Brace yourselves for my experience that day....
................... for starters, I will never forget that morning for the rest of my being.........
I am a building engineer in Manhattan, 20 years straight at the same place. I had an awesome view of The Towers from my building. I can recall times I had to work nights and I would head to the roof to soak up the view. I was a country boy workin in the Big City enjoying life. I even recall wondering what it would be like to be the engineer of one of The Towers
That morning was beautiful out, it was starting to get a little cooler compared to the hot summer days. I remember my calling the alarm company to take my sprinkler system off line for my servicing of the system. We do this so the FDNY doesn't get sent to buildings for no emergencies, so we take the systems off line and do our servicing. I hold multiple FDNY Certificate of Fitness licenses. I work with Sprinkler Systems, Compressors, Standpipe Systems, Class E Highrise Fire Alarm Systems, Low PSI and Hi PSI Boilers, E.A.P./F.S.D. which is Emergency Action Plan/Fire Safety Director. I hold other licenses needed from the D.E.P. and the E.P.A. I also repair the elevators....
Anyhow, that morning I called and went off-line just after 8- I made the call in my office marked my logbook and went up to the deli to get a fresh cup of hot tea before I headed to the sprinkler tanks which are up in the tankroom on the roof.
When I get to the roof- I unlock the tankroom and climb in and opened the valves and fired up the air compressor to pump up the system. I listened to the compressor and checked my gauges and stepped out the tank room. I got to the third step and heard something really loud, as my head snapped up I saw the belly of an airliner- if I had enough time I damn well could have thrown my tea at it !! H-O-L-Y C-H-I-T I thought as I ran toward the 5th Ave side of my building. When I reached it, I saw what I will never ever forget in my life. I watched it plunge into the side of the North Tower and the huge fireball that erupted..... then it was office papers, which was odd at first as the papers looked like confetti floating in the air. Black smoke poured out and I could see the fire burning up thru the opening.....
I stood there dumbfounded, it was like you were watching a movie- unreal.
it was then that I started to see them.....the jumpers....
I ran to the tankroom to shut the compressor down and climbed down the elevator shaft to the freight elevator, where I called home to tell my girl to turn on the tv- a jet just struck one of the Towers. We talked for a few and then I climbed back to the roof. I couldn't believe that people were breaking out windows and jumping from the upper floors of the tower.
.......I watched in disbelief and then noticed another Jet coming into view and screamed as I watched it disappear from view and boom- another fireball and what looked like and one of the Jets engines streaking in a fireball from the South Tower.......my view was opposite the impact point- my view was the exit side if you will.....
I take the elevator to the street and I see everyone on 5th Ave looking up at the Tower, I see a couple of my buddies there and ran over to them. We stood there for a few seconds and all we could each say cannot be posted on this forum. ... My one buddy tells me he has a Police Scanner and a pair of binoculars, I told him to grab them- and told my other buddy(a 'nam vet) come on- we'll go to the roof. We listen to frantic calls for emergency on the scanner- Then it was an ALL CALL BACK, meaning all personell back to their stations, it was all hands on deck. By the sounds of the sirens we noticed to be never ending at the time.....
The view that was seen from the binoculars...... thier faces........... them standing in the windows waving out for help....... alot of them jumping...... one after another....... I get goosebumps everytime I have these memories..... I watched their faces as they contemplated their fates, wishing I could reach out and help them, but couldn't...... We passed the binoculars back and forth........ We saw a man climb out of the building he was trying to scale his way out, holding onto the outside of the building.... he actually did manage to hold on waving at a helicopter flying overhead......he managed to hold on for a few moments til he slipped off and.......
My last view through the binoculars, I watched a man and woman kiss each other and embrace, after a few moments the man helped the woman up, and climbed up next to her.......both holding hands..... and they jumped that way- holding hands........ I tossed the binoculars at my buddy and told him I effing seen enough through them.....
.......
I could go on about every minute of that day, you guys get the idea. I'll never forget any of it. God Bless all those souls there.
For weeks after that day you could smell "it".....the burning.... sometimes "it" would be a plasticy stench mixed with-"it"..... if you smelled "it" before then you know you will never forget that smell, "it" being death. yes you could smell "it" and we knew what "it" was......... having no appetite many days when "it" got bad......
I still get chills hearing bagpipes..... we would hear them for weeks after, knowing why they were playing.....
I know a lot of you saw it through the tv..... it doesn't compare to what I witnessed being here......
NEVER FORGET........
