I Was Evacuated From Newark Airport On 9/11

It's hard to believe that 9/11 was over 20 years ago. It feels like it was just yesterday, that I was evacuated from Newark Airport on the morning of 9/11. I was working in Sacramento and flew back to my parent's home, and was set to leave to go back to California the morning of 9/11. My dad a retired TWA pilot, drove me to Newark airport, and on the way, I wanted to turn the radio on. My dad did the "daddest" thing and told me "Let's leave it off and just talk." We talked about my finances, my love life, and my future.

As we got closer to NYC we saw smoke billowing from the sky, what I couldn't see was that it was the World Trade Center. My dad dropped me off at Newark Airport around 8:50 am. I walked right through security and down to my gate for my 10:10 am departure. When I got there the gate agent told me "We're delayed, a small plane hit the Trade Center." Little did we know it was a passenger jet and it was just the beginning.

I went to a small bar where the news was on, and with a group of viewers, we all witnessed the 2nd plane hit the other tower at 9:37 am. At that point, we all knew we weren't flying out that day, and it was a major terrorist attack. The airport went into evacuation mode. We were ordered to leave. Passengers went out front for pick up. My dad tried to drive back to the airport but it was closed already.

I was listening to the radio through my headphones, and at 10:45ish it was announced that the tower collapsed. I then became the guy who was delivering news to people who were unaware. I'll never forget hearing people crying, people who had loved ones in those towers... I took a cab home and didn't fly back to California for 5 days.

The loss of life that day was immense. Innocent victims of a senseless act. I'll never forget and still cry about it from time to time.

One more note... While I was home watching the news I kept hearing about Flt. 93. I was wondering why that sounded so familiar to me, turns out I had listed that flight on a small piece of paper as a potential return flight.  Thankfully I didn't want to wake up that early and booked a different flight last minute. I still have that sheet of paper with my flight options. Flt. 93 was the first flight I chose as you can see it's started along with the America West Flight I ended up on...

I still wonder how I could've been part of that now-infamous "Let's Roll" rebellion on that flight.

I still have newspapers from 9/11 9/12/ and 9/13 check them out... It's crazy how the world changed after 9/11. The Post had a slow news day.

Finally here's a news story from years ago as covered by WSOC TV.

September 11, 2001, has forever been marked as a day of remembrance.  The tragic terrorist attack took nearly 3,000 people's lives. That day, four planes were hijacked by the Al Qaeda terrorist group. Two of those planes flew into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York which upon impact collapsed the buildings. Prior to 9/11, they were the tallest buildings in New York. They were completed in 1973 and for some time they were the tallest buildings in the world.

One of the planes flew into the Pentagon located in the nation's capital of Washington D.C. The fourth plane, known as Flight 93, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. It was the only plane that didn't reach its target. Ziah Jarrah, was one of the plane's hijackers and also a trained pilot. According to The 9/11 Commission Report, "Jarrah’s objective was to crash his airliner into symbols of the American Republic, the Capitol or the White House," the report claims. "He was defeated by the alerted, unarmed passengers of United 93." After the plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, all 44 passengers were killed upon impact.

Vice President Kamala Harris is joined by several other politicians such as New York City Mayor Eric Adams, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, and Rudy Giuliani as well as Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attended Ground Zero with mourners today (Sept. 11, 2023). None of the politicians were scheduled to speak during the ceremony. Names of the nearly 3,000 dead are called out in remembrance. President Biden was not in attendance in New York as he is attending a memorial ceremony in Alaska on the heels of his trip to Asia.

Take a look at five documentaries that tell the tale of the heart-wrenching event of September 11, 2001. From these documentaries, you will see exclusive interviews with heroes and witnesses as well as the historical impact of this tragic event.

9/11: Inside the President’s War Room lets you inside of the Bush administration on the day of 9/11. The documentary gives you an hour-by-hour view in how the tragedy was handled that day. The You can watch the documentary on Apple TV+

One Day in America is a moving six-part National Geographic series through the eyes of the witnesses, heroes, and survivors. The series is produced in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum that tracks the tragic day in detail. You can stream the documentary on Hulu.

Turning Point 9/11 and the War on Terror is a six-part documentary directed by Brian Knappenberger. It covers Al Queda's roots in the 1980s to America's response at home and abroad. You can stream the documentary on Netflix.

Spike Lee turns his documentarian eye on New York City and its experience with 9/11. The Oscar-winning director interviews Jon Stewart, Rosie Perez, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and more New Yorkers who lived through it. It also touches upon the COVID-19 pandemic and the 20 years since the tragedy of 9/11. You can stream the Max, (formerly known as HBO Max).

In this special report by Good Morning America host Robin Roberts, she takes a look at all of the women who were behind the scenes on the tragic day. Roberts interviewed four women who share their stories on how they continue to heal from the effects of 9/11. You can watch the report here.