Reflections on 9/11

I spent parts of yesterday and today reading stories of the people who were killed on 9/11 and what the first responders went through as they attempted to save as many of the victims as possible amid the dust and destruction of the twin towers.               

Twenty-Five years later the first responders are suffering from various illnesses including cancers because of cleaning up in the ruins. No one seemed to know at the time how dangerous the dust was from the crash. There were stories of loved ones killed in the attack as well as those who acted courageously on the planes in trying to abort the terrorists.

It is one of those events where each of us remembers exactly where we were when we got the news. My daughter in law Courtney, was coming home for a concert. Her remembrance was accessible to her in detail. There were stories of athletes who perished as the brokerage houses tended to want athletes in their firms because they were regarded as highly competitive. I wrote a 9/11 post yesterday about Welles Crowthers, a former athlete, volunteer fireman, who returned up into the tower to save others when he could have made it down to safe ground. After recovering information about his son, his father discovered that his son was completing an application to become a New York City fireman. Various people were changing jobs to be of service to others.

I was sitting with our Head of School in his office talking about business of the day when his secretary came in and told us to turn on the TV. It was about 9 and we saw the destruction right before our eyes. We had difficulty determining what was going on until an announcer made it official that this was a terrorist attack via airplanes.

We knew that it was possible that some of our parents might be involved so we put our heads together and worked out a plan that would help our students as they would be getting the news sooner rather than later.

Parents were calling trying to locate their children. Cellphone lines were overwhelmed so it was difficult for connections to be made. We decided to make the chapel the center piece for help as sanctuary means safety. I had all my team of chaplains and psychologists come to the chapel where they could be available for anyone who needed to talk and process this tragedy. We made the chapel a central place for anyone to come as individuals and classes. Many parents came to the chapel to pick up their children or just stay and be with students in the chapel. I told the people in the chapel as soon as we had information about the event, I would let them know. Their unit heads were doing the same thing.

It was easier for some to talk in a group with their friends. Others could ask us to join them. We focused on what each person or group would need. We read out loud some of the psalms that underscored safety and offered prayers.

As I looked out at the chapel, I saw people who were respectful of other’s space and contrary to what you must think, it was a place of peace with everyone concerned about the safety of others. We had alumni working in that area of the financial district who called me to give me an update on what it was like on the ground as everyone was leaving the financial district on foot crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in waves to evacuate.

We always remember the events of 9/11 each year in chapel and some of those alumni with first-hand experience of the event were powerful speakers.

There were two personal issues that come to mind. Our basketball coach and his wife were upset because their oldest son worked in one of the towers. He was delayed that morning, and we finally found out that news. As fate would have it, their youngest son was to be in a plane that was due to be flying overhead over New York City at the same time as the explosions of the buildings. He was found to be safe and missed all the tragedy going on below. The parents of these two alumni were greatly relieved parents.

At some point in the day, I learned that a plane had flown into the Pentagon. My brother was a research physicist there with the highest clearance as his specialty was fluid dynamics particularly an expert on how a bullet or missile moves through a barrel of a gun. If you have seen the movie, Charlie Wilson’s War, my brother was his Pentagon contact when the Congressman needed help when Charlie Wilson was trying to get help for the Afghan freedom fighters who were fighting against the Russians.

Because my brother had such as high security clearance he was working deeply in the underground at the Pentagon where initially they had no idea what was going on. His son, my nephew, was an attorney in Philly and was unable to reach him as well. 9/11 introduced how primitive cell phone connections were at that time. He was one of those pentagon workers who had to crawl across the ground after leaving the building until he was in a safe place.

Michael Smerconish was an EA parent who wanted to make sure that 9/11 was not forgotten. He is a talking head for CNN. Michael was helpful in providing speakers who made it possible for us to have speakers who were very informed about the events of that 9/11 day. Michael wrote a book, The Man Who Stopped the Hijacker. It is a gripping story of men and women who changed history on American ground. All proceeds were donated to the flight 93 National Memorial. Mike also handed out 9/11 pins to a combined middle and upper school chapel.

We lost one alumnus, Jeffrey Coale in the attack. He was the wine steward at the Windows of the World Restaurant at the very top of a tower to check his inventory. He was never there at that time of day. I made it a point to contact his parents on subsequent 9/11 days. When the 9/11 museum was opened, Vicki and I went to New York to go through it. I made a point to find his name and profile and to say a prayer as I touched his statement.