Awesome story Scott, thanks for sharing. On Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 12:52 PM, Scott Stroz <[email protected]> wrote:
> > 9/11 was actually my first full day in IT - at the same company at which I > worked as a paramedic. > > Since I was still certified as a paramedic, and still a manager at the > company, I was tasked with setting up a staging area at a municipal airport > in Wall Township, NJ. The plan was that as people were removed from the > wreckage patients who were no severely injured would be transported to > airports similar to the one in Wall so that hospitals close to Ground Zero > would not get overwhelmed. > > At the staging area, we coordinated over 150 people form about 50 different > agencies - ensuring we had a procedure when patients arrived - we were all > convinced that we would soon be very busy. We did not have TV or Internet > access at the airport so we relied on updates via phone calls we would > receive occasionally. Even though we were about 40 miles from Ground Zero, > we could see the smoke. > > After about 9:00 PM, we received no patients. We were advised that our > services would no longer be needed. About 12 hours after the Towers > collapsed it hit me that very few, if any, people would emerge from the > rubble alive. I cried the entire way home. > > The next day, 9/12, I was part of a very large contingent of paramedics, > nurses and EMTs from my company who went to Liberty State Park - across the > Hudson River from Ground Zero - in Jersey City, NJ. For a good portion of > the day, this was my view - http://bit.ly/Zjx4Hg (and yes, I am in that > picture). Later in the afternoon on 9/12 volunteers were requested to > assist at Ground Zero - myself and quite a few others raised out hands and > we headed over to Manhattan to do what we could. We were stationed in an > area north of the main rubble pile and waited.....and waited..and waited. > And still, we saw no patients. About midnight, we were relieved by other > crews from other agencies. I cried the entire way home. > > Over the next few days and weeks, my company sent dozens of crews to > assist. I was on a few of those crews, sitting around waiting...and > waiting. I cried the entire way home after each of those 'shifts'. > > I used to say that as long as I was physically able to do the job, I would. > Even after leaving the field full time, I still worked as a paramedic once > a week. But, I came to realize something, what I did was not fair to my > family. While I was up trying to help others, my wife (pregnant with our > second child) and my son were home alone - and terrified that the attacks > were not over. I realized that I could not put my family through something > like that again because I was (and still am) the type of person who would > have been running up to help while every one else was running down. > > While I still worked for the EMS company, even though I was in IT, I was > required to remain certified and be available from time to time to pick up > shifts when needed - it was part of my deal to move from 'Operations' to > IT. I left that company in Oct. of 2003 and moved to the DC area. That > December, after 14 years, I let my paramedic certification lapse. > > On Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 10:29 AM, GMoney <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > That day was so surreal. > > > > I remember checking the NY Times front page around 7 or so (my time) in > the > > morning and i see a little blip: "BREAKING NEWS: Plane crashes into World > > Trade center". > > > > I remember thinking "some idiot novice pilot crashed his cessna into a > > skyscraper". I remember showing it to my coworker and we had a little > > chuckle over it....man, how can you be so dumb as to hit a building THAT > > big. > > > > Needless to say, a few minutes later we weren't laughing anymore..... > > > > My boss came around and sent everyone home not long after the second > tower > > was hit. It was an absolutely beautiful day here in KC.....but the sky > > looked so ominous anyway. I'll never forget the sight of the contrails in > > the sky.....2 or 3 big looping circles in the sky as all aircraft were > > immediately ordered to land. Those smoke ribbons in the sky were so > > beautiful...and yet so amazingly frightening. > > > > I was living with my brother at the time and he came home from work too. > We > > grabbed some beers and started throwing horseshoes in the back yard. Sun > > was shining, beer was cold, company was good......yet we barely > > talked.....had a few nervous laughs.....avoided the subject on both of > our > > minds. Later that night I finally cried. The images were just too much. > > > > Even now thinking back on it, 13 years later......man.....my emotions are > > still so raw. > > > > On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 4:04 PM, Erika L. Rich <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > > > Memories of 9/11 for me are always and will always be tied to this > list. > > I > > > was more scared that day than I ever really admitted to, and having the > > > members of the list at that time talking to one another, and calling > out > > > for each other, and making sure those we knew in NY were safe, was > > > comforting. Comforting during a time when I thought planes were going > to > > > drop out of the sky and on our heads. I don't think I left the > apartment > > > for days. I was IM'ing with someone and reading the list that morning > and > > > had the news on when the messages started coming in. > > > > > > > > > https://www.mail-archive.com/cf-community%40houseoffusion.com/msg10014.html > > > > > > > > > https://www.mail-archive.com/cf-community%40houseoffusion.com/msg09981.html > > > > > > I lived so close I could smell the towers burning. I don't know why we > > had > > > to be attacked. I don't understand nor do I care to understand, the > > > political issues behind any of it. If there were any. I don't go out of > > my > > > way to memorialize the day. I just quietly think back to how I felt, > and > > > what I saw, and where I sat. > > > > > > This list has been through a lot. And I barely participate. I have > almost > > > left myself for my own reasons. But hitting the kill switch has proved > to > > > be harder to do than I thought. And I've been right there. Sitting on > the > > > website. Unsubscribe selected. And unable to hit submit. > > > > > > But it's a REALLY sad day when Mama Maureen is so exasperated and fed > up > > > that she has to bow out of here. > > > > > > I wish people would consider how the words they so carelessly type on > > their > > > keyboards are taken to heart by some. Forever archived on the internet. > > > Forever showing people just how cruel someone can be. You never ever > know > > > what the last straw is for someone. What the last "comeback" or "dig" > is > > > that sends that person off the ledge. > > > > > > Just be cognizant of what you type. What purpose does it serve to be so > > > downright cruel to one another that you have to call people names > because > > > they don't agree with you? Or they don't have the same political party? > > Or > > > religious beliefs? Or even like cats or dogs? Or children? > > > > > > > > > Trolls will troll ... why feed them? > > > > > > I'm just sad today. That this once really great list has come to this. > > > > > > E with a sad K > > > and no muffins. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:372573 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
