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I remember exactly where I was when I heard that a plane had flown into one of the World Trade Center towers. Traffic was bad on 128 (when is it not?) so I was taking the back way to Cambridge and had stopped in Davis Square to get a bagel. I remember thinking that something like a Cessna or other light plane must have had problems. A few minutes later the news said it was a commercial airliner. I was in total disbelief initially then thought it must have been a terrible accident. When the second plane hit I realized what was happening.

Two friends (Jim Hewitt and Dawn Wise) and I were standing next to the window of our office so we could get reception on an FM radio. None of the news websites like CNN or NY Times were accessible due to the heavy web traffic. The company I worked for (CertCo) had an office at 55 Broad Street in Manhattan. At least one person walked by the Towers on their way to work. There were some very tense moments while everyone was accounted for. Thankfully nobody in the office was hurt.

Senior management made the decision to close the office. I spent the rest of the day in front of the TV with my girlfriend (now wife) watching the events unfold. Late in the afternoon I received a call from the Duty Officer (I was still a reserve Intelligence Specialist with the Navy) letting me know to be prepared for “the call”. That call never came, at least for me.

Our prayers go out to those who were not so fortunate and especially to their families.

–Chris

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