The
What-If's
Dealing with the tragedy of 9/11 as a survivor
I Try Not To Think About The
What-If's when I Think of September 11, 2001
Written for Haleisner.com 9/11 Edition
THOUSAND OAKS, CA- As webmaster for Haleisner.com, I've never
actually contributed to his web site as a content writer. However,
as so many of our regular contributors share their experiences,
I too have felt a need to express my thoughts about the time I worked
in the World Trade Center for the 2000 Election.
Fresh out of college, I jumped at the chance to work for the infamous
Voter News Service. For me it was a golden opportunity to work in
the World Trade Center as California State Manager from the 93rd
Floor of Tower 2. As I look at my WTC ID now, I shudder at the thought
of working there. Not many people know about the extensive background
checks that one must endure in order to be allowed inside the non-tourist
areas of the towers. The building welcomes thousands of visitors
a day, but as an employee, enduring the stringent screening was
a prerequisite. "Tight security" doesn't even begin to
describe it. The badge system - implented after the first WTC bombing
-required submitting your request 2 weeks in advance. Once you were
issued an ID card, it was the only way anyone could gain access
to the non-tourist areas of the towers. In fact, you needed to swipe
your ID card into a subway-esque turnstyle just to get into the
elevators.
With the extreme background checks, security officers at the elevators,
and digital check-in access turnstyles, I always felt safe while
I worked there, as did many of the other WTC employees.
As if Election 2000 was not memorable enough, now I carry other
memories to make that experience something NEVER to be forgotten.
In the days after 9/11 I've tried not to think about the What-If's.
I worked there exactly 11 months prior to September 11, 2001. I'll
never forget the massive size of the complex where the towers stood,
or being inside the building with lightening-fast elevators. I'll
never forget the vertigo-inducing views from that awesome height,
nor will I forget the creepy sway that the tower had- and was built
to do - when the wind kicked up.
I'll never forget the victims who have lost their lives in the tragedy,
because for a fleeting few weeks, I was one of them. I rode the
3 separate elevators it required to get to the 93rd floor, I ate
with them at the WTC Food Court, I rode the subway home with them
after a long day at the office. I was - for a short time - one of
them, and I Will Never Forget.
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