Baylor Remembers 9/11

I grew up in a country that was absorbed and oppressed by a lawless empire. I always admired American democracy. We have to defend it: The alternative is not another civilization, but no civilization at all.

- Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D.

On 9/11, I served as Chief Medical Officer for the New York State Office of Mental Health. The anticipated flood of med/surg emergencies did not occur – too few survivors. Instead, it was a mental health emergency. I stood in a hard hat at Ground Zero with other state and city officials a few days after 9/11, when it was still smoldering, which of course I'll never forget. Our statewide efforts to provide mental health and emotional support utilized a Y2K emergency network that had not been needed but was still in place. But the shared pain was most visible on the NYC pier, where families posted pleas looking for lost loved ones. Let this never happen again!

- John Oldham

I remember 9/11 so vividly. I was in college at the time, getting ready to head to my part-time job. My sister, who lived in another state, called in a panic, saying that a plane had just gone through the World Trade Center Tower. As we were talking to her, she started yelling as she watched the second plane go through the other. It was at that point that we, and our entire nation, realized this wasn't an accident.

I headed to work. But our world was eerily silent. Music that normally played on the radio was replaced by the news. Ongoing commentary the entire day. And we all worked in silence. Hardly any customers came in. None of us talked. We just listened. And grieved.

As I'm sure Pearl Harbor was to so many of that era, 9/11 was that to me. I realized an undeniable fact: America was fought for. And what we stood for and what we were blessed with was not won without sacrifice. It wasn't just something that I was born into. But rather, it was something so many (some unknowingly) paid for with their lives.

In the days and months that followed 9/11, I witnessed something remarkable. People set aside their differences. They hugged those they previously opposed. They celebrated the victories and heartbreak together. And America was united.

Flags and pride for our country were rampant. Terrorism may have taken lives and broken hearts, but it would never quench the American spirit. Instead, that spirit became stronger, louder, and more thankful for the freedoms we hold dear.

- Nichole Stewart

I honor the Florida Task Force 2 (FL-TF2) Urban Search and Rescue under FEMA, who were deployed to Ground Zero following the September 11th attacks, especially the structural engineers who assessed the impact of all collapsed buildings and towers after they succumbed to the attacks. They were deployed there to rescue people and search and rescue and help those first responders on the scene already. 

- Alison Ulloa

I was driving to work when the first strike at the World Trade Center was reported. It sounded like an accident, maybe a small plane. As I was pulling into Garage 6, the second strike was reported. Would Houston, including TMC, possibly be a target? Those of us with kids left for early pickup that day. I had one in pre-K, one in 3rd and one in 5th. Will never forget the one in 3rd said, “Are we going to the grocery store?” He said a lot of moms were picking up their kids early to go to the grocery store. Had to be a tough day for teachers. Was tough for everyone. Glued to the TV, wanting to give reassurance to our children but not being sure what was going on. I’ve watched a lot of documentaries, and continue to do so, still trying to understand what people experienced and recognizing it is important not to forget.

- Lori Williams

What stays with me each anniversary of 9/11 is the final actions of the victims, not just the first responders but everyday people, too. Their phone calls from the planes and their offices to family and friends, knowing they would die and wanting their people to know how much they love them. The heroism and selflessness of an office worker helping a colleague, sometimes going back again to help more people, and of the passengers on the final plane who prevented it from striking another building. It represented the very best of humanity, which too often gets lost in the world we live in, and every year reminds me of what is important in life.

- Dana Benson

I remember showing up to work on the bottom floor of the Jewish building, where HR was at the time. Our benefits director came in and told us a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

This was before you could stream anything, so I called my wife, who was taking the kids to preschool. She had the news on the car radio and relayed what she was hearing.

Then we rolled in the training cart — a TV with a VHS player underneath — got the antenna up, and stood there together as the second plane hit.

Standing next to my coworkers watching it was surreal. It's a moment I'll never forget. Some people were upset enough that they went home. The rest of us stayed, and it was very hard to focus for the rest of the day.

My other memory is from a year later, at a butterfly release with Dr. Feigin. I was an active reservist then, and I was chosen to do the release on the steps of the Cullen entrance. The butterflies didn't want to go. We had to tap on the box a couple of times before they finally took off.

- Dane Friend

The attacks of September 11 occurred in the United States, but the impact was felt across our nation and in more than 100 countries around the world. In the face of tragedy, millions of people came together to support one another, to stand with those most directly affected, and to honor the courage and sacrifice of the first responders. One of the enduring lessons of that day is that people can unite internationally through a shared commitment to compassion, respect, and healing. That lesson remains as important today as it was then, and it is one we should strive to uphold every day.

- Claire Bassett

I was a surgical resident in NYC on Sept 11th. I lost a couple of friends whom worked in the Twin Towers that day. That night hundreds of us waited at Beekman Hospital to take in more casualties but only a few (10 or so) would be found alive over the coming days. It was a surreal moment in my life.

- Anonymous Submission

At the time of the 9/11 attacks in New York City, I had recently moved to Houston from there. The morning of that day, I was at work listening to National Public Radio (NPR) when the program was interrupted by breaking news. I immediately tried calling my family, but my calls went straight to voicemail. I was so worried about their safety, but luckily, we were able to connect later that evening.

As I continued listening to the NPR coverage, a close friend who lived near the Twin Towers was interviewed by a reporter. I could hear that he was struggling to speak, and then he stopped talking and started crying. I was heartbroken.

Having worked in Tower 1 of the World Trade Center in the 1990s, I was affected by the 9/11 tragedy on a deep personal level. I travel to New York City at least once a year to visit family and friends, but it took me eleven years before I was ready to visit the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, where the Twin Towers had once stood majestically.

I still remember the horror of 9/11. 

- Anonymous Submission

I was walking into work from Garage 6 on that morning and recall seeing the news on the security guard's monitor as we passed by. In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Allison, three months before, security had already been tightened up at BCM, controlling entrance to the buildings. In our Center, we pulled up the news on a giant monitor/TV in our conference room as we watched in horror as the World Trade Center buildings burned and collapsed. I had two junior staff members out of town attending a conference in Canada. As I recall, the border was closed, transportation was shut down and they were trapped. It took them almost a week to get home, taking buses and trains and eventually renting a car.

- Anonymous Submission

I was at IAH preparing to take a flight to Washington, D.C. for the Radio Television News Director's Association/National Association of Broadcaster's meeting to promote Baylor's TV Healthline with Dr. ZoAnn Dreyer. I parked at the very top of the IAH parking garage and was unloading my video gear... I saw all of the flights landing, but none were taking off.... I thought that was weird, I was struggling with all that gear to really notice much. I checked the equipment, got my boarding pass and was looking for my producer George, I noticed all of these people gathered around the tv monitors in the waiting area. About that same time, someone walked up and handed me a memo. It was from the FAA stating, "That because of the unknown cause of the New York incidents, all air travel in the United States was immediately shutdown." I thought this is no ordinary flight delay... we are going to be late! I spent the rest of the day at Bush/Intercontinental trying to get my equipment back, it was a very long day.

- Billy Miller

I remember leaving surgical grand rounds and hearing the news.  Confusion, concern, was it an accident, was it more? The answers became clear as the second plane hit the tower...it was intentional, and the scope was big. As reality was recognized, work dwindled. All I could think of was getting home to my family. What about my sister and friends who lived in Manhattan, some near the Twin Towers? Manhattan had been my home. I remember sitting in my apartment where I could see the Twin Towers and how I felt when the first terrorist attacks happened there in 1993. How could it be happening again? And on such a larger scale.

Resiliency was the response. I hope for that same resiliency in our nation today.

- Jeffrey Chipman

On September 11, 2001, I watched the images unfold on computer screens with my co-workers at The University of Texas at Tyler. We were all in shock as we witnessed the tragic events taking place in New York.
It was a solemn day that we will never forget. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives, families and communities were forever changed, and countless people showed extraordinary courage. We remember the victims, honor the first responders and all those who helped, and keep their memories in our hearts.

We will always remember September 11, 2001.

- Virginia Young

I remember being a couple of months away from having my first child, thinking the world she was coming into would never be the same. The grief I felt for everyone who died and for the world as we knew it felt insurmountable. At the same time, I felt hope as our country stepped up and came together as one, which made it less scary to bring my daughter into this new world.

- Anonymous Submission

At the time, I worked for a consulting firm and had an assignment in Manhattan. I was commuting from Philadelphia, and my train arrived at Penn Station at 8:44, one of the last trains in. The images I recall are seeing ash raining down from the sky, hearing the screaming sirens of fire engines racing towards the towers, the stillness and quietness of the city. I remember it taking several hours until I was able to successfully place a call to my sister so she could tell everyone I'm ok. I remember hearing my sweet 3-year-old niece telling me bad men are in the city. I remember waiting in line at a pharmacy chain to purchase toiletries as no trains were allowed to leave, and seeing the cashier take a call, breakdown and cry.  I also remember, when trains were allowed to run again, seeing all the cars at each train station and very few people getting off to claim them. For a while after, a vivid and clear blue sky or the sound of fire engines would bring me back to that day.

- Nellie Butze 

I was working in Upper Manhattan that day. From where I was standing, I saw dark smoke billowing out of WTC North Tower. It was a Tuesday. It was the first day of school for a lot of kids in NYC. It was also local election day. I uncharacteristically drove to work that day. Above all, my most distinct recollection was the SKY... The sky was a perfect shade of blue. I can't believe it's been 25 years.

- Mia Dajoyag-Mejia

I was walking into an American History exam my sophomore year of college. The first plane had already hit, but in a world without a 24-hour news cycle and smartphones, we had no idea what happened yet.  The exam ended, the school sent everyone home, and we remained glued to the television for the rest of the day in shock with the rest of the world. 

- Kimberly Weiderhold

On July 4, 1976, when I was seven years old, my father took me up to his office in the World Trade Center to watch the big boat parade on the Hudson River that was part of the Bicentennial celebration. I still cherish that memory, but it's been tinged with a bit of sadness ever since 9/11. 

- Anonymous Submission

I will never forget 9/11. I was 21 years old and serving active duty in the US Navy, stationed at the Naval Medical Center San Diego and attached to the USNS Mercy hospital ship.

I was just getting to work and our base was immediately put on lock-down. We were all glued to this tiny television in our Master Chief's office and watched the events unfold.

We waited for our orders, for information, for what was going to happen next, where we would be deployed etc. We called our families and tried to stay calm for them and for us.

While my ship, the Mercy was not deployed, our sister ship, the USNS Comfort was sent out to NYC to provide medical support, meals and supplies to people at Ground Zero. It was a day I will never forget.

Let's continue to remember and honor the men and women who lost their lives, and those that came together to help and take care of one another.

- Dominique Garcia

9/11 left an indelible mark on my heart. When the attacks happened, I was a medical student here at BCM, and I was in Kleberg Auditorium that day attending a pathology lecture. I will never forget being startled by the horrified cry of a classmate who was from New York and was the first of us to hear the news. Shock and stunned belief ran through our class. However, what I also remember is how people came together in the coming days to care for, to love, and to comfort one another, qualities that defined the special community we continue to have at BCM. May we always honor the fallen and never forget to protect the people and country we love.

- Andrew Chu