Memories of September 11th

9/11 A Decade Later

Ten years ago at 3:29 in the afternoon in Prague I received the following email from my New York office. The PS was an understatement.

From: xxxxx@zephyrtele.com

To: "'Terrence McGarty'" mcgarty@zephyrtele.com> Subject: RE: Faxed the call in info to Preferred's

Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:28:25 -0400

X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19)

X-SLUIDL: 4F2B5048-97DE11D5-849E00D0-B73C39FD

PS At around 9am two airplanes each hit the World Trade towers. 

I sat for a few moment thinking of what it meant. We had no televisions. So tried calling my offices back in New Jersey, not far from the collision.

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: Kipling

 

Sunday night, September 9th, at about 10 P Athens time I was in the bar at the Grand Bretagne across from Syntgama Square, the famous square where the Greeks come to protest everything even the price of feta. On one side were two Russians and on the other two Greeks. We sparked up a conversation, with my poor combination of Greek and Russia, then it was still passable. The Russian on my right looked up at the television with the BBC announcing the assassination of the head of the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan and said to me:

“You guys are next.”

I asked him what he meant. His response was simple:

“Bin Laden”

I had heard of him and even saw an interview with him. We continued the conversation a bit. I would guess he had spent time in Afghanistan, he looked more KGBish than Red Army, but we had another drink and watched in silence.

Tuesday at 3:28 PM in Prague I received the above. Called New York and no luck so I called my daughter in West Virginia, got through. She was speaking to her friend in Vienna, Virginia, and with her friend's husband who worked at some not to be named Government agency. I could hear CNN in the background, there apparently was still uncertainty as to who caused this, and my first comment was:

“It was Bin Laden.”

The question came back:

“How did you know?”

Answer:

“Well I was a bar in Athens Sunday and had a drink with two Russians and two Greeks…”

Question:

“Where are you now!”

Answer:

“Prague”

CLICK. Clearly Echelon picked that call up! Perhaps that was the way DC found out so quickly. Some guy, in a bar, in Athens, on a Sunday night, with a bunch of other guys, putting a puzzle together. Old fashioned intelligence. Not the fancy stuff of satellites and technical Int.

Now to the night of the 11th. Back in Prague at the Marriott, having dinner alone. Four Americans came by, we exchanged some pleasantries and I asked them to join me. Two couples, both men had flown B17s in WW II and they were making their first return. We sat and said nothing for an hour just listening to the reruns on the BBC.

Then on the 12th off to Paris, Air France knows how to deal with security, the pilot goes down the aisle and kicks off anyone he does not like. Quite French and quite effective. No TSA frisking grandmothers in wheel chairs, just plain old profiling.

Then on the 13th, we were at the Four Seasons in Paris, the hang out for the Gulf State crowd, who when France had a moment of silence did anything but, we decided to get out of there. So I felt getting out would be best, seeing we would be there for a week or more. So off to Bayeux. Why not, William the Bastard left from there in 1066 so historically it would be a good jumping off point for a return, lots of symbolism. After all it was his offspring Henry II and Richard I who brought their revenge.

On the 14th to Normandy, a place to reflect, flags at half mast, notes of kindness from many nations on the graves. The Normandy French were very kind and friendly, they still remembered D Day the the sacrifice the Americans made for them at that time.

We, our Company, lost a few relatives, neighbors and friends out of the 3,000. Some of our folks volunteered to help out and did. But all are remembered.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; 
For he today that sheds his blood with me 
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, 
This day shall gentle his condition. 
And gentlemen in England, now abed, 
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here; 
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks 
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day. Shakespeare, Henry V