Something Old, Something New: 9/11

 

Wall Street Journal, 9-12-2001

Up until I started blogging in 2007 I used to journal every morning before work. Here's what I wrote on that morning two hours before the plane hit the first tower:

“The eastern sky is clear, but fierce looking clouds threaten us from the west. It may not be a pretty day.” ~ Journal entry, Sept. 11, 2001

* * * 

My cousin Gary was a career firefighter most of his life, many of those years a fire chief. His father served his community as volunteer fire fighter and rescue squad worker. What I didn't know was that the actor Steve Buscemi (Fargo, Reservoir Dogs) was once a fireman when he was younger, before Hollywood. 

As it turns out, because of that experience, when the twin towers fell, he called the old fire station he used to work at and when they didn't answer he drove to Ground Zero and put in five 12-hour days aiding in the search and recovery efforts taking place. The experience shook him emotionally. You can read the story here. 

* * * 

Bob Ossler was a chaplain who spent 45 days serving the needs of those at Ground Zero during those first weeks after the tragedy. The book he wrote about that experience was titled Triumph Over Terror. Here's my interview with Mr. Ossler.

* * * 

One thing I recall from that day, besides the lack of interest in celebrating my birthday that night, was how fragile life is and that we really can't take tomorrow for granted. The proverb "Who can tell what a day may bring forth?" became very real, much like Pearl Harbor must have been for Americans who lived through that nightmare.

EdNote: The "old" was the WSJ front page. The new was learning of Steve Buscemi's background as a firefighter and participation in the subsequent search and rescue efforts.