9/11

I wrote this account of my 9/11 experience two years ago:

I don't think I will ever forget every moment of September 11, 2001. It changed my life. No exaggeration.

I was 20 years old and had been working in Cong. Vito Fossella (Staten Island) office as the executive assistant since April. I always got in the office first. I remember walking from my car to the office on Capitol Hill a little after 8am, it was beautiful day. I was wearing grey slacks, my new favorite pair of black heels, and a great blue 3/4 length sleeve top. I remember wondering if I should have brought a sweater. I was in the office around 8:20am. I got the coffee started, laid out all the newspapers, and checked the Congressman's schedule.

A little bit before 9am I was standing in front of my desk with my coworker Brendon and we turned on my TV to see reports that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center buildings. I remember so well chatting with him about how on earth a plane accidentally flies into one of those huge buildings, especially on such a clear day. We were joined by our office manager, Vicki, as we all babbled about how crazy that was, and then we all noticed the 2nd plane. We stopped talking, I remember saying out loud, "Dear God, No!". I remember hearing a sob choked out of my mouth as we watched the 2nd plane soaring into the 2nd building. Silence. Than Vicki said what we were all thinking, "Terrorist. They are under attack."

Somehow the morning kept going, for a bit. I talked to the Congressman who was trying to get to the airport but was stuck in traffic watching the smoke billowing from the towers. He was in NYC. The rest of the office came in. We were all trying to find out if the people we were in daily communication with who worked in the Trade Centers were ok. We later learned that several people we knew had not made it out.

Still stunned, we heard about the Pentagon. Our Legislative Director lost her mind, her husband worked in the Pentagon. And from what we could tell, right where the plane hit. She was crying and ran down to the Ways & Means, Committee where a friend who also had a husband working in the Pentagon, was. While she was down there I talked to her husband and he was in a meeting when the plane hit, on the opposite side of the building. I ran down to the Committee office and told Jen. I had to hold her up while she wept with joy. Joy short lived, she lost several friends in NY.

Moments after we got back to the office the Congressman called and told us all to leave the office. As we were packing up the Capitol Police came to every one's office demanding an evacuation. I remember a police office almost had to drag our co-worker Loren out of the office because he was busy emailing the entire world.

We all decided to go to our coworker Mike's Capitol Hill row house. There was no point trying to go home. Traffic was a complete stand still. The streets and sidewalks were flooded with Hill staffers. As we walked everyone was trying to use their cell phones. I didn't see anyone able to make a call. All signals were jammed. Everyone few minute as we walked we were hear a loud boom, everyone would duck, and then turn around to see if the Capitol was still standing. We later learned that the booms we heard were fighter jets scrambling to protect DC.

We got to Mike's house and few minutes later the towers collapsed. The living room was packed with about 20 staffers, all crying. We knew the death toll had just risen to an amazing numbers. For us who worked in the 13th district, a district full of NYC fire fighters and police officers, the bravest, we knew we had just lost many. We watched, glued the to TV for the rest of the day. Periodically reaching friends and family letting them know we were ok.

I didn't get home until almost 6pm. The next few weeks were a blur. The next few months were life changing. I tried to go back to college but after a few weeks I quit and returned to the Congressman's office. There was work to be done. I spent hours on the phone with Staten Islanders who had lost a loved one. I directed them to help. I listened. I cried with them. It felt good to be there for them. They were all so grateful. I will never forget one call in particular. A man had lost his fire fighter son. I spent over an hour on the phone with him. He told me everything about his son. He had no other family left. I've never cried so hard with a stranger before. I was so drained when I finally got off the phone after finally telling how to get information for the Victim Compensation. Weeks later he ran into the Congressman and told him how much my phone call with him meant.

9/11 isn't just a moment in history for me. It was a real experience. I sometimes wonder how I will be able to tell my kids about it, knowing that this day will never evoke the same emotion Tim & I have, in them.