to take my car in for service, so I called the newsroom and told them I was running late. The person that answered the phone told me to get back to the newsroom as soon as possible. She said a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center & it was looking to be a busy news day. I turned around and immediately headed back to the station. As I was stepping out of my car, our assignment editor was arriving at work, too. He yelled across the parking lot, " Did you hear that? another plane hit the World Trade Center". We ran inside and stood with the rest of the staff in front of the bank of televisions.
I remember standing in front of the tv, watching the smoke pour from the two buildings. I never thought about the buildings falling. They were skyscrapers, more than one hundred floors of steel. I don't remember seeing the first tower fall, but I will never forget what happened immediately afterwards. I remember hearing screaming sobs from down the hall. One of the ladies who worked in the sales department had a brother that worked in the World Trade Center. He had called her after the plane crashed to tell her he was ok. He was some sort of safety director for his floor. He was staying back to fullfill that responsibility. He was inside when the tower collapsed.
The rest of the day was a blur. The second tower collapsing, the plane that hit the Pentagon, the crash in Pennsylvania- each blow felt like another punch in the stomach after the wind has already been knocked out of you.
When the federal government shut down all the airports, I remember the eerie quiet. My apartment was directly under the flight path to the airport. I had gotten used to the noise & the quiet was unsettling.
We may all remember where we were on 9/11, but I hope we never forget what we lost.
Jennifer |jdale@wmbfnews.com
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