I originally posted this one year ago today. I'm reposting it today in commemoration of September 11th. Part 2 will be reposted tomorrow.
Part 1 – September 11, 2001 – The story of my day and a tribute
Part 2 – (How September 11th launched my real estate career)
Where were you on September 11th?
Were you at home? Were you at work? Were you near your loved ones? Did you have people close to you who died on that dreadful day?
Tomorrow, as you know, we commemorate as a nation, the six year anniversary of September 11, 2001.
Where were you on 9/11?
I want to share with you my personal story of September 11, 2001.
At the time, I was not yet in real estate, and little did I know that I would be just 5 months later. On September 11, 2001, I was working as an attorney at a small law firm in Washington, D.C. (see The Difference Between Realtors & Lawyers). Additionally, I was highly anticipating my upcoming wedding on September 30, 2001, which my wife and I had been steadily planning since we got engaged 10 months earlier.
That Tuesday morning, I woke up as usual, but instead of taking the Metrobus from my home in Arlington, Virginia to the Pentagon transfer to the metrorail, I opted to drive into town. I was supposed to drive out to Warrenton, Virginia that evening to testify at a town meeting regarding zoning ordinances and the building of an unwanted large parking lot in a friend’s neighborhood.
Well, I get into work early that morning around 8:15 or so and settle in to start working on a legal brief. After the first plane hit the World Trade Center, I got a call from my soon-to-be wife, Deborah. At that point, we did not have the full story – was it a big plane, a small plane, what was the damage?
Of all places, Deborah had actually heard the news on the Howard Stern radio show upon waking up to the clockradio. Who knows what to believe when the words are coming out of the mouth of the man who invented the term “Shock Jocks!?” Deborah said “Sorry to ruin your day, just wanted to let you know.”
Shortly thereafter, she called back and informed me of the second plane. At this point, our small office was in a frenzy. Our office was located at 1500 K Street, NW, Washington, D.C. For those of you unfamiliar with the D.C. area – we were 2 blocks from The White House.
Next thing you know, my Dad was calling from Florida and all he said was “Brian, They’ve Hit the Pentagon!!!” He added “You can’t get on the internet, do you have a t.v.?” Deborah called and confirmed the Pentagon hit. It was true we couldn’t get an internet connection – cell phones were sporadic.
The attorneys in the office were meeting to decide what to do. I didn’t join them – I knew I didn’t need to decide by committee. I was leaving – getting home – and FAST! I was getting married in less than 3 weeks and our country was now at WAR!
I climbed the stairs to the roof of our office building in downtown D.C. and saw a huge smokebomb in the sky above the Pentagon. I was not waiting around to see if The White House was the next target. My Mom called while I was on the roof to shout “Get out of D.C. now.”
Now to formulate a plan for leaving the city. I stepped out onto the street and saw the biggest traffic jam of cars I had ever seen trying to vacate downtown D.C. and knew that I had no chance of getting home in a hurry by driving. I made a split second decision to leave my car in the underground garage. I thought about staying in a hotel in the District but thought D.C. might be the next target and hotels might jack up their rates for the night. So, it was time to start walking!
As you recall, 9/11/01 was a blue sky day about 90 degrees on the East Coast (much like the weather this week here in D.C.). I was wearing full lawyer uniform – suit, tie, dress shoes (which by the way is not always necessary these days in real estate). I started walking and walk I did, along with what seemed like millions of cubicle denizens throughout the town.
I walked from 15th and K, down to Georgetown and crossed the Key Bridge into Rosslyn (an area of Arlington, Virginia) staring in horror with the masses at the smoke and fire coming from the Pentagon in the near distance. By this time, I was dripping sweat, and frantically trying to get a cell signal to get through to my loved ones. After crossing into Arlington and after dozens of attempts, I finally reached my mother:
“Hi Mom!”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, Thank God, I’m alright”
“Where are you?”
“I’m in Arlington. I just walked across the bridge and saw the smoke from the Pentagon. I’m walking home.”
Like any good mother, she asked “Are you alone?”
After looking around, I responded, “No Mom, I’m with about 30,000 of my best friends”
I continued walking westerly through the neighborhoods of Arlington: Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, and Ballston as the marching crowds thinned and more emergency responder vehicles appeared.
At last, I rested a bit in a coffee shop in Virginia Square, now called Murky Coffee, where I caught a glimpse for the first time of what had happened. I shed tears when I saw the truth and the enormity of what had occurred. My eyes could not blink as I tearfully witnessed the Twin Towers collapsing on the small coffee shop television.
But I still had miles to go. I passed Ballston Mall and turned South onto Glebe Road to head home. In the air, I heard F-14s stream by patrolling the Northern Virginia sky. I had never seen anything like this in my life. Some passerby had no idea what was happening – I told him and he was in shock! Reaching a pay phone, I called Deborah, my fiancée, finally. I’m okay. I’ll be home soon.
Several out of town friends called me as my cell signal returned and we chatted about the morning’s events. I couldn’t wait to get home and see it for myself. I spoke with my sister, the best man for my wedding, my ushers.
At home in Shirlington, I took off my suit, collapsed on the couch and flicked on the t.v. set and could not believe my eyes as I watched the live coverage throughout the rest of 9/11.
Luckily, nobody I knew was injured or killed in the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11th.
I went to work the next day. Got married 3 weeks later. Left the law firm after returning from my honeymoon and started on the path towards a real estate career.
Part 2: How September 11th launched my real estate career.
Thanks for reading my long story… I've had tears in my eyes as I write. I hope it touches you in some way.
Please take some time to commemorate September 11th tomorrow:
- Take some moments of silence or time to pray.
-
Thank a fireman or police officer for facing the harsh duties of their jobs everyday. - Shake the hand of a Marine or other serviceman or woman and thank them for their service and acknowledge their sacrifices.
- Call your mother.
- Hug your child.
- Do something to make a difference.
Where were you 7 years ago on 9/11?
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If you plan to purchase or sell a home in the Northern Virginia or D.C. area,
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30,000 of my friends...... that is a great line. I was at work
Hi Brian
I was home working in my office, that day seemed like a bad dream that turned into a nightmare.
Good luck and success
Lou Ludwig
I was at work. After reading it in the online news my coworkers, and myself, couldn't find enough info about what was happening fast enough. The internet has changed a lot since then.
Picture perfect day, surfing with huge hurricane swell. I will Never forget it!
Brian,
I was with my sons who heard it on the radio. We spent the rest of the day in shock. How could not one but two planes crash into the twin towers? And all those poor souls in the buildings.... It was horrifying.
A day we should never forget,
Ann
Great repost....you really wrote as if you we were walking right next to you..thanks for the reminder..I will remember tomorrow.
I was in the process of helping to launch a new family business, working my business, finishing a class for graduation from the University of Toledo and of course on my cell phone and TV and just a year from moving to Florida to become a real estate agent myself!
It seemed then that we had a real opportunity to change our countries culture for the better. I often wonder if our country would be different today and better for it??? Am I alone in this thought?
Brian, I missed your post last year. I'm doing one tomorrow so you'll find out then where I was LOL.
I was getting ready to go to our Keller Williams office in Norman, OK. The next day, my wife and I put flags in the yard of each of our 350 neighbors. We have done it each July 4 since. It was a bad reminder of another terrorist attack in the US.
Just a few years earlier, on April 19, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah building was bombed by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. We should never forget how we felt that day. Nor should we ever think it will not happen again.
Being in the mountain time zone and 2 hours behind the east coast. I didn't know anything about it until I got to the office at 8 am for the weekly sales meeting, since we don't turn the TV on in the morning at home. When I arrived at the office the people already there were gathered around the TV, I asked them what they were doing, when some one told me what was going on I still didn't believe them. It took 5 minutes to realize what was going on was real.
I was on my way up the elevator of an assisted living facility to see a patient. I was a registered home health nurse at the time. Someone in the elevator told me about it. Couldn't believe it. Then I saw it on the TV. To this day it's still hard to believe that something like that could happen. And the scary part is it could happen again. I live in the Tampa Bay Florida area and Central Command is in Tampa. Could be a target but then anything could be a target.
God Bless America!!!
At the time of 9/11 I was in the office working on something when a friend of mine phoned me and told me about this horrific attack. At this time I was glued to the internet and radio when I've heard about the second and third. I could not concentrate on work anylonger, phoning just about everybody that I knew. Everybody in my office building stopped wondering how this could happen on such a beautiful September day.
Although I did not knew anybody that was near or died that September day, it will sure not be a forgotten one.
I was training on working FSBOs in a sales meeting - my husband called me 4 times in a row on my call and I ignored him so then he called the secretary to tell us the news. Needless to say, we didn't get anything else done that day or really for several days after. My boys were in school about a half mile down the road, so I wen t and snatched them out - that's another story. I remember the feeling of devastation and just wanted to hibernate with my loved ones for a few days.
I had a client who had moved backed to NY, whose wife worked in Tower 2, I spent several hours trying to reach him to make sure she was ok. Thankfully she was away on a business trip that day.
Brian, I too was getting married and so was my college roommate. Her wedding was supposed to be in Florence, Italy that weekend, she flew out of Dulles at 6 am on 9/11. A group of us were flying over on September 13. That morning, I was on the telephone with my Stock Broker making sure he was getting the funds organized for me to pay for my January wedding deposits before I left to go to Italy- the phone went dead.
I had the TV on in the background and turned to see the live footage, after both Towers, I went to my church to meet with the Reverend about my wedding, they did not know, we ended up planning a church service instead. In the midst of that, my cousin- a computer analyst at the Pentagon called, mine was the only number that connected- she and her co-workers were alive and needed to be rescued. I was 8 hours away, but sent an email to her brother in Leesburg, he went to help get them out.
My best friend's parents were stranded in Rome and had to get home, their credit cards went into secure shutdown and they were out of cash, my roommate was stuck in Florence and called to say she had cancelled her wedding. She had a large amount of cash with her and ended up helping my friends parents get tickets to Mexico and drove back into the US together. It made my reception an old-home-week for them.
I find it hard to carry a cellphone all of the time, now. My cell was attached to my ear or in my upper pocket 24/7 before 9/11. I do not think that I could stay calm for another day like that. Aiken sent rescue dogs, re-con robots, and we inherited a lot of refugees seeking a different life. 9/11 changed us all and so many gave so much and we have soldiers still fighting for the honor of those lost and all of us left. God Bless America!
I was in a meeting when someone broke in to tell us the story. I called my wife to tell her she had not heard about it. It changed my view of the world.
Brian - at the time of September 11, 2001 -- I was on my way in to work at Sky Harbor International Airport...but after I witnessed the first plane hit on the TV and then saw the second one hit live, I knew I wasn't going to work. I kept my daughter home that day from school and just was amazed what unfolded in front of my eyes. Of course the airport was shut down for days after and having me at the airport was just one more employee not necessary to add to the confusion. It was a frightening day as I often became so connected to the passengers I put on planes on a daily basis. Often times we would chat during delays and laugh and understand they had families and loves ones waiting for them on the other end. Still to this day is a tough memory to shake. May God bless those families that mourn their love ones and those lost in such a terrible and tragic way.
Beautiful post Brian - well done. I remember too well. When I remember 9/11 I have to remember how my parents remembered Pearl Harbor. God bless!
I remember reading this post last year as if I'd read it yesterday. Unbelievable!
it is amazing how that day in history changed so much for all of us
I was at an office meeting. I lost a lot of friends, former classmates, relatives and acquaintances in New York that day. Tragic.
A touch of humor in a post about a sad and tragic day. Well done.
I was single at the time, alone. Scared like everyone else and in shock. What I remember vividly was thinking of our active relocating client was starting his new job at the Pentagon that morning. I thought, his wife must be frantic. Of course we could not get through to him or her. He arrived at work early by taking the commuter bus to work, he was not from the area, he was terrified.
He recalled to us, everyone yelling..."Get Out..Get Out...Get Out!" He's thinking where....how?
Imagine...being on a new job, in new city, no car, phones don't work, the building where you work is engulfed in flames and horror, and you have to get back to Woodbridge, VA, 20 miles South of DC. The good news..he lived to tell his grandchildren.
I received a phone call from a friend of mine, a local physician. He knows that I rarely, if ever, watch television and screamed at me to turn it on. When I did, I saw the second plane strike. My heart sank. I will never overcome the tragic sense of loss. I don't believe that anyone who witnessed it will. I played the piano in the Atrium connecting the towers during a visit to Manhattan in 1994. Very sad day, Brian.
I was at home getting ready to go to work. I still recall which room I was in and exactly what I was doing. The whole situation is vividly etched in my mind and will stay forever. My prayers go out to all families affected by 9/11.
Jogging in my neighborhood and a nieghbor I did not know stopped his car and told me to go home and turn on the TV. Great American........ eh?
Brian, Very well written post. I don't think any of us will ever forget where we were that day, and at those moments. I was at work, and after the 2nd plane hit, we all knew it was not over. We all watched in horror as the plane hit the twin towers. My prayers are out today for all of those affected by 9/11.
I had just taken my daughter to the university. In the car on the way home, I heard about the first plane hitting a building, so I hurried in and turned on the tv - and we (my husband and four other children) all watched in HORROR as the second plane hit the other tower . It was too devastating for the kids and we shut it off to console them. I headed out to get my daughter. The university was in BEDLAM. I found her - thank God for cell phones - and hurried home. Again, on the radio, we heard about the first tower collapsing. We turned on the tv as soon as we got in and saw the second tower fall. In the meantime, we were seeing images of the Pentagon on fire.
We knew that all air traffic was stopped. In a short while, fighter jets flew directly over our home. Then we heard about Flight 93.
Gas prices spiked to over $4, and everything seemed to go crazy - run on supplies, money crunches, no flights. It seemed like life as we knew it was over.
Brian, you beat me to it! =) I wrote my post anyway...
It was my parents 30th anniversary, my 1st anniversary with Guess?...it was a spectacular day---bright blue sky, one I know refer to as a '9.11 sky'...I remember being stuck and alone...I didn't have a cell phone that day but got one the week after...just wanted to be HOME with my family. I remember the emotions very clearly...I can still see that smoke...I can feel the anxiety that followed. I wouldn't go to work on Sept 11 for the next few years because I was so traumatized from it.
Thanks for your memorial...I'm glad you were got out safe.
We were on our honeymoon in Maui and the phone rang at 4:30 in the morning. I said to my wife that I hope someone hadn't died. We were supposed to go home on the 12th, but that got moved back by 5 days as the airport was shut down. It was very odd going to an airport in the U.S. and seeing soldiers armed with m-16s.
HI BRIAN,
7 years ago today, I was working at the Pentagon TRICARE Health Clinic. It's a day that I will never forget. I thank God, that I'm alive because I knew personally 2 who didn't make it. Thank you for sharing your story.
I was reporting to work at United Blood Services around 9am that morning. I remember walking into the 7-2-11 store for coffee. The guy behind the counter was listening to the radio and it was saying someone had just attacked the U.S. The news was just coming out and we both looked at each other very puzzled, as if to say, "What? Did we hear that right?"
Needless to say the rest of my day, and the next two days were total chaos. I never seen so many people line up to try and do something for their "brothers and sisters" on the east coast. We worked frantically trying to draw blood, keep all those waiting in line up with the news, and just comforting those that broke down at the thought of our forever changed lives.
Each day as I would go home to my new wife of 6months, I would just collapse on the couch of exhaustion, and thank God for giving me strength that day to endure. As he did for many during that dark hour of our nations history. This is a great country to live and work in and I am thankful everyday for our freedoms.
I remember it was an incredibly beautiful day one that made you stop for a moment and notice. I was sitting in a customer's office writing an offer. The TV was on in the background. We are both also pilots and both took note as we saw the video of what looked like a small plane (in this video) appeard to hit the building. We both stopped not believing what we just seen. The offer was put on hold for a week or so and we shared the sorrow and anger with the rest of the Citizens of the United States.
Brian ~
I was living in NY on Sept. 11, 2001. I was standing at the bus stop with my children when an 8 year old neighbor told us what happened. Since my husband and sister worked in NYC, I ran into the house to try to contact my family. Thankfully, my family was ok, but I never prayed so hard for all those who were not as fortunate.
I posted this on another blog, but thought I would share it with you too.
In the days after the attacks as I was glued to the TV, I wrote this poem.
Thank you and God Bless America.
The Tragic Day of 9/11
Our lives will never be the same
With so much loss and so much pain.
The devastation that took place,
A day we wish we could erase.
So many didn't have the chance
To say "I Love You" in advance;
Or even get to say good-bye,
As families wait, there's no reply.
Thousands of lives were lost that day.
No one should have to die that way.
How very brave they must have been.
To face a war they could not win.
And though we held our hopes so high
With dreams to find someone alive;
The fate of those turned very bleak;
Day after day, week after week.
The rescuers worked day and night;
Refusing to give up the fight.
They put their lives in danger too;
How very proud we are of you.
And now so many of us see
How selfless they must truly be.
The badge they wear holds so much pride.
For those who lived...and those who died.
So many heroes we now know.
So many we will never know.
Their choice to help came from within,
For human kindness will always win.
I guess it takes an act of war
To see how much we can endure,
But one thing we all saw that day,
Red, white and blue is here to stay.
The strength, courage, the outpouring love,
Americans show what we're made of.
So many shattered from the fall.
It knocked us down, but we'll stand tall.
The years will pass, memories will stay.
Our children will ask of that horrific day.
Through all the bad, one thing we saw;
America unites like never before.
Christine Trebendis
Copyright ©2001 Christine Trebendis
Brian-
I remember that day vividly- I am A Baltimore City Fireman along with my home inspection business. A friend and I were doing some remodeling work on a house that morning. When we walked in to his house the first plane had just struck the tower. Initially we thought it was a horrible accident, until the second tower was hit. When the towers collapsed, our day was done. Both myself and the guy with the remodeling business(a city firefighter,also) called our stations to find out when we were going north. We knew a lot of FDNY guys were in those buildings attempting rescues when they went down. In a matter of days New York was overwhelmed with assistance from all over the country. To the point that command was having trouble keeping track and assigning people. We were never sent up to assist with recovery efforts but did attend several funerals and memorial services. I attended the service for Firefighter Kevin Bracken From Engine Co. #40. I was shocked at the treatment we from Baltimore Fire Department received from the people of New York. We were up to honor their loss and they were treating us like we were royalty. Truly shows the brotherhood in the Fire Service and makes you feel like part of a huge family. My hope is that people remember to honor the memory of the fire, police , military and civilians that died that day and defending our country since that tragic attack. GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Brian my most chilling memory was standing on the street out side my sister's home in Reading PA as as the two fighter jets that were scrambled to NYC roared overhead. Not realizing the magnitude, as the towers had not yet collapsed, we went shopping in Lancaster County in the middle of Amish Country there were no TVs or cell signal. Only one shop had a radio on. As the day wore on I became aware of the eerie quiet in a sky with no planes. When we returned to my other sister's home, it was only then that we learned that the whole country had came to a halt.
I was at my mothers home in Churubusco; at the time she had no electricity so I did not see anything on the television. I was visiting her and she was out shopping. When My mother got home she asked me if I had heard anything on the radio (battery operated) and I told her no. She told me what had happened and I was floored; I could not believe that we had just been attacked. I had just been in the city close to the towers 1 week earlier and I was very happy that I had come home when I did. Thank you for sharing this post with us.
I was in Denver, Colorado at a convention. My colleague was from Manhattan and she knew many people in the trade center, and I still remember her horror vividly. We watched the second plane hit on the television.
After that, I stayed for another day and because there were no flights home, I drove home with another colleague. It was so eery driving across Colorado, Utah, and Nevada with NO PLANES in the air.
God Bless the victims of that tragic day.
I was in bed and the radio/alarm went off talking about the towers being crashed into ... I sat up in bed and turned on the T.V. (didn't turn it off for days)
Sitting on the bed waiting for my shot at the morning ritual... first day back from work after the honeymoon with my wife. Shocked doesn't begin to describe my attitude that day. I went to work and closed the store. Then the mall closed. We didn't open for two more days. I had staffers that were climbing the walls tryingt o find their relatives in NYC and DC.