story9551.xml

story9551.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-09-10

I was still working as an attorney back then, that year as a civil litigation defense counsel for general insurance; going to Court every morning either in Manhattan, The Bronx or Brooklyn. That morning I stopped at the office on the lower West Side to get my file and then hopped aboard the N to get to arguments by 9:15 or so in Brooklyn on Adams Street... the train stopped at Cortland station under the towers as always, shook a little, stopped for a bit, then continued. When I got to Brooklyn and saw the smoke, I thought there might be a fire... when someone in Court said the towers collapsed, I thought we were at war... when I saw the people coming in thousands, covered in white dust, coming over the Brooklyn Bridge, I thought we were at the end of our way of life... but now I know that we were all there to see that our way of life is the best... we are Free, not from death, but from tyranny. I was glad to be alive to help people on to buses going to the hostpial on Atlantic Avenue, glad to be an American, glad to be able to help my fellows... I'm still glad.
Now I'm an English teacher, though. Some things are more important than others.