SEPTEMBER 07, 2021 design by sydney newton
by celia condon
a few coworkers. She was late because the
Holzbeierlein: fear. And that feeling can
“It was the best of New York people that
I
T WAS A clear day in September. A gentle
subway had stopped abruptly for 30 minutes
come rushing back at just a thought for many
I’ve ever, ever, ever seen,” Gaikowski recalls.
wind rippled the American flag outside of
on her way over. She didn’t know why.
involved, especially for those who were in
“I mean, you’d see firemen who had been
New York.
down at the trade center site for days, and
East. The summer heat hadn’t yet left the
“‘I just heard that a plane crashed into
air, so then-sophomore Alex Abnos broke a
the World Trade Center,’ someone in the
“You could hear all of New York City
they had taken a bus back up town and when
sweat as he walked into his first hour gym
elevator said,” Gaikowski remembers. “We
gasp, [the moment the second plane hit],”
they would get off the bus, people would
class.
said ‘Yeah, funny joke.’”
Holzbeierlein remembers. “Nobody could
run up and just hug them. I wish the whole
believe it was happening.”
world would be like that all the time.”
7:50 a.m. CDT. A few minutes after the
Although headlines about the attack only
class settled in, Abnos started his workout
appear once every 365 days now, those alive
with a warm-up on the bench press. He
that day still remember their every move,
the reality of the situation, she and her
counted his reps.
minute by minute. Even 20 years later, they
coworkers did all they could do: walk. The
One, two, three.
remember the day as if the dust from the
whole city was trying to get away from the
Abnos overheard his gym coach in the
crash is still hanging in the air.
towers at the south tip of the island.
hallway speaking with another teacher about
On
something in the news — he could only half
al-Qaeda,
understand what they were saying as he lay
organization,
squawk box a l o u d s p e a ke r , i n p a r t i c u l a r o n e t h a t i s p a r t of a n i n t e rc o m s y s t e m .
Today, those who were alive on 9/11 think
“I went to the Footlocker across the
of the ways the attack still affects Americans today. The fateful day set off a 20-year reign
commercial
shoes,” Holzbeierlein said. “Every traffic
of U.S. military troops in Afghanistan in
on his back. Besides, it sounded too bizarre
airplanes. Two of the planes were deliberately
pattern was going south. The subways were
attempt to protect the Afghan citizens from
to be true. He ignored it.
flown into the top floors of the North and
shut down. On the streets it was emergency
terrorist groups — one of which caused the
South Towers of the World Trade Center.
vehicle, fire truck, emergency vehicle, cop
9/11 attacks. But now, the U.S. has decided to
World Trade Center.”
The third plane crashed into the Pentagon in
car. Everything was going south except the
withdraw, and are currently evacuating the
Four, five, six.
Arlington, Va. After learning about the other
civilians. The whole city was walking home.”
country. The troops will be completely out
Current East parent Dan Gould was
attacks, passengers on the fourth hijacked
On the other side of the island, Gaikowski
of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. Former Air
working at Aquila, a trading company
plane — Flight 93 — fought back, and the
was walking with the same goal: get home
Force Captain and East parent Steve Marin
located in downtown Kansas City, Mo.
plane crashed into an empty field in western
and get safe. The citizens of New York walked
feels for troops and Afghan people at this
Aquila worked closely with a company called
Pennsylvania, about 20 minutes by air from
for hours, and some for days. Many couldn’t
intersection of events.
Spark, which had one location in Dallas
Washington, D.C.
get their hands on a working telephone for
“I think about the lives of the people
and another at the World Trade Center. The
I W E N T TO t h e F o ot l o c ke r
up to a week, leaving loved ones in the dark,
that we lost on 9/11, and then now,” Marin
companies communicated via Squawk Box,
a c ro s s t h e st re et , a n d t h ey j u s t g a ve m e a p a i r of t e n n i s s h o e s . E ve r y t ra f f i c p a tt e r n was going south. The s u b w a y s w e re s h u t d o w n . O n t h e s t re et s i t w a s e m e rg e n c y ve h i c l e , f i re t r u c k , e m e rg e n c y ve h i c l e , c o p c a r . E ve r y t h i n g was going south exc e p t t h e c i v i l i a n s . The whole city was walking home.
and terrified.
said. “The Americans, the Afghan civilians...
both Dallas and Kansas City lost connection with those in New York City. Completely, and for good. 8:46 a.m. Another current East parent Jill Holzbeierlein wore high heels when she stepped out of the Union Square subway station in New York City. She was seven months pregnant, and on the way to her job at Gap. Looking up, she could see a smoky mess in the sky and the butt end of a commercial airplane sticking out the side of a building. The World Trade Center had
terrorists
realized
street, and they just gave me a pair of tennis
an
2001,
Holzbeierlein
from
a speaker-like telephone. At 7:56 a.m. CDT,
11,
moment
multinational
“Some idiot just crashed a plane into the
Sept.
The
Islamic
hijacked
four
JILL HOLZBEIERLEIN EAST PARENT
According to Gaikowski, New York was in
When it happened we began to recognize our
a condition it had never been in during the
place in the world, and we still are to this
weeks and months that followed the attack.
day.”
The damage was like no other and the rubble
Holzbeierlein agrees that the attack
that needed cleaning seemed to never end. It
caused somewhat of an awakening in America
tooks weeks.
that remains true today.
But even all that fixing couldn’t make up
“No one ever thought that could even
for the damage it caused to people. Rubble
potentially happen, and it was a realization,”
and ash can be swept away, but the memories
Holzbeierlein said. “We know that we’re not
stuck. Hospitals prepared for an overflow
invincible, and we’re more vigilant.”
of patients, but in the end, the hospitals went largely unused. There were little to no survivors from the Twin Towers to be treated. 2,996 lives were taken that morning.
just been hit. 9:10 a.m. in New York City. Current East
Although everyone across America had
However, New York changed in other
parent Jill Gaikowski was standing in an
a unique experience that morning, there
ways in the months after September. In more
office building elevator on 42nd street with
was one universal feeling according to
unexpected ways.
