9/11: A Remembrance of Grit and Courage

By Cynthia Powell

As the worst terrorist attack in American history raged, one couple overcame all odds to break into New York City on September 12th, 2001 to receive treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The remembrance of that day reveals a string of miracles that occurred during the journey. It also explores the many different people encountered on that day who exhibited courage and grit in the face of evil, and heartbreak. The memories in this book provide an in-depth eyewitness account of the sights, smells and sounds encountered in New York City which began on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Nov 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781387462469

Book preview

I would like to give

Thanks to

God

For sustaining me while

I wrote this book.

This book is dedicated in loving memory to

John David Powell

I would also like to express my deep love and appreciation to my family for their dearest support and encouragement to complete this remembrance.

Preface

This book is not meant to be a formal all-inclusive historical document. It is a remembrance of breaking into New York City, New York during the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attack. My husband received cancer treatment from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. A three-day cycle of treatment was scheduled to begin on September 12th, 2001.

The pages in this book are my remembrance of the occurrences of the three-day attack. It is also a testament to the grit, courage, and resolve of the people I encountered along the journey.

Thank you for reading this book and experiencing the memories with me.

9

781387

462469

Copyright © 2021 by Cynthia A Powell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission by Cynthia A Powell.

Section One

The Journey Begins

It was strange for him to call me from work at this hour of the morning. It was even more notable for him to tell me to turn on the T.V.  The urgency in his voice told me to not ask questions. I could feel that even though he was calm on the outside something was terribly wrong. I turned on the T.V. in time to see a powerful majestic American Airlines Boeing 767 airplane flying gracefully through the air. The motion of the plane was incredibly beautiful.

As a child my Mother would load us all into the car and drive us to the parking garage at the airport. She would park on the top level closest to the runway. We would get out and peer over the concrete barrier to watch the planes as they would take-off and land. I would stand perfectly still in complete awe transformed by the serene regal movement of the planes.

As I sat transfixed to the television screen, the long, elegant plane suddenly smashed into the side of the World Trade Center in New York City. In absolute horror I watched it unfold as if in slow motion. The front of the plane exploded as it hit the building. The remaining part of the plane continued to move into the building systematically following the front section only to be engulfed in the large fireball bursting from the tower. Ugly black smoke began billowing