September 11, 2007

Artesia News

Artesian shares his experience in the World Trade Center when it was attacked at Artesia's 9-11 event

Bells chimed at noon on September 11, marking the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that brought down the Twin Towers in New York.  In Artesia Park, approximately 200 people bowed their heads, thinking about, among other things, what they were doing that day.

 

Artesia resident Jim Marshman was actually in one of the towers on September 11, 2001.  Though he could not be there during the City’s 2007 memorial ceremony, his wife Faye read aloud his story, which he was asked to write by their child’s elementary school.

 

Assistant Fire Chief Angel Montoya gave a heartfelt speech about the firefighters who died that day, and how their decision to go up into the tower prior to its falling was a calculated risk based on their sense of duty.

Food and drinks were served afterward, courtesy of the City of Artesia.

         

Moment of silence                          Faye Marshman                             Assistant Fire Chief Angel Montoya

         

An excerpt from Jim Marshman's paper

I had it much easier than most, I am sure, but just being there was, well ... I'm sure you understand ... Something I will never forget. I was in the World Trade Center on the third floor of the Promenade Center when the plane hit Tower #1.  I was on a construction site, building a high-end corner store called Thomas Pink for  my company Crane Construction based in Chicago, Illinois.

The store was for all intents and purposes finished.  We were wrapping up construction when we heard a roar, and a wall caved in on me as the elevator door exploded outward when it fell many floors and hit the wall behind me.  For a short time I didn't think I would get out alive.

I could see and smell smoke and I knew that I was smelling burning jet fuel.  In Vietnam I was head crew chief on jet fighters and was very familiar with the smell of jet fuel.

The whole building shook.  I fell beside a column and I guess I just hung on.  I could hear cries and voices shouting int the darkness.  When I crawled out it took me and my men about 15 minutes to get out of the building.  All exits were blocked by debris, glass, office furnniture, etc.  I saw people that jumped or fell and were on the pavement in the degrees and glass.  Tons of glass and millions upon million sof pieces of paper. 

As we kept going to exits and seeing that they were blocked ... it was very hazy and smoky inside the tower and we decided to go to the back of the building where the contractors would bring in their supplies.  Many people were standing around dazed, some were bleeding and, like my crew and I, they couldn't find a way out.  We gathered those people up and told them to follow us.  Luckily the contractors' door was clear and we all made it outside.

When I got outside I looked up to see Tower #1.  The building I had just left was on fire.  Flames were pouring out of the top floors.  I had run out so fast I had my left my glasses and cell phone on my desk.

I don't have very good vision without my glasses and I was glad I didn't have them on because I saw people falling and jumping out of the top floor windows.  I don't know how long  wandered outside the building with other people that were in shock, but I was looking up and saw a plane hit the second tower.  I was many floors below the building's flames, but I could feel the heat ...

 

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