Alyssha Miro,
School Teacher
Larchmont, NY

I remember working in the World Trade Center. Every Monday through Friday I'd get off the overcrowded Number 4 train and step out of the dark subway terminal and into the fresh air above. It was at that moment I would look up to see my destination - - the 50th floor of WTC Tower 2. I was excited as I'd cross the street into the WTC plaza and make my way to the familiar doors. Some days the wind would catch me off guard and send me racing for cover. I'd enter with a whoosh and all was safe. I'd head down to the lobby where I'd flash my pass and wait for one of the many elevators that would take me to my floor. While waiting I was always impressed by the faces around me. There were always tourists milling about trying to figure out how they could get to the top. Sometimes they would ask me and I would tell them where to go. There would always be a few familiar faces waiting with me and then the pleasant "bing-bing" as one of our silver chariots arrived. The ride was a few seconds at most. We would pile out and often take another short elevator ride to our final destination. Being on the 50th floor, I was almost halfway up the building. Everyday I would look out and see the Statue of Liberty from my window. Our office was filled with cubicles but our view more than made up for the tightly organized arrangement of desks and computers. There were days that I was so focused on my work that I hardly looked outside. Other days, you could see a beautiful sunset and just stare in awe. Sometimes I would see flurries of snow but down below there was no sign of the white crystals on the earth. I was in a winter wonderland. Foggy days were surreal. It was like being in the middle of a cloud. I'd always be amazed when it was cloudy or rainy because as I would approach the tower from the outside in the distance and I would see the towers rise toward the sky and disappear into the heavens. I would be surrounded by a soft whiteness like a blanket keeping me safe. Windy days brought a gentle creaking that told you the building was swaying. We had all learned this was a special design feature that prevented the building from snapping. I loved learning about where I worked.

I spoke with people who survived the 1993 bombing. I heard their stories and got chills. People asked me if I was scared working there. I tell them I was never afraid. I was proud to work there. I felt special working in the WTC. "I work in the tower with the observation deck", I would proudly say to friends and family. Everyone knew where I worked when I said the Twin Towers. There was no question, it was a landmark. And so they are gone. I grieve like so many others. Our lives have changed forever.

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Mr. Heaton,
School Teacher
New York, NY

Anything that one can say about 9/11 and the Towers have been said before and more eloquently. From my vantage, I could see the Towers on a clear day from Jones Beach or some high point on the South Shore. It was a comforting reference point. Watching the events unfold that morning on T.V. was numbing but it really hit full force when I saw the Towers on fire from the Loop Bridge leading into Long Beach. The attack was done by those who loathe the freedoms that we relish. Atta, the terrorist leader, was quoted as sneeringly commenting to a Florida resident-"In America you can do whatever you want." Preservation of that freedom is uppermost in rebuilding the Towers. Our choice is to rebuild, look to the future for renewal. All the while we won't and shouldn't forget the innocents who were murdered by those who hate our freedoms. This site will again be our reference point!