bchad

[krnyc2008]

@bchad

I’ve often wondered what it would have been like to see that. One thing for sure is that it would have been fascinating. But also horrifying. We can have several emotions simultaneously about something, which is why sometimes we are fascinated by evil even if we are simultaneously horrified at it.

Of course, there is no telling whether I would have been at my desk at the exact moment, or talking with a colleague or my boss or something. Whether I would have noticed the flash, whether I would have heard the bang and wondered what that was about (though I was far enough away that there would have been several seconds delay).

Conceivably I could have watched the plane fly low and into the building, since my window faced straight forward to the section where the plane hit: I would have basically seen the plane from the rear heading into the building, which would have involved moments of thinking “what the heck is going on with that plane - why is it flying so low?”

I had a friend from college who was working in the Pentagon that day. He told me that one of the generals called in sick or something cancelled the meeting. If that hadn’t happened, he would have been right there and pretty much guaranteed to be killed. That must be quite a memory to live with.

–

One year later, on Sept 11th 2002, I was in the office. Everyone was nervous and jumpy about terrorists trying to do something on the anniversary.

For some reason, at the exact moment of the attack in DC, the Air Force did a low altitude flyover to commemorate. The flyover was not widely publicized, but it happened to go about 200’ over our building.

So everyone is jumpy, and then suddenly, some 6 fighter jets flying in formation 200 feet above the building screech by. Pretty much everyone in my office soiled their pants at that moment on that day…

Sometimes it’s just not meant to be. I was supposed to be on that Staten Island ferry that crushed a few years back. I got sick the night before.

[former_trader]

Your birthday gift from Chad should be an induction to the AF Hall of Fame.