September 11th 2001

We were on our way to work. We were running late that day and I had just dropped Ami off at her office. I was going around the Medical Center when a report came over the radio saying that a plane had hit the North Tower at the World Trade Center in New York City. I called Ami and she had just heard about it as well from one of the doctors she worked with on the elevator up to the office. I told her that it must have been an accident like when that plane hit the Empire State Building in 1945. I imagined the plane to be something small, a general aviation type plane.

I was coming into the office and my boss at the time had gotten a TV and had it showing live coverage. Then the second plane hit and we knew it wasn't an accident. My boss was crying and was getting hysterical because she had a friend that worked in one of the Towers and she didn't know if she was alright. She called her repeatedly and couldn't get her.

All of us gathered around the TV and just couldn't believe what we were seeing. I called Ami and by that time they had a TV going with coverage, too. We were all stunned and just couldn't say anything. This is the first time war had come to mainland American soil in over 100 years. All I remember thinking was "Why?"

Rumors were flying that there were many hijacked planes but no one knew how many. We wondered if our hospital was going to be hit that day since it was a big building. Everyone was jumpy wondering what was next. The next few days and weeks turned into a blur of fear, anxiety, and anger.

I had given my notice on 9/10/01 that I was leaving the Medical Center, again, and going to work for MedQuist. I found out that my new boss had flown one of the very few non-military flights that was allowed in the skies after the attacks. He was flying recovery dogs from Oklahoma City to NYC to try to help with recovering survivors and then the ones who didn't.

I will always remember that day. It's the touchstone of everyone that was old enough to remember it. That day the world changed for all of us, like it or not.