9/11 and the McAndrew Board

[upstater]

20 years ago on this day, I made coffee, sat down to work (I was a student at the time), logged onto the McAndrew board as I usually did back then, and one of the first posts I read described that a plane had flown into the WTC mere minutes before the post was made. I forget who made the post. There was nothing yet on the news. But that post came just a few minutes after the plane flew in.

I read the post, and since my brother worked in WTC 5, I strongly suspected what was going on because we had talked about the 1993 bombing several times. I also knew my brother spent mornings having breakfast with friends from other firms in the top floor restaurant of one of the towers. I called him. He answered. He said he could see the fire, but he was away from the building prepping for a 9:30 meeting at offices several blocks away. He asked me to call my parents, so I did. This was just minutes after seeing the post here. My mom called him moments after I got off the phone with her, but she couldn't get him. Communication was down. We didn't hear from him again until later in the day (evening?) when he had crossed over into New Jersey.

My roommate at the time had parents who both worked at the Pentagon. I was totally frazzled and fried by what I saw that morning, so I took a break from the TV after trying to call other friends who worked in lower Manhattan. Honestly, my nerves couldn't take anymore. My roommate came to report that one of the towers fell. I told him he was mistaken, that couldn't happen. When I said that, he was unsure what he saw, as though my logic was right. It couldn't happen.

I don't remember when the Pentagon was hit, but he was out of his mind when it was hit. I still remember him just grabbing his hair and walking around the house. Grabbing his hair. He could not get through to his parents. And I felt guilty that I talked to my brother already and I was 99% sure he was safe. In fact, I had been fielding calls from friends all day about my brother and assuring people.

Ultimately, my roommate's parents were safe, but those hours of hell for him were horrid. This is why I'm sure you'll understand that I always associate 9/11 with the McAndrew board. Because of this place I didn't have to endure what my roommate did, and frankly something worse since the collapse of the towers was horrific.

 

[ApexLion]

The board was better than the networks early on that day. I recall some fairly specific discussions about aircraft, building materials and military response from many on this board.

 

[PSU Mike]

I first heard the news here as well, just after riding the DC Metro from Pentagon to L’Enfant. It was easy to infer what was generally going on after plane #2 hit. When a couple in our office yelled that they just hit the Pentagon, I walked deliberately to the windows with that view and saw the smoke. No meaningful words after that …

 

[Nitwit]

I sent one of my employees to a training program that day in the Marriott across the street from the WTC. After the planes hit she walked with a woman she met there about 20 blocks to her apartment, stepping over body parts and debris. She eventually was able to get out of Manhattan safely but needless to say was very shaken from the experience. We arranged for counseling and gave her as much time as she needed to deal with everything. I’m sure it still haunts her. She was a very nice person and a good employee but in retrospect there was nothing we could have done to prevent what happened. I believe the hotel later was torn down.

 

[upstater]

I sent one of my employees to a training program that day in the Marriott across the street from the WTC. After the planes hit she walked with a woman she met there about 20 blocks to her apartment, stepping over body parts and debris. She eventually was able to get out of Manhattan safely but needless to say was very shaken from the experience. We arranged for counseling and gave her as much time as she needed to deal with everything. I’m sure it still haunts her. She was a very nice person and a good employee but in retrospect there was nothing we could have done to prevent what happened. I believe the hotel later was torn down.

That hotel was torn in half when the south tower fell.

 

[Art]

That hotel was torn in half when the south tower fell.

If the hotel being discussed is what was previously known as the Vista, it wasn't across the (West) street. It adjoined and was connected to both towers by walkways. You're correct, though, most of the hotel was destroyed when the south tower came down. Most of what remained was demolished when the north tower fell. There really wasn't much left to be torn down afterward.