Question of the Week

Janet York

New York, NY

I was at my sculpting studio on the lower west side.  I did not have my phone on and went downstairs to grab a bite and noticed that I had the only car in the lot. The attendant told me what happened and I attempted to drive home to my East side apt.

The police sent me up to Harlem and across and down the East side, it took 2.5 hours. There was no cell service and once home I called my kids on my land phone. Remember in a crisis of this kind your land phone is your saving Grace.  

Nancy Russell

Walsenburg, CO 

I was at the Hotel in Newark where the Delegates meeting was being held.  An announcement  came over the loudspeaker that the meeting was being delayed.  A plane had hit one of the twin towers.  How could that be, I thought. It was a beautiful clear day.  I ran to the window to view the towers and just then the second plane hit the other tower.  Now everyone knew we were under attack!!  The meeting was called off. 

Looking out my hotel window I could see a semi truck parked crossways in the road to the Newark airport along with two police cars.  No chance of getting a rental car from there.  Phonelines to the RR and Bus Depot

were busy.  I called home and asked Bob to find out how I could get home.  He called back about 30 minutes later and said a bus was leaving for Pittsburgh in 45 minutes and from there I could get a bus to  Chicago and then from Chicago home.  I grabbed my bags, ran down and checked out and was lucky to find a cab to take me to the bus station.  I got to the bus station only 20 minutes before it was scheduled to leave for Pittsburgh.  I ran toward the station but two cops grabbed me and said, "Where do you think you are going?"  "I only have a few minutes to get my ticket" I replied.  One cop says, "Well there has been a report of a bomb in the bus station.  We are waiting for the bomb dogs.  See all those people over there and he points to a crowd in the next block.  Go over there and wait."

When the dogs had cleared the station there was a mad rush for the ticket counters.  Once you had your ticket it was a long line waiting for the bus.  This was the procedure at every transfer location.  A bus would come in, fill the seats and pull out and another would come in.  Some had obviously not been cleaned since their last run and I suspect some of the drivers had not gotten their usual time to rest.  But no one complained.  Instead I have never seen such respect and helpfulness from everyone.  If someone in line needed to get food or go to the restroom we held their place in line and watched their luggage.  A young man in a military uniform came in and EVERYONE told him to go to the front of the line.  He said he could wait but the entire crowd said "NO" we need you to get back to your unit and he went to the front of the line.   I made it back home in two days.

If America was attacked today I think the dog people would unite and help each other but I have my doubts about the rest of the citizens.  I hope I am wrong.

Jay Phinizy

Acworth, NH

Well, I was down attending a delegates meeting. Fortunately, I drove down to Newark. At the outset, I was not alerted to the situation but did look across the river to see the first of the Twin towers that had been struck by what some, initially described as a ‘light plane’. Sadly that proved not to be the case, it was one of the first passenger planes, striking the first tower. It was a very crystal clear day, one of those bright Autumn days. The first tower streamed a contrail like a pennant away from where the first airliner struck that tower.  Having been a volunteer fireman for over 20+ years, I did not envy the firemen that had to rescue victims and put out the fires; I knew that it would be hellish. I was not staying at the host hotel where the meeting was being held but another, close by. When I drove to the meeting hotel, I noticed that the immigration officials were already combing through the guest registrations and that there were many immigration vehicles, ubiquitous Ford "Crown Vics" that were parked in order to block off access roads. What I did learn later was the jets (F-16’s), "buzzing" the runways at very low levels, not more than ~ 100 feet off the deck, might have been from the Vermont ANG. Needless to say, when the second plane struck the second tower, the delegate’s meeting was cancelled. As I left, I decided to head west on I-78 and ultimately heading towards the NY State Thruway.  Along I-78, heading east and towards the Twin Towers were just about every “bus” (rescue vehicles and ambulances) from practically every small town in New Jersey. They were headed in the opposite direction to Manhattan in columns of ten, twenty and thirty! In fire/emergency terms, these ambulances were being called to a “mass casualty incident.”  I stopped off further up The Thruway, to see the other tower crumble after having been struck by the American flight from Boston. A friend of mine, also a Representative in the NH House, was another American pilot and knew the pilot that was the skipper of that doomed airliner. To paraphrase Paul Harvey, “ …..and that’s the rest of the story.”

Bobbie Wood

Cranford, NJ

On September 10, I was on a plane to Denmark for a Judging assignment in Denmark and Norway. As we took off that night, I looked at the World Trade Center and thought how beautiful it looked all lit up so tall in the sky. We were leaving about four hours late because of thunderstorms, but we were due to arrive in Copenhagen early the next morning. Getting off the plane in Copenhagen, my friend met me and we drove from Copenhagen to his place three hours away. My friend spoke English, but his wife did not. She treated us to a lovely lunch and then Kristian said he was gonna run up to take a nap since he had gotten up in the middle of the night to come to Copenhagen to pick me up. Five minutes later, he came down the stairs and told me a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I said no, that must be a movie! So we turned on his TV and we watched as the two planes flew into the World Trade Center and the horrific aftermath of these events.

My first feelings were, I wanted to go home I wanted to get home but that was impossible since all flights into America were canceled. So I sat and watched newscast after newscast not knowing what they were saying but tears streaming down my cheeks. It was all in danish and I kept asking”what are they saying? What are they saying” But I saw the pictures and I saw the chaos and my heart just broke. 

Two days later, I was scheduled to fly to Norway. On our way to the airport, we drove past the American Embassy in Copenhagen and the flowers and the notes and the stuffed animals were strewn out to the street around American Embassy. It was so beautiful to see how much these people cared about the United States. I must say I was very nervous getting on a plane, even though it was a very short flight. The security was very tight, but everything seemed to go very smoothly. I was picked up in Oslo by my friend, and we drove to his home. All we did was talk about this tragedy and how horrific it was. Driving around the American Embassy in Oslo we saw the same outpouring of care and concern for the US people. It was amazing. 

When I arrived at the show that Saturday to judge my breeds, the clubs always introduced their judges to begin the show.  When they introduced me as being from the United States, everybody was clapping and thanking me so much for coming and being there. Everybody was so kind and generous with their feelings, and even a couple of clubs brought me some little tokens of affection for judging their breed. It was an experience I had never had before as I felt this attack had happened to the free world and not just to the US. I spent those 10 days just wishing to be home. It is kind of surreal being in a place where you can’t understand the language that is describing a terrible event that happened in your own back yard. You feel so powerless.

Gayle Bontecou 

Clinton Corners, NY

The worst birthday!!!!  The awful day and I am ancient.

Tuni Conti

Oxford, CT

The only “good” memory I have from 9/11 is the feeling of unity that swept across America. We stood together—not as strangers, but as one people. It’s something our country desperately needs again today.

Let’s remember not just the tragedy, but the strength we found in each other.

Polly D. Smith

St. Stephens Church, VA

I remember well where both Bob and I were on September 11.  We were in New Jersey for the Delegate meeting.  Bob had gone downstairs for breakfast and when I got up I went into the Lounge upstairs on our floor for coffee and a bite to eat.  The TV was on in the lounge and they were saying a small plane had flown into one of the Twin Towers.  The man they were interviewing  on the street  said no it was a large commercial airline.  You could see objects flying out of the windows.  Later we would learn there were people jumping.

   I got up and walked down to a window that looked out toward the Towers in New York.  and I actually saw the second plane fly into the Second Tower.

It is a day I will never forget nor will I ever forget riding to PA with another delegate who was kind enough to give us a ride to rent a car to drive home to Richmond.  

The Toll gates were up on the Turnpike and on the other side of the road were fire engines and ambulances racing toward New York.

Dr. Marion T McNeil

Plantsville, CT

I was in CT that day when the towers were attacked, but I worked on Long Island as the Breeding Manager at Guide Dogs for the Blind Foundation in Smithtown.  The bridges were closed.  All access to or from New York was halted!  Eventually I was able to get to work by taking the Ferry from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson.  Breeding and caring for the dogs and their puppies goes on!  At the Ferry, my van was searched for weapons and bombs before I could get on the ferry!  My dogs always came with me to work and they were OK with the extra attention.  God bless.  I was grateful that the Police and crew were so vigilant!

In a few days the bridges from CT to LI opened and my van was always searched before I could go over the bridge.  For weeks you could see and smell the smoke coming from the burning towers.  Driving on the Long Island Expressway, I often saw busses carrying Honor Guards traveling to Memorial services. As the LIE is pretty often "jammed up". I could see the sadness and weariness in the eyes of those Patriots on those busses, heartbreaking!

On Long Island everyone knew someone working at the Towers.  Our Vet was there taking care of the search dogs working in the treacherous rubble.  One of the cops I knew told us an emotional story about finding part of a human finger.  He was excited because that could identify the deceased and bring some closure to the family!

The officials working the site told people to stop volunteering, stop showing up to help.  They had enough volunteers.  The events, stories, and concerns were something that we all had to deal with however we could.  I felt helpless!  But in LI, where so many lost loved ones, we were family!  Everyone was there for each other.....EVERYONE! It's very difficult to remember this, but we should never forget!

Linda Flynn

Scituate, MA

Some of us from New England took the train to that Delegates meeting, rather than driving. The day of the committee meetings was hectic as it always is, followed by dinner with friends.  I remember going down the stairs the next morning to check out and go to the Delegates’ meeting and looking out the window to see the huge fire. I ran back to the room and saw the TV footage of the plane hitting the Tower.

In shock, I went down to the meeting area and saw all the shocked faces and tears. It was surreal and so frightening. There was confusion and panic since we couldn’t go home, and many of us could not even reach our loved ones!

Roads, airports, and train stations were closed. Many of the Delegates had checked out of their rooms and scurried to check back in. With all the stranded airline personnel needing rooms, the hotels were booked. We shared our room with 4 women from New England and New York who had already checked out of their rooms. One of them was the Delegate for Cape Cod KC—I don’t remember her name, but she was a lovely young girl who lived in NYC.  She ended up staying in our room and since she was the youngest, slept on the floor. We felt a little guilty

We found out later that she was pregnant. We all gathered in the lobby and restaurant, watching the news, talking and supporting each other in our own ways. The restaurant was running out of food, so selections were limited as time wore on. Dr. Sam Burke (Shreveport Kennel Club) wrote prescriptions for some of the Delegates who ran out of meds, gave medical advice, checked on his fellow Delegates, and the best medicine—made us laugh with his jokes. I’ll never forget the comfort Delegates provided one another while we were stranded in that Newark hotel. By Wednesday, some Delegates were able to leave by car, but airlines and trains were still not moving.

By Thursday, the trains were running, but still not much hope for the Delegates who flew. Some of the Texas Delegates, as well as those in other parts of the country, grouped together, renting cars and setting out on the roads to get home—what stories they must have! We all wanted to be home with our families.

As we were making our way home and back to our lives, Dennis Sprung, Ron Menaker, and many others involved in our sport were finding ways to do good works and help in NYC during this terrible tragedy.

With trains back in service, I was able to return home, and listened to the President’s messages encouraging us not to let this terrible tragedy interfere with our lives, to be strong and carry on. I was so grateful to be home and thought about those who never made it home.  

Our all-breed shows on the Cape were that weekend and our two clubs made the decision not to cancel. Most of our judges were flying, and with so many airports still closed or backlogged, I was grateful to be able to find judges to replace those who couldn’t fly. The superintendents made it, as did exhibitors and club members and we had judges. The judging programs were obsolete due to entire panel changes so we were frantically trying to create new ones overnight. 

It turned out to be a beautiful sunny weekend on Cape Cod. After watching the continuous horrific news reports and all the emotions and tragedy we were dealing with, it was a brief respite from the pain and lifted our spirits to spend those lovely days on sunny Cape Cod with our beloved pets.

I will never forget 9/11 and those who suffered so much pain and loss.

Angela Stein

Patrick Springs, VA

The Queensboro shows a few weeks later recognizing ground zero personnel at their show, and getting to meet them - it was really moving.

Leslie Simis

Temple City CA

Horror, heartbreak, utter terror and disbelief. I knew the moment that the second plane hit, that our lives would never be the same. I had to fly about a week later, and I was at an airport that was nearly empty and a plane that had about 20 people on it. I am still haunted to this day, and the grief I feel for all of those innocent souls and their families never goes away.

Mary Anne Brocious

Milford, Michigan

 I had just met an interesting IT-Telecomm Manager on a Business Cruise.  I was considering hiring him. I had his card and when I inquired about him I was told that he was lost on 9/11.  I often wish I had contacted him sooner and would have brought him to Michigan.  I carry his memory in my heart everyday.