Dear Editor:
September 11, 2001. I don’t think I can really bring into words what I witnessed today. Feelings have been twisting inside of me since this morning. Anguish. Sorrow. Mourning. Anger. Disbelief. Nausea. Confusion. There is such confusion in the streets today. Sirens, police tape and armed soldiers. The not so distance roar of US Fighter jets, and the occasional dust covered suit. I have been walking up and down Washington Street ever since I saw what I still can’t bring myself to completely believe. Nodding to friends, consoling others, volunteering my help. Not a smile. Only a pensive, sad expression.
I was at Pier A Park after the two hijacked airplanes had crashed into the World Trade Center. A friend had called telling me what had happened. I turned on the TV and called my mom. I had to see the fire and smoke with my own eyes (why?) I grabbed my camera and went to Pier A Park. I was aghast at what I saw. There they stood like two blown out candles. Smoke billowed through the blue sky. I stood there dumb founded. I was talking to a friend (in sad, soft tones) when a desperate roar seemed to come from behind us and like a strip of dominos it moved through the crowd. NO!!!!! One of the Twin Towers was collapsing. It kills me to even type it, I didn’t know whether to puke or collapse. People wept. Others joined hands and prayed. I just sat where I once stood, tears filling my eyes.
That of course wasn’t the end. The police moved us off of the pier. I was standing next to City Hall when the second tower fell, the World Trade Center is gone. The skyline that I have looked at almost every day for the last five and a half years will forever be changed, and the image of that changing taking place will never leave my mind. We don’t know how many people were inside when the towers fell. We don’t know how many people were on the surrounding streets or in the surrounding buildings when the towers fell. They say now that there were over 250 people on the four hijacked planes that crashed, (two into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, one outside of Pittsburgh).
I am afraid. And I am mourning. I am afraid of the actions that took place today. I am afraid of similar actions to come. I am afraid of the retaliation that we will answer these actions with. I am mourning the innocent people killed in the actions that took place today. I am mourning the innocent people who will be killed in similar actions to come. I am mourning the innocent people who will be killed in our retaliation for these actions. Today, I make no judgements on policies or past transgressions. I have no idea what we should do in response. I only know that I feel shock, pain and confusion. It is truly a dark day, this September 11, 2001. Another day that will go down in infamy.
Peace.
David Calamoneri
Hoboken