I Will Never Forget!

[Cglrcng]

I was safe in N.W., AZ that morning, saw the 2nd plane hit on TV as I was headed 3 hrs. away to Phoenix to pick up a friend that had just had a Heart operation @ The Phoenix Heart Institute and was due to be released that day.

And, as I headed for the door the phone rang (it was my eldest Son, who lived in Buffalo, NY, and worked for Global Crossing), he had over the prior 2 decades literally wired the world flying all over the planet on commercial aircraft "Business Class" installing the routing switches, for the Worldwide Internet Backbone, and was then installing newer tech smaller package hardware, to replace the old outdated bulky hardware), and his first words were "Dad...I'm Ok!" (I was relieved but totally clueless as to what hat he was even talking about).

I had no clue to tie anything together, but his next words (as I am still watching the news), he says "My Crew got out of the communications bunker and they are safe, and I am currently landing across the river in New Jersey now, as I had to stay behind last night to pick up a part in Syracuse this morning, so I arrived this morning instead of yesterday with the rest of my crew, but they got out safely. (He never once called me from work before or since that day).

And then it all clicked as soon as he said New Jersey and across the river, and I hurriedly asked "are you talking about the World Trade Center?" (His answer was "not inside either tower, but yes, we were scheduled to be working in a communications bunker in the footprint of the Tower that I just watched fall, as I landed across the river), and my crew was evacuated an hour ago, I am getting off the plane now to go meet the Ferry."

They had to rent a car to get back home. (But they were safe, many others were not as lucky).

It was a long reflective drive to Phoenix and back, and yes the skies were eerily silent and empty. I also will never forget! (It is a small, sad, and dangerous world at times).

Years later he told me (another job was cancelled elsewhere), so the scheduling on the WTC job was just pushed up 2 days totally by chance and circumstance, and that all important part he was waiting for was simply shipper delayed, so he waited for it.

He rarely talked about his work, beyond his enjoying the world traveler aspect (being only 1 of only an exclusive few that did what he did), that he enjoyed the work immensely and it paid very well, and how well he was treated by Airline Employees across the planet that treated him like a VIP as he was well beyond a frequent flier, as he travelled Business Class in his comfortable "Global Crossing Uniform" of Company adorned Polo Shirt, Shorts, White socks and Tennis Shoes, and how many Business Class Suits gave him the evil eye, when he was elevated often to First Class first.

The last place I worried about him working was in the good ol' U S of A, and, that day educated me that I was wrong. And I can remember it like yesterday.