9/11 Memories

9/11 Memories

By Club President, Paul Manneto ('26)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2wVb_AILso&t=152s

Every year on September 11th, our country seems to stand still. Flags are lowered, a city bursting with energy comes to a halt, and across the country people offer prayers for all those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center, Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93. However, to this current generation, what happened 24 years ago can seem like a chapter in the history books, something that has passed into a bygone era. Yet for anyone alive that day, the tragedy our nation experienced will never leave their memories. These are the stories of six Bishop O’Connell teachers whose testimonies bring to life the events that unfolded on September 11th, 2001. 

What was your job/ stage in life in 2001?

Mr. Frank Russo: “I was a 6th/7th/8th grade ELA teacher in All Saints' School in Brooklyn.”

Mr. Jim Welsford: “I was teaching religion [to]... sophomore[s]”

Mr. David Nasca: “In 2001 I was entering my 21st year of teaching at O’Connell married with 3 children; Ashley (7th grade), Matthew (4th grade) Shannon (2nd grade)”

Mrs. Michelle Taylor: “I was a stay-at-home mother with two children in elementary school. My first husband had been assigned to work in a short-term position at the Pentagon and started work there the day before. I was living in Boston.”

Dr. Neil Sloan: “I was a college freshman in 2001.”

The sky over New York was clear and cloudless; a cold front had pushed Hurricane Erin off the East Coast, preventing it from hitting the city. Perfect weather for flying.

How did your day begin?

Mr. Frank Russo: “The day began in the usual way: taking attendance, saying prayers, my first class was at 8:30.”

Mr. David Nasca: ​​ “My day began with getting the kids up for school. Before leaving we called my mother (the kids’ grandmother) to wish her a happy birthday. My mother was born on

September 11, 1923.”

Mrs. Michelle Taylor: “Because I lived in an antique colonial home built in 1855 and I had small children, I was having the house de-leaded and re-painted on the exterior. The day began with the house painters showing up and me showing them around the property and explaining the work that needed to be done, and asking them not to step on my special flower garden…as if that mattered after the fact!”

Dr. Sloan: “I went to my college freshman theology class and we heard the news during class. I went back to my dorm and watched the events unfold live on our computers” 

At 8:46 AM, American Airlines Flight 11 collided with the North Tower. 

When did you first hear about the North Tower being hit?

Mr. Frank Russo: “The principal spoke to each teacher outside of his or her classroom when the 1st plane hit.”

Mr. David Nasca: “I was walking to the office to check my mailbox when a large group of students and teachers were centered around the center office. There was a small TV in the office. My first reaction was that it must have been an accident. Then the second plane hit the towers, and I became suspicious.”

Mrs. Michelle Taylor: “My husband called me from the Pentagon just before 9 am and told me a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. I told him that was sad and why was he calling about that. He was emphatic that I turn on the TV. I don’t watch daytime TV and said I would watch later. He was insistent that I turn on the news.  He wanted me to let relatives and friends know he was not working in New York City, which he had been the week before, and that he was safe at the Pentagon. I was perplexed at why he was so stirred up about this but assured him I would let people know. I was not worried or suspicious at first. I didn’t understand what the big deal was until I turned on the news. I saw the plane hit the tower on TV. I thought it was the North Tower as a re-run and didn’t realize until a month later I was watching the South Tower get hit in real time.”

Dr. Sloan: “I was confused and suspicious. I was worried because I am a New Yorker, my dad was in the NYPD, and I have a lot of family and friends that worked in downtown Manhattan.”

Before entering Emma E. Booker Elementary School, President Bush is told that a plane has accidentally crashed into the North Tower. Nothing about the incident raised any alarms.

Did you do anything different after the North Tower had been hit (i.e., pray with your students, explain what had happened, call family)?

Mr. David Nasca: “I was glued to the TV to find out as much as I could.”

Mrs. Michelle Taylor: “I was worried once I watched the news and tried to determine what was going on.”

Dr. Sloan: “That day, the University of Scranton community gathered for an impromptu Mass. The entire community came out to pray together. I then went with my new college friends to donate blood. (We didn't know at the time how few survivors there would be, and were told there would likely be a great need for emergency blood transfusions.)”

At 9:03, United Airline Flight 175 collided with the South Tower.

When the South Tower was hit how did you realize it was an attack? Did you piece it together or did you wait for the news to confirm it?

Mr.. Frank Russo: “When it became clear this was an attack, parents started pulling their kids out of school. Our school was in northern Brooklyn, the Twin Towers were in southern Manhattan. From the East River, we had a fairly clear view of what had happened.  We couldn't call anyone since all phone service (land and cell) was not working. The few students I had left in my class watched it on the TV.”

Mr. David Nasca: “I waited for the TV to confirm it must have been intentional.”

Mrs. Michelle Taylor: “I still didn’t realize what was happening because I didn’t realize I was watching it live and still thought it was just an accident that had happened earlier.”

Dr. Sloan: “I realized it was an attack at that point. The news had already been speculating.”

After learning of the second attack, Chief of Staff Andy Card tells President Bush the now infamous phrase “A second plane has hit the second tower. America is under attack.”

What was the environment around you like? Was there a sense of sorrow, fear, or mourning?

Mr. Frank Russo: “People were frightened, the streets were deserted. This was eerie because the school was located in a densely packed urban neighborhood with many businesses shut down. We had no idea if any other planes were coming. It was a huge relief to see and hear Air Force planes over the sky, something you never saw in NYC.”

Mr. David Nasca: “The environment was a sense of disbelief.”

Mrs. Michelle Taylor: “It was a beautiful sunny fall day in Boston with clear skies. My friend drove over and parked her car at the end of my driveway and ran up the driveway towards me frantically asking if my husband was safe. I was still confused and said of course. He was safe in the Pentagon. She said the Pentagon had just been hit. I said that can’t be. I had just hung up the phone with him. She dragged me into the house to watch the news.”

Dr. Sloan: “All of these emotions were experienced that day.”

At 9:37 AM, American Airline Flight 77 collided with the Western Side of the Pentagon.

When the Pentagon was attacked, what was your immediate reaction (especially those in the Northern Virginia Area)?

Mr. David Nasca: “I was more focused on the North and South towers being hit.”

Mr. James Welsford: “I was teaching religion in my sophomore class when news came over the PA system from our principal that the Pentagon had been attacked. This was followed by prayers over the intercom. Students were later invited to go to the auditorium if they needed counseling. Many parents called the school and took their teens home.”

Mrs. Michelle Taylor: “When I discovered the Pentagon had been hit, I began shaking. I called his cellphone, and it rang but there was no answer. Irrationally, I told myself that if it was ringing, it hadn’t been blown up and he was safe…”

Dr. Sloan: “As a New Yorker away at college in PA, I was most caught up in the attack in New York. The news about the Pentagon added to the sense that America was under attack and the fear that Americans anywhere might be attacked as the day continued.”

For those in Northern Virginia, did you fear for your life after the Pentagon was hit?

Mr. James Welsford: “My first reaction was surprise and wondering if the attack would escalate, but I didn’t panic.  I was trained by the Jesuits to stop what I was doing, when tragedies happened, wait, and pray before going into action. I did not fear for my life, but I did watch many news stories that evening on TV and prayed for the victims.”

Mrs. Taylor: “I was terrified that my husband had been hit. He was supposed to be going to a meeting on the side that was hit. I kept calling, but there was no answer. He finally was able to call about 2 1/2 hours later and let me know he was safe. I could barely stand up from the anxiety, but by then another friend had arrived, and the two of them drove me to the kids’ school to let them know. It was a voting day, and pre- 911, parents were wandering in and out of the school during a school day. I was afraid the kids would overhear conversations and be afraid. I pulled them from class and told them first that their dad was safe, and then I told them what happened.”

At 10:02 AM, United Airline Flight 93 crashes into a field in Shanksville, Pa. The target remains unknown, but evidence points towards the Capitol building or the White House.

Once it was clear that our nation was under attack, what did you do?

Mr. David Nasca: “Once it was clear that our nation was under attack, all I wanted to do was pick up my kids and my wife and be together as a family. All the cell phones were jammed so it was hard to communicate with my family members.”

Mr. Welsford: “I did not know the details of the attacks until much later.  There were many news clips on both the Twin Towers and the Pentagon attacks.”

Mrs. Taylor: I watched the news non-stop and spent a lot of time with my two friends that had come over. There was a memorial in my town to the victims a week later that we all went to.

Dr. Sloan: “ I called home by the phone lines and couldn't get through. Sometime in the afternoon I reached my dad. I learned that my Uncle Dave was in the North Tower at the point of impact. I knew he worked in Manhattan but never knew where his office was. My dad told me that he was going to Ground Zero that afternoon to help with the recovery.”

At 8:30 PM, President Bush addresses the nation.

What did you do when you got home that evening?

Mr. Russo: “I think I spoke to every single person I knew about what happened, making sure that everyone was okay.”

Mr. Nasca: “We prayed together as a family.”

Mrs. Taylor: “I watched the news, sat with my kids, and jolted awake every time I heard a car drive down the street in front of my house during the night.”

Dr. Sloan: “Prayed, Cried. After two weeks living in college, this day changed us. The typical freshman dorm atmosphere was transformed. People were somber, quiet, yet developed close friendships and formed a valuable campus community on that day.”

When did you feel like life was normal again?

Mr. Russo: “Life hasn't been ‘normal’ since then (getting on an airplane is very different now) - it was a very surreal feeling, like ‘this isn't supposed to happen here’, ’How did this happen?’. Most of all there was tremendous grief for all who had been lost and over the heroic police officers and firemen who gave their lives that day. This unfolded over several months as more remains were found, Ground Zero became a daily feature on the news,videos of people leaping to their deaths, the towers collapsing, and the black smoke and smell that hung over the city for months made the day's events inescapable. Anytime you heard a plane fly you couldn't help but recall what happened. Anger at those who did this was rampant. One was reminded on a daily basis of how fragile life is and of one's mortality.

However, there was for a brief moment a great deal of unity. People became nicer to each other, neighbors were genuinely concerned for one another. We had great concern over the impact this had on our students. Fortunately, their relatives who worked in the towers got out in time. We New Yorkers are a resilient bunch - we may be tough and gruff but there's no group better in a crisis who helps out their fellow human beings.”

Mr. Nasca: “We had the next day off and hanging out as a family was the priority.”

Mrs. Taylor: “I don’t know. The morning news on the radio talked about how they were searching for survivors in the collapsed rubble for the first week. Every morning I prayed they would find someone alive, but they never found anyone. They were all incinerated or crushed.”

Dr. Sloan: “I have not felt like life has ever been normal again. This day was the end of my childhood. It continues to affect New Yorkers, my family, my relatives, in so many ways today.”

Did you know anyone/lose anyone in any of the attacks?

Mr. Russo: “My neighborhood's firehouse (FDNY Hazmat 1/Squad 288) took the greatest hit: 19 men gave their lives that day, some of whom I knew from the neighborhood and who used to shop at my grandma's deli. Seeing footage of them bringing people out and then running back into the burning buildings knowing they were racing to their deaths is the greatest sign of heroism I've ever seen. I am grateful for their sacrifice.”

Mr. Welsford: “I didn’t know anyone in the attack, but Fr. Steve McGraw was a local spiritual hero that day.  He was in his car, with his holy anointing oils, just outside the Pentagon, so he went in and proceeded to administer the sacraments to those in need.”

Mr. Nasca: “No, my announcer (Danny) for my swimming team was supposed to be on the flight that crashed into the Pentagon. Another flight attendant asked Danny to switch places with

her because the flight attendant wanted to get an early flight home to California. She

never brought up the topic in the eight years I coached her two sons.”

Mrs. Taylor: “My husband now, that I grew up with, was a pilot for American Airlines at the time. He was based in Boston, and he personally knew all the pilots and crew who had been hijacked and killed in the crashes. He went to eight funerals that month. I called his sister to see if he was safe, and he was not flying that day. Thank goodness!”

Dr. Sloan: “My Uncle Dave, my parents' close friend, died in the North Tower. My close high school friend's uncle also died. One of my little league coaches died. I could go on. This hit those from Long Island and the entire New York area very hard.”

Do you have a story of heroism on 9/11 that inspired you?

Mr. Welsford: “Many first responders and priests risked their lives to help those in need that day, especially those at the Twin Towers.”

Mr. Nasca: “The story of heroism is in the upper floors -Cyril Richard Rescorla-practiced a fire drill every 3 months. They would practice going down the stairwell. When the plane hit the tower, he was responsible for saving approximately 2700 people. He went back to the South Tower to evacuate more people, when the tower collapsed and he was killed.”

Mrs. Taylor: “Just the ones I read. The priest in New York who ran into the building to save people and all the other people who helped evacuate and tend to the people on that day.”

Dr. Sloan:  “There are so many. In our Theology of the Body senior elective, I teach about John Paul II's notion of a Theology of Gift-Giving. We are called to follow Jesus in making a gift of our lives for others. This week, students learned about Todd Beamer, Steven Siller, and Fr. Mychal Judge. In a special way, my dad is my 9/11 hero. While he was working as a detective that day and was not an immediate first responder, he quickly reported to Ground Zero in the afternoon and spent the next few months helping there. He also served with the NYPD Counter-terrorism unit, served in the Navy in Afghanistan and Iraq, and continues to work today in Washington to support our troops in combating terrorism (whenever he isn't helping with DJO sports driving duties).”

Why is it important for this generation to remember 9/11?

Mr. Russo: “It is crucial we never forget 9/11: honoring heroic Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice so others may live should be imitated and remembered. They are the reason why we have the quality of life we have today. As time goes by, it's easy to trivialize what happened or think history isn't important. Look at how many react to Pearl Harbor. Remembering what happened leads to honoring those who gave all, pushes us to ensure this doesn't happen again, and calls forth a greater compassion and gratitude that should permeate our national consciousness, regardless of political affiliation. It can be a cause of unity in a time when bitterness and division rule the day.”

Mr. Welsford: “During the summer of 2003, I visited Ground Zero in Manhattan, where construction was beginning.  The silence and gigantic hole gave me an eerie feeling of what had happened there, especially when in the middle of a sunny day in downtown Manhattan.  The experience moved me to pray for those 3,000-plus victims who lost their lives.  Staying close to God in your spiritual life will get you through any tragedy, such as 9-11.”

Mr. Nasca: “It’s important to remember for future generations so the people who lost their lives will not be forgotten.”

Mrs. Taylor: “Americans were attacked by foreign terrorists on our own soil. The attacks showed us how vulnerable we had become in our complacency and lack of various agencies sharing information. We cannot forget those who were lost and those who risked their lives to help others. I still have the newspaper and magazines that came out with the photos of the attacks.”

Dr. Sloan: “We know that Jesus is the King of the Universe and that no country on Earth will be perfect. However, this was one of the days in history where America was attacked for its ideals of freedom, equality, and democracy. That is something worth standing for. Furthermore, this day showed the incredible courage of so many "normal" people who were ready and willing to give their lives, like Jesus, for the sake of others. We often think the worst of our society and expect people to be selfish and hateful, but on 9/11 we saw that there is so much good in the world.”

Thank you to all the teachers who shared their story for this article. While each story was different, each teacher interviewed for this story shared one common theme; in the face of tragedy, America came together. In the words of Mrs. Taylor,  “One thing that the attacks did, though, was it brought the country together. Everyone was unified in their grief and their resolve to fight terrorism. There wasn't anyone casting blame and shouting demeaning remarks.” We would do well to remember that today.