Reflections on a fateful day and how it has changed lives.
Editor’s note: In recent editions, we have asked our readers: How has your life changed since Sept. 11, 2001? Do you do things differently now? For example, are you afraid to fly? Do you stay closer to home? How has your family reacted? Did you or someone you know lose someone in the attacks on the Pentagon or World Trade Center or on Flight 93? How has the experience changed your view of the world?
Here is what you, our readers, have told us:
Fortified by belief: ‘Live, live live!’
Far away from home when news of the terrorist attacks reached me, my maternal thoughts immediately froze. Thank goodness for cell phones! From Vancouver, Canada, I tried for a long time to reach my son at NYU. My daughter in California soon called to assure me that he had bought a bicycle to escape from lower Manhattan.
A year later and now a first-time grandmother, the uncertainty of the times has fortified my belief that nothing is more important than spending time with my grown children and my new grandson.
Auntie Mame was so right with her words: "Live, live, live!"
Jeanette Muser
Rocky Hill
Terrorists cannot destroy our spirit
It is almost one year since 9/11, but to me, it seems everything only happened yesterday. The fire and smog on the Twin Towers are always in front of my eyes whenever I drive toward Newark Airport to pick up my fiancé, who lives in Chicago. He got on a plane three days after 9/11 to come here to see me. I remember that I went to pick him up and saw only a few people in the airport. I was so worried about him when he told me he would get on the plane. I had nightmares about the plane crashing into the buildings the night before he came.
I have had many bad dreams about planes since then. One time in my dream, planes hit the Sears Tower in Chicago, and the whole city was in a state of terrible destruction and he was on the tower and I was trapped in the elevator.
I used to tell my fiancé not to get on an airplane, but he told me if nobody wanted to fly that would certainly make terrorists happy because that is what they want to happen in America.
I am leaving from New Jersey to Chicago to get married this September, and we already bought a condominium in Wells Street Tower, only one block away from Sears Tower. I realize that we have to be brave to live our lives no matter what will happen. Standing on the balcony of our new apartment, looking at beautiful downtown Chicago, I was thinking life was still beautiful since 9/11. Terrorists should realize that they could not destroy our spirit no matter what they will do in the future because our nation is strong.
Daisy Dai
Plainsboro
A beautiful religion has been hijacked
On the morning of Sept. 11, a crime not just against the United States but also to humanity was committed. It was an outrageous, despicable atrocity that could only be committed by barbaric, inhuman souls. And it should be condemned and despised by all since it was a blow to world peace.
As a Muslim, this event hurt me in another way, too. Much has been said about the causes and perpetrators of this crime. Probably more will be said in the future. But to see Islam, a religion I know to be the representation of peace and love, being pronounced next to terrorism hurt me. Islam has been hijacked. Islam is a beautiful religion emphasizing love and peace more than anything else.
Peace and trustworthiness are central tenets of Islam. Those who associate or try to associate Islam with terror are committing a serious misinterpretation. I hope the memory of this event will bring us together to achieve peace and love in this world and stop all barbaric souls from hurting us again.
Baris Caner
Princeton
Two events mark passage of eras
Part of me inevitably connects with the other huge event of our period: the attack on Pearl Harbor:
I recall hearing President Roosevelt on radio announce the beginning of World War II. We knew where Hawaii was but had no idea of Pearl Harbor. We did not see pictures of the event until much later. I remember my mother cried. We couldn’t imagine why. It was only much later that we remembered that she had three sons and she had grown up during World War I and had married a veteran.
I learned about the World Trade Center attack from the Internet news at 9 a.m., and immediately my wife and I began our vigil on TV. The towers were still standing, one still unscathed. I don’t remember any narration words would have been an interference.
When the second plane hit the second tower with a blazing flash, a male voice, a technician or possibly a bystander, cried out, "My fn’ Jesus!" Clearly not scripted, but strangely appropriate to an unscripted and terrible event being watched by hundreds of thousands.
What lingers now is the comparison of the two events, both as media and history. It seems as though they mark the passing of the Aristocratic Era, the eloquence of a social better, "…a day that will live in infamy," and the present Chaotic Era, a bystander epithet, a War on Terrorism where enemies cannot be found and innocent people pay the cost of living in a human society filled with resentment and hatred.
Ben Jenson
Princeton
Never neglect privilege of being an American
To this day, I can’t look at images of the towers under attack that day without getting very emotional and sometimes teary but not angry.
As for flying, I am still afraid to fly because I don’t feel the airports are doing enough to protect me yet. Once I start to fly again, I know I’ll love it the way I used to.
Since September, I’ve become a serious news junky, much like before but more intensely now.
Finally I am all the more patriotic and never intend to neglect the privilege of being an American again.
God Bless America.
Mitra Kelly
Plainsboro
Roots of terrorism are not in Islam
In the year that has passed since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, many things have been uncovered and even more await investigation. People all throughout the world, among them Moslems, condemned the attack. However, it is a great shame that still Islam is perceived through the actions of a tiny minority that misrepresents it and is seen to be the same as terrorism.
That is why it is so important to see what scholars of Islam say on this matter. In his article, "A Comparative Approach to Islam and Democracy," M.F. Gulen writes:
"Islamic social system seeks to form a virtuous society and thereby gain God’s approval. It recognizes right, not force, as the foundation of social life. Relationships must be based on belief, love, mutual respect, assistance, and understanding instead of conflict and realization of personal interest."
In another article, "Terror from an Islamic Prospect," he writes:
"If any Muslims are joined to or associated with terrorism and anarchy, it is because they do not understand Islam correctly and because the existing realities do not allow them to acquire a correct understanding. But the roots of these causes can be traced to cultural, economic and other related reasons not to Islam."
Raif Rustamov
Princeton
Spirit of cooperation evident at the scene
The attacks have given me a better perspective on how fragile life is and how swiftly it can be taken away. I was on my way to my office at 2 World Trade Center when the second plane hit the tower about 20 floors above my office. I was a block away when the tower collapsed. A policeman and I ran to safety up Broadway and to City Hall ahead of the debris from the collapsed tower.
I saw the same spirit of cooperation and assistance on 9/11 as when the World Trade Center was bombed in 1993 and we had to evacuate the towers from the upper floors. Survivors of the attack turned around and helped the others who were caught in the debris.
I am grateful for my family and the many friends who called after the event. It is gratifying to know that there are so many people who have that concern even if it takes such a horrible event to bring it out.
Rick Rescorla, who headed my company’s security at the Trade Center, was one of the many heroes of Sept. 11. As he did during the 1993 bombing, Rick got all of his employees out of the building and went back through the building to make sure everyone else had left. He was still in there when it collapsed.
Alan Di Sciullo
West Windsor
Attack changes everybody’s lives
First at all, I want to thank you for having this space in your newspaper.
For me, it seems that it was a nightmare. I was in my office working when we all heard the news, and immediately everybody ran to check on the Internet and turning our radios on to hear the news. I started to panic, thinking of my daughter who was working in midtown Manhattan. Somebody brought a TV and we all watched how the attack was taking place. It was awful to see how the buildings collapsed; we all didn’t believe what it was happening, someof us start to cry.
I was like crazy trying to contact my daughter. Finally, I talked to her. She was all confused trying to meet her boyfriend and leave Manhattan, which was impossible. We didn’t know what would happen next.
We finally got together at night. My daughter told us her experience and we watched the news every minute. We watched so much that we were extremely sad and sick.
Now, we still have the images in our memories, and we understand the terrible pain that all the families must be going through for the missing loved ones. I think this terrorist attack changes everybody’s lives. It makes us reflect about life, about family values and most of all to understand that we have to live every day and to thank God.
Nora Ananos
West Windsor
Another day that will live in infamy
My mother-in-law, who lives in San Angelo, Texas, called me:
"Carl, an airplane has hit the World Trade Center tower! Turn on the TV!" I immediately thought of the B-26 bomber that hit the Empire State Building in a fog on July 8, 1945, killing 13 and injuring 26 people, but the TV pictured a much greater disaster now: Both towers had been hit by wide-body airplanes, thick black smoke and fire erupted and people were jumping out of windows. Then the Twin Towers collapsed. I thought of all those people caught in the resulting inferno, and called my wife, Molly, at Steinert High School. She had already heard. Many of her students and colleagues had relatives who worked there or nearby.
Soon after, we received a call from our son, Zeno, who works in Manhattan. His subway had passed under the WTC at the exact moment of impact, but he had reached his job on 57th Street safely. He told us he could see the black smoke and dust when he looked south.
When I first heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, I was coming out of church in Covington, Ky. I had never before experienced a major disaster in all my 14 years shock, fear and disbelief were sweeping over me in waves. The myth of American invincibility was shattered on that day. The following day, President Roosevelt, in his war message to Congress, termed it "a date that will live in infamy."
Our nation girded itself for the long war. Ultimate victory in World War II was won at cost of 292,000 American lives and 675,000 more wounded. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, after a loss of 2.6 million soldiers killed, 326,000 wounded and 953,000 civilians dead.
On Dec. 7, 1941, 2,400 people died. On Sept, 11, 2001, over 2,800 people from many countries died on another day "that will live in infamy."
Carl Faith
Princeton
Muslim prays for new century of peace
On the morning of Sept. 11, the first comment of one of my colleagues on the terrorist attacks was, "I hope they are not the Palestinians." As a Muslim, this sentence hurt me as much as the tragic event that was taking place.
As a young Muslim, I pray for and hope that this will be a new century of peace among people of different religions who try to understand what each other really believe in, instead of choosing the easy way of accusing each other. I would like to condemn the tragic events of Sept. 11, and end my words with the following hadith (tradition):
The Prophet of God was passing a Jewish funeral and he stopped to pay his respects. When reminded that the person being buried was a Jew, Mohammad replied, "He is still human though."
Mehmet F. Danisman
Princeton
No emotional bang, more of a low hum
It is a year since the tragedy of Sept. 11. I was relatively fortunate. I did not know anyone who was killed or injured. I was not there to see the horrible sights. Television, radio, magazines and newspapers allowed me a distance from the horrific events.
I did not experience any explosion. What I have felt has been a subtle yet profound heaviness. There was no emotional "bang" for me. It was more like the low hum in movies before something terrible happens.
Like the ram’s horn blown on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, it is a wakeup call. There are sad realities of life that we could often ignore, such as anger, loss and confusion, which are now much harder to ignore.
Not everyone likes Americans. We knew that was true in certain "different" cultures, but we have come to realize there are many of our "friend" countries who don’t like us, politically, culturally and morally.
People don’t always react as we’d like or expect.
People get sick, and sometimes they die.
We always knew these things, we just know them "more" now.
I don’t know if it’s me or a more pervasive feeling that I am resonating with, but I am still left with that low-grade hum. It’s just a bit harder to laugh, just a bit harder to loosen up and be carefree, just a bit more somber this past year.
Steve Resnick
Princeton
Heart still aches for those who died
Fear, confusion, and extreme sadness are the feelings that overcame me the most on Sept. 11, 2001. It is almost a year to the day, but I am sure we all remember it as if it were still yesterday… at least we all should.
The entire tragedy was absolutely surreal and unbearably frightening to watch. My heart still aches for all who were killed and the families of the same.
My husband and I live more for the moment and as carefree as we can. Nothing matters in the world besides having your loved one to come home to. If you truly appreciate just having each other, your health and your life, what else could possibly matter?
As much of a cliché as it sounds, it is terrifyingly true: Life is too short and Sept. 11 unfairly made it shorter for some than others.
Deanna Pfeifer
Plainsboro
Truth was casualty in aftermath of 9/11
Nothing shocked me about the aftermath of 9/11 as much as the rumor that the Arabs of Paterson had "danced in the streets" of their city in celebration of the attacks. What kind of people, I wondered, could celebrate at such a horror? On the other hand, if there had been no celebrating, what kind of people could spread so vicious and dangerous a rumor about their neighbors?
When I began to hear the rumors being affirmed as "fact," I decided to find out what had really happened in Paterson that day. After eight solid months of research, I discovered that the celebration rumors were a colossal hoax, spread not only by illiterate bigots on the Internet and on talk radio, but by "respectable" journalists, academics and religious leaders willing to whip up anti-Arab hysteria for their own purposes. Perhaps such people thought they were doing their part to fight terrorism. They weren’t.
It’s said that "truth is the first casualty of war." It’s true. It was.
Irfan Khawaja
Princeton
Awareness heightened of planet’s fragility
In regard to the tragedy of Sept. 11, my life has been changed to try to better understand how it came about and to learn more about the perceptions of those involved in causing the disaster.
I read more about the Arab-Muslim world and pay close attention to the direction our government is taking.
My four grown children and I are more aware of the fragility of this planet, world peace and the necessity for working closely with the international community to present a united front and determination that terrorist attacks will not be tolerated in a civilized world.
Geraldine Boone
Princeton
Difficult to accept barbaric attack
After a year, I’m still shocked. It is difficult to accept the barbaric attack of Sept. 11. The courage and determination of our firemen proved to be superb in every respect. The police, government officials, relief agencies, blood donors and countless others shared their support as the entire nation became a common family.
It was no surprise having places of worship patronized and heavily packed in the ensuing weeks. Our lives were no longer taken for granted; they appeared more precious than ever before and thoughts of the hereafter were manifested.
The eternal question asked over the centuries: Why do we destroy one another? There is no easy solution in determining a truthful answer since truth is always slanted to favor someone at the expense of another. If only our adversary could see the truth, but in their minds, why can’t we see the truth?
Victor Z. Opalski
West Windsor
Every precious second of life is a gift
I work for the Kemper Insurance Co., which was on the 35th and 36th floors of 1 World Trade Center.
It was a typical day as my colleagues and I prepared for a staff meeting. Then the first plane hit our building. I felt the violent shake of the building and heard the elevators drop to the basement. As we descended the stairs, the second plane hit, although we weren’t aware of this until later.
I remember trying to help some people who were trying to bring a man in a wheelchair down the stairs. We met firefighters and plain-clothed detectives coming up the stairs past the streaming crowd of people descending. A lady lost her breath and froze, refusing to continue. People gently calmed her and helped her down the stairs. Remarkably, everyone was quietly calm as we worked our way down to the ground floor.
When I finally emerged from the building, the security hustled us all to the waterfront. I stepped over debris and heard things hit the ground as I ran. When I got further from the building, I was trying to determine how both towers could have been hit by one plane when I saw more debris falling from the upper floors of our building. This is when I realized that the debris was actually people jumping. Transfixed, I watched at least 20 people jump to an instant death when suddenly, 2 WTC began to collapse. It just got worse and worse.
I finally got home at 9 p.m., having walked to midtown and waited four hours for a ferry to Jersey City. All of Kemper’s 220 employees escaped safely. But I personally knew many who worked for other companies who did not survive. And having temporarily worked in the Princeton area since, I am again relocating to New York City, this time at Rockefeller Plaza, on Sept. 9, just in time for the first anniversary of the attack.
But life goes on. And every single precious second of it is a gift. I have always known this, but, on Sept. 11, 2001, for me, this simple truth was made clearer than ever before.
Daniel A. Michaud
Plainsboro
I know what is real. Life is beautiful
What is different for me? I have a new laptop and a new Palm Pilot. In fact, I have a new office.
The previous ones were destroyed on the 78th floor of 2 World Trade Center, along with four dear colleagues on Sept. 11, 2001.
Once, I would have cared about my laptop and Palm Pilot. Forever changed is my perspective on how insignificant the little things are and how my wife and three daughters mean everything to me. I am invincible to stock market crashes, job loss or monetary/materialistic possessions. I know what is real. Life is precious. Life is beautiful.
Henry D’Atri
West Windsor
Twice in one day, I thought I would die
I was on the main concourse of the World Trade Center when the first plane struck and about three blocks away when the South Tower collapsed.
Twice in one day, I thought I would die.
I’m more cautious of my surroundings now, more prepared for flight and more easily startled.
However, on the positive side, I now enjoy the simple pleasures of life, contact my loved ones more often and treat each goodbye as if it might be my last.
I’m no longer certain that there will be time to accomplish all that I planned for my life. To me, this is a war. Life will never be the same.
Bill Hart
Plainsboro
‘We’re taking the stairs’
My 86-year-old father, Standish Medina, was still at his desk a block away from the World Trade Center when people began to jump out of the towers.
"You gotta leave now, Mr. Medina!" the building superintendent, Willie Bernard, told him.
"No, Willie," my father responded. "You know I don’t leave until 11 a.m."
Willie grabbed Dad’s arm and hustled him towards the stairs. "We’ll take the elevator," my father said. "We’re taking the stairs!" Willie retorted. They rode down in the elevator.
Outside on Vesey Street, a complete stranger took my bewildered father by the arm his subway station was at the bottom of the World Trade Center and led him to safety just a few minutes before the first tower fell.
On Sept. 25, under a police escort, Dad returned to his closed office building to retrieve his checkbooks and important papers. The next morning, he suffered a massive stroke and died.
Meredith Medina Murray
Princeton

