I was a young reporter in West Palm Beach when I awoke on my day off to the Today Show…within five minutes Katie (Couric) and Matt (Lauer) were announcing live, and showing the devastating pictures of the first tower going down, the second soon followed.
I remember being so shocked I ironically didn’t even call into work that day to see if they needed me. You would think it was a story a reporter couldn’t pass up…I was just fixated on the TV, stunned.
In the days to follow, 9-11 would dominate everything I covered as a journalist. We quickly learned that the terrorists had been living amongst us in South Florida. Going to the same restaurants and clubs, shopping in the same stores. Bartenders and waitresses would later recall them flashing wads of cash around. They were even learning how to fly right in our backyard.
I remember visiting a motel room where they had stayed. They were
such hypocrites. The painting of a young woman with a sheet flowing across
her body was too risqué for their culture so it hung on the wall covered with a
towel from the bathroom. But the motel manager recalled them ogling all
the women in their bikinis by the pool. Their presence was known to so many,
but no one had any idea the terror living amongst them.
There was a New York City firefighter who vacationed every year in the
area. Two of the terrorists were staying in the adjacent condo. They
could literally see each other from their balconies. The firefighter was
called home to New York early because his daughter was about to give birth to
his first grandchild. After experiencing the joyous event he decided to go
back to work early…September 10. A day later…those terrorists who were
just 300 feet away were now buried in the rubble with him at the World Trade
Center.
I remember interviewing 12-year-old twins who lost their father. He
had moved them to South Florida to give them a better quality of life. One
of his daughter’s suffered from asthma. He would commute every
weekend. The girls told me they were so devastated they would sleep in his
closet clutching to his shirts just to feel like they were with him
somehow. Hard to believe today they’re 22. So many lives
changed. Witnessing the amazing celebrations in New York City this year
over the death of Osama Bin Laden at least gave some long awaited peace of mind
to the families of the thousands who lost their lives.
Login to view and post comments
Western University, Department of Communication & Public Affairs
Westminster Hall, Suite 360, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7
Tel: 519-661-2045 • Fax: 519-661-3921
General inquiries: wag.editor@uwo.ca
Website feedback: wag.web@uwo.ca
Accessibility | Privacy | Web Standards | Terms of Use
