Words Cannot Express
By Christine Borman

Words cannot express the horrific events of September 11, 2001. Over the past year, we have seen countless photographs, television news programs and magazine articles, all trying to capture the enormity of it all. We have heard the stories of people who miraculously escaped from the burning towers, and the stories of those who perished. We have heard about the endless heroic efforts of everyday people, many who will forever remain nameless heroes. One thing is certain, our country and our lives will never be quite the same.

Tuesday, September 11, began like any other day for me, with one exception. Instead of taking the subway to the World Trade Center and arriving at 8:45am like I had on so many mornings, I decided to attend an early morning breakfast seminar sponsored by the Trinidad & Tobago tourist bureau. My office is a few blocks south of the World Trade Center, however I used to stop there before coming to work to pick up breakfast and my mail at the post office before arriving to work by 9:00am. Hoping not to be too late for work, I ran out of the seminar just before 9:00am and jumped on the subway heading to the Trade Center. Unbeknownst to me, the first plane had already struck the north tower just minutes before. While on the train, I ran into Brian Ackloo, a co-worker of mine. With a look of shock, he explained to me that a plane had just hit the Trade Center. Like so many people, Brian and I thought it was an unfortunate accident, although I couldn't quite fathom how a pilot could hit such a colossal building on a perfectly clear day. After a few minutes and a few more subway stops closer to the Trade Center, the train came to a stop in between stations. We calmly waited to see why the train had stopped then the conductor came on and said something to the effect of "due to a smoke condition at the Trade Center, we have a red signal ahead and will proceed as soon as possible". Not realizing the extent of what was happening, the main concern for Brian and I was still trying to get to the office on time. I remember actually being worried about being more than 30 minutes late to work at that point.

As the minutes went by, we slowly started to get bits of information on the situation unfolding above ground. Someone on the train had a pager with a news ticker that told of the second plane hitting the south tower. At this point, we realized that this was no accident. Amazingly, everyone on the train was very calm, partly because there was nowhere to go, partly because we had no way of knowing the full extent of the terror. After being stuck on the train for 90 minutes, a police officer who had been on another car, came by and asked if everyone was alright. He reiterated what we already knew about the two planes hitting both towers and admitted that it looked like our city was under attack. He also told us that since we were in no imminent danger, the train was going to remain there until there was further news. Another 30 minutes went by before the train finally proceeded to the next station. It was shortly after 11:00am now and nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see once I exited the train station.

When I came out of the subway, the air was filled with smoke. There were masses of people covered in ash, looking dazed. Some were walking, some still running away from the Trade Center. Many people were in tears, others just had a look of confusion. As I looked up toward the towers, I remember thinking how unbelievably thick the smoke was, in fact it was so thick that I couldn't see the Trade Towers. I hadn't realized that they had both collapsed while I was stuck underground. I also did not know that the Pentagon had been hit and another plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. The first thing I had to do was get to a pay phone to let my family in the Chicago area know that I was alright. It took me 45 minutes and about a dozen pay phones before I finally reached my mother. It was during my conversation with her that I learned that both towers had collapsed and the Pentagon had been hit. At that point, no-one knew what could be coming next, so my mother told me to just get out of New York as soon as possible.

As I proceeded to make my way out of New York, Brian and I stopped in a local pub and watched the news coverage of the events. As the various television stations kept repeating the footage, we realized that we were very lucky to have been stuck on that subway. Not only had we been safe, but we were also fortunate not to have witnessed the tragedy first hand like we would have if we had arrived a little earlier to the office that morning. There were many miracles that morning. Many people were late to work, many people were able to escape the buildings in the short amount of time that they remained standing. People helped strangers while putting themselves in danger. These miracles will in no way ease the tremendous loss for the people who were lost that day. They will simply remind us that these people did not die in vain.

I will never forget September 11, 2001. I will never forget about the lives that were cut short or the great acts of heroism or the tragedy that brought our nation closer. My heart goes out to the victims and families of that day, God bless you and God bless America, for words cannot express....