Today CNN.com is re-broadcasting the network's television coverage of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as it occurred on that horrible day. Because I wasn't able to watch any of it on that day, I watched it this morning. Even five years later, seeing the second plane hit the WTC's south tower brings tears to my eyes. It is just as heart-breaking today to watch each tower collapse as it must have been for the people watching live coverage of the events.
On September 11, 2001, I woke up around 4:00 am in order to catch a 6:30 flight to Washington DC's National Airport. I was traveling with my boss and a colleague, and this was to be the first time I had ever been to the Capitol. We were traveling to attend a two-day work meeting, so I had just a change of clothes and some other essentials in a small bag I planned to carry on.
The morning was an absolutely gorgeous one; the sky was a vivid blue with no clouds in sight. We connected through Milwaukee. The flight wasn't even half-full, probably because it was such an early morning flight on Midwest Express, which at the time was one of the most expensive airlines.
I was sick that day. I had a terrible sinus headache and felt like I was coming down with a cold. I remember hoping the flight would land on time so I could take a nap before my meeting started. When the pilot announced that he was turning the plane around to return to Milwaukee due to "protests in Washington DC," I was annoyed. We were flying over Pennsylvania at the time, just a half-hour or so out of DC. I knew it would take us an hour to get back to Milwaukee. The pilot said we would stay in the plane on the runway until we could try again to reach DC. I remember thinking it was going to be a very long day.
The delay seemed rather routine and most of my fellow passengers did not even stop reading their books and newspapers. However, we knew something very unusual was happening when the plane began a very rapid descent. The pilot made another announcement. He said all international airports, including Milwaukee's had been closed and that he needed to land the plane at the nearest regional airport, which happened to be Columbus, Ohio. We were on the ground within 15 minutes of that announcement and the pressure from such a rapid descent did not help my headache any.
The Columbus airport was very tiny, with only a handful of gates that were all occupied with small, regional planes when we landed. We sat on the runway for about 30 minutes, during which other passengers made cell phone calls to let others know their flight was delayed. My boss, who was sitting across the aisle from me, called his wife. Afterward, he handed me his phone and told me to call my parents to let them know I was alright. I had no clue why I would be anything other than alright, so I didn't take him too seriously. My mom was teaching at the time and I didn't want to interrupt her class, and my dad was on the road a lot and I knew it would be difficult to reach him. I called Kyle instead.
As soon as I heard the panic in his voice, I knew something was terribly wrong. He told me there had been a terrorist attack and the World Trade Center was gone. He also said the Pentagon had been targeted and that there might still be hijacked planes in the air. I began to feel incredibly lucky.
Our luck continued. Because we were so close to Columbus at the time the FAA called for all in-flight aircraft to land, we were the first jet on the ground at that airport. We were the first flight to park at a gate and unload, and because the others I was traveling with and I did not check luggage, we made a beeline for the rental car counter as soon as we got off of the plane. There were two rental car companies at the airport, and each had a fleet of about 10 vehicles. There were people in front of us and the line grew exponentially behind us as we waited our turn. My boss reached the counter and asked for a car. The agent told him he only had a few cars left and they were not to be taken out of the Columbus area. My boss said that was fine and a few minutes later, we were on the road back to Madison.
In all, the drive took about nine hours. We listened to NPR the entire way home so we could keep up with the events as they were unfolding. We heard President Bush's speeches, as well of the statements of other world leaders.
We when reached Chicago, we braced ourselves for major traffic. Instead, the city felt abandoned. There were very few cars on the road and all of the tolls had been suspended. It was a very eery feeling. Once we were through Chicago, I called home and got my mom. When I heard her cry, I finally grasped the gravity of the situation.
It was late when we finally got back to Madison. We returned the car to the airport, which was full of other vehicles with out-of-state plates; others had driven themselves home from states away just like us. The runway was also packed with huge jets that had no business being in Madison, like the large Alaskan Air jet that seemed bigger than the airport altogether.
When I got home, I turned on the TV and saw for the first time the images of smoke billowing from Manhattan and Washington DC. It was overwhelming. Though I heard the descriptions of the scene from the car's radio, I still wasn't prepared to actually see it.
Five years later and after seeing the footage many times over, I'm still not prepared. And I don't think I ever will be.
