It started off perfectly normal……got to work, got some breakfast and then got a phone call telling me to turn on a tv – one of the Twin Towers had been hit by a plane. Turned on a tv and could not believe what I was seeing/hearing. It was awful

At the time I was still a smoker, so I headed to the rooftop of the office to take a smoke break. Standing up there smoking and contemplating the meaning of life, I saw a plane heading to the Pentagon and thought – that’s not a normal flight pattern – they usually fly down the Potomac. Then it hit! I was shaken and came back to the office to let the others know that the Pentagon had been hit as well. Horror!!

We were all gathered in the conference room debating what to do when the 3rd plane hit the other Tower. It took about an hour to decide we needed to leave DC. It was one of the most strange evacuations……eerily quiet for the numbers of folks in the street. Hardly any vehicles. It took me 4 hours to get home in the VA suburbs where we all hunkered down for a very quiet and somber 3 days. Heard no planes, traffic, blaring radios – nothing but quiet. We were in shock.