My wife and I were watching a new Netflix documentary this afternoon on 9/11 and it brought back many memories. I had just taken the job as president of IDA in April 2001, and that September morning someone came into our office in Farragut Square and told the staff that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. The office next to ours had a group of small back and white TVs, we all scurried over to see what was happening. The immediate speculation was that a small, private plane had gone off course. Then a news flash from New York announced that a second plane had hit the other tower, and there were jets headed towards Washington DC. Rumors had it that a number of jets had been hijacked, and may be heading toward the White House, the capitol, and even the FBI headquarters. Shortly after, we had all gone down to street level and had heard the rumble from the jet hitting the Pentagon. We could see the smoke rising in that direction, and police officers were directing people to head for home.
In the next few days, we were trying to call colleagues in BID offices in New York, with no luck. Phones weren’t working. News reports were chaotic and confusing. Finally we got through to friends in upper Manhattan and Brooklyn. I started getting calls from other association heads, who said they were cancelling or postponing their fall conferences, and what was IDA going to do? We had 500 registrations for the annual conference in Pittsburgh, and we almost had no choice. The fall conference was our major source of income, and if we cancelled, we would be virtually out of business.
As it turned out, more than 550 members showed up, some coming by train, by bus, or by car. Later that fall, Mike Weiss hosted a board meeting in Brooklyn, and made special arrangements to take us on a tour of the WTC site.
I heard rumblings that tenants in the top floors of “trophy” skyscrapers around the US were looking to break their leases. I asked our BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) leader to host a meeting of the CEOs of national associations concerned about downtowns and office buildings. Five or six organizations participated. The first call we made was to the BOMA director in Minneapolis. I asked him if tenants in the IDS tower were getting nervous and thinking about breaking their leases. “No,” he replied. If Minneapolis was to be the target of hijackers, he said, “the most likely target would be the Mall of America.”
A few years later, I finally had a chance to tour the 9/11 museum. I learned that 343 firefighters had lost their lives trying to save occupants of the towers and others. I read an excellent article by Lynn Tierney in Irish America, and I learned that the oldest firefighter who died on the day was the First Deputy Fire Commissioner, William Feehan. He was known as “the father of FDNY.”
I felt I had to do something, so I organized a tribute to Minneapolis fire fighters. I had two guest speakers from FDNY, one was Bill Feehan’s son John, and the other was Lynn Tierney. The tribute featured the documentary film “Chief.” Senator Amy Klobuchar and Mayor Jacob Frey were keynote speakers, and the Fire Chief and president of the union also spoke. More than 50 active firefighters, along with families and friends, attended. The tribute was moderated by Barb Johnson, former City Council president.
It is 25 years since 9/11, let’s remember the brave men and women who died on that terrible day. We are at war with a country that funds and supports terrorism. Could our city be the target, and victim of such an attack? And let us keep in mind that firefighters and EMS first responders are “everyday” heroes, and risk their lives every day saving strangers.
Readers can watch the documentary “Chief” on Youtube.
