The Franchise Champion began working in the Franchise Finance Division of Lehman Brothers at 3 World Financial Center in the summer of 2000. Now, it was the morning of September 11, 2001. I was, of course, following my same routine - early morning train from northern NJ and then the ferry from Hoboken, NJ to lower Manhattan to get started at work at about 8 AM. Although it is now 10 years later, I remember almost every detail like the events occurred yesterday.
Standing on the outside deck of the ferry on this very sunny and clear morning approaching lower Manhattan, I remember looking at the World Trade Center Towers and the crystal blue sky and thinking that it was "one of the best days of the year" and "one of those days that you'd rather be out of the office playing (golf) rather than being in the office working". Shortly, I remember sitting at my desk as usual, getting organized, planning my day, responding to emails from the night before, etc. I wrote an email to my late, older brother John (he would pass away in the summer of 2002) and hit the "send button". Right at that moment my desk shook; it was about 8:48 AM. My initial thought was that I just experienced an earthquake tremor for the second time in my life. But almost instantly, someone in the office shouted out that "a plane just struck the World Trade Center". (3 World Financial Center was attached to 1 World Trade Center aka the North Tower via a walkway and my desk was on the side of the building near 1 World Trade) My thought was that "it must have been a small plane". I immediately ran to the nearest conference room with a good view of the front and side of 1 World Trade Center and witnessed the gaping and smoky hole somewhere near the 95/100 floors of the building. I immediately looked down and around the building for remnants of an aircraft but could not find any. As a result, my next thought, having been at the World Trade Center for the 1993 bombing was, "its not an aircraft, its a bomb that exploded in the building". Regardless, I knew something very serious was happening, I was just not sure exactly what. I ran back to my desk. At that moment, someone started shouting on my office floor to "evacuate the building immediately". I gathered up my business cards and some files, put them in my briefcase, and began the journey down the stairwell. I remember moving swiftly down the stairs with others and having to make instant decisions as to whether to go left or right at certain points. I remember thinking that every decision I made at that point could be important - possibly a life or death decision. I would be out on street within minutes looking around but mostly looking up at 1 World Trade Center above and trying to figure out exactly what was going on. I was confused like everyone else on the street.
Surveying the landscape, I noticed that just west of where I was standing there was some construction going on and some fencing etc. As a result, I decided to start walking east towards West Street getting closer and closer to 1 World Trade Center. My goal was to get across a few blocks and then head north and try to make a phone call to tell my wife that I was OK. As I was walking and looking around and up I saw the second aircraft moving towards 2 World Trade Center aka the South Tower. Within seconds I watched the plane enter the corner of the building, forcing a huge plume of flame, smoke, and debris outwards and down. It was about 9:03 AM. I don't know if it was physical or mental but I "felt a singe of heat at that moment". That view of the plume of fire is cemented in my mind. Everyone on the street immediately began to panic, running in every direction, knocking each other down, screaming, not knowing what to do. My only choice was to move west towards the construction site and then, as soon as possible, begin moving quickly northward. I didn't know precisely where I was headed but knew I needed to get as far from 1 World Trade Center as quickly as possible. I was now with a couple of associates from my office and started moving swiftly without running, not wanting to add to the panic atmosphere. As we were moving I couldn't help but continue to look back at the burning buildings and the carnage, knowing that some kind of act of terrorism was taking place but not exactly knowing exactly what or who. I could not make a call on my cell phone because the lines were jammed up but knew I needed to get a call out to tell my wife that I was OK. I had some friends who had an office a few blocks north of 1 World Trade Center and thought that, if I could get there, I could make a call out. So we started walking, one of the woman I was with appeared to be in a state of shock but we kept her moving along with us.
Everything around us was happening fast but seemed to be happening in slow motion - it was surreal. Rescue workers of all kinds were racing southward towards the buildings and the people. People were streaming northward seeking safety and a way out of the city. In minutes F-16 Fighter Planes would be circling overhead. We stopped at the street corner and looked back and witnessed the unthinkable - people jumping from the buildings. I was paralyzed, standing in the street staring, and thinking how terrible it must have been up there on those floors if people were choosing jumping as their alternative. I was mortified, horrified, and scared, all at that same time. At that precise moment, for the first time in my life, I thought that "this could be the last day of my life, what is going to happen next?". My mortality slapped me hard in the face. I had several close friends and cousins who worked in and around the World Trade Center and I thought of them hoping they were safe.
We walked to my friend's office which was a straight shot north a few blocks from 1 World Trade Center. His office faced south so we had a bird's eye view of the top halves of both Towers and watched them burn, cascading smoke and flames. Meanwhile, we watched the news on TV trying to figure out the scope of events and whether additional attacks could occur that day. I was unable to get hold of my wife via phone but got hold of my Dad at his house in NY, telling him that I was OK. He would, in turn, relay the message to my wife who had pulled the kids out of school and was at home nervously waiting to hear from me. In the offices it was a horrifying multi media event - everyone talking, listening to and watching the TV, and then watching the events unfold at the Towers live and in real time. All the time we were trying to figure out our next steps.
At about 9:50 AM the South Tower collapsed and then at about 10:29 AM the North Tower collapsed. I watched them both collapse with my own eyes. When the North Tower collapsed I watched the antennae on the roof come down what appeared like one floor at a time, it was bizarre and in slow motion once again. I began weeping uncontrollably and fell to my knees overcome with emotion. Over the years I had spent countless days, months and years working in and around the World Trade Center Complex (I worked on the 96th floor of Tower One way back in 1987) and now it was gone in an instant. I kept thinking that this is really not happening and I would wake up soon from a nightmare.
Now we really panicked, people started saying that gas lines would start erupting in Manhattan and that a series of explosions would occur and that no one was safe. So a small group of us picked up our things and started racing northward away from the Trade Center as fast as we could. As we ran, we kept looking back to watch the plume of smoke move northward and people running behind us. Our run became a walk as we ran out of breath quickly but we continued to move as swiftly as possible. Not long thereafter, I remember looking up and seeing the Empire State Building ahead and thinking, we are getting too close to another possible terrorist target and need to get away from here. At that moment, we heard on a radio on the street that there were ferries on the west side of Manhattan taking people out of NY so we headed west. In a relatively short time we were standing in line waiting our turn to get on a ferry back to NJ. Our small group of people had split up, some heading north, some heading east, and some heading west to make the great escape out of NYC . I was with my old friend Dan who was trying to make his way back to NJ as well. We decided to make the trek together which was somewhat comforting in the sea of uncertainty that surrounded us. Soon we boarded a jam packed ferry which took a southward route back past the World Trade Center Complex towards Hoboken, NJ. We were accompanied by a Coast Guard escort and watched the burning mass of the former World Trade Center as we moved past it in the harbor.
The Ferry docked and a government official came on board. He said that, if you were within 5 (or was it 10, I'm not sure) blocks of Ground Zero when the planes struck, you needed to go with him. So a group of us, including Dan and myself, went with him to a holding area and were greeted by men dressed in what looked like space suits (I am not kidding!) You see, government officials at the time were not certain as to whether chemical or biological weapons were on those planes when they struck so they wanted to check people out to make sure they were not contaminated. The folks in those suits sprayed us with a dis-infectant, others gathered personal information from us, and doctors evaluated our condition for any kind of physical distress. Then, in a short while's time, we were allowed to leave the holding area.
We eventually got on a train in Hoboken to finally make our way back home to northern NJ. I was dripping wet from being sprayed with the dis-infectant but slowly began to dry off. When I saw my wife and kids I hugged them like never before. I realized that every day with them was a gift from the heavens and should never, ever be taken for granted. I remember it being late afternoon although the precise time escapes me.
At home that evening I would learn that my second cousin, Michael Sorresse (aged mid thirties, recently married, and a rising executive at Marsh & Co.), was missing and believed dead as, on that fateful morning, he as at work in 1 World Trade Center on one of the top floors where the first plane struck. In the ensuing days we would attend his memorial service and grieve with family and remember Michael and all his good-ness. I don't think that his parents will ever truly achieve closure and will always wonder: Why?
Shortly thereafter, I would end up in a local hospital for a day with post traumatic stress syndrome and hives/welts breaking out all over my body. Mentally, I was burnt out and paralyzed, sitting in front of the TV for days on end. It would take me a few weeks to get back to normal and to get back to work. We would never go back to 3 World Financial Center and would end up setting up shop at the then Opus Building on 13th Street in the former offices of a defunct internet company.
Looking back now, that day demonstrated the very best and the very worst of human kind. Mohammed Atta and his band of outlaw terrorists were clearly the very worst of mankind, killing innocent men and woman and changing their families lives forever. The policeman, the fireman, and the rescue workers were clearly the very best of mankind, helping perfect strangers to safety and risking & giving up their own lives in the process. There were countless people on the streets helping perfect strangers, comforting them, counseling them, etc. Our entire (NYC) city and our entire nation were truly united that day.
SO THAT IS MY STORY FROM SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. IT WAS AND REMAINS A VERY PAINFUL MEMORY. BEFORE THE FRANCHISE CHAMPION CHECKS OUT HE PLEADS WITH YOU TO NEVER FORGET THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 AND TO NEVER FORGET THE VICTIMS OF THAT FATEFUL DAY. STAY STEADFAST IN YOUR SUPPORT TO ELIMINATE TERRORISM AND TO SUPPORT THIS GREAT NATION OF OURS. AND PLEASE NEVER FORGET THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN IN OUR ARMED FORCES WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES SINCE THEN TRYING TO ERADICATE TERRORISM WORLDWIDE. THEY TRULY ARE HEROES. I KNOW THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET THE EVENTS OF THAT FATEFUL DAY AS THEY ARE BURNT IN TO MY MEMORY. THE FRANCHISE CHAMPION CHECKING OUT.
