| Therefore my intentions in writing this article are first to | | | | were putting bombs all over the city after having |
| present my fellow Americans and those around the | | | | terrorized the rest of the country in the same manner. |
| world with my personal view of how I saw the events. | | | | It was there where I witnessed what my mind will |
| Second to tell how someone who has read what I | | | | never rid itself of which were images created by an |
| would call an enormous amount of history books | | | | act of terrorism in the distract of Lima, Peru called |
| would classify this day in terms of history. | | | | "Miraflores" in the month of August in the year 1992. |
| I like I have already stated was born in New York City | | | | The sight of those bombs blowing up cars and ripping |
| where I was raised and spent 20 years of my life, me | | | | through the air leaving 27 dead and a lot of damaged |
| now being 40 years of age. By September of 2001 | | | | buildings in a place where I had been less then 5 |
| however I had adopted myself to live in Warsaw, | | | | minutes before was something as gruesome to me as |
| Poland where I was residing with my then wife of 4 | | | | it was incredulous. As one can imagine it would be as I |
| years and my daughter who was 3 years of age at | | | | had never seen till then the body of a dead person |
| the time who I might add is prominently mentioned in | | | | other then on TV or in a photograph. The panic, the |
| the story called "The Little Opera Singer". My adoption | | | | chaos, the sight of corpses that I saw from the |
| to Poland however had not been limited to having | | | | window of my friend's house (which fortunately was |
| courted and eventually wed one of its many lovely | | | | not broken from the sound wave) that day was |
| ladies whom I would go on to have a child with. My | | | | something that nothing I had been through or learned |
| adoption also included having become a fluent speaker | | | | could have ever prepared me for leaving me to |
| of the Polish language as well as having opened a | | | | wonder what if I had not entered my friend's house |
| language school. | | | | when I did. |
| Perhaps to many it is rare to hear of an American | | | | As one can see in my case it was not that I had not |
| immigrating out of the United States specially since | | | | seen violent death in front of my own eyes before not |
| most of the stories weather film or book focus on | | | | that what was being presented to me on that day |
| those who immigrated to the United States in search | | | | was being done in such a way but it was the originality |
| of fortune and all those things that move people from | | | | of this act (if such a name can ever be given to an |
| their country of birth to another. I however going | | | | act of terrorism) that flabbergasted me. I had even |
| against the trend made an exodus from the United | | | | witnessed an earthquake in South America which |
| States in September of 1994 to Poland where I settled | | | | went on to form the strongest imagery of my infancy. |
| down and where less then a year later met my wife | | | | It taking place when I was 3 years of age (same age |
| to be while we were both on a short trip to another | | | | as my daughter at the time of 9/11) that I saw the |
| city called "Zakopane" (the name of this city meaning | | | | house where I was residing at the time with my |
| "buried" when translated in to English). | | | | grandparents fall to the ground. It might be said that all |
| The day of September the 11th of the year of our lord | | | | these events in my life helped to make me immune to |
| 2001 started like any other for my family and myself. | | | | what my TV was forcing me to watch which it did but |
| My wife going off to her place of employment while I | | | | only in a limited way as the magnitude of it all was |
| dropped off our daughter at preschool before making | | | | something surrealistic even to me who had witnessed |
| my way to work where I teach English as a second | | | | so much mayhem. |
| language in the school I had opened the very same | | | | By then the initial stun in me had subsided at least long |
| year of the events of this day. | | | | enough to call my wife over to the TV. My wife who |
| I can not claim much about the day with regards to | | | | was in our daughter's room felt alarm by the way my |
| something happening to me which went outside of the | | | | voice called to her at the time, came to the part of the |
| ordinary. I taught the lessons which I was supposed to | | | | house where I found myself in. Hers was an |
| with nothing going particular well or badly for that | | | | impression of distress as she also never imagined that |
| matter. I remember going home when my work day | | | | something like what she was seeing on the screen |
| was done and arriving at a little past 6 in postmeridian | | | | might be real. |
| where upon arrival more from force of habit then | | | | With regards to the day that followed September the |
| expecting to hear anything of consequence turned on | | | | 11th? This day in my mind sticks out for all that it had |
| my TV set. After having turned the TV set on I went | | | | connected to what happened the previous day. My |
| to the kitchen to get something to eat and drink. | | | | friends at my favorite bar telling me how great their |
| When I got back to the living room I saw the images | | | | sorrow was for what had taken place in my country |
| that my TV was displaying which I earnestly | | | | and last but not least there was the phone call I |
| considered to be from one of the so many mindless | | | | received from my Spanish friend who like me was |
| action films that exhibit scenes of devastation with | | | | living in Warsaw at the time. It was this lady from |
| visual effects that seem to be creating an art out of | | | | Madrid who had been a friend of mine for over a year |
| mass destruction. I even in a slightly ironic twist of fate | | | | and was the only one who actually called me with a |
| thought the special effects as I witnessed a plane | | | | word of consolation that made me see that people did |
| smash in to one of the towers of "World Trade | | | | care. This however would turn out to be a word of |
| Center" to be less then convincing giving me the false | | | | consolation which in a very unfortunate turn of events I |
| impression that this was a B film of some kind which | | | | would have to return when in 2004 it was her |
| was being advertised. | | | | hometown that suffered at the hands of terrorists |
| Just when I was about to use my remote control to | | | | when the "Atocha" train station was hit by bombs |
| turn to another channel the announcer cried out "to nie | | | | costing over 200 people their lives. |
| jest film! To jest prawdziwe!" (This line meaning "This is | | | | As for my personal feelings toward the "World Trade |
| not a movie, this is real" in Polish). These words hitting | | | | Center" (a.k.a. Twin Towers) I can not claim to have |
| me like a flash made it that I could not take this with | | | | been an admirer of these buildings as they |
| out seriousness as shock had replaced my prior | | | | architecturally speaking were not to my liking in |
| disinterest in what I was seeing. I instinctively turned to | | | | matters of aesthetics. However these buildings though |
| Cable News Network (CNN) were these images | | | | not among my favorites were a part of the New York |
| which my eyes had failed to accredit the first time | | | | I knew and lived in as they were across the street |
| were being shown erasing all doubt in my mind as to | | | | from the building that for two years was my place of |
| their authenticity. Once I turned the channel to CNN I | | | | work. The building I am referring to for the curiosity of |
| saw one by one how the once might towers of "The | | | | those who care to know is the lesser known "World |
| World Trade Center" fell to ground making such an | | | | Financial Center" which like the "World Trade Center" |
| impact that it would cause other buildings to either fall | | | | was located on Liberty Street. |
| or have to be demolished as their structure had been | | | | It was during those two years of 1993 and 1994 that I |
| weakened to the point of being a dangerous. | | | | took the subway to the "World Trade Center" whose |
| The thought of who was responsible had not even | | | | underground passages and covered Bridge allowed |
| occurred to me yet when the picture changed to | | | | me to get to my place of work without the need of |
| Washington D.C. where the Pentagon was shown to | | | | going outdoors. This being a benefit on rainy days. |
| have been struck. The image of the Pentagon | | | | My having worked so close to it and having passed it |
| however was not on for long as it was soon replaced | | | | everyday make it hard for me to think of its |
| with the one of what would have been a fourth | | | | destruction and not imagine the realistic possibility that I |
| airplane which had crashed somewhere in | | | | might have been there on 9/11 as I on many occasions |
| Pennsylvania. | | | | during my lunch break ate in its many restaurants. I |
| My usual active and imaginative mind had come to a | | | | even speculate from time to time as I can not help but |
| halt and as I looked up at the screen still in | | | | do such that perhaps several of the people I worked |
| astonishment as I heard the words "America under | | | | with at "John Hancock Clearing Corporation" might |
| Attack" which created the illusion in me that we were | | | | have been unfortunate enough to have found |
| under attack by another country. But which country | | | | themselves at the wrong time and place like so many |
| would be capable of carrying out a blatant act of war | | | | others that day. |
| against the United States? I had not heard of any | | | | In a personal observation from the historical point of |
| diplomatic fall outs in the media that the United States | | | | view I would like to remark that strangely enough the |
| was mixed up in at the time so who could it be? If this | | | | "World Trade Center" will most likely be remembered |
| had occurred during the "cold war" I would have | | | | in the centuries to follow not for having been the tallest |
| naturally assumed it was the "C.C.C.P." or "U.S.S.R." | | | | building in the world at one moment in time (till "The |
| who was behind it but the cold war was over. | | | | Sears Tower" in Chicago replaced it), nor for having |
| Eventually it would be unveiled to all that terrorism, | | | | been the place were huge deals of globe's money |
| which in and of itself is the act of carrying out acts of | | | | passed through but for having been destroyed in the |
| violence in order to achieve political objectives was | | | | spectacular manner in which it was. For in many ways |
| behind it all. This option I must confess did not enter my | | | | The World Trade Center's destruction like that of |
| mind as from what I knew from experience, this was | | | | Pompeii reserved it a place in the pages of history. A |
| out of the scope of its activities. Terrorism's acts I | | | | place that it has obtained arguably for all the wrong |
| believed where limited to car bombs and little else that | | | | reasons but a place that it might not have had if it had |
| went beyond placing explosives were innocent civilians | | | | gone on to be demolished like any other building. This |
| would fall pray to people whose political agendas could | | | | view from a historical perspective is not rare as is not |
| not be fulfilled peacefully. | | | | Pompeii mostly remembered for having been |
| My familiarity with terrorism coming during the time I | | | | destroyed by a volcano then the developed or |
| spent in Lima, Peru from 1991 to 1993 in which | | | | promiscuous society it was? |
| "Cendero Lumuniso" (Shining Path) and the "M.R.T.A" | | | | |