It began with an appalling image, the north tower of the World Trade Center spewing black smoke into a cloudless September sky.The face of terror has never been so real, at least for myself, whom pre-Sept 11, finds 'terrorism' an unfamiliar phrase confined only to the boundaries of war-torn Middle Eastern nations. The triumph of human spirit coming from numerous testimonies of heroic, self-sacrificial acts has never been so real either. Survivors, victims' families, emergency workers and city officials united for a single day in history.
For millions of people alive today the most significant political event of their lifetimes will be the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001.
It was, without question, the day the world changed... the day where henceforth, time will forever be distinguished as Pre or Post 911.
I still remembered vividly that fateful night 5 years ago... watching the horror 'live' on CNN unfold before my eyes. I was in my room at that time when the first plane hit the North Tower. My dad called me out to the living room. We stayed glued to the television set. History was made that defining day. Anyone who has watched it will be shocked at the unimaginable destruction. The sight of office workers dropping off the WTC Towers will be etched in my memory forever. Thoughts were racing, "What made these people want to end their lives like that?" Something terrible and untolerable I guess.
"It didn't seem real." said a survivor. Yet it cannot be further away from the truth. The Twin Towers became a cementary for almost 3,000 innocent souls.
CNA was broadcasting a 2-part series on 911 where the film producers collected and constructed real stories of what happened to people trapped in the WTC Towers and those who went in to save them. The unbelief, shock, panic, disorientation and fear of the office occupants of the torched, smoke-filled buildings were apparent enough. You see them trying to open jammed doors, navigating though debris, making your way crowded, dark smokey, stairways (more than 200 flights of stairs each and making phone calls to loved ones, clueless what had just taken place.
The individual agony, anguish and humanity of those involved is now brought to life through that immersive drama-documentary. Unsung heroes responded to their calling. Jan Demczur, the window cleaner who managed to save the lives of his fellow elevator passengers by unimaginable methods; and the firefighters who so bravely entered the towers, many of whom never returned. One extraordinary story that struck me involved Stanley Praimnath and Brian Park; 2 men who had never met until that day but whose friendship, faith and steely determination meant that they both survived.
"It was the first time I cried like a baby.... I've never received compassion like that before.... a total stranger." recalled Stanley Praimnath.
Tuesday, September 11, 2001, began like any other day for Bethel Assembly of God deacon and Sunday school superintendent Stanley Praimnath of Elmont, Long Island. He got up early, took a shower, prayed, got ready and headed for work. The drive was uneventful. The train ride was the same. Yet, this day he would see the hand of God spare his life. "For some particular reason, I gave the Lord a little extra of myself that morning [during prayer]," Stanley said. "I said, 'Lord, cover me and all my loved ones under your precious blood.' And even though I said that and believed it, I said it over and over and over.
Stanley worked as an assistant vice president in the Loans Operations Department, Fuji Bank Limited. That morning, Stantley went to work at his office located at WTC South Tower/Tower 2, 81st floor. He wanted to evacuate his office building when the 1st plane had hit Tower 1.
However, Stanley returned back to his office desk after the security guard told him Tower 2 was secure (talk about bad advice) after the 1st plane crashed into Tower1. He found his office phone was ringing."It was someone from Chicago calling to find out if I'm watching the news," he said.
He told the caller everything "was fine." But everything wasn't fine--far from it. As Stanley was talking, he looked up and saw American Airlines Flight 11 heading straight for him. "All I can see is this big gray plane, with red letters on the wing and on the tail, bearing down on me," said Stanley. "But this thing is happening in slow motion. The plane appeared to be like 100 yards away, I said "Lord, you take control, I can't help myself here." Stanley then dove under his desk. "My Testament [Bible] was on top of my desk," explained Stanley. "I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Lord was going to take care of me once I got there." As he curled into a fetal position under his desk, the plane tore into the side of the building and exploded. Miraculously, Stanley was unhurt. However, he could see a flaming wing of the plane in the doorway of his department. He knew he needed to get out of his office and the building fast. But, he was trapped under debris up to his shoulders. "Lord, you take control, this is your problem now," he recalled praying. "I don't know where I got this power from, but the good Lord, He gave me so much power and strength in my body that I was able to shake everything off. I felt like I was the strongest man alive." All the while, Stanley was asking to the Lord to spare his life. "I'm crying and I'm praying, 'Lord, I have things to do..., I want to see my family, Lord, help me through.' " Stanley's office resembled a battle zone--walls flattened into dusty heaps, office equipment strewn violently, flames flickering about and rubble everywhere. "Everything I'm trying to climb on [to get out] is collapsing and I'm going down," he said. "I'm getting cuts and bruises, but I'm saying, "Lord, I have to go home to my loved ones, I have to make it, You have to help me."
Suddenly Stanley saw the light of a flashlight. For a moment, it stunned him. "What were the chances of someone bringing a flashlight to this floor?," he thought. "My first gut reaction was, 'This is my guardian angel--my Lord sent somebody to save me!' " Stanley began screaming, "I see the light, I see the light." But after clawing his way through the debris, he realized that he couldn't get out--all the exits were blocked and his "guardian angel" couldn't get to him--a wall was between him and the staircase. "He can't get to me and I can't get to him, and by this time I can't breathe," Stanley said. "I don't know if it was sulfur or what [burning jet fuel, perhaps], but I can smell this thing. I got down on my knees and said, "Lord, you've got to help me. You've brought me this far, help me to get to the staircase." But then Stanley did something surprising. While praying on his knees, Stanley called out to the man behind the wall, "There's one thing I got to know, do you know Jesus?" The man replied he went to church every Sunday. Then they prayed together to enable them to break through the wall. "I got up, and I felt as if a power came over me," said Stanley. "I felt goose bumps all over my body and I'm trembling, and I said to the wall, 'You're going to be no match for me and my Lord."
Moments later, he punched his way through the wall and, with the help of the man on the other side, was able to squirm his way through the hole in the wall. "The guy held me and embraced me and he gave me a kiss and he said, 'From today, you're my brother for life.' " But the danger wasn't over. The man on the other side of the wall, who introduced himself as Brian, was an older gentleman and they still had 81 floors to walk down, with the building on fire and, unknown to them, in danger of collapse. "We hobbled our way down, and at every floor we stopped to see if anybody was there, but nobody was..., but a man was on the floor, and his back was gone, and he was covered in blood." Stanley asked to be allowed to carry the man out, but a security guard told him it would be better to send somebody up. When they finally made it down to the concourse, only firefighters were there. "They were saying, 'Run! Run! Run!', they were telling us to run out, but they were not concerned about themselves," he said. Stanley and Brian would have ran from the building, but now the concourse was surrounded with fire. Wetting themselves under the building's sprinkler system, they held hands and ran through the flames to safety to Trinity Church about two blocks away. "I wanted to go to the church to thank God," Stanley explained, "As soon as I held onto the gate of that church, the building [World Trade Center Tower Two] collapsed." Stanley and Brian made there way safely out of the danger area. Before they parted, Stanley gave his business card to Brian in hopes of contact at a later time, and said, "If I don't see you, I'll see you in heaven."
Cut and bloodied, with clothes tattered and wearing a borrowed shirt, Stanley finally made it home hours later to his wife Jennifer and his two girls, Stephanie (age 8) and Caitlin (age 4). "I held my wife and my two children and we cried," said Stanley. After thanking God for sparing his life, Stanley told God whatever he did, it will always be for His glory. "I'm so sore, but every waking moment, I say 'Lord, had you not been in control, I would not have made it.' "For some divine reason, I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the good Lord's mighty hand turned the plane a fraction from where I was standing," said Stanley. "Because when it crash-landed, it was just 20 feet from me. I don't care who would rationalize--what people would say now or years from now, but I know it was the handiwork of the Lord that turned that plane.
Sept 11... the day the American Symbol was reduced to ashes... New York, Lower Manhanttan skyline was transformed... terror reared its ugly head for all to witness... Osama Bin Ladin and terrorism became synonymous and the day the world awoke from its slumber and took notice of oppressed Middle Eastern Islamic organisations and 'security' became an overused word for international event organisers and personnel of key installations. What a difference a day makes!
In an instant, fate decreed who had the opportunity to escape and who did not. Amazingly, some chose to stay behind and not leave their offices immediately after the first plane crashes. They didn't know. Sounds ridiculous? Many just thought it was an explosion in the building.
Man lives are no longer in their own hands anymore. Nothing could have prepare those men and women for what took place that day. So who decides who to live and who to die? Definitely not you or me. Can you ever imagine in your wildest dreams that on a typical Tuesday you left for work, a plane is going to hit your office, deliberately? Before Sept 11, nobody did. Can you fathom the intricacies and mysteries of life? I can't.
No insurance could compensate the loss of a grieving family. It's been 5 years... yet some families are still coming to grips with the pain and hollow left after 911. "I actually didn't want to have the service[funeral] for Dave until his body was found, but as time passed it seemed harder to explain to my son," said Fontana's (a NY firefighter) widow, Marian.
Life could end in an instant. We do not know how long we have on this earth. We could have 60 or 70 or 80 years to live... OR, only 24 hours to live.
Are you certain of the place you're heading when you depart from here? Somewhat certain? 60-70% sure? Whatever religious beliefs you have, just make sure you do.
