”
This Tuesday morning in September was overcast, as is normal in
the summer on the Bay…
”
– Burton Anderson, Morgan Hill resident and former Morgan Hill Times columnist
This Tuesday morning in September was overcast, as is normal in the summer on the Bay. In Aptos, on Clubhouse Drive, a block from the beach, I was eating breakfast in our kitchen when our daughter called.
My wife answered and began to scream. I had no idea what would cause such horrendous action.
She yelled, “Turn on the TV. Turn on the TV.”
Still not knowing what the catastrophe was, I ran to the TV and turned it on.
Of course, we saw the horrible impact of the falling towers. This event occupied most of the day.
What a way to spend your 71st birthday. Yes, my birthday is September 11.
– Gene Strangio, Spanish teacher at Britton Middle School at the time
The morning that 9/11 occurred, when I was home getting ready for school I did not have the news on. Only after a friend called us on the phone early in the morning did we realize the enormity of what happened. I’d be at Britton within the hour, with no idea of what reaction or mood of the school I would encounter.
The first thing that struck me, was the unbelievable calmness of staff and students. Indeed, some of the students had not yet heard what happened. We did not know the extent of these attacks, or what else the terrorists might have planned. Being able to carry on a fairly normal school day was pretty amazing in itself.
But we did.
Without hesitation our principal at the time, Jim McDonald, guided the staff with calmness. All the teachers continued with their classes but allowed and encouraged discussion and gave students opportunity to express themselves, and air their thoughts.
In the ensuing days a large American flag was suspended from the side of the auditorium, and one day each teacher brought his, or her class out to the east field of Britton to view the flag and allow some moments of silent prayer and reflection on what had happened. As garrulous as middle schoolers can be, it was so quiet and respectful, you could have heard a pin drop. The students understood the gravity of the situation, when also in the morning Mrs. Sacks, the French teacher, sang God Bless America over the P.A. system, to the full attention of students and staff. Mrs. Alexander, the art teacher, encouraged her students to express themselves with patriotic themes. All the teachers, in fact, dealt with this occurrence with great sensitivity. Many in the school, kids and staff, spoke unabashedly of the love and pride they had in their country. All on the staff, regardless of political persuasion, put that aside, and saw themselves first as Americans.
The pride that I saw was not something superficial. And it wasn’t expressed in anger, though angry we all were. The pride shown was more the reflection of our American character; we sympathized with the victims and admired the brave acts of rescue workers and witnessed the selfless acts of heroism associated with this tragedy. We grieved while knowing that ultimately justice would prevail.
Few times in my life have I seen Americans of all ages and backgrounds come together like this. That is why 9/11 will be one of the most significant moments I will remember as a teacher. The time the United States of America stood together.
Our Britton kids really did us proud.
– Victor Gaxiola, Morgan Hill resident
I was working for United Airlines at the time based at World Headquarters in Chicago, IL, and part of an Emergency Response Team in case of an aircraft incident. No one ever expected that two of our aircraft would ever fall on the same day with UA175 at the WTC and UA93 on the ground in Pennsylvania. The entire team was activated globally. I was supposed to go to the UA93 site to help families of passengers, however decided to stay at the Command Center in Chicago because my wife Kim was 5 months pregnant and did not want to leave her alone. Although the FAA had grounded ALL aircraft that afternoon, they did provide special clearance for a single 727 UA flight with the Emergency Response Team onboard to help with UA93. I’ll never forget seeing that single aircraft taking off from O’Hare and getting ready to man the phones to handle calls from families across the world trying to find out if loved ones were on UA175 or UA93. On September 12, 2001, we woke up to a different world.
– Shannon O’Dell, Gilroy resident
“In Northern California, Arcata … trying to call my parents, sister, brother, cousins, friends, neighbors and friends of neighbors I didn’t even know. Watching the towers collapse before my eyes, a friend with me who said when he was in Amsterdam that guests in a hotel were talking about crashing planes into buildings in the U.S. … my brother was a pilot.”
– Kristen Friddle Hamilton, Gilroy resident
“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years – It seems like yesterday because we all so deeply still feel the loss. I was at home getting my daughter ready for school when my sister called and said we were under attack and that planes were exploding into buildings all over the place. I thought it was a joke, but when I turned on the TV, I watched with horror and fear – not knowing what was next and whether it would continue all around the U.S. I ran to the gas station, in my pajamas, and bought as much bottled water as I could carry and kept my daughter home from school. I just stood at my TV set and cried all day. In fact, I kept the TV on, around the clock, for at least a month. It was such a horrible tragedy and loss of life.”
– Debbie Lewis, Gilroy resident
“I was watching the news as it unveiled. My husband at the time brought our 2nd-grade daughter, Ellie, to Mrs. Newicks class at Rucker School. That afternoon my husband picked up his daughter to find helicopters flying over the school. Two prisoners had escaped. All of our children were safe. When I asked my daughter if she was OK and she said she had prayed. Our lives had forever changed.”
