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Memories and thoughts from our employees.
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Morrie Wiener
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
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Never forget
On September 1, I retired as a United 767 captain. On the 11th, I was at my other job, a paid firefighter in the Cherry Hill fire department (MORE...)
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Susan Dawson
Washington,
District of Columbia
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Strangers in Disaster
Shortly after hearing of the Pentagon disaster, I left FAA Headquarters and walked down Independence Avenue to flag down a taxi to get me home, but to no avail. Finally, after turning my ankle and giving up on a taxi, I headed (MORE...)
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Hilary King
Fort Worth, Texas
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Tragedy Hits Home and Away
On Sept. 11, 2001, it was the second and last day of my meeting with the personnel from the Washington Air Traffic Enroute Center in Leesburg VA. My flight was scheduled for 1pm that afternoon from IAD. As I met with the manager that morning the news of my (MORE...)
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Jim Link
Washington,
District of Columbia
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Where I was on 9/11
I was in the AeroSpace building, where I could see FOB10-A. Earlier there was a car fire near 10A. At our meeting, a member received a page, “I don’t mean to interrupt but here is something we haven’t seen for a long time, it looks like a hijacking....” (MORE...)
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Mary C. Perkins
Omaha, Nebraska
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The Day Our Country Cried
On Tuesday, September 11th, I was sitting at my desk working on the time and attendance reports and remembered that I needed to call my husband to remind him to water my flowers. I was too late, Glen had already left to go fishing for the day. A short (MORE...)
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John Phelps
Richmond, Virginia
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ASI's "Show the Flag" on 9/11/02
As soon as air carriers were flying after 9/11, I was conducting cockpit enroute inspections and IOE observation flights. The presence of the FAA seemed to afford a feeling of comfort and camaraderie during tense times. Passengers and crew recognized (MORE...)
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Jackson Smith
Atlanta, Georgia
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I Was With ACS-1
On the morning of 9/11, I was traveling in SJU with my boss, Major General Mike Canavan, ACS-1, Director of Civil Aviation Security for FAA. Upon learning of the attack on the WTC in NY, we rushed to the SJU Airport where I had made arrangements for him to immediately (MORE...)
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Elizabeth Soltys
Atlantic City,
New Jersey
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Thoughts
For me the day was surreal. I watched and I was scared. At one time I had lived and worked near both the DC and NY locations. It still seemed like distant places depicted in an action film. (MORE...)
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Paul Twohig
Washington,
District of Columbia
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Between Ground-Zeros
My wife (Alice Lynn), sister-in-law (Lauri) and I were traveling between Washington and New York to celebrate my wife's 50th birthday. In peaceful Cape May, I saw Lauri crying in a bookstore listening to a radio. "They've grounded all flights." (MORE...)
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Anita Walker
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma
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Reconstruction
What was meant for harm the Lord can turn around. People have started turning to God and we have all drawn closer to our One Nation Under God. The whole nation is under reconstruction in our hearts doing some deep soul searching. (MORE...)
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Steve Baker
MCI ATCT, Missouri
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FAA Managers Association in DC
I, along with John Fisher, representing the FAA Conference Managers Association, had an appointment at 10 AM with Administrator Garvey, I elected to catch the US Air non-stop from Kansas City to DCA on 9/11. As I got off the flight, I learned (MORE...)
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Karen Clanton
Washington,
District of Columbia
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On 9/11
On September 11, 2001, I was detailed to the AUA Front Office. Someone rushed in the office and exclaimed that a plane had just hit the South Twin Tower. I ran out into the hallway in time to watch on CNN (MORE...)
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Martha Farkas
Silver Spring,
Maryland
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Unravelled
On Sept. 11, 2001, at approximately 8:30 AM ,I was heading to the office when a newscast on the radio broke in that the World Trade Center has been hit by an airplane. (MORE...)
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Roger C. Forshee Jr.
Dulles, Virginia
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A Day Remembered
The morning of September 11, 2001, began like any other day. I had just finished performing an inspection of Continental Airlines aircraft N27722. That morning Flight 212 departed from BQN (MORE...)
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Cynthia Groves
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma
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No Day to Celebrate
My husband kissed me and said, "Happy Anniversary, honey," as he left work at 7:30am on 9/11/01. We had been married two blissful years. Unfortunately, our first anniversary was not a day to celebrate. (MORE...)
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Linda Lautenschlager
Silver Spring
Maryland
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The Way
Twenty-two years ago I regularly cared for a little boy named Alex Heidenberger while I was a stay-at-home mom with my own children. (MORE...)
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Carl Lee
Washington,
District of Columbia
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Surreal is the day
It was the beginning of my third week at the FAA, and as I set about organizing my day, my radio, on a low hum in the background, warned of a crash at the Pentagon, as well as a suspected "small plane" hitting the World (MORE...)
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Connie Naylor
St. Louis
Missouri
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Never Alone!
On September 11, 2001, I happened to be in Oklahoma City on TDY when the World Trade Center was hit by radical terrorists. Additionally, on April 19, 1995, I had just arrived in Oklahoma City when I heard of the tragic bombing of the Murrah Federal (MORE...)
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Khaldoun Rajeh
Fort Worth,
Texas
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A Fading American Dream
I was the resident engineer at an ATCT grounding project. I have just received word to stop all activities immediately. Along with others, I was watching the news very closely. However, being of Middle-Eastern descent, it was inevitable that I (MORE...)
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George Sempeles
Silver Spring,
Maryland
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Black Airspace
A co-worker across from my cube said an airliner crashed into the World Trade Center. Since we work at Aeronautical Charting, the first thing I thought was there was a breakdown in the Minimum Safe Altitude Warning System (MSAW) we support. (MORE...)
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Robert Whitworth
Westbury,
New York
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View from the 4th Floor, AEA
Have always been a commuter. My usual routine was to glance at the skyline of Manhattan each day as I crossed the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. See the Twin Towers, then look northward to the Empire State. Had repeated this year after year. I've always gotten (MORE...)
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James Woodruff
Olathe,
Kansas
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Wrong Place at Wrong Time
I am the National Liaison for the Integrated Terminal Weather System and was in Washington, DC for a product team meeting. At the time I was working at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Just as the meeting got underway (MORE...)
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Neil Angelotti
Rosslyn,
Virginia
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How Do I Explain?
How do explain the tragic events of 9/11 to a six-year old? That was the most challenging task that I've faced in my parenting career. (MORE...)
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Donna Betz
Manchester,
New Hampshire
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Choose your attitude
On September 11, 2001, I was in Washington, D.C. at the National AFSUPCOM meeting being held at the Washington Circle Hotel. 150 words will only brush the surface. The hours immediately following the tragedy were intense. Cars, horns, sirens, (MORE...)
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Angelo Collaku
Washington,
District of Columbia
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Our Home
Americans were jolted out of bed on 9/11. We woke up to the realization that there were "people" who were actually at our doorstep trying to burn our house down. Our innocence about the world we live in was forever shed, as we watched innocents dying (MORE...)
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Clifford Graham
Conroe,
Texas
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9-11
My Aunt Gerry died on 9-11-01. She was the oldest girl in my mother's family and helped raise her other brothers and sisters. Later, she helped raise many nieces and nephews, including me. Her passing devastated our family as much as (MORE...)
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Janie Haggland
Renton,
Washington
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Celebration of Life
I was working on preparations for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. We had been planning for system efficiency and capacity and of course safety and security. But after (MORE...)
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Wanda Jordan
Herndon,
Virginia
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Duty Called
It started with a call from zny center asking if i knew about the hijacked plane, I placed him in the cue to be added to the telcon bridge. Soon the calls started to come in one after another. (MORE...)
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John Krepp
Garden City,
New York
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A New York Perspective
I was working on preparations for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. We had been planning for system efficiency and capacity and of course safety and security. But after (MORE...)
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Pat Larimore
Kansas City,
Missouri
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One Never Knows....
On 9/11, I was in Information System Security Training in the DOT Building. The instructor asked, "What might be a reason why we would need a contingency plan here in the DC area?" I responded "Terrorism." (MORE...)
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Mark Miglietta
Westbury,
New York
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at NY ARTCC
I was acting as the AF Manager at NY ARTCC that dark day. I remember that when I heard a plane hit the WTC, I called my wife and said that I would be late because of an accident. I also remember being briefed (MORE...)
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Viola Mitchell
Washington,
District of Columbia
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Open Mouth
I was in the dentist chair with my mouth open, when the dentist told me that the World Trade Center Twin Towers had been struck by planes. The news reported that they did not believe it was an accident. (MORE...)
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Bruce Myers
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma
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Bittersweet Anniversary
My wife and I were married on September 11, 1976, in a small town in Wisconsin. On September 11, 2001, we were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in Missouri. We awoke that morning in our hotel room looking forward to renewing our wedding (MORE...)
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Kristina Overby
Washington,
District of Columbia
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A Day I Will Never Forget
I was standing in my manager's office when a coworker mentioned that a plane hit the World Trade Center. We froze in a state of shock. Soon after the shock wore off - to work we went. Fielding phone calls from the public and assisting the administrator (MORE...)
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Carey Ross
Lincoln,
Nebraska
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New Recruit
I was born and raised in upstate New York. I now however live in the capital city of Lincoln in the great state of Nebraska and have come to love this home state. I was hired on to the FAA on June 3, 2001. (MORE...)
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Susie Santos
Van Nuys,
California
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Taking Life for Granted
On 9/11/02, everything changed. Up until then, my life was routine. I took my husband, Louie Santos, truly for granted. I never realized how much I depended on him for everything. (MORE...)
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Odel Torres
Miami,
Florida
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I Was There
I was born and raised in pstate New York. I now however live in the capital city of Lincoln in the great state of Nebraska and have come to love this home state. I was hired on to the FAA on June 3, 2001. (MORE...)
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Karen Travis
Silver Spring,
Maryland
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I Will Always Remember
Sitting in my office on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a short time after 9:00 a.m., I will never forget the word quickly spreading that the World Trade Center in New York City had had not one, but 2 planes crash through the twin towers, in an(MORE...)
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Jimmy Webb
Honolulu,
Hawaii
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Daddy I'm Scared
Daddy, I'm Scared... Those were the words I heard when my daughter woke me up in my hotel room in Kona, Hi at 3 AM HST on September 11, 2001. I don't know to go or what to do! Will one crash into my building here in Dallas? (MORE...)
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David Wierzbicki
Burlington,
Massachusetts
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A Week To Remember
I was attending a conference the week of September 11 in San Antonio. I left Boston’s Logan Airport the morning prior via American Airlines. (MORE...)
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Hundreds of FAA people worked to improve security and restore civil aviation after the skies were closed on Sept. 11, 2001. Here are some of their portraits.
Week of September 2
Week of September 9
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