My first trip to Manhattan was in 2003, so I never saw the World Trade Center Towers in person. On September 11, 2001 8:45am, the world changed, but we didn't realize it until 9:03. In between many of us thought it was just some horrific accident. Such an intentional act was not conceivable. This week I read the story about the two fighter jets that were scrambled to intercept Flight 93. Even that military had not anticipated such an event because those jets took off without any ammunition; they were going to use their own planes as missiles to bring that flight down.
I remember standing with a group of colleagues in our own office tower watching the events unfold on TV. Some were in shock, others like myself were in denial. It was surreal as it seemed disconnected from reality. One of my coworkers had worked in the WTC and still had many friends there. He was very concerned and that helped make the events much more concrete. We could then connect to what we saw on TV.
We had a small corporate office in Two World Trade Center, but fortunately for our staff, nobody was there. As the towers fell I had no idea that I knew one of the victims. Ken Basnicki was somebody who I had talked with regularly over the previous years. He was a sales executive and I was a client. I had had coffee and lunch with him numerous times. He was a good man, and it wouldn't be for weeks later that I would learn that he was in the towers that day for training.
Much of the media coverage we in North America will see today will be very US focused. But these events changed the world. The war that resulted impacted many more lives than those who died on September 11, many who barely even knew what or where New York is. We must not forget them either. They too were fathers, and mothers and children.
I do have a few pictures that are relevant to the topic. All taken when I was just learning to use my fairly new SLR. The last picutre "New York Behind Bars", is my favourite. To me, it symbolizes the prison of fear that encircled a nation.
A memorial looking across the river
1/250 f/6.3 ISO 200 EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 24 mm Canon EOS 40D
Jersey City,New Jersey
Salvage
1/30 f/6.3 ISO 200 EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 32 mm Canon EOS 40D
Jersey City,New Jersey
Steel
1/10 f/6.3 ISO 200 EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 40 mm Canon EOS 40D
,Jersey City,New Jersey
New York Behind Bars
1/40 f/16 ISO 200 EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 35 mm Canon EOS 40D
Jersey City,New Jersey
I remember standing with a group of colleagues in our own office tower watching the events unfold on TV. Some were in shock, others like myself were in denial. It was surreal as it seemed disconnected from reality. One of my coworkers had worked in the WTC and still had many friends there. He was very concerned and that helped make the events much more concrete. We could then connect to what we saw on TV.
We had a small corporate office in Two World Trade Center, but fortunately for our staff, nobody was there. As the towers fell I had no idea that I knew one of the victims. Ken Basnicki was somebody who I had talked with regularly over the previous years. He was a sales executive and I was a client. I had had coffee and lunch with him numerous times. He was a good man, and it wouldn't be for weeks later that I would learn that he was in the towers that day for training.
Much of the media coverage we in North America will see today will be very US focused. But these events changed the world. The war that resulted impacted many more lives than those who died on September 11, many who barely even knew what or where New York is. We must not forget them either. They too were fathers, and mothers and children.
I do have a few pictures that are relevant to the topic. All taken when I was just learning to use my fairly new SLR. The last picutre "New York Behind Bars", is my favourite. To me, it symbolizes the prison of fear that encircled a nation.
A memorial looking across the river
1/250 f/6.3 ISO 200 EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 24 mm Canon EOS 40D
Jersey City,New Jersey
Salvage1/30 f/6.3 ISO 200 EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 32 mm Canon EOS 40D
Jersey City,New Jersey
Steel1/10 f/6.3 ISO 200 EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 40 mm Canon EOS 40D
,Jersey City,New Jersey
New York Behind Bars1/40 f/16 ISO 200 EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 35 mm Canon EOS 40D
Jersey City,New Jersey
2 comments:
An interesting counter-point to the 'world has changed viewpoint.
http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/09/the-september-11-attacks-how-l.html
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