What it means to be an American© Brian Igel
Sep 12, 2001
There will be many stories in the coming months about this tragedy. Nobody will ever forget where they were when "America was attacked" this second time. I would like to share my story, more because it will make me feel better about what has happened than anything else...
I had just finished photographing a 250 person yoga class at the Chelsea Piers health club, where I am the Marketing Manager. I returned to my office to find people watching TV. I joined them to learn that the Tower 1 had been hit. Chelsea Piers is on 18th Street and the Hudson River, overlooking the WTC about 1 mile away. So, as we watched the TV we kept one eye on the buildings themselves. About 100 of us watched in horror as the second plane on TV and in real life/real time crashed into Tower 2. Chelsea Piers is the 4th most visited spot in NYC behind the Empire State building, the Statue of Liberty, and the World Trade Center. I didn't stick around to watch TV. But, by the time I returned home, I learned both towers had fallen and I, like everyone else, stared at the TV all day in disbelief. I watched more and more TV, every channel, every angle of the crash, every American leader's condemnation, every rumor, every lead unfold. I watched all day and got really depressed. Around 9pm I saw some of my coworkers setting up a triage station back at Chelsea Piers. I realized that watching TV was a pathetically passive way to spend my time and energy during this crisis. I hurried back to the Piers to aid in the relief effort. The coordination I saw when I arrived was uplifting. We worked through through much of the night collecting supplies and organizing them (water jugs, shovels, medical supplies, blankets, socks, shirts, ice, food, etc.). We did what we could to clear traffic and onlookers from clogging traffic as the brave EMS workers, fire fighters, police and others raced down to the uncertainty of Ground Zero. We made comforted each other as best we could. Today, the gym is open and I am back at work, despite rumored bomb threats and the possibility that my office will become the makeshift morgue. The emails I have received from members thanking us for being open and for our courage is incredibly rewarding. It really is the least we can do -- to provide some sort of release to our 7000 members. Even when this crisis has receded from the forefront of our collective conscious, let's make a deal to be proactive with our lives. Let's never again sit idly watching TV for hours on end when, instead, we could be doing something productive. Let's try to live each moment with purpose and love one another as many of us have during this crisis. Let's do our best to make sure something good comes out of this senseless and evil tragedy.
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