Reflections
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 2001, the Business Journal asked members of the local business and civic communities to share their thoughts and experiences from that day and the intervening years. Some of those recollections are printed here, with others online at westfaironline.com.
”˜I instantly knew this was a terrorist attack”™
“On the morning of Sept. 11 ”¦ I arrived in my Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield office on the 17th floor. ”¦ I was going through my emails, when around 8:45 there was a huge ”˜boom.”™ ”¦ We got out of the building very quickly, so quickly that I heard a jet engine above and when I looked up I saw an extremely low-flying passenger jet. I remember watching it bank into the South Tower followed by a tremendous explosion. I instantly knew this was a terrorist attack; passenger jets don”™t plow into buildings. (At that point, I didn”™t know there was a first plane, the one that hit 1 WTC.) The exodus had been quite orderly until then, but when that plane hit, people stampeded toward the East River ”¦ Trains began running out of Grand Central that night around 6. Every train was jammed and stopped at every platform from Grand Central to Fairfield (and I”™m sure all the way to New Haven). Every stop had armed military or police guarding the platforms. I finally got home around 9 p.m. to the vast relief and welcoming arms of my family. ”¦ I haven”™t had to deal with any post-traumatic stress (disorder), although a lot of people have had to endure episodes and many people that I knew refused to commute back to New York City. My last memory of that day, after everyone had gone to bed, was watching the evening news and seeing multiple replays of the attacks and subsequent events of the day. I burst into tears and cried for about 20 minutes.”
”“ Eric Fischer, senior director, national health accounts, United Healthcare
”˜A day that stunned the nation and brought us together”™
“It”™s hard to imagine that 10 years have already gone by since Sept. 11, 2011, a day that stunned the nation and brought us together in mourning for those we lost. Like everyone else, I was glued to the TV, watching in horror as the towers fell. It was unimaginable. But you didn”™t have to imagine it ”“ it was happening right before your eyes.
At that time, I was serving as mayor of Stamford. ”¦ Watching it play out live on TV ”“ knowing that this would affect so many people from our city ”“ I knew it was necessary that we act immediately, both to provide care and comfort to those who lost loved ones and to secure our city and state to the greatest extent possible. We immediately activated Stamford”™s Emergency Command Center and worked with major corporations in the downtown area to ensure that they were on high alert and secured.
Once Metro-North resumed train service, I went down to the Stamford station to meet with passengers as soon as they came off the trains. It was surreal and we did not know what to expect. We made a point to touch base with everybody and ask if they needed any assistance. Understandably, I think everyone was shell-shocked. More than a few had dust on their clothes ”“ these people had obviously been near Ground Zero. We dispatched fire trucks with several of our crews down to New York City, hoping that anything our city could offer would provide some use.
Over the next few months, I attended some of the most heart-wrenching memorial services that one could imagine. The strength that people demonstrated in the aftermath of that day showed the resilience of our communities and our people. On this 10th anniversary, as with those in the past, I will spend the day remembering those who are no longer with us, reflecting on their lives and offering my thoughts and prayers to their families and loved ones.”
”“ Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Stamford, Connecticut
”˜We had no idea what had happened to our employees”™
“We had 100 people in the World Trade Center, we had hundreds more in the vicinity. It”™s almost indescribable. You are watching it on television and the building is coming down and it”™s almost surreal. You are looking at it like, ”˜How can that be?”™ When we saw the first building come down we had no idea what had happened to our employees or anyone inside. We created a ”˜compassion center”™ where employees and customers could talk and get help. As the days went on ”“ the poignant pictures of the families at the site holding up signs saying, ”˜Has anyone seen this person”™ ”“ we were ourselves trying to locate our people.
Employees worldwide wanted to know how we were, so we created the equivalent of a fireside chat via voicemail from (former CEO Michael Critelli). We kept that up a couple times a day for the next couple of weeks. Those talks ”¦ continue to this day ”“ once a week to keep us connected with what”™s going on in the world and each other.”
Note: Four Pitney Bowes employees died in the World Trade Center.
”“ Sheryl Battles, vice president, corporate communications, Pitney Bowes Inc., Stamford
”˜It is time to reset the standard of leadership”™
“I was very proud to be an American as I watched our great people pull together immediately after 9/11. We overcame the enemy, did everything possible for the families and friends of the victims, and businesses worked together, often helping out their competitors, so that all could thrive. No other people in the world could have addressed the critical issues the way we did.
However, the last several weeks and months provided a stark example of how pettiness and politics can thwart the will and best interests of the American people. On 9/11 let”™s ask our Congress and president to address the issues which need immediate resolution including the deficit, the debt ceiling, unemployment and tax reform. It is time to reset the standard of leadership for the democratic world, if for no other reason than to honor those who gave their lives for our American principles.”
”“ Jay Forgotson, CEO, BNC Financial Group Inc., New Canaan
”˜It became clear that Joel was gone”™
“My uncle, Joel Miller, was killed on 9/11; he worked in the North Tower on the 97th floor (for Marsh). We just waited to hear something from him and we never did. As the hours went by we became more concerned. Over the next day or two it became clear that Joel was gone. I was very close to him; he was only seven years older than me. Gov. Rowland included my uncle on the memorial at Sherwood Island. (After the announcement of Bin Laden”™s death), I think I was the first one to Sherwood Island. I got there at one minute to 8. I was driving to Bridgeport where I work and I decided to just keep on going to Sherwood Island. I saw my uncle”™s memorial and said, ”˜We got him.”™ As I was leaving the Sherwood memorial, I saw other people coming in.”
”“ Jack Goldberg, Connecticut worker”™s compensation commissioner, Bridgeport
”˜Our lives ”¦ will be changed forever”™
“We turned on CNN and, lo and behold, as we were watching it, the plane hit the second tower. I went home ”¦ and I immediately got out my dad”™s coffin flag and hung it proudly as an American ”¦ We got a call from (a) friend of ours, he worked at Goldman Sachs and somehow his flight had gotten into LaGuardia, but he couldn”™t get a cab home. His wife and my wife and I, we took the boat over to Port (Jefferson) and picked him up there. We are out on the Sound and you see the billowing smoke. ”¦ I think we were the only boat out there. ”¦ Our lives as we know it will be changed forever as a result of the events of 9/11.”
”“ Gerard Hallock, executive managing director, Colliers International, Stamford
”˜The good in all of us is greater than the evil of the few”™
“My brother, Adam Lewis, was killed during the 9/11 attacks … At the moment I turned on the TV (and this is how I remember it), a plane was crashing into the second tower toward the top and everything burst into flames. I”™m not sure how long I just stood there watching, holding my 15-month-old daughter, but I knew Adam was dead.
Adam ”“ he was an amazing kid. We were in Spain growing up, this is the silliest thing ”“ my dad had punished him for doing God knows what. My dad said, ”˜Kath, go get your brother.”™ The window was wide open ”“ he had jumped out. He couldn”™t have been more than 10, 11, he just made his getaway. He was always the ultimate risk-taker ”“ he just went for it.
Yes the aftermath of 9/11 has brought with it conflict and sometimes division, but when you look at the many acts of kindness and support that came to us as a family ”“ and to all the families affected by 9/11 ”“ you realize that the good in all of us is greater than the evil of the few.”
”“ Kathy Hebert, director, Norwalk Parking Authority
”˜That day ”¦ we were family”™
“I arrived in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11 and followed the gazes upward. ”¦ There was fear and confusion and even in those early hours, failure to comprehend the horror of what was happening around us. When the buildings fell, all went dark. How does a nation of fathers and mothers explain that to their children? Who picks up a car that has sat for weeks at a train station? Why would God allow this to be visited on the innocent? We still struggle with those questions; and in communities around New York, we still see the wounds to the friends and families of those lost.
I remember something else ”“ hundreds of people standing outside of hospitals to donate blood. Dust-covered strangers embracing. Firefighters, pipefitters and welders driving hours to help their brothers and sisters on that gothic pile. That day, and for sometime afterward, we were family. Our trivial concerns, the celebrity gossip, the endless media chatter faded to black as we remembered that we are at our best when we are drawn together in common purpose.”
”“ U.S. Rep. James Himes, Fourth District, Greenwich
”˜The message he left still haunts me today”™
“My husband worked as a (New York City) attorney in September of 2001, frequently having meetings in the World Trade Center. I was at home in Fairfield with a newborn daughter, just 2 months old. When I saw the news I tried calling him on his cell but couldn”™t get through; the circuits were overloaded. I didn”™t know his schedule for the day and was concerned he was in the building.
After hours of watching news, trying to reach him and worrying, I decided to take my daughter for a walk, as it was a perfect September day. Wouldn”™t you know it, he called the house while I was out on my walk. The message he left still haunts me today; he kept saying he was alright and that he had witnessed the second crash and that he was heading north to midtown. His voice was loud, his breathing was loud and he was out on the street, on the move. I was extremely relieved to hear from him, but the background of that two-minute call is what has stayed with me for 10 years: People were screaming and crying, sirens were a constant stream and there was a police officer telling people to ”˜Get out of here”™ and ”˜Head north.”™ I will never forget that call. He made it home safely many hours later, after riding on a silent Metro-North train car. He said the passengers were in shock, with one man in his car completely covered in ash. I have never been so happy to see him home from work as that day. How did that day affect him? He left New York and now works in Purchase, N.Y. He hopes to never have to commute to (New York City) again.
”“ Laura Roberts, Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County
”˜I never went back to the city”™
“I was on my way to conduct a ”˜wellness”™ fair on Wall Street. ”¦ As we approached 23rd Street people were running north ”¦ The bus stopped and announced that it was the last stop and that we all had to get off ”¦Â Still not knowing what on earth was going on, I ran as fast as I could to my Greene Street loft office. Everything that happened next was so surreal I cannot even remember getting from the bus to my office over 25 blocks away. Buses were driving by with windows blown out, unmarked black cars with tinted windows, people were running north covered in a grayish soot ”“ it looked like Beirut. And all I could think about was what they always scared us about in the past ”“ anthrax. My biggest fear! My thoughts were to just get to my office and stay inside.
Once I arrived, I looked through my picture window facing south and saw in front of my very own eyes, one of the towers totally disintegrate into a dust and then the other one. I do not think I could even comprehend what I was seeing ”¦
I never went back to the city after working there my entire career. I just couldn”™t go back. My life has never been the same. I think I have been to the city maybe (six to 10) times since 2001. And, I most always shy away from all bridges, trains, subways, tunnels, boats, tourist attractions and airplanes.
”“ Mia Schipani, vice president of business development, RMS Construction L.L.C.
”˜The U.S. rises again”™
“I still feel sucker-punched when reflecting on the horrific events that unfolded on Sept. 11, 2001. Those unspeakable attacks changed us as a nation forever. But when recently shooting a story at the World Trade Center site in preparation for the anniversary, I marveled at the new buildings going up. World Trade One soars more than 70 stories into the sky. World Trade 4 is nearly halfway to completion. World Trade 7 is open for business. And at the heart of it all are the footprints ”“ memorials to those iconic Twin Towers and the lives that were lost that day. I thought to myself, yes, we were changed as a nation Sept. 11, 2001 but those who sought to destroy us failed in their mission. Yes, they inflicted immeasurable sorrow, but as always the U.S. rises again. That”™s who we are. That”™s what we do. And that spirit can never be taken away.”
”“ Rebecca Surran, anchor and producer, News 12 CT, Norwalk
”˜That pain has endured these 10 years”™
“For all of us, the recollections of 9/11 are imprinted indelibly on our memories. That morning, I was in Greenwich at a construction site and the machine operator was the first person to hear the news. We all took it casually, thinking as so many did with that initial report that a small plane had gone off course and hit the tower. I remember looking up at the beautiful cobalt blue sky and thinking what a vintage September day it was. However, when the news came of the second plane, the day turned ugly.
A very good friend of mine was at the World Trade Center and his wife could not reach him. I went to their house, which was on the shore, and looked over to the Twin Towers and could see they were on fire. An F-16 screamed across Long Island Sound, with the afterburners leaving a scar on the still perfect sky. When I was finally able to reach my friend, who was walking away from the World Trade Center, he said it was like walking on the moon with the dust everywhere. While I did not lose anyone I knew that day, so many of my friends suffered the loss of loved ones and business colleagues and that pain has endured these 10 years for so many people. As mayor, I have the honor to preside over the 9/11 10th anniversary observances and it reminds me that the prolonged pain of our memories has made 9/11 one of the most devastating tragedies in the history of our nation. It is a tragedy we cannot and must not ever forget.”
”“ Mayor Michael Pavia, Stamford
”˜Rekindle the spirit of America”™
“Many meanings can be ascribed to 9/11. My understanding of the tragedy is a simple one ”“ America is still the land of the free and the home of the brave, however trite that may sound. On that day, men and women of decency and good faith became so much more than they thought they were because in a national crisis they demonstrated the kind of courage Hemingway aptly defined as ”˜grace under pressure.”™
The U.S. is at a moment of peril. We all sense it. Only recently, Vice President Joe Biden tried to reassure China”™s leaders and people that their assets were secure despite the downgrading of our country”™s credit rating. ”˜You”™re safe,”™ he told students at Sichuan University, but that two-word comment concealed an anxious sentiment that has taken on a global dimension. Quite simply, many of us fear America is not what it once was. The commemoration of 9/11 should be an occasion for all of us to step up and do the right thing because our country is at a critical time in its history as we stand at the threshold of the third millennium.
Let us all, then, undertake a conscious effort in large ways and small to rekindle the spirit of America, as business people, as civic leaders, as elected officials, as mothers and fathers, as public servants, as teachers and students. The return to greatness is not an easy path, but we owe it to the memory of those who died on 9/11.”
”“ Robert Dilenschneider, chairman, The Dilenschneider Group, Darien
”˜It took me on a different life path”™
“On 9/11, I was working for GE, but up until the year before I had worked on the 104th floor with Sandler O”™Neill. ”¦ Obviously I lost friends, but 9/11 was an event that was the first of a series of events that completely changed my life. ”¦ I lost my parents a few years later and I began to think about the world a little bit different, and I saw the value of putting things into my life that were different ”“ you know, not monetary. ”¦ It took me on a different life path.
You could feel the sense of people caring for each other more. The whole country was horrified and terrified, but they showed a degree of support. I would be walking down the halls (at GE) and people would just stop me and say, ”˜Are you OK?”™ They wouldn”™t even know me. That had a very profound impact on me. You saw it with people being kind to each other. The message coming out for me was this is about as bad as it gets but we were going to pull together. For a brief moment, that person you didn”™t even know, that person on the street became someone you had something in common with.
It was the Sunday after (9/11 and) the person I knew best, Buff, had not been found. You knew that people had died, but they hadn”™t identified anybody yet. In some kind of deranged way, people still had hope. For weeks after, (the New York Times) would run pictures and bios of people. The very first day, I opened it up and there was Buff. It hit me like a ton of bricks.”
”“ Michael Johnston, CEO, United Way of Western Connecticut, Danbury
”˜The nation (is) more resilient”™
“With the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaching, my thoughts are fixed on the more than 3,000 innocents slaughtered that sparkling Indian summer day, killed in the name of a violent, extremist exploitation of Islam. Their families, friends and all Americans must know that their legacy endures in innumerable ways ”“ through the unflagging work of their families, foundations and nonprofit groups established to do good in their names and the evolution our country has undergone to make us safer.
We are safer than before 9/11 because we have reorganized our structures and ideas. We now have a Department of Homeland Security, whose primary mission is to coordinate the prevention of and response to disasters, whether natural or man-made. The department has steadily improved, especially in creating partnerships with state and local officials on the front lines of homeland security.
We have also reorganized our intelligence community, at the behest of the 9/11 Commission, which could not answer the simple question: ”˜Who”™s in charge?”™ We established a director of National Intelligence to improve information sharing and coordinate the work of our intelligence agents, scattered among 14 different federal agencies. Our domestic intelligence has ramped up too, with the FBI radically transformed from a law enforcement agency focused on solving crimes after they have been committed to an intelligence driven organization primed to find and stop terrorists before they strike.
Because 100 percent security can never be guaranteed in a country as big, free and open as ours, the nation has worked to make itself more resilient. ”¦ By putting in place systems that draw on the combined experience of intelligence, law enforcement, and rescue and recovery agencies from all levels of government, we have better positioned ourselves to both prevent and recover from a terrorist attack in the future.
And that is the best tribute we can pay to the memory of the 3,000 innocents the terrorists killed a decade ago on 9/11/01.”
”“ U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, Stamford
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”˜We came together as a community”™
“It was an unsettling time in my life because it was difficult to grasp the magnitude of what had happened. I guess you might call it complex and confusing. I was in my office when our office manager opened my door to let me know what happened. TVs were turned on and we witnessed in real time what had happened. There was mostly silence among the viewers. Anger, sadness, fear and then hope, faith (lots of faith) and comfort to those in need.
Our community was hurt badly as many in Darien work in the financial district (in New York City). All we could do was to pray that there would be survivors. There is always a silver lining in a tragedy if you look for it. ”¦ We came together as a community and country and that spirit seemed to survive for a while. My hope is that we never forget what happened, how and why we responded the way we did as individuals and as a country.”
”“ Dick Albu, president, Albu Consulting L.L.C., Stamford
”˜The response was amazing”™
“The phones were ringing. Businesses were calling to see what precautions were being made in Stamford in case of an attack to its downtown. ”¦ The next several hours the chamber office was consumed with telephone calls and electronic communications. The next day, working with the Stamford chapter of the (American) Red Cross, we discovered they were having challenges. Although millions of dollars were being donated to the national Red Cross, none of these donations were reaching the Stamford chapter to help cover the cost of their engagement with the people who lost loved ones in the Stamford area. ”¦ We then communicated with the business community letting them know the local chapter needed their help. The response was amazing. People wanted to do something even if it was just donating money. Within two days we were able to raise $25,000. All of these funds went to the Stamford chapter of the Red Cross for their relief effort for the victims here in Stamford.”
”“ Jack Condlin, CEO, Stamford Chamber of Commerce
”˜You felt as though you were on a cloud”™
“I was a salesman for IBM (in the early 1970s). My job required me to visit every firm in the World Trade Center. At that time, the top third of the two tallest buildings was totally vacant. I visited every floor looking for prospects. This was before the security we now take for granted was in place. I remember standing in the middle of the top floors and being able to see out of all four sides of the building. From that vantage point you could look down on small aircraft flying by.
Decades later I visited the same floor, which was then open to the public for observation. On very rare occasions when it was a warm day and there was very little breeze, they would open public access to the roof. From the roof you felt as though you were on a cloud with unobstructed views on all sides. ”¦
As a memorial to 9/11 and Brookfield residents killed as a result of terrorism, the Brookfield Rotary Club created the Rotary Memorial Garden in front of the Brookfield Town Hall. This year on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Rotarians will participate with local police, firemen, VFW and students by holding a memorial service in the garden.”
”“ Russ Cornelius, president, Housatonic Valley Rotary Club, Brookfield
”˜I knew he was safe”™
“I remember it like yesterday ”“ such a scary, sad feeling ”“ watching the towers collapse brought me to tears and still can today. My husband at the time had been at the World Trade Center when the bombing took place in 1993. ”¦ He had just left on the train when that happened, so I was very glad he was with me on 9/11 and I knew he was safe.”
”“ Ann Marie Deweese, vice president and branch manager, JPMorgan Chase, Newtown
”˜The repercussions are still being felt”™
“While I was in (New York City) at the time the towers went down, my personal inconveniences were minor and unremarkable compared to the hardship so many others faced. ”¦ It was a terrible day and the repercussions are still being felt by us all in so many ways, both emotionally and economically.
On a personal level, I”™m honored to be part of the design team, led by architects Fred Schwartz and Jessica Jamroz, that created “Empty Sky,” New Jersey”™s 9/11 memorial, slated to be dedicated in Liberty State Park on Sept. 10 of this year. I believe it will be a fitting and moving tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives on that awful day.”
”“ Alexander Isley, CEO, Alexander Isley Inc., Redding
”˜All we saw was the smoke”™
“I was at a client”™s office in Norwalk that actually had a view of the Twin Towers, albeit in the distance. Their Internet was down and no one had a radio or TV so we did not know what was happening. The wife of an associate called me looking for her husband, who was on his way (to New York City). She was the one that told me what was going on. We went to the window and looked in the distance ”“ all we saw was the smoke. It was surreal. I processed the event as best as I could, got in my car and went to my kid”™s school to grab my kids. Spent the day at home watching it all.”
”“ David Lewis, CEO, OperationsInc, Stamford
”˜Children are the most vulnerable”™
“I was working in Save the Children”™s Westport headquarters that day. ”¦ I had worked in that very complex years before as an employee of American Express and walked through the Trade Center every day. Once I got to my office, I turned on the nearby TV and the enormity of the situation started to sink in. I saw the devastation play out on that morning most of us won”™t forget.
In our more than 90 years, Save the Children has helped children cope and recover in times of extreme crisis. But our work in this area had never before focused on children in the U.S. On 9/11 that changed.
As the tragic events unfolded, our top experts who work with emotionally distressed children affected by man-made and natural disasters around the world became concerned. They knew from experience that the sooner you can step in to support children to feel safe and secure in their surroundings, the better the outcome for their future well-being. ”¦ (Sept. 11), followed by the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina a few years later, changed the course of Save the Children”™s work in the U.S. It became clear to us that there was a severe lack of preparedness to help protect children and support their recovery in domestic emergency response. Since then, we have worked with the Federal Emergency Management Association and state and city governments, including New York City, to ensure children”™s needs are included in their emergency plans. ”¦
Save the Children is spearheading an effort to ensure that basic emergency preparedness plans are in place in child care and school facilities around the country. ”¦ only 17 states meet the four basic requirements for protecting children ”“ an unsettling reality that we as a nation must overcome.
A lot of progress has been made in the past 10 years, but a lot more needs to be done. Children are the most vulnerable during a crisis, the impact of a disaster on them is unique and their needs should not be an afterthought.”
”“ Carolyn Miles, CEO, Save the Children, Westport
”˜The burning smell that hung like a fog”™
“Our office of 20 people was stunned ”“ everyone knew we were sharing and supporting each other through a national catastrophe. I had the same feeling of when I was in grade school and watched the Challenger catastrophe with my classmates. ”¦ In the days, weeks and months that followed the sense of bonding and support for friends, colleagues and neighbors was palpable. We shared our stories of what had happened that day as a way to heal ”“ but unable to shake what had happened especially under the burning smell that hung like a fog throughout the city.
Looking back now ”“ I was very lucky ”“ I did not lose any friends and I was not called back to the military. In December 2000 I just left the Army as a captain after five years and did not join the Army Reserve. I had friends both in the Reserves and on active duty that went to Iraq and Afghanistan and thankfully they have come home safely. My heart goes out to all the people and families that were impacted that day and in the last 10 years of war (who) were not as fortunate.”
”“ Russell Munz, president, Pyramid Real Estate Group, Stamford
”˜Wondering how the sun could still be shining”™
“On that day I was out early headed to Hartford for a meeting and appreciating the bright sun and perfectly beautiful cloudless sky as I drove. The radio brought the news and stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and headed home. Later, glued to the television, I kept looking out the window and wondering how the sun could still be shining and the sky could be so clear when the dust in lower Manhattan was still rising ”“ such a contrast to the devastation and the assault that was unfolding.
The bright, cloudless skies of late summer now remind me of that sad day and cause me to pause for a momentary memorial. Looking up I am reminded of how we can one minute cry, the next laugh, and then cry again and also that we are not meant to cry forever. Beautiful things in the world are as constant as the sun and the sky and remind us of the good that there is in life. All those that died laughed before we cried for them and we honor them by remembering them that way ”“ in their beauty, not their horror.”
”“ Ryan Odinak, executive director, Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County, Fairfield
”˜The world was on fire”™
“Who could ever forget that morning? I have four kids; two of them lived in lower Manhattan (East Village) that day. ”¦ When I got back to the office shortly after the plane hit the tower, my assistant Linda told me that my daughter, Tracy, had called, and was hysterical, frantically reporting that the world was on fire, there was smoke all around her and she was going to the school to pick up her daughters. ”¦ I was a mess. I tried again and again to reach my daughter, and finally we connected. She told me she was in a bakery picking up some things for a morning meeting and all of a sudden, the streets were filled with ash and people were running. She felt like the city was on fire. She was crying, and really confused and worried about her children. I later found out that they had been picked up by her husband, who was able to get through on his motorcycle.
Just writing this ”¦ there are tears in my eyes as I recall the fear and sorrow I felt for them and for America and for all those who died and were dying. The chamber was helping the town to plan a big event for that September … a celebration of all good things in Fairfield. I think it was called ”˜Celebrate Fairfield.”™ Of course, there was absolutely nothing to celebrate and the event was canceled.”
”“ Patricia Ritchie, CEO, Fairfield Chamber of Commerce
”˜Our greatest sources of pride”™
“For many, Sept. 11, 2001 was an experience which inspired a deeper level of concern for others and a greater desire to help. Over the last decade, we”™ve seen people the world over invest their time and money to help others recover from natural disasters, strengthen local communities and advance the opportunities of those in need. The commitment to the well-being of others, which our own workforce demonstrates over and over, is among our greatest sources of pride.”
”“ Laurie Schupmann, partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Stamford
”˜We must build a new America”™
“(9/11) changed how Americans view terrorism and themselves. Prior to the events at the World Trade Center, we saw random acts of domestic terrorism carried out primarily by American extremists, the worst being the bombing in Oklahoma City. The events of 9/11, which included not just the World Trade Center, but the Pentagon in Washington and the derailed efforts of Flight 93, reflected a large scale group of foreign nationals attempting to disrupt the American way of life. In fact, the acts carried out on 9/11 have dramatically impacted our behavior and the culture of our nation.
We have changed our behavior at our borders, making it more difficult for visitors and students to come to America. The psychology of the American citizen has become xenophobic, with a fear of anyone with a Middle-Eastern appearance. And we have been called upon as a nation to be constantly alert to the risks of terrorism. All this undermines the extraordinary cultural heritage of America.
Our openness and our ”˜can-do”™ attitude, put within the context of a nation representing a melting pot, have been undermined. We must work diligently to restore our cultural values, while not failing to be alert to the challenge pointed out by 9/11. We must build a new America, one which combines the caution required in the real world and the idealistic values that have represented America”™s spirit.”
”“ William Berkley, CEO, W.R. Berkley Corp., Greenwich
”˜Jarring reminder of our mortality”™
“For weeks, everyone at Greenwich Hospital had been preparing for the three-year ritual review by the Joint Commission, that organization responsible for hospital accreditation, which would conduct a rigorous five-day comprehensive survey beginning on a beautiful summer morning ”¦ of Sept. 11, 2001. At 8:45 a.m., as we were walking out of the opening conference with our managers and the five representatives from the commission, someone rushed up to me and said, ”˜A plane just hit the World Trade Center.”™
At the time, my office was on the sixth floor of the old building in the south wing, and I could see the first tower burning, so I turned on the TV. Some of us went up to the roof and saw the billow of smoke rising like an ominous plume out of the second tower.
Terrified, we watched this life-and-death drama unfold from a distance and then in utter horror, we witnessed the buildings fall. The enormity of the tragedy was beyond words.
It was an unforgettable time for our institution. … Recognizing our country was under attack, our employees came together as a family. Many of them knew someone from the community who perished that day. I believe a crisis like 9/11 brings out the best in our humanity and over the next few days I saw evidence of that as professionals from Greenwich Hospital went to the city to volunteer and assist in the rescue effort. People were looking for any way they could help.
The next day, we had a memorial service in our lobby and made a decision to do something as a lasting tribute to those who died, so we created a garden on the hospital grounds, which opened in 2006 and contains a work by a sculptor from New York who saw the destruction firsthand. It is a touching memorial that we placed in the southwest corner of our garden directly in line to where the Twin Towers stood. Members of the New York City Fire Department attended the dedication service.
The national tragedy of 9/11 has many layers of meaning and memory for us all, particularly for those who suffered personal loss. For me, it is a poignant and yet jarring reminder of our mortality. It made me realize once again how short life is. We all have an expiration date and need to enjoy each day to the fullest because it could be our last. Everyone who went to work that morning thought they would see their families at night. A tragedy like 9/11 lets you prioritize what is truly important in life ”“ your family, caring for others, good health and love.”
”“ Frank Corvino, CEO, Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich
”˜The unsung heroes of that day”™
“Ten years after Sept. 11, 2001, I want to acknowledge the selfless efforts of the hundreds of Food Emporium employees, especially those working in the (New York City) stores, for setting aside their own concerns and fears to help and serve others. They worked long hours as a team, extending their shift as the next was unable to get into the city and remained seemingly tireless taking care of the thousands of customers that flocked to the stores. For me, they are among the unsung heroes of that day.”
”“ Cheryl Palmer, corporate vice president, Club Quarters, Stamford; former president, The Food Emporium
”˜For those alumni who were killed”™
“In 2001, I was the dean of Fordham College in the Bronx, and on Sept. 11, I was in Cincinnati. ”¦ I had a rental car ”“ there were no flights of course ”“ so I called up Hertz and said, ”˜I have one of your cars and I”™m driving it to New York.”™ I crossed the Hudson River at Albany, well north of New York City since the river crossings closer to the city were closed. I remember finally arriving in the Bronx and I could smell it in the air ”“ the fire. From the top of a couple of the taller buildings at Fordham you could look down into Manhattan and see the pillar of smoke rising from the site. Fortunately, none of our students were affected because 9/11 was a Tuesday and internships happened at the end of the week. But ”¦ over 40 Fordham alumni were killed and a number of faculty and staff lost relatives.
As president of Fairfield (University) now, I”™m acutely aware of the lingering impact 9/11 has had on the Fairfield community. There were 14 Fairfield University alumni who were killed in the World Trade Center. For an institution our size ”“ with so many of our alumni and our neighbors working in financial services ”“ 9/11 had a disproportionate impact. We will be holding a service of remembrance for those alumni who were killed on our campus this Sept. 11. Like some people, it took me awhile before I could bring myself to go down to lower Manhattan to look at the site. For over a year-and-a-half, I couldn”™t bring myself to go there.”
”“ President Jeffrey von Arx, Fairfield University, Fairfield
”˜When the world stopped turning”™
“Ten years have passed and today so many of our youth only know of this national tragedy as pages in history books, color photos in magazines or clips from the media. At the time, they were children in primary schools that closed early because America was under attack. Even now, they are unfamiliar with the unimaginable horror and wrenching pain. Will this memory become ever more distant as time passes?
Can this generation come to understand the senselessness of hate? How do we teach and transform society so that loss and pain inspire greater tolerance and understanding? We must pause and look deep within our hearts and souls in remembrance. For on that day, the world did stop. None of us could believe that evil in the name of God could assume such monstrous proportions and be transformed into pure hatred. From that senseless and vile destruction, stereotypes and prejudices blossomed wrongly. Faith became political, and it was almost as if God was forced to choose sides.
Clearly, we need to give reverence to those who died senselessly. We need to give comfort to those who suffered pain and loss. We need to remember the fright, the destruction and the deaths.As we remember these things, let us also acknowledge that the same God we call forth in prayer is the God who binds us together as sisters and brothers. And let us also remember those who suffered 10 years ago when the world stopped turning.”
”“ John Petillo, president, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield
”˜We could save lives ”¦ we never got the chance”™
“Although the tide of injured we expected never arrived at area hospitals, I am still awed to this day by the ready response of all levels of hospital employees to come to the aid of their fellow New Yorkers. 9/11 was one of the bleakest days I ever experienced in health care, but I and my colleagues were buoyed by the fact that we could save lives. Unfortunately, we never got the chance to do that.” ”“ Kevin Dahill, president and CEO, Northern Metropolitan Hospital Association
(At the time of 9/11, Mr. Dahill was president and CEO of New York United Hospital in Port Chester.)
”˜Rekindle the spirit of America”™
“Many meanings can be ascribed to 9/11. My understanding of the tragedy is a simple one ”“ America is still the land of the free and the home of the brave, however trite that may sound. On that day, men and women of decency and good faith became so much more than they thought they were because in a national crisis they demonstrated the kind of courage Hemingway aptly defined as ”˜grace under pressure.”™
The U.S. is at a moment of peril. We all sense it. Only recently, Vice President Joe Biden tried to reassure China”™s leaders and people that their assets were secure despite the downgrading of our country”™s credit rating. ”˜You”™re safe,”™ he told students at Sichuan University, but that two-word comment concealed an anxious sentiment that has taken on a global dimension. Quite simply, many of us fear America is not what it once was. The commemoration of 9/11 should be an occasion for all of us to step up and do the right thing because our country is at a critical time in its history as we stand at the threshold of the third millennium.
Let us all, then, undertake a conscious effort in large ways and small to rekindle the spirit of America, as business people, as civic leaders, as elected officials, as mothers and fathers, as public servants, as teachers and students. The return to greatness is not an easy path, but we owe it to the memory of those who died on 9/11.”
”“ Robert Dilenschneider, chairman, The Dilenschneider Group, New York City
”˜It made us stronger as a country”™
“Sept. 11 was the most horrific day in our lives. We lost so many people in the terrorist attack, but we also saw the heroism and tremendous unity New Yorkers shared that day ”“ and continue to share.
I will be at Ground Zero for the dedication of the 10th anniversary monument and to be with the families of the victims. I hope it brings some measure of comfort to all who lost someone during the attack on our country. We also have to remember, and keep remembering and taking care of, the first responders who came to the rescue ”“ our firemen, policemen, EMS workers ”“ who rushed to help get people out of the towers and to safety and how many risked their lives doing it. Also to remember the people who helped in the cleanup and put their hearts into it.
The terrorists may have taken down the Trade Center, but they brought out the best in us as a state and a country ”“ it showed our enemies that Americans pulled together to help each other. It made us stronger as a country. We will truly ”˜never forget.”™”
”“ U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
”˜Dan was confirmed gone”™
“When my colleague at the New York City marketing firm where we worked said the radio reported a plane hitting the North Tower, we, like many, figured it was a small Piper-type aircraft. As we learned more and grew increasingly distraught the entire office starting phoning loved ones to alert them that we were not downtown at that time, but at the office and unharmed.
A short time afterward, I got the call about Dan. Danny Harlin, a neighbor and New York City firefighter who lived with his wife and children a half-mile from us in our Kent Lakes (Putnam County) town was missing. His midtown crew was among the first to enter the North Tower ”“ just before it fell. That awful second call came just before I left the office ”“ Dan was confirmed gone, and I wept for him, his family and us all.
The following week as I was heading back to my office with a client and noticed a nearby engine company”™s tribute to their 9/11 fallen ”“ Dan”™s name was among them. His company had been my company, for my New York City office building. My neighbor would also have been my personal hero should an event have befallen where I worked. I wept, again.”
”“ Bill DelTosta, director of sales and marketing, Mid-Hudson Workshop for the Disabled, Poughkeepsie
A tribute: Remembering 9/11
By Laura Katen
Covered in gray ash, my dad walked through the door. Tired and worn, he looked at us and silently proceeded upstairs. Still in ashen clothes, he crawled into bed.
He has really never spoken about what he saw or heard on Sept. 11 2001 but he had come home ”“ so many others did not. His story, like many, was extraordinary. For me, it was a reaffirmation of my faith, a reminder of how fragile life is and a resurgence that every moment matters.
On Sept. 6 the buildings glistened in the sunlight. It was a perfect day ”“ 70 degrees, crisp with an ultra-blue cloudless sky. As I walked to Tower 2 of the World Trade Center, I thought there wasn”™t a more perfect day to have lunch in the park with my dad.
I looked at the visitor”™s pass and then at the picture that had just been taken and thought, Does anyone”™s picture ever look good? When I looked up my dad was standing there. He always looked so happy and proud when we met for lunch. As we rode in the elevator to the 91st floor he said he wanted me to meet some of his colleagues. I met five that day.
He quickly straightened his desk. A 28-year veteran of the Army, my dad was loyal to his routine, very organized and extremely disciplined. (It was those qualities that would concern me the most as the events of the following week happened.) We picked up sandwiches and ate them in Battery Park ”“ right near his office.
He looked at his watch ”“ “another 10 minutes and then we”™ll start to walk back” ”“ and smiled. My dad was prompt and punctual. (Another quality that, in retrospect, could have cost him his life).
We finished our sandwiches and went back to his office. I kissed him goodbye, watched him go inside and was on my way home.
On Sept 10, my mom, a Middle East expert and professor of political science, had mentioned on the phone that the light on the porch had burned out and it was difficult to see her way into the driveway and up the front steps. “Where”™s dad?” I said. “He”™s staying late at work to finish a big project for a meeting tomorrow,” she said. (My dad”™s excellent work ethic and deep sense of dedication would end up saving his life).
She called him to ask him if he”™d replace the bulb when he got home. He ended up taking the last train and walked home. Exhausted, he decided to change the bulb in the morning.
The next morning, Sept. 11, he changed the bulb but missed his train. He was going to arrive at 9 a.m. instead of his normal 7:30 a.m. My mom had left early to teach her class, so she did not know he would miss his train.
I was working as a manager of a REIT. At around 8:45 a.m. we turned on the news. One of my colleagues said, “Oh my God, a plane crashed into an apartment building in the Bronx.” I looked up just long enough to say “That”™s terrible” then resumed my work. “No wait a minute,” she said, “it hit the Twin Towers!”
“What? My dad works in the World Trade Center.”
I rushed to my desk to call my mom. “I can”™t reach him,” she said, her voice strong but gentle. My father refused to get a cell phone. We had no option but to wait.
“Mom, I want to come home. Change my clothes.”
“What are you wearing?”
“A black suit.”
“Stay in it.” Her voice was strong and definitive. “We don”™t know what”™s going to happen this afternoon.”
What? She was the eternal optimist. Did she believe he was dead?
I fell to the floor and wept uncontrollably. There was nothing I could do. Nothing any of us could do, but wait.
As it turns out, my dad arrived to the lobby of his building as Tower 2 was being hit. He helped a couple of women get away from the building. He kept walking, toward and over the Brooklyn bridge, as many had done that day.
I am certain if my father had not stayed to change the bulb he would have been at his desk at 7:30 a.m. I am certain if he had been on the 91st floor, his military training would have kicked in preventing him from leaving and sacrificing his own life to help others. I am certain if God hadn”™t graced us that day his would have been one of the many lives lost. Fifteen of his colleagues did die.
This experience has affected my core. I wanted to achieve two goals before I died ”“ running the NYC marathon with my dad and starting a company to help students and job seekers learn workplace skills. My time was 4:50:00 and our company is Enhance Your Chance.
Lives were changed that day. Mine for the better. To everyone who lost someone, there are those of us who will never forget.
Laura Katen owns Katen Consulting L.L.C. in Harrison.
”˜They were on the plane”™
“That morning I boarded a US Airways flight bound for Washington, D.C., from Boston. I was later than usual and was on the 9 a.m. flight. The plane made the usual slow maneuvers around Logan International Airport and was still climbing when the pilot announced we were going to circle quickly and return to the airport. No one knew what was going on. When I got off the plane, all of the television sets in the terminal were turned off. It was very eerie.
I rushed to a spot where I could see a television and learned that two planes from Boston had crashed into the World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon. My cell phone was ringing. First my brother, asking if I was on the ground, then others. I left the airport, going into the same garage that later I would learn was where the terrorists had parked their car.
I first stopped at my mother”™s house to assure her that I was OK and then rushed to the office of the JASON Project (in Waltham, Mass.) where a team of teachers from around the nation were holding a meeting. It was then that I learned that we lost a JASON Project teacher, Hilda Taylor, and the director of the National Geographic Geography Education Program, Joe Ferguson. They were on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. As I was the youth minister of a large suburban church, in addition to my duties at the JASON Project, I left to help the pastor organize a prayer service for the community, fully expecting that some of my contemporaries from the town who also traveled for work might have been killed. As it turned out, none were, but one of them was on the George Washington Bridge and witnessed the planes crashing into the World Trade Center.”
”“ Stephen Coan, CEO, Sea Research Foundation Inc., Mystic (operator of Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration and Immersion Learning)
”˜An inspiration to all”™
“As we tried to absorb the news of the 9/11 tragedy, many of us looked for ways to help those who were personally affected by the sudden and devastating loss of their loved ones. For those fortunate not to be as directly impacted as others, perhaps it was a way to process our sense of loss, as well.
Pullman & Comley put the word out among our clients, professional colleagues and through the Red Cross that our attorneys and staff were available to assist Connecticut families with the administration of 9/11 victims”™ estates on a pro bono basis. We have been privileged to work with a number of Fairfield County families. The extraordinary pain and loss of their experience will never be forgotten; however, the strength, faith and healing they have demonstrated during the course of the past 10 years has, and continues to be, an inspiration to all who have the honor to know them.”
”“ Deborah Breck, member, Pullman & Comley, Bridgeport
”˜Our will, when challenged, triumphed in glory”™
“Since 9/11, American”™s have struggled to find that sense of safety and security that we always considered a natural tenet of American life. Beginning immediately after the attack, we were being advised to look over our shoulders, watch for suspicious people or actions and report them quickly. Our country moved with unity and dispatch to two wars, scores of new statues and spent trillions.
Time has afforded me an opportunity to conclude that all the might of war, law and money simply obscures the most potent element of our capacity to protect our freedom. We the people and our uncanny will to succeed is the most powerful element among the complex options available to us when challenged. We proved that as a people, we are indefatigable, perseverant and incredibly resilient. We value our collective freedom above self. We will spare no sacrifice to ensure that our nation and our families live the American life to its full potential. Some were skeptical of the American will after 9/11. Some predicted we were so spoiled with the good life that we would lack the stamina that combat and sacrifice requires. They were so wrong.
There is much to be said about the efficacy of several of the initiatives that proceeded 9/11. But no one in this nation or this planet can question the effectiveness of American will in moving successfully beyond 9/11. This sacred value that has been fundament to all struggles since 1776, bound us, strengthened us and inspired us to carry on. We should all feel safer and more secure knowing that our will, when challenged, triumphed in glory. I”™m sure (terrorists) note that as well.
”“ Joe Carbone, CEO, The Workplace Inc., Bridgeport