I remember it like it was yesterday.
Like any other day, I awake to an alarm clock at 4:00AM and I jump up and get in the shower. Then into a Monkey Suit and into the Grand Marquis which was used as a limo to get people to and from the airport, home and office.

It was a short drive considering; typically it would take close to an hour to get to a client’s address, but this day, I had to drive from Lowell Massachusetts to Tewksbury which is a hop-skip & jump away to the Raytheon Building to get two guys heading to Los Angeles.

It was a pleasant drive; free of traffic and hassles and as the sun arose, the day was spectacular. It was an exquisite day for my two clients to fly to L.A.
I dropped them off at American Airlines and headed to Marlboro Mass. to pick up another client. I had an hour to waste, so I stopped in and got some breakfast at a Dunkin Donuts.

Image via Wikipedia

Back in the car and listening to Howard Stern, I hear of an airplane that hit the World Trade Center Building; Tower 1. Naturally, Gary on the show was stunned and the news was trickling in about a small prop plane and many ideas of what may have happened, yet nothing was yet clear. Howard just carried on with his typical antics and from time to time, Gary would jump in with exclamations of “Look at the fire! That had to be something larger than a prop plane.”

Howard acknowledged Gary and carried on with his antics until, another plane hit tower 2 and this is when we all found out that Howard Stern was indeed the King of all Media. He got plugged into the AP and Reuter lines and he was probably the best person to be listening to on this day.

By now, I’m sitting at Raytheon in Marlboro waiting for my customer and I have no idea what’s keeping him so long. So, I went into the lobby and asked the desk security to check on him. As I was in there, I caught my first glimpse of The WTC on TV. WOW! Not good. The security desk told me the client was waiting to find out what he was going to do.

I went back to my car and called my office. My boss was watching on TV as well and told me to just wait there until we found out what everyone was doing. It wasn’t much longer sitting and listening to the radio when they announced that all air traffic had been brought to the ground. Now I didn’t have much to wonder about. I went in and told security to call my client and tell him he isn’t going to be flying at the time. If he made plans on another flight, call us and we’d be back to pick him up.

I went back to the car and called my boss and told him I was coming in to the office.
On the way, the Pentagon was hit and by the time I got to the office and sat to watch everything, the WTC 2 began to fall.

I told my boss, there’s nothing I could do that day and I was going home to watch the TV. He agreed. As it turned out, Logan Airport was closed for a month after that morning and I found myself out of a job. Also, as it turned out and as I checked the return flight for the 2 I dropped at American that morning…
I noted they flew out on American 11.
They would not be returning home to their families; Ever!

I don’t know of anyone anywhere in America who wasn’t affected that day in some way personally. As we look back this Sunday to 10 years ago, let’s say a prayer for all lost and those involved directly. I know I can always use some security from the Lord that there is a purpose somehow for all that happens in our lives.

God Bless You All.
Rest in Peace Peter Gay

And Kenneth Waldie