They were there
North Charleston detective, fire investigator watched 9/11 unfold firsthand
Benji Norris
Alan Williams
File/Gene Boyars/AP
A view from the New Jersey Turnpike of the Twin Towers burning on Sept. 11, 2001. This is the view seen by North Charleston police detective Alan Williams and chief fire inspector Benji Norris, who had gone to New York to pick up an arson suspect.
Patriot Day
Patriot Day 2008 will begin at 8:30 a.m. today on the Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. It is a memorial and remembrance of those killed and injured on 9/11.
South Carolina residents will be admitted free until 9:15 a.m. South Carolina fire, police, emergency services officials and military personnel in uniform will be admitted free at Patriots Point all day.
Day of Caring
What: More than 5,500 people will volunteer in various Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester community service projects. The work being done includes painting, planting, cleaning, carpentry and reading in schools.
When: Today, all day
Events: Local volunteers from area businesses, public service groups and nonprofits will spruce up the region.
Contact: www.tuw.org, link 2008 Day of Caring, or call 740-9000 for information on where help is needed.
Note: Anyone looking to help at the last minute can volunteer in the Lowcountry Food Bank.
When the first tower fell, they were watching from a bus across the river.
Alan Williams and Benji Norris had been on their way into Manhattan that morning. As they rode toward the city with plans to climb the Twin Towers, they heard from other people on the bus that a plane had hit one of the skyscrapers. Before they could ask "What idiot couldn't see the World Trade Center?" every cell phone on the bus went dead.
Stuck on the edge of New Jersey for the next hour, they watched one of the most tragic days in American history unfold. They could see the skyline of Manhattan covered in a dark cloud, smoke pouring from the Twin Towers. And when one of the 110-story buildings collapsed in on itself, like an "upside down mushroom cloud," as Williams later described it, Norris had a sudden thought.
"The first thing that came to my mind was that there would be a lot of firefighters dead," said Norris, a veteran fire official.
Everybody remembers where they were on Sept. 11, 2001. Norris and Williams cannot forget because they were there. Williams, a detective with the North Charleston Police Department, and Norris, then the city's chief fire investigator, had traveled to New York that week to pick up an arson suspect.
Instead, seven years ago today, they found themselves witness to the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.
While people today remember the nearly 3,000 people who died on 9/11, Williams and Norris remain haunted by what they saw. Except for a last-minute decision to take a later bus, they might have been in one of the buildings when the towers fell.
They had driven into town that Sunday evening, on their way to pick up a suspect in connection with an arson fire at B & D Boilers in North Charleston. Williams remembers heading up the New Jersey Turnpike and seeing a bright orange afternoon sun reflecting off the Twin Towers. He remembers Norris saying that he wished he had brought his good camera.
On Monday, they dealt with local officials but were told they couldn't get their man until Wednesday morning. They had a day to kill.
On Tuesday morning they planned to kick around New York. Both were particularly interested in visiting the World Trade Center, the site of a 1993 terrorist attack. They were going to get an early start, leaving at 7:30, but a local convinced them to wait until rush-hour traffic subsided.
That advice may have saved their lives.
They rode from Newark, N.J., toward New York City on a bus, sitting next to a man who worked on the 97th floor of one tower. The man was late to work and was talking to his secretary when his phone went dead.
When they saw the tower fall a little later, Williams said, the man looked like a deer caught in headlights. Several people on the bus were headed to work in or around the tower, doomed to balance guilt and relief because they had lost hundreds of friends and survived only because they were late to work.
Williams and Norris watched the news from their hotel for the rest of the day, and the next morning drove back to South Carolina on a desolate Interstate 95. The arson suspect remained in New York because of a courtroom snag and was brought back later by other officers.
Williams recalls that on the drive back, flags hung from every bridge along the 750-mile ride. They stopped in Washington, D.C., to see the Pentagon, a gaping hole in one side, and wondered if the world had changed. It had. Williams went from being an arson investigator to a detective who focused largely on Homeland Security issues, an agency that didn't exist until after that day.
"Every September 11, I look at my watch and remember where I was at that time," Williams said.
"It's the same way every year," said Norris, who has left the department. "It doesn't seem like it was seven years ago. I think 20 years from now it will still seem like it was just a few weeks ago. It was surreal, seeing those buildings burn."
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Comments
DanniD (anonymous) says...
This will be a day that I will always remember exactly what I was doing that morning. Everytime I see 9/11, or Sept 11th, I am saddend by the tragic events that took place that day. I hope that the families of those that lost their lives are doing well, and have been able to carry on with their lives.
September 11, 2008 at 6:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DoaMM (anonymous) says...
Thewexler, go pass your views and opinions on to other people on another day please. This is not a day to place blame or thrash anyone about HOW or WHY it happened.
Today is a day to simply remember that it did happen and vow to never let it happen again, no matter what the cost.
EMS, LEO, and Firefighters across this great nation...Thank You, from me to you.
September 11, 2008 at 7:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jca (anonymous) says...
dannid
i can still remember it too. this day is a double tragedy for my family its my little ones birthday and the day she died.
not important
while i am grateful to all those who were there to help isnt it time to pick up the pieces and move on. time to stop reopening the old wounds and let them heal
seeing the footage every year all day id living in the past instead of the future. we need to let this rest much like we have with pearl harbor
rest but not forgotten
never forget what happened that fateful september day
i will never forget it
September 11, 2008 at 7:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DoaMM (anonymous) says...
john_doe, you misinterpreted my post. I'm agree with everything you just said, I just think that TODAY, Sept. 11th, is the day we need to simply remember the fallen heros.
Thewexler was trying to drag out conspiracy theories and "who's fault was it" thinking. We can do that all year long...but NOT today. Simply remember the fallen today.
IMHO...
September 11, 2008 at 8:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DanniD (anonymous) says...
jca...I am truely sorry for your loss. You are right we need to move on, and in my opinion build the towers right back where they once stood, BIGGER and BETTER than they were before. Screw those Islamic Terrorists, this is what they wanted.
September 11, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jca (anonymous) says...
she would be ten today
i agree danni this is what they wanted us to live in fear
September 11, 2008 at 8:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
berthelot (anonymous) says...
Here is an important story that everyone should read about an FBI investigator that lost his life on 9/11.
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/sept11/...
September 11, 2008 at 8:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
takeitfortheteam (anonymous) says...
Its a good story, everyone needs to remember as too why were are still overseas! As to the story and the P&C how did you know they were up there? Bet you did not know that North Chas. FD has two people who worked for other fire depts they were there. one at the Trade Center and one at the Pentagon. Im also told Charleston FD has someone who worked the Trade Center and the SSS. Why not find out who they are and talk to these people, see how bad they still feel, and help them. stay safe all police,ems,fire and service people "we still remember and care!!"
September 11, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ChrisPia (anonymous) says...
To P.o Steve Driscoll and FF Edward "teddy" White and All Emergency workers,Military Personell and people who perished that sad day,You will Never be Forgotten....God Bless You, And RIP.
September 11, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NumbersSCcom (anonymous) says...
I knew a big terrorist attack was coming before 9/11. The first thing that happened at work after hearing about the attack was a friend telling me, "You were right."
I didn't predict the time nor place but it didn't take a genius to see it coming. It just made sense that our government did not care much about securing our borders nor tracking those that were here illegally (visa overstays and the like) and deporting them. In addition, we did seemingly everything we could to stir up resentment among other countries when we'd be best taking care of ourselves instead of maintaining and expanding our mercantile empire.
Yeah, yeah, radical Muslims have always and will always hate us, but, as my father put it, "You don't stir up a nest of snakes without expecting to get bit!" They're here in the world, yes, but why does our government violate our own Constitution in sending OUR tax dollars to ANY government outside our own and thereby breed resentment among ANY country?
Since then, very little has really been done to secure our borders and ports nor to deport illegal aliens and punish those that illegally employ them. AND THIS IS AFTER 9/11, FOLKS! I was praying that our government would finally be responsive. They have done practically nothing useful in protecting us HERE at home.
Lindsey Graham told me in person that enforcing the current laws wouldn't work. He couldn't answer me when I responded and said that was because no one in the last 40 years has really tried enforcing them.
Since an election year has come upon us, the federal government has made a show of a raid a month or so but still very little is done to make a REAL difference. Illegal aliens still come and go across our borders. They MAY have to make an extra attempt now but that is all.
Lindsey Graham has been in D.C. for 14 years and has done NOTHING substantial to prevent another 9/11. Instead, he has attempted to turn our country into a police state and to grant amnesty to all illegals including terrorists and other criminals (after all, how can you be expected to adequately screen someone from a third world country with little or no record-keeping?).
I predict we'll get hit again and it will be big and could easily be nuclear. What will Lindsey Graham say then (if he hasn't been vaporized along with the rest of D.C.)?
September 11, 2008 at 10:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
Ironically, I just read a book last month about this tragedy. There was so much more to learn than the papers and newscasters have ever publicized.
We should never forget, nor let our guard down again.
There were many heroes on that fateful day, and not all of them lived to tell their story.
September 11, 2008 at 10:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
geekboy (anonymous) says...
************************
Posted by Thewexler on September 11, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The fact that George Bush senior stayed at the White House on the eve of 9/11 for his meeting...
*************************
Take your nutjob conspiracy theory garbage elsewhere.
September 11, 2008 at 11:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
berthelot (anonymous) says...
Thewexler,
I don't know if you are trying to encourage a tidal wave of comments attacking you or not, but you are going about this the wrong way. Your points will come across as nothing more than inflammatory on this very emotional day.
Don't presume to have all of the information and do not rush to place blame. You risk coming off as a loony conspiracy theorist.
The most effective thing you can to is to encourage an independent investigation and then point out the inadequacies of the 9/11 Commission Report. Do not scream inside job. Do not point to the "fringe" theories. Simply point to the fact that pretty much everyone can agree on: The 9/11 Commission Report was incomplete and inadequate.
We need a comprehensive independent investigation if for no other reason than to sort out the legitimate concerns from the loony theories.
September 11, 2008 at 11:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DoaMM (anonymous) says...
Great post, CB...
I was out on the road working for a small courier company when it happened. I remember stopping at every drop off point and asking the folks about the latest information. Before the first tower fell, we found an old black and white antenna TV and watched with scribbles and fuzz as the first tower fell.
While my family videotaped the live news coverage for me and while I still have those tapes, I have yet to be able to view them.
I also have a video produced by HBO that I've seen once. Can't watch that one anymore either.
I've lived in other countries. I've seen what's out there beyond our borders. They hate us for having what we have...freedom.
Until you LIVE IN (not just visit) another country, you'll have no idea how bad it can get in your life. Never side with a country other than your own United States of America.
We are Americans first, and foremost, and nothing if not Americans. Freedom has cost this country in the past and will continue to do the same in the future.
DO NOT let the events of 9/11 happen again in any shape or form...
September 11, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LadyTarHeel (anonymous) says...
On September 11, 2001, I was a senior in high school (not too far from Ft. Bragg, NC) and we watched it on TV. Our school was locked down because we are so close to the military base and no one was sure if there were any other targets. It was scary not knowing what was going on and watching the horror unfold on TV. We were not allowed to go to lunch or change classes. Lunch was brought to us and we stayed in place all day. I remember feeling a deep sense of sadness. I still have that same feeling on this day every year since. Even though I'm sure these same groups are planning bigger attacks, I am not afraid. Because I bleed red, white, and blue and those colors do not run scared!
September 11, 2008 at 12:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ChrisPia (anonymous) says...
Great Post CB. Our Country Came together that day.North,south East, and West,Black,White ,Asian,Hispanic,Democrats, Republicans,Independants, All Walks of Life Become One.
Unfortunately It took this tradegy for our Country to Unite.
I was watching the News in horror after the first plane hit the Building.I was in Upstate N.Y. The phone Range and It was the wife of an Officer that worked on Mayor Guiliani's Security detail.. She was Brief. She Said "Chris, Go Get your Kids out of School,There are planes still up that are not answering up in the NY area'..I proceeded to school calling every friend I knew and Told them.....It seemed My Info got out quickly as my phone kept ringing to confirm the message.It Took 2 hrs to get my kids from 2 school in Upstate NY.....I will never forget that day.I was very proud of the way everyone pulled together as a Nation..I was also sad knowing that some of the people I had worked with before I retired and Grew up with I will never see again.
Yesterday I was flipping the Channels and watched a documentary for about 2 minutes when hearing a female Officer calling for a 10-13(a police officer needs Help emergency call).She didn't know where she was...I broke out in tears..
Our Country Today is Crying out for Help so no matter the differences of Opinions Of all races and politics,WE MUST NOT BE DIVIDED AS AMERICANS.GOD BLESS THE USA. NEVER FORGET!
September 11, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Weeeee (anonymous) says...
At the risk of sounding heartless, this is a dead horse.
September 11, 2008 at 2:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
My high school buddy and I drove to NYC on Dec. 29, 1979, after two nights in D.C. We looked over from Jersey and saw the twin towers which we visited the next day. I remember the large visitor elevator in Two WTC, about 10'x10' or more, going midway up to cross over into another elevator to go up the rest of the way. A big woman on a stool was at the elevator controls. You had to open your jaws to pop your ears. I believe the elevator stopped in the snack bar below the observation deck. On top it was sunny and not cold and he and I took cherished pictures I still have climbing over a rail as if we were hanging over the side with Manhattan in the background. Below that rail was the actual barbed/razor wire area which led out to the real side rail. The adjacent tower had a big antenna on top and I threw away a picture that I took looking across at the antenna base. It seems you could probably have thrown a baseball or golf ball and hit the other tower's roof or building side. A picture I have of the far down and now tiny Statue of Liberty demonstrates the height of the towers. I remember asking myself and my friend how long into the future would these buildings be up and how long would it be before some nut crashed his Piper Cub into the side of one. We went down into the snack bar and ate and I took a picture looking out of one of the tall, cramped, cathedral shaped windows looking down on the street below. These long, tall window shapes can be seen in debris photos standing in the ashes. I remember being thankful to get back down on solid ground and walking away in the outdoor plaza looking at the modern art metal sculptures. I am thankful to have been able to visit the WTC before the terrible loss on 9/11.
September 11, 2008 at 2:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ironhorse (anonymous) says...
Thewexler,
Where were you when you found out your parents are brother and sister?
September 11, 2008 at 2:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
walleyedwoman1215 (anonymous) says...
I was in the newsroom on deadline. I did my job--we scrapped the completed front page for local reaction to the attacks--but it was so surreal, I really couldn't comprehend it. One of our reporters was a Desert Storm vet, a very calm, rational man. When I saw him sit down and put his head in his hands, that's when I understood the full import of what was happening.
God bless our troops!
September 11, 2008 at 4:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Xnavykat (anonymous) says...
Good one ironhorse!
My husband and I were in NYC preparing to check out of our hotel when it happened. I will never ever forget all the brave people and those who perished.
The other night they had a program on Nat Geo with all the 911 calls. We couldn't bear to watch it much longer than a few minutes.
September 11, 2008 at 4:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lillycollette (anonymous) says...
I can identify with Alan Williams and Benji Norris trying to bring their suspect to justice on that fateful day. I was struggling to bring some suspects to justice in an unrelated case at the same time.
I know how it feels to be faced with responsibilities that override everything going on around you.
September 11, 2008 at 6:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Time4action (anonymous) says...
It was such a sad, sad day. It was my first day on a new position at work. When I heard the first plane plowed into the towers and realized the date, I knew something was really wrong. When I heard the second plane had crashed into the towers, I went home. I knew this was really, really serious. I was glued to the TV set. I have never felt such sadness. All the children and helpless people not hurting anyone. Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sad, sad, sad. Thinking of the first responders, I still want to cry. They went there to help, to try to save lives and lost their own. I pray to God this never ever happens again. So senseless, so senseless, what did the Muslems accomplish? Other than killing a bunch of innocent people? What did they gain?
September 11, 2008 at 8:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
frankfurter (anonymous) says...
I THINK ITS TIME WE ASK THE QUESTION WHY???------WHY DO WE ALWAYS GET THE TRUTH KEPT FROM US??? WHY? I THINK IT CAUSES MORE DAMMAGE TO FIND OUT LATER THAT WE WHERE FLAT OUT LIED TO!!!!!!! WHY?????
September 12, 2008 at 6 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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