September 11, 2001, is the day New Yorkers showed their true colors. It was a day when the entire New York City Police Force was occupied with the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Towers at the southern tip of Manhattan Island. New Yorkers had free rein to do whatever crime they wanted to do. Instead, they chose to step up. With genuine sincerity, the people in New York turned a day that was wracked with evil into a melting pot overflowing with human kindness. Here are several stories from that fateful day, the day that changed America and brought her citizens closer together than ever before. 1. Curiosity At 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. People saw the plane hit, but few suspected it was anything more than an unlikely accident. 2. Bewilderment There were conflicting reports about the size of the plane. The nation was left wondering how a plane could fly into one of the Twin Towers. Seventeen minutes later, everybody realized the truth. 3. Rage At 9:03 a.m., Flight 175 slammed into the South Tower, killing hundreds of people and shocking a nation of onlookers to the reality that New York was under terroristic attack. 4. Helplessness For the first time in history, the FAA grounds all flights in or inbound to the United States. Millions of viewers take to the streets and to TVs around the nation and the world…and just watch. 5. Admiration The NYFD take the stairs. Thinking only of others and suppressing their own misgivings, firefighters climb many, many flights to help people. 343 firefighters perished that day. Plus 23 police officers, 37 Port Authority police officers, and two paramedics…all died helping others. Pictured here is New York firefighter, Mike Kehoe, who thankfully survived. 6. Fear After the first plane hit the North Tower, people began descending the South Tower stairs, too. Around the 18th floor, wary workers got a boost from a security guard on a megaphone singing God Bless America. He encouraged everyone to keep moving, saying it was a historic day and they were going to make it. 7. Uncertainty Ed Beyea worked on the 27th floor of Tower 1. Ed was quadriplegic and in a wheelchair. As his coworkers fled among fear and screaming, Ed was left alone…except for Avremel Zelmanowitz who promised to stay by his side until Captain William Burke of the NYFD arrived to carry Ed down. The three never made it out, but their story did, thanks to Avremel’s phone call to his wife. 8. Paralysis Citizens stop their lives to stare as the Towers burn. Their disbelief will soon turn to panic and horror as they, themselves, move from spectators to participants as the South Tower falls. 9. Horror The South Tower begins to crumble. It leaves a tower of smoke in its place and sends a wave of thick dust that blankets lower Manhattan. 10. Confusion The blinding, suffocating dust that spread like an obscene tsunami covered and coated everything in its path with ash and dirt. 11. Shock The cloud was so thick, it was not immediately obvious that one tower was no longer there. Newscasters watching from their studio speculated it was another attack, unable to see that the South Tower was…gone. 12. Terror Those closer to the scene turned and ran for their lives. Many tried to outrun the cloud while others, out of disgust or resentment, did not give way, preferring to stand their ground, fighting back in their own way. Some others were compassionately pulled into nearby storefronts by strangers and watched the world go dark outside the windows as the cloud of dust passed. 13. Lost Penelope Trunk ran but was enveloped by the dust. Unable to see, she stumbled on people on the ground and lost her shoes in the pile up. Later, when she started her beleaguered, barefoot, five-mile journey to the Upper West Side, and covered in dust, a stranger bought her a new pair of shoes. 14. Stranded Cabs offered free rides. Some drivers waived fares, sacrificing their $200-$250 regular day income. They also passed on the opportunity to gauge prices for rides away from the war zone of the Financial District. 15. Dismayed Water was priceless, both to clean off the suffocating dust and also to hydrate. Workers in a deli left their restaurant to hand out free bottles to the thirsty throngs on their northward march. At $2.00 a pop, it’s not a lot of money, but they gave away a bunch of bottles. Priceless. 16. Trapped When the buildings came down and everybody ran, those who ran south were trapped by water. Besides breathing the dust and smoke—and suppressing the horror of the previous hour—was the anxiety of thinking another attack might be imminent. 17. Hopeful The Coast Guard’s New York Pilot boat put out a call for volunteers to help evacuate lower Manhattan. Within minutes, an astounding number of ferries, private boats, party boats, and tug boats converged near Governor’s Island. 18. Inspired The boats began shuttling 500,000 people across the river. It took nine hours and became the largest sea evacuation in history. Some captains even spray painted their boats with the name of their destination on the other side of the river. 19. Touched Those who walked north could rely on strangers who lent their hands. Some carried bags; some carried children. New Yorkers gave of themselves to strangers who trustingly accepted the assistance. 20. Empathetic New Yorker, Jon Addison, heard the “thugs” from his neighborhood actually looking out for people. “Ma’am, are you okay? Do you need some water?” This is what he heard these young men say with sincerity to shocked and dust-covered citizens from Lower Manhattan. 21. Relieved Lending cellphones became a common good deed of the day, however fruitless. Even calls had trouble escaping Manhattan. Networks became overwhelmed with traffic both in New York as well as up and down the East Coast from concerned family and friends. 22. Grateful Michael Wright borrowed a phone from a man named Gary, after escaping 1 World Trade Center. When Michael’s attempts to reach his wife in Boston failed, he returned the phone and the men parted ways. Gary, on his own initiative, continued redialing until he finally got through and said the words: Your husband Michael is alive! 23. Aghast Women discarded high heels while descending the World Trade Towers’ steps. After the unforeseen collapses, they walked barefoot, numb to the damage and pain the rubble and glass inflicted on their feet. Workers in a nail salon noticed and ran outside to hand out free flip flops, the kind used during pedicures. 24. Safe When U.S. airspace closed, incoming international flights were ordered to land at the nearest airport. 39 commercial jets landed in Gander, Newfoundland, 1466 miles northeast of Ground Zero. The population of this small town jumped from 10,000 to 16,579. The city and surrounding areas played host to the stranded passengers in memorable fashion. 25. Secure In Gander and surrounding towns, shelters were established, businesses stayed open all night and passengers were provided recreational activities during the two-day “layover.” In Lewisporte, 45 minutes from Gander, high school students were required to volunteer their time to take care of the “guests.” 26. Thankful On the flight home from Gander two days later, a passenger on Delta 15 made an announcement. He wanted to start a scholarship trust fund for the Lewisporte high school students who took care of them…as a thank you. Before landing, the passengers on that flight pledged $28,000. The figure later grew to over $1.5 million. 27. Resilient Thomas E. Franklin snapped this iconic photo of Brooklyn-based firefighters George Johnson, Dan McWilliams and Billy Eisengrein raising the flag at what became known as Ground Zero. 28. Unified What the terrorists tried to divide drew us together. It was a day that began with evil intentions but was characterized by kindness and compassion and caring. It was the day that strengthened our resolve and our pride as Americans.
