At work that morning. My boss and the Production Manager had flown to Denver that morning as we were in the process of mergering with/buying a complimentary company.
Sitting in my office with one of my supervisors, Jim, an older gentlemen, and a helluva guy, when one of my inventory clerks sticks his head in and says "A plane just hit the World Trade Center. I said, "Some sighting idiot in Piper Cub got lost in the clouds".
Jim, said "B-25 into the Empire State Building".
I smiled at him and said "Nobody's flying B-25 over New York these days."
So we ambled into the Conference room and fired up the TV. First thing we saw was that nasty black gash billowing smoke.
"That wasn't no damn Piper Cub." I said half under my breath. We stood there trying to make sense of what and how this had happened. "There's no clouds or anything." I later learned the ATC's called that "Severe Clear".
And then the second plane flew into the other tower.
"We're are war." I hadn't noticed, but a bunch of folks had filtered into the room, riveted to the screen. There were lots of gasps of horror as the fireball erupted from the other side of the South Tower. Jim looked at me and said "That was a passenger jet, Dale and Jason are on a passenger jet." Oh, *expletive deleted*it.
I thought of Tom Clancy and his book about the crazy Japanese 747 pilot. *expletive deleted*it, Tom. Did you have to give those Muslim bastard this idea. But I didn't have too much time to muse over that as suddenly, I was in complete charge. Not just the "Hey, keep things running but if you need me I'm a phone call away" charge. But "Hey sir, the commander is dead, you're now it." charge. Worse, because I was the only one in the company with military experience, my admin assistant, comes in and "It's the company president on the phone for you."
"Hi Boss, We should expect more attacks, they have caught us by surprise and have us on our heels , if they are smart, they'll keep going for as long as they can, until we can catch up or they run out of targets."
"Yes, the Sears Tower and Hancock Building would be on my target list if I was them."
"No, we don't need to evacuate the company HQ (in a old warehouse along the Chicago River in what's known at River North. Right across the street from Cabrini Green), I highly doubt we're a target. You are far enough away any target of value, that all evac'ing will do is clog roads." (They shut down and sent every one home, because...Panic.)
"No, I have not heard from Dale or Jason. Yes, we have called and let them voicemails. I have no idea if they were on one of the planes that flew into the World Trade Center. I certainly hope and pray that they weren't."
And more along those lines. I just remember being angry. Angry at what had happened (And I knew right away who had done it, also.) Angry that the company president was a lost as a babe in the woods, and not knowing, sounding on the verge of panic when I was on the phone with him. Just lost and scared. ANd i was like "Sir, you need to pull it together." Yes, they had the element of surprise, we had taken it on the chin, Pearl Harbor all over again,l and just waiting for the next attacks, know they were coming, but not knowing where or when.
And more came. The one that hit the Pentagon, I believe was intended for the White House. Then the saga of flight 93. The news was telling us that unarmed F-16's were on their way to intercept. One of the production clerks asked "How are they going shoot them down if they are unarmed?" I said, "They're not, they are going to ram them." I watched her eyes go wide and all the blood drain from her face. "If they mission is to down the aircraft, you take down the aircraft, by any means necessary."
A guy that I had worked with at Airborne Express called me "Do have Rich's phone #?" All three of us had worked at Airborne, I had left to go do logistics at OCP, Rich had left to go work for United in their aircraft movement control and positioning. "Paul, I would be he's kinda up to his ass in alligators. Now would not be a good time to bother him."
I went outside to have a cigarette. Work continued inside, but a a very subdued pace. I looked up to see aircraft lined up as far as a I could see going into both Midway and O'Hare, nothing headed out. Later that day came the eerie silence from a lack of jet noise. And since we were halfway between ORD and MDW, it was very, very quiet and un-nerving.
I did talk to Rich a few days later...Trying to get in touch with each plane (the airlines have some kinds of HQ direct to planes commo system), trying to see who the missing planes were, and if anyone else was hijacked. Then trying to find airports with runways capable of taking the aircraft, and ramp space. Along with getting fuel status from planes and literally drawing range circles on maps and calling airports. Quite a few calls were "We're sending plane X to land at your airport." He said that was the easy part. Getting them back up and to the correct positions/airports once things resumed were gong to be the really hard part.
Dale and Jason landed at the new Denver Airport, rented a car, called home, then us, and drove from Denver straight back Chicago. Merger stuff could wait.
But before they got back. I called an all hands meeting. Let everyone know that Dale and Jason were safe and driving back. It appeared that the Muslim terrorist had done all they could, and that we were now on alert and watching for any further attacks. We were safe, the old Western Electric Hawthrone Works Cable Plant was probably not on their target list now or in the future. And I was surprised that hijacking 4 airliners was all they had.
Then I looked around the room and said, "The last time we went up against someone who was willing to fly planes into their targets, we had to drop two atomic bombs them to get them to stop."
16 years (actually far, far, far longer than that) and they still haven't stopped.