9/11 Remembrance Day
- Thread starter dbair1967
- Start date
NEVER
Doomsday
High Plains Drifter
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I'll never forget where I was and what I was doing that morning.
I was Chief Engineer of an industrial plant and one of the line workers came and told me he heard on the radio a plane hit the WTC in NY. I thought, must be bad visibility, how do you hit something that big and I assumed it was a single engine Mooney or Cessna and went on about my business.
Few minutes later the same guy all wide eyed caught me and said, "it was a 747!"
Now I'm wide eyed, and hustle myself up to the conference room and turned the TV on to CNN. There it was, black smoke flowing out of one of the towers on a completely clear weather day. I went to summon the rest of the managers and pretty soon the GM, plant mgr, production mgr and all of their assistants, were watching when the second plane hit. More next post.
I was Chief Engineer of an industrial plant and one of the line workers came and told me he heard on the radio a plane hit the WTC in NY. I thought, must be bad visibility, how do you hit something that big and I assumed it was a single engine Mooney or Cessna and went on about my business.
Few minutes later the same guy all wide eyed caught me and said, "it was a 747!"
Now I'm wide eyed, and hustle myself up to the conference room and turned the TV on to CNN. There it was, black smoke flowing out of one of the towers on a completely clear weather day. I went to summon the rest of the managers and pretty soon the GM, plant mgr, production mgr and all of their assistants, were watching when the second plane hit. More next post.
Doomsday
High Plains Drifter
- Messages
- 24,857
- Reaction score
- 8,114
After the second plane hit, the ladies started crying while the men all looked at each other and nobody had to say it - this is deliberate. Then we started talking hows and whys and speculating on culprits.
Well probably 15 minutes after the second plane hit, that building collapsed to the squeals and screams of the women.
The GM, Plant Mgr, Production Mgr and myself huddled in a corner of the room talking about what to do with the 175 or so employees in the plant and the 20 or so route drivers out there servicing their accounts. GM and PM wanted to just not tell them, let them find out after work. And I'm like, that dog won't hunt - about half of them have radios out there. That's how I got informed. They all know by now.
Then the North tower collapsed.
Then Chad the Plant Manager came up with a great idea. He asked me when was the last time we ran a fire drill! It's been a minute, and now is the best time for it.
We let the office personnel leave first, the ones who were in the conference room with us, then Chad threw the fire alarm switch. Everyone followed procedure and everyone proceeded to the designated escape area, a large vacant parking lot across the street.
The procedure here was roll call. Chad, with bullhorn as he's supposed to have, instead informed them it's not a fire drill and as we're sure you all know there's been planes crashing into buildings and everyone who wants to go home be with family is welcome to do so, with pay. Anyone staying can help us safely shut everything down, then leave as well.
Anyhow about ten of them stayed and at the close of the hour, we had it all shut off and the last of the batches was processed. The ten, left.
I have to stay to take care of the 200hp boiler which you can't just walk away from, and the plant mgr and prod. manager stayed to take care of the drivers as they come in.
Bad day. Sad one too. When we all met initially at the parking lot, most of the women were sobbing, or had been. It really sucked. Sucked worse upon getting home and getting all the details.
Anyhow...