We Were There, March 8, 2016 1

Responder, NYC Transit subway engineer Hector R. and 9/11 Family Member Joseph C. share their personal stories of September 11th in their 9/11 Tribute Museum presentation of We Were There on stage at the National September 11th Memorial Museum.
Hector was driving a Downtown R train during the collapse of the South Tower. Defying orders that advised him to skip Cortlandt Street station, he was able to transport people to safety who were trying to escape the chaos above ground. He speaks about the motivation behind this judgement call, and the passengers' looks of fear that will never leave his memory. Despite his immense concern for his wife's well-being, he chose to wait until he got to the end of his train line before he ran to a payphone. After calling her and confirming that she was okay, he realized that it was other transit workers who got her to safety for him when he was not able to be there. And by stopping his train at the WTC, he hoped that he had done the same.
Joseph worked near the WTC, and witnessed the side of the North Tower rip apart on 9/11. He had previously lost his father to a terrorist attack at Fraunces Tavern, a couple of blocks from the WTC. On September 11th, he lost his cousin Steve, who worked on the upper floors of the North Tower for Cantor Fitzgerald. Through his personal account of that day and the remembrance of his family members lost to senseless acts of terror, Joseph emphasizes that the enormity of the events are not with statistics nor the buildings themselves, but with the people lost and their stories.

[@margaretmorrish5850]

Wow how TRUE...as a Nurse I also learned NOT everything is worth getting angry over. Will it impact your life in 5 years? If not....don't fret about it!🔥🤔❤️🙏

[@denise11864]

Joe Connor’s father, Frank Connor, age 33, was murdered in the 1975 terrorist attack at Fraunces Tavern in Lower Manhattan. Joe was 9 years old. How terrifying to have that almost happen to Joe, at age 35. Joe wrote a book about the 1975 bombing and there is a documentary about what happened. The irony is unfathomable. Thank you both for your accounts on 9/11.

[@diyr791]

Thank you for mentioning this.

[@janice576]

God Bless everyone..We will never forget 🙏🏻😇🙏🏻😇

[@sian2337]

Whenever I hear someone say ‘Cantor Fitzgerald’ my heart sinks.

[@Jerseybytes2]

in the off chance you see my comment, please watch the video called, "miracles and fate on floor 78". the gentleman is named Ari Schonbrun, and he worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, but that day he was running late for work. so when the plane hit him and 2 of his co-workers were on the 78th. at minute 11:15 the lady says the impact zone was Cantor Fitzgerald. She is mistaken. impact zone was below and the offices on the impact floors were Marsh McLennan (floors 93 to 100). that day they lost 358 employees

[@ButtScootBJJ]

True! They had it way worse than anyone in the entire attack. Over 600 deaths, everyone from the company that was there, died with zero chance to escape. They either burned to death or jumped. When I read a memorial post on Facebook of one of the 9/11 victims and it states that the person worked for Cantor, I know right away, they were trapped above the 101st floor and just above the impact zone where every square inch of the upper floors were literal ovens.

[@marym7763]

Thank you very much for sharing! Hectors perspective was one I hadn't heard before! In my city there is no subway, so even on a normal day, I would feel unconfortable beeing underneath ground level and him knowing about that and still doing his work, helping people get out of the zone is very brave to me.

[@michellemahar9030]

Thank you for sharing your stories. They have helped me with my own traumas and I am so grateful. I was 15 and living in RI when the attacks happened. I had just gotten through a class when my sister met me in the hall and said the Twin Towers were attacked. I couldn't think of what buildings they were. It was like it left my mind and then she said the pentagon, too. Then I knew we were being attacked. My school shut off the TVs connected to the office. But I went to the band room and they wheeled in a TV. We were kids watching those building burn and people jumping. A teacher was frantic because her husband was traveling out of Boston. He was safe. I have two kids who are getting to an age where I will have to explain what happened. I am grateful that one day they will have these videos. It is so important to remember the past and learn from it and support each other. And that is what you all do and I appreciate it more than I can say.

[@michellesilver718]

Thank you for your time and stories.

[@mariatrakadas6069]

It is about the people, not the buildings. Rest in peace 🙏

[@Beccslovesmetal]

Thank you for sharing your stories.

[@michellesilver718]

I have not heard any opinions from jet airplane pilots. How did they understand the events. How did they step foot into their cockpit.

[@thomasdaniels6824]

I don't know why there's tons of them on KZbin. Just look up Beverly Bass.I believe she was the first female to ever pilot a Boeing 777 for a major airline. She was flying over the Atlantic that day

[@woowah32]

Through the door..?🤔😅

[@michellesilver718]

Ash Woodward ok I deserved that one.

[@woowah32]

Michelle Silver lol, joking apart....pre 911 it was always a very relaxed atmosphere on a commercial flight, cockpit door rarely closed. If you were lucky enough an air steward/stewardess would even take you to meet the pilot, mid flight. Pre Sep 2001 were happier less fearful and paranoid times.

[@mangalpratap9447]

It was his 13th anniversary

[@smontone]

Looks like they got an out of town sound guy to mic this one up. Doesn’t know New Yorkers talk with their hands. Lots of background noise.

[@regalspeaks9885]

What’s crazy is that Aaliyah died a month before this happened. A very ominous omen to tragedy.

[@junelawson5100]

How does it relate to this though?

[@melissalove2463]

Who keeps rubbing up against a mic , it’s so annoying ! 😖

[@gmamella0930]

The speaker himself. It was placed in a bad position thus the noise.

[@junelawson5100]

How rude and inconsiderate of you. It is the speaker. So that’s annoying to you? Imagine what’s annoying to him!

[@thenanlife1141]

I lived in Connecticut when the twin towers fell and saw it all on tv news xx

[@johnnyfire3860]

This host lady loves to hear the sound of her own voice a little too much. We don’t need her to tell us ANY of the guest speaker’s story. They can tell us the entire story themselves

[@Hyperchicken]

I think she does a great job setting the scene and being a sort of host/moderator. I love her introductions.

[@reallyitsbrit]

You realize this is just a recording of accounts they give daily. She does this every time for the people in the audience that haven’t heard the same thing over and over on KZbin, not for you. It got on my nerves at first but I get it now

[@DustinBBaker1906]

Her voice is soothing to me. I could listen to her all day.