The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11

by Garrett M. Graff

One of the most startling effects was that within about two orbits, all the contrails normally crisscrossing the United States had disappeared because they had grounded all the airplanes and there was nobody else flying in U.S. airspace except for one airplane that was leaving a contrail from the central U.S. toward Washington. That was Air Force One heading back to D.C. with President Bush.

One of the firemen from Rescue 1 looked up and said, “We may not live through today.” We looked at him, and we looked at each other, and we said, “You’re right.” We took the time to shake each other’s hands and wish each other good luck and “Hope I’ll see you later,” which is especially poignant for me because we all had that acknowledgment that this might be our last day on earth and we went to work anyway.

Ultimately, 60 of the FDNY personnel killed on 9/11 were supposed to be off-duty that morning.

Priests and firemen both enter people’s lives at a point of crisis. They have similar outlooks on life—it’s the need to help, to rescue. So you have Mike Judge wanting to do that in a spiritual way, and the firemen wanting to do it in a physical way. It was a natural match.

“Father Judge,” I said, “please pray for us.” He put a smile on his face and said, “I always do.” I said, “Thanks.” We didn’t quite have a chance to do the whole joke—I used to say to him, “Pray for me.” He would say, “I will.” I’d say, “It’s more effective if you pray ’cause you’re in a lot better shape than I am with God.” He would say, “Yeah, but it’s better if you do it ’cause it’s more unusual, and it will be more of a surprise to God.”

Frederick Terna, Holocaust survivor and Brooklyn resident: As ashes were falling, I was back in Auschwitz, with ashes coming down. In Auschwitz, I knew what the ashes were. Here, I assumed I knew what the ashes were—it was a building and human remains.

So I was wearing my sidearm, which I never do. We got this radio request—Code Alpha—a high-priority incoming aircraft. It wanted 150,000 pounds of gas, 40 gallons of coffee, 70 box lunches, and 25 pounds of bananas. It wouldn’t identify itself. It was clearly a big plane. It didn’t take us long to figure out that the Code Alpha was Air Force One.

Thomas Von Essen, commissioner, FDNY: To understand all this, it is important to understand what it means to be a firefighter. Firefighters do not run away. They do not leave if they think they can stay.

Someone once said that Giuliani was most hysterical when things were calm, and most calm when things were hysterical. This was the perfect example. The city, the world, was desperate for leadership. Bush was out of communication for hours. All they had was Giuliani, and he rose to the occasion.

Special Operations Command includes the five rescue companies, seven squad companies, the Hazmat Unit. The only one of his companies that didn’t get there was Squad 270. Every other company that was there was wiped out.

Harry Waizer, tax counsel, Cantor Fitzgerald, North Tower: I remember arriving at the hospital. I remember somebody asking me a few questions and I asked them to call Karen, my wife, and I gave them her phone number. I remember somebody saying, “We’re going to have to intubate you.” I said, “Do what you have to do.” That’s the very last thing I remember. I don’t remember anything for about seven weeks.

It was the first time I completely understood that nothing is simple, some things never make sense, and sometimes horrible things happen for no reason at all. It was the end of my childhood.

It’s amazing how easy it was to lose that feeling of safety.

The fires at Ground Zero would burn for another 99 days, until they were finally extinguished for good on December 19.

It was late, and the kids wouldn’t go to sleep because my son, whenever he worked nights, he would always call and talk to them, and tell them a story over the phone. Then he would end with “Hugs and kisses,” and they’d go to bed. They weren’t going to bed because their father didn’t call.

Monica O’Leary, former employee, Cantor Fitzgerald, North Tower: Dave Kravette called and I didn’t know he was alive. He said, “When are you coming back? We want you back.” I was like, “I don’t know when I can come back.” He said, “Well, as soon as you’re ready to come back, you’ve got a space here.” Oddly enough, because I was laid off in the afternoon on September 10th, and because the Human Resources Department all died, I was never taken off the payroll. I went back to work again—it’s not like they had to rehire me. I was never gone.