story5317.xml

story5317.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I believe September 11th was a Tuesday because I was at a Managers' meeting at a Waterfront Call Center in downtown Buffalo. The meeting began at 9:00 a.m. Shortly before the meeting got started, one of the managers received a telephone call on his cell phone. It was his wife stating the a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers in New York City. What seemed like only moments later, another cell phone rang and the caller stated that a second plane had hit the Towers. One of the Call Center staff interrupted the meeting immediately after that and stated that America was under terrorist attack.
The agenda of the meeting changed from reviewing the last quarter's activity to managing the work environment. Approximately 300 staff and employees had reported in for first-shift work that day. Many of the employees had relatives who lived in NYC and, of course wanted to know if they were alright.
The senior management team contacted headquarters and a plan was set: Employees who wanted to, could go home and/or follow-up on the status of their loved ones (both in Buffalo and in NYC). A conference room was turned into a command center. A computer linked to the internet, a radio, and a television were in the conference room and anyone could go in at anytime to receive updates. The Call Center management ordered lunch for the staff. Human Resource personnel were available to provide counseling and support.
I, along with other managers, walked around the Call Center to provide some level of comfort to the staff and reassurance that all would be okay. People were crying as they may futile attempts to contact family in New York City. The circuits were so tied up, no calls were getting through. I called my husband and spoke to him. Our stories were similar He remained at work as well that day.
An attempt to complete any work related tasks was useless. Everyone was so overwhelmed by the horrific event.
When I finally arrived home that evening, I immediately turned to CNN to watch the news. I must have sat in front of that television for most of the evening. I just could not believe what had happened: The Towers were there and then they were gone. It was surreal; like something out of a movie...a horror movie.
I watched every time the planes were shown crashing into the Towers. I must have watched that film clip several hundred times. Each time I watched I realized how fragile life was; how much hatred there is in the world; and how much we need each other.
September 11th will be forever in archives of my mind just as the day that Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, and the day the John F. Kennedy was assasinated...and the day my mother died. Each event touched my heart and my soul. Each event had a profound, life-changing effect on me and how I view life on the planet earth.
I pray for all of those who lost loved ones on September 11th. May they find peace in their memories. I pray for world peace and unity among nations. I pray that the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, the God of the living and the dead, my God, bless us and keep us now, hence, and forever more.
Amen.
Dr. Traci A. Jackson