Many people
enjoyed that view through the years, so what made
it so personal and unique for me? I will answer that
question by explaining how I came to be on those
towers, how that tragedy has impacted us, and how
our future has changed. In many ways we now
have A DIFFERENT VIEW.
I married a woman from New York
named Adele. She
was so excited to take me for my first-ever trip
to New York to visit her home and her former workplace.
Her workplace for 10 years was on the 71st floor
of the WTC. During the 1993 terrorist bombing Adele
was interviewed on TV after walking down the stairs
through all the smoke. After that original attack,
Mario Cuomo, New York 's state governor, told journalists: "We
all have that feeling of being violated. No foreign
people or force has ever done this to us. Until now
we were invulnerable." That statement
describes my feelings as we adjust to the reality
of war with the terrorists who want to destroy our
way of life. Let's discuss the impact of
that event on our lives.
I am sure all of you can remember the
numbness and disbelief you felt as you watched the
horror of that day. We had a TV on our floor that
morning for training and turned it on when we heard
the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane. Was
it a terrible accident? As soon as I saw the second
plane hit the second tower I knew how it would affect
my wife and I left to pick her up at work. We went
home and watched the news in disbelief as her buildings
fell. Some of her close friends who worked nearby
were emailing us photos as the events unfolded. We
wanted to be there with them, yet were glad we weren't
at the same time. It was an agonizing two weeks before
we learned that most of her closest friends survived
the attack. Those were HER towers and HER
friends. This was very personal!
In
May 2002, we returned to Ground Zero. The changes
to the landscape and emotions were dramatic. We
frequently hear from family and friends how their
lives have changed. Daily life is now more complicated
because of increased security procedures and restrictions.
Most people have accepted those inconveniences
as a necessary way of life.
Our economy also suffered
a serious setback. Adele was one of the
many statistics who lost her job as
companies struggled to rebound. After 2 years
she has not been able to find a comparable job
in technology management to replace the income
we enjoyed before the attacks.
How can we put that historical event in
perspective and enjoy our future? We
visit New York City at least once each year and
personally observe how the city is healing and
rebuilding. It is an eerie feeling to stand at
the actual site of the tragedy and wonder if it
could happen again.
There was no way we could have prepared for the
emotions and consequences after that attack. I
appreciate the actions President Bush has taken
to respond. I will always support any leader who
has the vision and determination to protect us
and assure my children have the opportunity to
create positive memories of this great country.
I am discouraged by all of the pessimism
and attacks in our current election campaign.
Because this is such a critical time for our country,
I have created this website to share some of the
optimism that gets overshadowed.
The recent anniversary of 911 caused us
to reflect on the past, present, and future impact
of that event on our lives. I am thankful for the
amazing photos and memories of that breathtaking
view 3 years ago. I am sad when I see the pictures
and the memories of the lives that were changed
that day. We must all work together so we never
have to experience those feelings again in our
future.
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