a friend forwarded this to me. it's from his fathers friend. it's a
good read.
I just want to express my thanks for all of your concern and good
>wishes.
>
>I had been on the inbound PATH train from Newark, which usually goes
to
>the World Trade Center. The train was delayed en route and an
>announcement was made that the train was being re-routed to 33rd
Street
>because of a "police action" at WTC. There was no indication of what
was
>taking place. At 33rd Street I had to go to the East side subway line
to
>go downtown, but again no indication of what was going on. The No 4
>train was running to Wall Street, but no trains were running to WTC.
>
>I had just come up from the No 4 subway at Wall Street and found a
huge
>crowd of people on the street. I walked to the corner to head towards
>AIG's Water Street office (they have several skyscrapers in the
>immediate area). As I turned the corner, which opens into a plaza a
few
>blocks from the World Trade complex, I saw both buildings on fire. I
>couldn't believe what I was witnessing. Within a minute I could see
>parts of Tower 1 falling from the building, and the thought ran
through
>my mind that the building could collapse. Less than 30 seconds later
the
>building started to fall.
>
>It was as if it was coming down in slow motion. There were hundreds,
>maybe thousands of people in the crowd around me. People began
screaming
>and everyone turned to try to run, but the crowd was so thick it
seemed
>we couldn't move. People were falling and being trampled by the crowd,
>and as I looked back over my shoulder I could see this cloud --like
>those photos of the fire storm at Mt. St. Helens-- coming down over
top
>of us.
>
>The force of the debris cloud knocked me over and I could feel
material
>hitting my back. It went black as the sky disappeared -- there was no
>sunlight and you could not see your hand in front of your face. The
air
>was nothing but dust. I held my breath as long as I could. My mouth
was
>full of soot, and I had to take a couple of breaths before I could get
a
>handkerchief to my face. I tried to move after the initial force had
>passed over us and I am sure I was at times walking on top of people--
>you just couldn't see street at your feet and there was no way tell
what
>was in front of you. The cloud never moved --the sky never appeared
>again.
>
>Someone was shouting "Come this way," but of course with only one good
>ear I couldn't tell which "way" he was referring to. I stumbled
through
>the cloud --it was extraordinarily silent, like being in a heavy
>snowfall. I moved towards a glow which I though might be sunlight, but
>it turned out to be a string of small Christmas lights lit for some
>reason. As I moved at some point I noticed there was a hand grabbing
my
>shoulder from behind. I never saw who it was but we proceeded towards
>the light. I'm not sure of the timeline after that but I remember
coming
>into a large interior courtyard inside a building where the are was
less
>filled. There were people telling us to get to the stairwell and move
>downstairs where the air was clear. I was covered in soot, as well as
>coughing it up.
>
>I stayed in this basement office for about 5 or 10 minutes. People
were
>extraordinarily kind, offering water, wet paper towels and anything
else
>they could do. Word came that they were trying to get people to the
>South Street Seaport along the East River. I felt compelled to get out
>of the building -- and quite honestly just wanted to see daylight
again.
>I climbed the stairs and walked out on, I think, Pine Street near the
>AIG corporate building. The sky was still filled with the dust, but I
>could see blue sky to my left in the direction of the river. As I
began
>to walk I heard a second explosion of some kind and again saw another
>St. Helens cloud coming down the street as people were running towards
>me. It must have been the collapse of Tower 2. I turned a corner and
>jumped into the first building I could get into, where I stayed until
I
>felt it was over.
>
>I eventually made my way to the Seaport area. The entire financial
>district looked like a nuclear winter. There was a thick layer of ash
>everywhere. People were walking, as I was, with no clear direction. I
>noticed most of the shops were closed, as I guess they had evacuated
the
>area after the first plane hit the building. One of the restaurants in
>the Seaport had opened their phones and were offering shelter and
water
>to those that needed it. I went in and sat for awhile. I tried my cell
>phone but there was no way to get a connection.
>
>I decided to walk towards midtown, thinking that at some point they
>would have to try to get people out of Manhattan. There was an exodus
>over the Brooklyn Bridge, but I wanted to try to go west if possible.
I
>walked north (schlepping my AIG laptop the whole damn time!) and
stopped
>at a drugstore south of Soho to get some Band-Aids for blisters on my
>heels (business wing tips are NOT meant for walking).
>
>As I made my way through SOHO, someone came up to me and offered to
get
>me to a phone -- in fact, despite what you hear about New Yorkers --
>there were several people who, during my walk north, asked if I was
all
>right or if there was anything they could do. I took advantage of his
>offer to make the phone call to my house, where Carol was working on
the
>deadline of our paper. I kept walking afterwards, and a second offer
by
>someone later allowed me another chance to rest, get water and make
some
>calls. These guys had made the offer to another guy who must have been
>walking near me, who turned out to be another AIG employee!, and they
>eventually drove us to midtown.
>
>When we got near Penn Station there was an enormous crowd and it was
>obvious nothing was moving out of there. We kept going to the Port
>Authority bus station, but again, nothing was moving. We stayed in the
>area and eventually learned that the Port Authority was being prepared
>as a triage/morgue staging area and there would be no service anytime
>soon, but that the PATH trains were going to provide some sort of
>limited service from 33rd Street. We headed that was (this was now
about
>5:00pm) and sure enough, just as we got to the 33rd St. station they
>were beginning to move people outbound to Newark. From there I was
able
>to get an Amtrak train to Wilmington.
>
>I went to the Wilmington Hospital emergency room last night and was
>treated for a mild abrasion to my left cornea, and given a tetanus
>booster due to a laceration on my leg, which I didn't know was there.
I
>was advised that the debris cloud is usually more of an irritant
factor
>than filled with anything worse, though I am still rather "chest
heavy."
>Hopefully, this will continue to improve.
>
>
>
>About 22 years ago, as many of you know, I was given the chance to
learn
>a wonderful lesson. During the battle with my brain tumor my late Aunt
>Joan, who was dying from lung cancer at the time, left me a wonderful
>letter in which she expressed her love for me and her gratitude for
>having had the chance to know me during those few last months when
both
>of us were facing the uncertainties of what the future held. When I
was
>in the darkness of that cloud yesterday I have to confess to you all
>that my thoughts were how I was going to manage to take another breath
>-- there was a thought that I might die, but it was not filled with
>flashes of my life going before me or thoughts of those I might leave
>behind --it was about taking another breath.
>
>For some reason I was allowed that breath. I pray that the person
whose
>hand was on my shoulder also eventually got to fresh air. And maybe
the
>hand was pushing me to where I had to go. I don't know. But I now have
>the chance to think about all those I might have left behind, and to
>tell you all -- each of you -- how very special you all are and how
much
>you have enriched my life and made it all -- whatever comes along --
>worth every minute. I never say this enough -- and I'm not very good
at
>saying it anyway, but I love you.
>
>Frank
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attachment: Forwarded Message
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 16:33:15 -0500
From: George Arnold <garnold@impax.com>
To: JORDON ARNOLD <spicyfood@home.com>
Subject: My friend,,,,
..Jordy,, This is the letter I received from Frank, my friend,,,
>
>I just want to express my thanks for all of your concern and good
>wishes.
>
>I had been on the inbound PATH train from Newark, which usually goes
to
>the World Trade Center. The train was delayed en route and an
>announcement was made that the train was being re-routed to 33rd
Street
>because of a "police action" at WTC. There was no indication of what
was
>taking place. At 33rd Street I had to go to the East side subway line
to
>go downtown, but again no indication of what was going on. The No 4
>train was running to Wall Street, but no trains were running to WTC.
>
>I had just come up from the No 4 subway at Wall Street and found a
huge
>crowd of people on the street. I walked to the corner to head towards
>AIG's Water Street office (they have several skyscrapers in the
>immediate area). As I turned the corner, which opens into a plaza a
few
>blocks from the World Trade complex, I saw both buildings on fire. I
>couldn't believe what I was witnessing. Within a minute I could see
>parts of Tower 1 falling from the building, and the thought ran
through
>my mind that the building could collapse. Less than 30 seconds later
the
>building started to fall.
>
>It was as if it was coming down in slow motion. There were hundreds,
>maybe thousands of people in the crowd around me. People began
screaming
>and everyone turned to try to run, but the crowd was so thick it
seemed
>we couldn't move. People were falling and being trampled by the crowd,
>and as I looked back over my shoulder I could see this cloud --like
>those photos of the fire storm at Mt. St. Helens-- coming down over
top
>of us.
>
>The force of the debris cloud knocked me over and I could feel
material
>hitting my back. It went black as the sky disappeared -- there was no
>sunlight and you could not see your hand in front of your face. The
air
>was nothing but dust. I held my breath as long as I could. My mouth
was
>full of soot, and I had to take a couple of breaths before I could get
a
>handkerchief to my face. I tried to move after the initial force had
>passed over us and I am sure I was at times walking on top of people--
>you just couldn't see street at your feet and there was no way tell
what
>was in front of you. The cloud never moved --the sky never appeared
>again.
>
>Someone was shouting "Come this way," but of course with only one good
>ear I couldn't tell which "way" he was referring to. I stumbled
through
>the cloud --it was extraordinarily silent, like being in a heavy
>snowfall. I moved towards a glow which I though might be sunlight, but
>it turned out to be a string of small Christmas lights lit for some
>reason. As I moved at some point I noticed there was a hand grabbing
my
>shoulder from behind. I never saw who it was but we proceeded towards
>the light. I'm not sure of the timeline after that but I remember
coming
>into a large interior courtyard inside a building where the are was
less
>filled. There were people telling us to get to the stairwell and move
>downstairs where the air was clear. I was covered in soot, as well as
>coughing it up.
>
>I stayed in this basement office for about 5 or 10 minutes. People
were
>extraordinarily kind, offering water, wet paper towels and anything
else
>they could do. Word came that they were trying to get people to the
>South Street Seaport along the East River. I felt compelled to get out
>of the building -- and quite honestly just wanted to see daylight
again.
>I climbed the stairs and walked out on, I think, Pine Street near the
>AIG corporate building. The sky was still filled with the dust, but I
>could see blue sky to my left in the direction of the river. As I
began
>to walk I heard a second explosion of some kind and again saw another
>St. Helens cloud coming down the street as people were running towards
>me. It must have been the collapse of Tower 2. I turned a corner and
>jumped into the first building I could get into, where I stayed until
I
>felt it was over.
>
>I eventually made my way to the Seaport area. The entire financial
>district looked like a nuclear winter. There was a thick layer of ash
>everywhere. People were walking, as I was, with no clear direction. I
>noticed most of the shops were closed, as I guess they had evacuated
the
>area after the first plane hit the building. One of the restaurants in
>the Seaport had opened their phones and were offering shelter and
water
>to those that needed it. I went in and sat for awhile. I tried my cell
>phone but there was no way to get a connection.
>
>I decided to walk towards midtown, thinking that at some point they
>would have to try to get people out of Manhattan. There was an exodus
>over the Brooklyn Bridge, but I wanted to try to go west if possible.
I
>walked north (schlepping my AIG laptop the whole damn time!) and
stopped
>at a drugstore south of Soho to get some Band-Aids for blisters on my
>heels (business wing tips are NOT meant for walking).
>
>As I made my way through SOHO, someone came up to me and offered to
get
>me to a phone -- in fact, despite what you hear about New Yorkers --
>there were several people who, during my walk north, asked if I was
all
>right or if there was anything they could do. I took advantage of his
>offer to make the phone call to my house, where Carol was working on
the
>deadline of our paper. I kept walking afterwards, and a second offer
by
>someone later allowed me another chance to rest, get water and make
some
>calls. These guys had made the offer to another guy who must have been
>walking near me, who turned out to be another AIG employee!, and they
>eventually drove us to midtown.
>
>When we got near Penn Station there was an enormous crowd and it was
>obvious nothing was moving out of there. We kept going to the Port
>Authority bus station, but again, nothing was moving. We stayed in the
>area and eventually learned that the Port Authority was being prepared
>as a triage/morgue staging area and there would be no service anytime
>soon, but that the PATH trains were going to provide some sort of
>limited service from 33rd Street. We headed that was (this was now
about
>5:00pm) and sure enough, just as we got to the 33rd St. station they
>were beginning to move people outbound to Newark. From there I was
able
>to get an Amtrak train to Wilmington.
>
>I went to the Wilmington Hospital emergency room last night and was
>treated for a mild abrasion to my left cornea, and given a tetanus
>booster due to a laceration on my leg, which I didn't know was there.
I
>was advised that the debris cloud is usually more of an irritant
factor
>than filled with anything worse, though I am still rather "chest
heavy."
>Hopefully, this will continue to improve.
>
>
>
>About 22 years ago, as many of you know, I was given the chance to
learn
>a wonderful lesson. During the battle with my brain tumor my late Aunt
>Joan, who was dying from lung cancer at the time, left me a wonderful
>letter in which she expressed her love for me and her gratitude for
>having had the chance to know me during those few last months when
both
>of us were facing the uncertainties of what the future held. When I
was
>in the darkness of that cloud yesterday I have to confess to you all
>that my thoughts were how I was going to manage to take another breath
>-- there was a thought that I might die, but it was not filled with
>flashes of my life going before me or thoughts of those I might leave
>behind --it was about taking another breath.
>
>For some reason I was allowed that breath. I pray that the person
whose
>hand was on my shoulder also eventually got to fresh air. And maybe
the
>hand was pushing me to where I had to go. I don't know. But I now have
>the chance to think about all those I might have left behind, and to
>tell you all -- each of you -- how very special you all are and how
much
>you have enriched my life and made it all -- whatever comes along --
>worth every minute. I never say this enough -- and I'm not very good
at
>saying it anyway, but I love you.
>
>Frank
=====
"easy now, mr. chicken"
__________________________________________________
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