Sorry brother Stitch, but this is worth reading, so I decided to post it tonight. Will post my experience below. Thank You, from your brother who wasn't there.

[used without permission. Edited for clarity and to protect names.. coupla sentences, Stitch might be mad, he might be ok w it. I think its a good piece!]

I have this memory of driving west on the expressway from 64 to exit 49. It was a beautiful morning, light blue sky, puffy white clouds, temperature in the high 60’s. It was about 7:30 in the morning, I was going in a little late. Normally it would be 6:30 and the sky would be a little darker but this day at the later hour the sky was a perfect powder blue.

Yesterday would have been my 30th wedding anniversary, I would be reminded when I wrote the date down at work. The day before was Michaels [me] birthday, I reminded myself during the week not to forget giving Mike a shout out on his 60th birthday [yep]. While I’m at it, I’ll also mention the 4th was [xxx]’s birthday; thinking of [sis] chiming in “[bro']s too.”

Today is a more political anniversary and what would happen a few minutes later 17 years ago, I remember that drive. I was just looking in that direction, 5 more miles on the expressway, where the sign says Kissena Blvd. in Kew gardens hills, queens; there is a hill that reveals the Manhattan sky line, the view rises to meet you then fades back down at the bottom of the hill.

Once at work I sat down at the computer to catch up. My friend Roger came in to tell me a plane flew into the WTC. Huh, I thought, a piper cub with steering malfunctions or the pilot had a heart attack. Puff of smoke, debris falling to the ground, people scattering out of the way; a few injured a couple killed, that’s what I thought. Roger said yeah and left, I didn’t turn my head, got to work late had to catch up.

He comes back “Another plane hit the other tower!” I froze, no way; no way that’s normal.

I went into the garage to have a cigarette and think, my boss drives into the garage. He gets out, I ask him if he was listening to the radio? He says no, I tell him to call his wife. He asks again, I just say, something big happened; just call Tish, she’ll tell you.

Even though I left him thinking one of his family might be hurt (somehow, I would know that) it was worse.

6 years ago it was the Benghazi attacks on the same day; somethings you can’t forget.

9/11 brought the country together, Bush standing on the rubble with a sooty firemen saying “they are going to hear from us real soon”; oh boy did they ever.

We split up after that, like a couple who lost a baby.

Today, we be nice, to everyone we meet.