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I remember how blue the sky was and that there was not a single cloud in the sky. I was getting ready to hop on a NJ Transit train to my job as a restaurant server in New Brunswick, NJ. I was just about to leave when I saw the first plane crash into the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46 AM EST.
The train station saw everyone focused on a small TV hanging from the ceiling and broadcasting the news from New York City. The room gasped as the next aircraft struck the South Tower. I boarded my train and everyone was buzzing about what had happened. People were scared and trying to contact friends and loved ones. I got off the train and went to my job. In the restaurant, we watched the news with the constant replay of the tragedy that was unfolding. The owner of the restaurant decided to close a few hours later. I remember using my cell phone to try to reach friends and family that worked in New York and finding that the network was overloaded and that I could not reach any of them. Social media was not yet prevalent and there was no way for people to check in that they were safe.
I can remember heading back home and seeing people getting off of their trains covered in the dust that filled the air after the buildings collapsed. I made it back home and remember the feelings of sorrow, shock, and uncertainty that everyone collectively felt that day and the healing that 23 years later is still ongoing for so many. I did not know anyone well that was lost that day. Classmates lost parents and family spoke of neighbors that were tragically lost. One of my closest friends was working near the WTC and thankfully he was okay and walked home across the Brooklyn Bridge. My heart breaks for everyone that lost their lives and those of loved ones that September day, now many years ago.
Matthew at Live and Let’s Fly shared a FlyerTalk thread that I have found myself reading every year for the past decade or so. The poster shares the details of flying on 9/11 and listening to United’s Channel 9, which provides a feed of the pilot’s interaction with air traffic control. The account is well written and harrowing. I suggest giving it a read here.
Following the attacks 9/11, the Department of Transportation (DOT) required that all commercial airline passengers reviewed the security risks and screened each passenger at the airport. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act created the TSA in November 2001 and shoes, coats, x-rays, and all the rest of the security that we now go through daily came to be part of the air travel experience.
Anthony’s Take: There is nothing special about my experience and I have no more to say than anyone else. I’m thankful that I did not suffer personal loss and my heart breaks for everyone that did. Today is a day that will forever be held in the collective memories of every citizen of the United States and much of the world. The blue sky and tragic images on TV will always stay with me. Air travel changed forever that day with security and other changes remaining 23 years later. Remember today to hug your loved ones, call your friends and family, and cherish the time together. Where were you on 9/11?
(Image Credits: Hasan Kurt and Jesse Mills.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
