EASTON, Mass. – The temperature read 68 degrees in Central Park on 8:51 a.m. on the morning of September 11, 2001. It was a warm start to a September morning in the northeastern United States, as millions made their way to work.
In the small town of Merrick, N.Y., a nine-year-old Brendan Murray sat in his fourth grade class at Old Mill Road Elementary School in North Merrick. His father, Bob, was sitting at his office in the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The elder Murray worked for Morgan Stanley, on the 66th floor of the tower.
Beth Murray, Brendan’s mother, had two other children. Bridget was sitting in first grade at the same elementary school, while her youngest, Kaileen, watched TV in the living room.
Her phone rang. Concerned neighbors and family members phoned and made their way to the family house. Beth watched on TV the destruction going on just across the Throgs Neck Bridge from their home. At the same time, her husband flew down the stairs of the South Tower.
The phone rang again.
“I’m ok Beth, I’m ok. But, I can’t find Kells. I need to find Kells, he’s not here.” The phone hung up. The South Tower collapsed. The phone didn’t ring.
Bob attempted to get back in the building to look for his college friend, who worked as a security guard for the firm. He was turned away by the plethora of NYPD and firefighters guarding the burning building. That action would be the one that would save his life.
“My teacher went out of the classroom and then came back in and said we were watching a movie for the rest of the day. Something was going on, but I had no idea what.”
Brendan and his classmates were entertained for the rest of the day. They were safe. Six miles down the road, a mother and wife watched the story unfold with the silence of her husband drowning out the noise.
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| The second plane as it approaches the South Tower on Septmber 11, 2001. Link to original photograph |
The weather remained clear, except for the smoke looming over the picturesque landscape of Manhattan. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center had both collapsed by 10 a.m. Then the news of a third airline crash of the morning, this time striking the Pentagon in Arlington V.A., and later a fourth crash in rural Pennsylvania alerted the country once again.
America was under attack.
Old Mill Road Elementary continued on with their day, with teachers remaining quiet about the ongoing perils around the country. Students watched movies, going about the rest of their day without any knowledge of the attacks.
The phone finally rang at the Murrays. Bob was on his way out of the city. He had walked to the Brooklyn Bridge before making it on a train home. Kaileen saw her mother hysterically crying. Beth was unable to contain her emotion after receiving the phone call she so desperately wanted.
At the sight of Brendan and Bridget, their mother was unable to contain her emotion. Bridget’s teacher had hinted at something being wrong in the city, but was given no specifics. Brendan had no idea why his mom was crying when she arrived that afternoon.
Their dad was on his way home, and the children, besides a young Kathleen, knew next to nothing.
“My mom said that there was a fire at Dad’s work, but that he was ok. I was fine, but my sisters were really upset. We didn’t really know what happened, but when my dad got home he gave us a big hug and told us how much he loved us.”
When Bob finally got home from work, the parents knew they had a decision to make. What would the children know? What would they understand? How much would they need to know?
“My parents told me that something happened at Dad’s work, and that he was alright. He told me the story of how he got out and it didn’t really sink in because of how young I was. We went out to eat to try and make everything normal. My dad was quiet that night.”
The Murrays moved on, trying to enjoy some family time together.
The temperature dropped as day turned to night. The Murrays went to sleep under the calm night skies while New York City remained a perilous area.
Time would move on.
Bibliography
Brendan, M. (2013, October 10). September 11, 2001 Narrative Story. (T. Culverhouse, Interviewer)
Potter, S. (2013, October 10). Retrospect: September 11, 2001: Attack on America. Retrieved from Weather Wise: http://www.weatherwise.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/2011/September-October%202011/retrospect-full.html
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