On Monday, September 10th, I resumed the financial business at the Rockefeller Center office.   My position was Senior Manager and Head of the Credit Administration Department Two.  Department One managed the finance for the American Corporations, and Department Two, which I managed, handled financing to all the leading Japanese Companies, such as Toyota, Sony, Nissan, Mitsubishi etc.  On this day, I received notice that the next day’s meeting for ACBS training at the World Trade Center office had been postponed.

On September 11, 2001, I began my work as usual at the Rockefeller Center office.   About 9:00 am, we received a call from our World Trade Center office at Tower 2, indicating that there was smoke coming from the Tower 1 building, and it appeared the building was having a mechanical breakdown.  From our office’s windows at the time, we could actually see the dark smoke in the clouds coming from the building.  Then, they described the terrible scene of a plan crashing into the building and we lost contact with our World Trade Center office.  From the TV, along with the rest of the world, we saw the unimaginable.   Later, we learned that the 2nd plane just crashed into Mizuho/Fuji Banks four floors of offices at Tower 2 from the 79th to the 82nd floor.

Our bank suffered very heavy losses. As the tradition in Japanese company, executives have early morning meetings every day, so almost all of the dozen executives of Fuji Bank North America, including Fuji Bank’s Board Executive Director / North America CEO, total 22 staff lost their lives.

As I was in Rockefeller Center, and the meeting at the World Trade Center was changed, my life was spared, yet, all I could feel was the sadness and sorrow for all who lost their lives on that terrible day.  I also reflected back on the world Trade Center attack in 1993, and realized my long years worked Fuji Bank office, along with dear colleagues, had forever disappeared.

The above photo shows myself (second from the right), and Fuji Bank’s staff in a Japanese restaurant.  This became a more precious memory, Mr. Onda, Senior Vice President (first from the left) was killed in the flames.

Mr. Wei Rong (Frank) Lin Esq. who had been my CPA and prepared my tax returns every year, also lost his life at his World Trade Center office, as reported in the following Chinese Newspaper.

World Journal  September 21, 2002

      Wei Rong (Frank)  Lin’s Wife Called Him to Escape, But He…

        “My husband had one and a half hours to escape, but he too believed the broadcasting announcement of the World Trade Center,” the tears Mrs. Lin suppressed, falling. Until 10:10 am, on September 11, from a payphone on West 4th Street, Mrs. Lin was talking with her husband, who was in his office located in the World Trade Center Tower One, on the 89^th Floor.   At 10:30 am, the entire building collapsed, and she never heard from her husband again.

       The impatience during those one and half-hours, and the heartache when she watched the building collapse, is hard to be imagined by others.  Frank Lin’s law office was located in Tower One (North tower) of the World Trade Center, which was hit by the first plane. Mrs. Lin runs from her mid town office to the World Trade Center, (approximately 50 blocks), and kept calling her husband at each block.   Every call, she pleaded with her husband to escape, but Mr. Lin always calmly said: “The building’s loudspeaker informed us to stay in the office, and not to move until the firefighters come to rescue.”

      “He is just 31 year old, so young.  His career has just started, this is so unfair, we didn’t do anything wrong!”  Mrs. Lin is covering both of her inflamed red eyes, and begins crying again.

      On the morning of September 11th, Ms. Feng, the secretary of Mr. Lin’s office, was late.  She called her boss at 9:30 am mentioned her car was having trouble, and will be late. Over the phone, she first was told the building had an accidental fire.  Later, her friends who escaped from the same floor recalled that when World Trade Center Control Station indicated not to run or attempt to escape from the building, many disregarded it, and immediately ran out.  All worked together and dislodged a hole from the deactivation staircase, and escaped.  Ms. Feng regretted that Mr. Lin did not join them and said “He worked so hard to complete 10 years of education in the USA, he was so young and promising, but now the whole world has suddenly changed.”

      His law office’s main clients were Chinese.  Mr. Lin was from Shanghai, educated at a University and completed law school in New York. He opened his law firm at the World Trade Center more than 3 years previously, and provided real estate, immigration, along with full service legal representation to Chinese customers.

       Now, the law firm’s files and dreams of a bright career and future were committed to flames. Mrs. Lin must accept the fact: the tragedy may be happened to her husband. But she additionally worries about his many clients who may now come to her for claims or refunds. The additional concern brings a shadow to Mrs. Lin and her young twin children.

The same location, same buildings, but changed before and after the day: