I’ve got a few memories and thoughts about 9/11 and then the Towers themselves
Firstly my dad used to roll me in a carriage through the main lobby of the twin towers and I remember there was a Sesame Street show or something as well way back when that I remember at about three or four years old.
9/11 happened as I was starting a day in fifth grade at my school, the Henry Viscardi School. I was kinda upset that the TV was turned off in the library as I wanted to see what was happening once the announcement was made over the PA system that one of the towers was hit. I am lucky and blessed to have good friends like Maryann Femia Raposo. The mother of ‘Dream Street’ singer Greg Raposo was able to pick me up from Viscardi and I spent the day and half hanging out out there as my mom was unfortunately stranded in the city.
In the weeks that followed , my block on East 44th across from the UN was in lock down, but had made great friends that would escort me up to the morning bus. Dad and I would go to Ground Zero and see the debris and the search that followed. Mom and Vic also volunteered for the Red Cross at that time, so being down here most years today while the memorial happens will always be intense.
Of course sports healed the city! From seeing Piazza launching that homer against the Braves on 9/21/01 to watching President Bush’s arrival at Yankee Stadium during that magical World Series and jumping around Mr. Steinbrenner’s suite during the Yankee Stadium WS game winners was memorable! As was the fact that amidst all of this, on the day of the Freedom concert (10/20/01) I had a reunion with President Bill Clinton in the suite of George Steinbrenner ! See the Yankees had played the Mariners in a mid afternoon postseason ALCS game on my tenth birthday. Believe it or not, the Yankees principle owner even gave me a BIRTHDAY cake on that same day as I had turned ten a month and nine days after 9/11. Sports memories are still ingrained 21 years later.
It was a tragic beginning to the fall of 2001, it however did show our resilience and underlying want to be unified. I now rollerblade past the Freedom Tower on the way to work daily and have seen the resilience for now 9 years. I’ve seen the Freedom Tower open up for business as a signal we won’t back down! While we mourn with England the loss of the Queen, we must never forget 21 years later what September 11th was, a terrorist attack. We must keep going AFTER THOSE BASTARD TERRORISTS daily! We also must stop making cops afraid to do their job, they must be able to do their job!
Let’s also work on unity instead of division moving forward. Let’s also work on being unafraid. Being unafraid to honor those like Mayor Rudy Giuliani, being unafraid to honor law enforcement and support them as well as being unafraid to live our lives is what those 3,000 murdered Americans who did not get to come home would want!
More thoughts on my latest podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/51215062
The Writings of Alex Garrett 