Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 02:11:58 -0400
Subject: the story
Reply-To: laenreeves@usa.coma
From: dollface323@sprintpcs.com
To: laenreeves@usa.comWell... for anyone who has not already heard this story on the air, or 495 times... here goes... my very own laenified terrorism experience:
Even though I thought of changing my routine on Tuesday morning... my boss would be in late... so I thought... maybe delay rolling into the gym for an hour? Go into work late?
Nah... better not...
So, I went on schedule... to the World Trade Center 1 (wtc1)... there by 6:45am... workout... shower... out of the shower and dressed... leaving the 22nd floor by 8:45am.
Said goodbye to our receptionist "Princess" after taking my id photo (lingering)... got into the elevator and went down to 21... then transferred into the Marriott elevator to the first floor... Everything was fine...
Walked across the mall (everything is indoors) to World Trade Center 2 where I work in an office near the top on the 104th floor.
Got on the elevator with many others to the elevator bank on floor 78. crossed over to my elevator... went straight up to 104, looking forward to coffee...
Opened the door of my office to screaming colleagues... they were yelling "GET OUT" and pointing to the huge orange flames at our floor to ceiling windows... and the airplane that is sticking out of WTC1 (I didn't hear or feel a thing)...
Okay... there's an airplane in WTC1... there's fire... it started blowing out our windows...
I look at the elevator and make the decision (I know this is generally wrong... but it would have been 104 floors of smoke inhalation)... not EVERYONE would get on. Peter, my buddy and colleague and his new wife Meredith looked so confused... I yelled "come on"... and they yelled "stairs" and I yelled "where?" and they didn't know... I wanted to grab them... another coworker yelled... "close the door... we've gotta go."
Peter had this look in his eyes... like I was going to die in the elevator... and there was nothing he could do...
I got to the elevator bank on floor 78 where mass hysteria ensued... peepill crying... falling... an elevator opened up and i found my way in. I turned around and looked at everyone, thinking... "please let them be downstairs when I get there."
I got downstairs, asked the guards which way I should go... they directed me into the mall... i suddenly felt a false sense of security... tried to call my boss to tell him not to come in... walked leisurely through the mall until I saw hoards of peepill running... as if chased... fireball? debris? what? I ran too... got outside and again, slowed down... among falling debris... calling my boss... got his voicemail and said, "Dom... whatever you do, don't come to work. I'll call you in a while."
Stood in front of the firestation (this is stupid) and looked at the falling debris... maybe this was some weird accident? How did a plane get into our building? I hoped everyone in my gym got out...
I started walking toward the river... got close to Battery Park when a loud rumbling started... and a huge blast...
I thought WTC2 just caught on fire from the fuel and flames from WTC1... then I heard someone say, "That's a second plane! a 737... terrorism!"
I kept walking... I realised that this was far from over... I needed to get off the island... where was the third bomb? would the entire island catch on fire? would a helicopter drop it over my head?
I got to the staten island ferry... but started feeling confused... I was out of cash and only had a metro card... I was trying to figure out what to do... this guy came walking (there were many, but)... eye contact... I said, "Where are you going?" he said, "Brooklyn and you're coming with me now." (Steve Fenn)
Great. This person is the angel... who is going to help me survive this...
We got to the ferry station... but there were no boats... 20 minute wait... still no boats... the smoke and debris were climbing toward us... birds were flying away... tons of peepill, officials saying, "another 20 minutes."
WE CANNOT WAIT.
We decide to walk to the Brooklyn Bridge... it is still scarey because the stuff is still coming closer and closer and now to get to the bridge, we were going to have to walk the perimeter of a building with a substantial amount of glass... the two of us ran, weaved and stuck together...
Got to the bridge, but they wouldn't let us on... they told us to walk uptown... it didn't seem right... but we did walk... for awhile and then changed our minds and ran back to the bridge... we wove in between cars... as the fires on both wtc buildings were getting more an more intense, and more and more level with us... as we narrowed the turn, a building collapsed... making a huge sound... (everything sounds like a bomb now)and white concrete smoke/ash billowed up... chasing us... Steve yelled at me, "jump the fence now and RUN." I jumped the fence and said, 'i can't"... which I really don't understand... he followed, and we ran the length of the bridge... fighter planes over head... the lingering fear of bomb #3... will an airplane crash this bridge?... running past sobbing men and women... some were slow... I kept yelling , "Keep moving... KEEP MOVING."
Eventually, we made it to the end of the bridge, looked at each other and realised... "We're alive."
We met up with a third person (Joe Marabella)... and walked all the way through brooklyn and up to park slope to my brownstone...
I am fine... although shaken... I have lost many many friends in this disaster... my mentor, Colin McArthur...
My coworkers... And unfortunately... Peter and his wife Meredith.
Unfortunately, after I was gone, they made it to the 78th floor... but some very misinformed "authority" figures told them that the building was secured... and to go back up to their offices...
And like good soldiers, unfortunately, many of them did... 15 of mine...
One unit (CSBU)'s managers forbade their employees to leave.
A few on floor 102 decided that their presentation meeting with a pharmaceutical company was way more important... anyway "the fire was on wtc1 and this is new york."
Our competitor, Marsh McClelland lost nearly ALL employees in WTC1.
My cousin Larry, luckily, had recently left his wtc1 law firm for a midtown office... what would have been his entire firm, leave one, was completely vaporised.
That's about all I can tell you for now. There is much more... but you get the idea...
I was very lucky... insanely inhumanely lucky... as bodies were strewn all over wtc plaza... I appeared at home, unscathed... and complete.
Thank you for all of your notes/messages... I am so appreciative... and i love you all very much.
I am coming to Miami next week... will give you more specific details soon. I would like to see you FL peepill...
When I'm back up north, I probably still won't have an office/gym... so... I'll probably have some extra time to see you all.
Again... thanks for all the letters... do everything you can... and remember the important stuff...
xoxoxox,
lr