09/11/2026
I was 23 years old when the 9/11 attacks happened.
I clearly remember pulling into the parking lot at work in Queens when I heard on the radio that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. At first, I didn’t believe it. By the time I got to the office, just before 9:00 a.m., I could see the look on everyone’s faces. That’s when I realized it was real.
Then the second plane hit.
We were already in shock from the first crash, and suddenly the unimaginable was happening right in front of us. When the news announced that both towers had been attacked, we all rushed to the rooftop. From there, I personally witnessed the towers collapse.
The feeling is impossible to describe. It was as if someone had punched me in the stomach so hard I couldn’t breathe and stepped on my heart at the same time. I felt frozen. The fear, the trauma, and the overwhelming feeling of being unsafe all hit at once.
I remember people were crying hysterically. Everyone was trying to reach loved ones.
That day changed all of us.
The world felt different when we woke up on September 12. The sense of security we once took for granted was gone. For those of us who lived through it—especially those of us in New York—it isn’t just something we read about in history books. It’s a day we experienced, a day we felt, and a day we will never forget.
Twenty-five years later, I can still remember the sounds, the fear, the confusion, and the heartbreak as if it happened yesterday.
Some memories never fade. September 11, 2001, is one of them.
We will never forget.
