Headline: ON A TERRIBLE DAY, WE SHARE IN THE NATION'S DISBELIEF AND CONCERN
Reporter: By Greg Freeman

Publication: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed:  Wed., Sept. 12, 2001
Section: METRO, Page: B2, Edition: FIVE STAR LIFT

I was in my car Tuesday morning, on the way to a gas station, when I heard the news over the radio.
     One minute, the radio host was talking about whether Michael Jordan would play basketball again; the next minute, he was reporting that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. After I bought gas, the news broke that a second plane had crashed into the second tower of the building. Then, as if in a film with surprise twists and turns, the news flashes came, one after the other: A plane had crashed into the Pentagon; planes had been hijacked; one tower of the World Trade Center had collapsed, then the other.

What was happening? I wondered. I sat in disbelief, a sensation that I shared Tuesday with countless other St. Louisans.

* David Spiegel, a student at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, was among a clot of students crowded around a small, color television set up on the second floor of Lucas Hall.
    "I can't believe it, " Spiegel said. "This is incredible. I heard about it when I got to school. I never thought we'd see anything like this in our country. Is this going to mean World War III?"

* Chris Worle, a Web designer for Maring, Kanefield and Weissman, realized that something was wrong when he arrived for work in the Central West End about 8:45 a.m. "The Central West End is usually pretty busy at that time of morning, but there wasn't much action at all. There were a few cars. Everyone was huddled in coffee shops watching television, or talking on their cell phones."
     Worle went to his computer but found that most of the news Web sites were busy. He looked at a television and saw pictures of the bombed towers. "It looked like something out of a 'Die Hard' movie, " he said. "At first I was just shocked. Then I was sick to my stomach thinking about how many lives were lost. I'm still pretty shocked. It's pretty hard to go on with the day."

* In classroom after classroom, students worried what the day's events meant. At Parkway South High School, students were in a frenzy about rumors that a plane had crashed into a building in Pittsburgh. Several students had friends and relatives there.
     They later learned that a plane had crashed about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, but not in the city.

* Stephen Spencer heard the news while he was eating breakfast at Delmonico's, a restaurant on Delmar Boulevard near Euclid Avenue. "While it's an awful thing that happened, and I pray for all those people who died, all I could think of was how glad I am that I live in St. Louis, " he said.
     "I figure terrorists think about places like New York and Washington when they decide to attack. I suspect some of them don't even know St. Louis is here. And I'm glad of it."

* Gail Compton, a public information officer for the city, was getting dressed for work when she heard the news on the radio. "I went to the television and turned on the 'Today' show and was horrified at what I saw."
     She called a friend to ask if she could believe what was happening. "While I was on the phone, I see this plane that looked like it was heading to the building, and then there was an explosion. Katie Couric said, 'Oh my God, I think that plane just hit the second tower.' It happened, right before my eyes."
     Compton said she was glad to arrive at work. "This is the kind of thing where you want to share your feelings with other people, " she said. "It was absolutely horrible, but I don't think the full impact of it hit me until a couple of hours later. I couldn't believe it."

* Mary Sanford had just dropped her daughter off at Gateway School when she happened to change channels on her radio to catch the news.
    "I couldn't believe what I was hearing, " she said. "It didn't seem real. I asked myself, 'Why? Why?'
    "And then I did what I thought I should do - I prayed for all those who lost their lives. What a tragedy. What a tragedy."

* Tragedies like this stay with us the rest of our lives. For one generation, that tragedy was Pearl Harbor. For another generation, it was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. For this generation, Sept. 11, 2001, is a date that will live in infamy.

COPYRIGHT © 2001, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Daniel Schesch - Webweaver

back