Everyone of a certain age remembers where they were today back in two thousand and
one. September eleventh is something that unites generation. We all know where we
were and how we found out and where what happened. I have several connections
to nine eleven, and I went to about one of them today. I
decided, here I'm fifty plus, I'm James L. Jr. So I
worked at a job at offices in the Towers and in New York, and
I also worked at a job where I lost co workers. So September eleventh,
when I came around, I was working at a job called Morgan Stanley,
and back then it was Morgan Stanley Dean Winter. I worked at there
one of their offices in San Francisco. That's where I lived now. That
morning this was interesting where I was going to work add to good work early,
but for some reason I was going in later. I switched the shift
for somebody else to go in later. We had two ships, and I
was like, cat, go on later, for I've got from what is
one reason? I've got reason? I was forever and I was at home
in my efficiency apartment in Sarrancisco, and I was awoken awakened, awakened by
a woken by words used two voicemail messages. Yes, back when he had
voicemail on cassette playing and voicemail. What was my friend Nick? Was my
friend Michelle? Both my best friends at the time, and they both do.
I had folks in New York and folks that worked around me were trade
center. So because it was really early for us, of course, and
no one that I was up early, but they knew I wasn't at working.
They call said, we know you not at work. Have you watched
I remember wanted to say, we watched TV? Do you know how your
family is doing? What's going on? And I was kind of groggy out
here it. I was like, what are they talking about? In fact,
they both called me back to back. I was like, something's up.
And I turned on my TV which was across my bed remote and I
see a building on fire. Now for me, I was watching the night
before BBC America fas I was working something on the air, maybe a doctor
who or something who else? But I was watching BABC America and so I
had so we woke up and whereas station now folks BBC America and BBC and
all that they were sowing different things than American television. On that TV,
I saw people drinking out of the buildings. I saw a lot of stuff,
but they were bed the istro American TV at first. But I remember
turning it on and seeing the world one of the world trade centers on fire,
like, wait a minute, it's a movie, like but I just
remember being perplexed. And then I saw the other plane going as it happened,
and I just wasn't just believe. Trying to call back East, couldn't
Reachain body of course, called my mother. We can't Reachain Boudy. Our
families in New York. Is this a crazy thing? So it shut down
San Francisco because we have the Bay Bridge and the Golden gate Bridge, which
our mind they went, sure what was going on? I lived near where
I lived, I lived near City Hall, closed our block, the whole
area off. It was crazy. I remember it being a beautiful day.
It's even crazier. It was a beautiful day outside. It was wonderful,
and we're just like, okay, it's crazy. So I was saying,
said I watched all day, all night. The footage went to work.
Cole days later we were clear to go back to work. Now, this
is the part that for me is very just. I hadeeologist before my life.
So I worked as cash I'm learning cashiering. I worked in the other
switchal operator that answered between one thousand and five fifteen calls a day, just
this all the time. And I worked the morning shift really early, so
I saw I was there when the bell was ranged, was ranged when the
bell rang in the morning. It's a bell rang in the afternoon, and
that's usually when I was off by one o'clock. I going around five one.
So we go back there and of course we had an office over.
I'm looking at it he because it was about almost three thousand employees in the
World Trade Center. I'm like, I only know what to think because it's
like we're all trying to it's so new and freshman, trying to five who's
alive, who's dead? Who are missing? At a personal connection this person
was missing all this stuff. Getting back to work and those I will say
first two months lee at the very least it lasts of all, but the
first two months we're the arius strange towns of my life in a job nice
to be a nurse. I worked in ers tell me. That's you know,
that's kind of you know crazy, I'm there this It was very interesting
because we had found out the time that we had lost about thirteen employees.
We didn't know there was there could more. Weren't sure everybody was an accounted
for him at the time. Is still new. Eventually people started accounting who
they are. But those first couple of days our office hear a pin drop,
which is so sad. We had connections a couple people who died.
I talked to them like the week before. They called Mary, Hey James.
They know my voice. My voice was deep, so they're like,
hey James, like, OK, gone just dead and so. And when
I looked at that, look at the records here there were twenty seven hundred
employees and thirteen past and they were in world tracing our cheeth. We also
got the mail, so I'll get the mail and see names. They're gone.
We're missing the time people were calling because that office is gone. I
got the Dolphice is gone. That's made major offices in New York. It's
gone. They're calling me, where's my broker? I need to reach my
brokeer and even my brokers my broker alive? Do you don't know any information.
Like I was like, and I was just Robert. I'm like,
let me passed you on to so and so. We passed you on to
so and so. I can't read saw it. We were so busy,
so bogged down. People are crying on the phone. To me, I
was like, I said, seeing mail that, I was like, that
person's gone, Who's what's the protocol? It was a very summer time.
I cried too. I mean it was really sad. And they said nothing
I've ever been through before in my life at a job. We had to
redirect people and it was it was such a such a weird thing. So
I will never forget it, just because everybody else can't forget. At that
time period, I was thirty two years old. What happened. But I
just know that having his job, it's crazy. And I found the other
name. I'm Morgan Stanley, Dean Witterer Opener. Let's see where it's there.
It is letter Opener. I still have it and like this they're not
even more standing the winner anymore, but I have it and I'm keeping it
just because I'm like, it's useful, but also it just be minds of
that time period. I really enjoyed that job. I left later that year,
but I really enjoyed that job. I couldn't I couldn't stand the hours.
I enjoyed the people to friends, people, and I actually still fallow
somebody who still worked there online. And also we have for the twentieth anniversary
a patch. Never forget that, so I just have that. But just
it's not a couple of booklets and things from Morgan sat the Winner that I
have somewhere in my house that I have, but it was just, you
know, it should be mentioned he had a security Rick was Scoreline was the
one who got everybody out except for those thirteen people and himself. He didn't
make it either. He died during taking people nine eleven is something that just
you just will never forget. It's it's something that still lingers on today as
a fellow New Yorker myself mixed with being Los Angeles, New Yorkers are resilient.
It was such a strange time for them to deal with and to recover
from. You were actually attacked. And no matter what political side you fall
on or I know it's as conspiracy theories a lot of stuff, the fact
remains what three three three time, it will died. The buildings are gone,
the skyline was changed forever. There's a lot of human stories and I've
I've watched every year and seeing that that part is the most important, I
can all the other stuff. That part is important. Maybe like us,
we lost actually co workers and friends, colleagues. It was a really really
strange, strange thing. So that's want to share with you guys lord today
as we as we're sitting here observing nine eleven and a to anybody's lost somebody,
my heart goes out with you. It's just it never really goes away.
Fully, it's with the rest of your life's part of your life.
Anybody who was there and part of it. I'm glad you survived and you're
able to tell your stories and your fulfilled lives. So thank you very much.
This is forty plus. I'm James Jr. I'll talk to you next time.