On 9/11/2001 I was working as an Environmental Coordinator at the Brooklyn Piers. At approximately 8:45AM, I was walking to my job; I noticed smoke billowing up from 1WTC. I ran upstairs and told my coworkers. Then we watched the horrible events that followed.
It was a weird out of body experience like watching a movie being filmed right before my eyes. I started my career in 1975 at the trade center. We saw both towers fall, as the wind brought the dust to where we were standing. I knew I would remember this day for the rest of my life. I took it personally as if it was an attack against my company the PA, and everything I believed in, not realizing it was an attack against America.
It took me about a week to come to grips with what had happened that awful day, and how it affected everyone else in the country. On 9/13/01, I got a call from a Midwestern church lady. She said “I am so sorry for your loss, we saw what happened on television. I did not know who we could call to offer our condolences”. She said she was calling for her church community, as they were very upset about all the innocent lives that were lost.
That evening, I watched President Bush's speech to Congress on television. He spoke about a PAPD OFFICER that wasn’t even on duty that day, but when he heard what happened at the WTC, he drove to the police headquarters at JFK, grabbed a police car, raced to the WTC just in time for WTC to fall on him. I knew this officer from collaborating with him during several environmental emergencies.
I do not know how I kept my emotions under control through that week as I did not break down or cry despite feeling sad, I did not even get mad. I did cry, at Fridays memorial service.
In the weeks, months, and years to follow, I became more in touch with reality about the terror attacks of 9/11/01. I hated Muslims after the attacks; it was difficult daily walking on Atlantic Avenue from the railroad station because this was a Middle Eastern neighborhood. But I came to learn that not all Muslims are terrorists. Thank God that most of my coworkers got out safely that day, which is a miracle if you really stop to think about it. I did eventually visit the site and kept abreast about the new WTC completion and developments with the 9/11 memorial. This is very emotional for me each year but is necessary as I will never forget; We must remain vigilant to prevent this from happening again.
For me, there was one good thing that came out of 9/11. It inspired me to write a musical, about a couple who fall in love that day while viewing the disaster. I called the play “Overcoming Obstacles “.
Richard Hacker
Retired
