This will be a personal diary.
The sun shines today in a cool sunny September morning in upstate NY. My thoughts take me back to where I was when the events of 911 unfolded. I was living in NYC at the time several months into my Internship year in family medicine residency in a communty hospital in Brooklyn, NY. I lived in Queens and commuted daily to my job 20 minutes away. Ias happy to be living in the city after spending many years away. I grew up acroos the river in New Jersey. My undergraduate years took me to Boston where I spent my early adulthood. I then went overseas to my home country in the Dominian Republic to go to medical school.
I was happy to be back.
My first year in training was hard. In September of 2011 I was in my second rotation ever - in Surgery. Our call schedule was "every third or fourth" night. During my call days I would get to work at 6:00AM and not leave to go home until the next day around Noon.
Having a Monday call was cool I remember - did not interfere with the weekend and I could recover by midweek for my next call probably on Thursday again that week which would again spare my weekend. Two weekends in a row in a temperate month where I could be normal was no small consolation for a grueling schedule. As in an intern from a "soft specialty" in Surgery it was not fun. Being humiliated daily by Seniors was no character-building experience. The night in question was long as sit here remembering - many admissions in the ER. The Surgical ICU was ablaze. The 24 hour Dunkin Donuts across the street was my only refuge. I was able to "rest" at 5 am but was up an hour later for Rounds.
It was in the morning after 8am after we were finishing our rounds that a Medical Student interrupted us on a 6th floor medical floor.
"Something is going on downtown, there is smoke coming out of a building", he said.
The whole group of young medical professionals walked to the nearest window of our hospital. We were high enough above the ground that we could see the blue sky above us and in the distance towards lower Manhattan we could see dark billowing smoke when blown away from the tall buildings. That was odd that we could see smoke from a fire 5 miles away!
We quickly finished our "hand over" to the morning crew. The hospital was busier than normal. Announcements were being made over the loudspeaker. Still in my light blue scrubs from the night before I found patient's family lounge and focused on two TV's affixed to the World Trade Center, one with smoke coming out. It is the first time I ever saw the banner n the bottom of any TV news screen that in bold letters screamed out: "BREAKING NEWS".
There was no audio to the broadcast - this which was quickly fixed by a bystander. I saw a helicopter flying close to these buildings and thought this was going to be an extraordinary day. The talking head Newscaster was saying something about this being an accident - small plane perhaps. I will never forget the next thing that happened on this TV image. The silhouette of a plane as large as the width of the building coming in at 45 degree angle slammed into the building that was not burning. The audience watching was petrified. Plane parts, people (I suspect) and flames flew in all directions. This was no accident.
It was almost 9am now I reached for my cell phone. My girlfriend was working in Manhattan and I needed to make sure she was safe. Lines were busy. I found a landline and called and reached her. Her office building was evacuating. My message to her was go UPTOWN; she was on the East side in the 30's.
More announcements came over the hospital intercom- something about essential personnel needed to stay. I was post-call SURGICAL INTERN - does this mean me? I saw the CEO of the hospital walking the hallways in SCRUBS! This had to be serious. I made my way to the ER and the nurses were busily discharging patients with "non-life threatening conditions". The ER had to be cleared for the suspected hundreds of injured from this disaster.
As I was making myself useful in the ER, several NYC police officers rushed in with an announcement that trained medical professionals were needed at Ground Zero. Triages were being set up and they needed people to staff these. After getting the OK from my SURGICAL Resident, I volunteered. I thoght I would not be able to leave the hospital anyway later and if I did I probably could not get home and if I got home I probably would stay up to watch it on TV. Two other Docs joined me and were soon in a NYC Polic Car with sirens and lights blaring speeding throught the congested Brooklyn neighborhoods and streets on our way to the Old Brooklyn Naval Yard.
This was my first and only time in a police cruiser. I will always remember the loud sirens muffled by the constant chatter on the police radio. All the traffic I saw was heading in the opposite direction.
We reached the naval yard and there were many others there. It was chaos. Hundreds upon hundreds of pedestrians on the Brooklyn Bridge walking away from Manhattan. It felt like a Japanese movie set with countless extras rushing away from Godzilla or something. A yellow school bus approached the triage area picking up yet more volunteers to take across the river into Wall Street area. I felt the need to be closer to scene and I once agaion volunteered. The bus was flush with Doctors who were staying in anearby hotel at a conference. I felt needed so I went.
I ended up at CHAMBERS and CHURCH street. Both towers had collapsed. WTC 7 was about to collapse. Sounds of people and sirens filled the streets. The DUST was thick. I spent the next 14 hours participating in relatively minor first aid interventions - mostly of the mental health variety. Yes there were people with scratches and lacerations and twisted ankles. I spent most of my time counseling workers in shock from the twin towers who made it out. There were many sad stories.
I was interviewed by a Graduate student from Columbia. My comments made it into a newspaper that years later I would read. in 2004 or 2005, I received an email from a friend from a very long time ago and she asked me if I was there. I wrote back that I was but it was a very minor role I played. She sent me back the article.
It was 2AM. I had to be at my clinic seeing patients Wednesday morning at 8am. I needed to go home. My car was in Brooklyn. I lived in Queens. THere was NO public transportation. The bridges were closed. My cell phone was dead. How could I get home? I decided to walk.
Dressed still in 2 day old surgical scrubs, sneakers and a white labcoat, I began my trek uptown. I had my hospital ID on my coat plainly visible. Everyone I contacted on the streets of Manhattan that night was suspicious of any and all strangers. I was worried I would be stopped. Many who have lived or worked in Manhattan previously knew it was an unwritten rule and not polite to make eye contact in public places.
Not. this. night. Anyone you passed on the street was secretly thinking : "Friend or Foe"? I looked like friend, so-called FIRST RESPONDER. People looked into my eyes, smiled, made Comments, shook my hand. I walked up through SOHO, the VILLAGE, NOHO. I saw empty restaurants with the lights on. I saw empty FIREHOUSES with the TV blaring. Time Square was very silent.
I saw a PAYPHONE. They still had them in those days and phoned my girlfriend. SHe agreed to have her father pick me up - but where? The bridges were not allowing any traffic. We agreed that I would try to make it to the Queensboro 59th ST Bridge. She would wait for me on the Queens side.
It was almost 3:30AM. An ambulance pulled next to me, "Do you need a ride?". "Yes", I quickly answered. "Can you get me across the police road block across the bridge". Again, with the help of more ambulance sirens and a helpful Doctor ID, I made it to SILVERCUP studio building. There was a single car in the parking lot with the headlights on. This was my ride home. I was lucky.
Unfortunately many did not make it home after work that day.
All the best to the survivors of September 11, 2001. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
9:10 AM PT: The poll should read "September 11, 2001" of course