By Dhanpaul Narine
It was a perfect day for the beach. The sky was blue and the weather unusually warm for September. New Yorkers went about their business as usual. There were elections planned for the following day and the candidates were making a final pitch for votes. We waited at school for the last bus to arrive so the students would line up for their classes. Mr. Johnson, a teacher, looked flustered.
“The World Trade Center is on fire. Thick black smoke everywhere,” he said.
“I’ll see it upstairs from my window,” I said calmly. My blindless window on the third floor overlooked the World Trade Center, and on this clear day, the Manhattan skyline appeared closer than normal. The class started their work. Mr. Johnson reminded me upstairs. And there it was: tons of thick black smoke, fanned by the air, as fire and debris billowed upwards.
“It could be terrorism,” I said quietly.
“How do you know?” Mr. Johnson asked.
“They tried it in 1993,” I replied.
The students were surprisingly quiet as I explained the situation and told them to remain calm. Chris Smith sat in the center and looked impassive. Eduardo Saltos had a novel solution. He wanted hundreds of helicopters with water tanks to fly over the North Tower and put out the fire. A number of students laughed nervously and then it wasn’t fun anymore. A second plane flew into the South Tower. The students were stunned. We gathered by the window and saw the Twin Towers, once high and proud, engulfed in fire and smoke. And then the drama began to unfold.
Chris Smith hit his hands on his desk and screamed. His mother and aunt worked in the South Tower. The school couldn’t get in touch with them. Chris went with the guidance counselor as we comforted him. The buildings buckled and fell and we cried openly for beautiful America, this land that has treated us with kindness. There was panic, confusion, pandemonium and destruction in Manhattan. Ashes and debris swirled in the air as people screamed and ran for shelter. There was no clear sense of direction and no one to direct the crowds. Pat Jordan Langford, in heels, hurried to the Brooklyn Bridge, only to be told that she should walk to the Williamsburg Bridge. On her way, she saw a man fall off the top of the North Tower to his death.
Seeta Rai worked on the 47th Floor of the North Tower. She had no idea that her building was hit. “I felt a tiny blip, a little tremor, but I ignored it,” she said. “But people started to walk down the floor and I joined them. Some chose to stay. We walked down all the floors. We saw firefighters going up on the other side and then we knew that something was not right.” Seeta reached the lobby where a crowd was gathered. There was mass confusion and shock. She ran for two blocks to Fulton Street, mostly blinded by the ashes. She paused once to look back, and wished she hadn’t. She saw her building fall to the ground. It was a sight that would forever stay in her memory.
In 1993, Bidya Tiwari worked on the 97th floor of the South Tower. She felt a slight shaking but thought nothing of it. Suddenly, the lights went out and smoke filled the floor. Bidya and her fellow workers held hands and walked all 97 floors to the lobby. “It was totally dark,” she said. “We had to tread and to feel our way carefully. It was treacherous walking down all those floors in darkness. It was only when we reached safety we learned that a bomb had exploded in the underground garage.” The explosion below the North Tower killed six and injured over 1,000 persons. Bidya had no idea that in 2001 there would be a bigger tragedy that would change the world. She was again on the 97th floor of the South Tower. She heard about the confusion in the North Tower and took the elevator to the 34th floor.
“I felt something shifted but I wasn’t sure what had happened. I saw people heading for the lobby and I joined them. But there were conflicting instructions. As we were going down, people were screaming to us to go back upstairs, saying it was safe there,” Bidya said. She remembered 1993 and walked to the lobby where she learned that the second plane had hit her floor. Bidya rushed in the pandemonium to the Brooklyn Bridge. She could see people bathed in ash and was lucky to get a ride across the Bridge.
Meanwhile, the devastation could be seen miles away. People were on rooftops to get a better view. Students who were hardened by the streets, and whose behaviours could be challenging at the best of times, were quiet and reflective. They had witnessed events that were unforgettable. The principal said that it was only mid-morning and wanted instruction to continue as normal as possible. She added that students should be kind to each other, as our world had changed forever. The good news was that Chris Smith’s family was safe. By evening, the import of the day’s happenings had begun to sink into the consciousness. The media spoke of nothing else and images of the planes slamming into the World Trade Center were played non-stop. The thick grey and black smoke hung over Lower Manhattan like an immovable blanket, and a reminder of unspeakable tragedy.
In Queens, reality kicked in when relatives turned up with blown up pictures of the deceased at Trevor Rupnarain’s open lot in Liberty Avenue. The public stood in stunned silence as community and religious leaders offered commiserations and prayers. In the days following the attacks, a clearer picture emerged. There were two hundred and fifty persons of Indian origin who perished, twenty-four Chinese, twenty-five Guyanese, fourteen from Trinidad and Tobago, eleven from Jamaica, and three from Suriname. The Guyanese casualties represents, ‘one of the highest per capita losses for any country.’
A parade was organized on Liberty Avenue by this writer, and others, in which participants came from the Tri-State area. It culminated at the Starlite Pavilion where there was a candlelight vigil. There were also inter-faith prayer services held in the homes of a number of the victims that brought comfort to the families. It was evident that those killed were highly skilled. Many of the Guyanese casualties worked for professional firms. Sarah Khan was at Cantor Fitzgerald; Astrid Sohan was with Marsh and McLennan; Vanavah Thompson was with Marsh USA; Rudy Bacchus was a stockbroker; Patrick Adams was with Fuji bank; Hardai Parbu worked for Avon Financial Services, while Ameenia Rasool was employed by Marsh and Maskan Insurance Company, and Shevonne Mentis was with Marsh Enterprise, among others.
Each victim of the tragedy is a hero. Each life should be celebrated. For the families, the memories are fresh and won’t go away. September brings its heartaches when the spotlight is on that fateful Tuesday and the events are beamed in the living rooms on national television. “We don’t watch it,” confessed one family. “We want to stay away from it all, and be away as far as possible. Imagine, your children left for work and never returned. There is no body to bury, only the pictures on the wall to look at. Anniversaries and birthdays come and go. Where is the closure?”
Kris Romeo Bishundat was born in Cane Grove, in Guyana. He arrived in the United States as a toddler and achieved his ambition to be in the military. Kris was assigned to the Pentagon. He was a family person who would call his mother daily. He had just finished speaking to her and had returned to his desk when the plane crashed into his building. His body was recovered. Kris was given a full military funeral and was laid to rest at the Arlington Cemetery. He was awarded the Purple Heart. Basmattie Bishundat, his mother said, “I have never stopped thinking of Kris. He was a wonderful son who was dedicated to his family. Life has not been the same for us. It’s hard especially for the 25th anniversary. I have volunteered in many organizations over the years to help bring comfort to others. It is what Kris would have wanted.” She has recommended more mental health interventions for the survivors.
Nezam Hafiz was into cricket and was a good middle-order batter. There were hopes that he would have gone on to play cricket at the national level. His family doted on him and recalled that he was caring and fun-loving. Nezam perished at the World Trade Center and like Ameenia Rasool, his funeral took place in Richmond Hill, in Queens, New York.
Indra Seet started an annual memorial service for the victims fifteen years ago. It was done with the collaboration of Carl Dash who knew a number of the families. The memorial was held in Richmond Hill and it attracted a sizeable gathering, including elected officials. Indra Seet acknowledges the role of Milan Rahman, Sandra Annapersaud, Christy Narine, Babita Balkaran, Geeta Edwin, Arkan, Ann Baldeo, Ajit Chohan, Raj Dingra, Nazir, Rasheed Bacchus and Joanne Franco, Drow Jonathan and Soma Syed, Vijay Kumar, Anil Dua, and Ravi Kanchan, among others.
In 2023, we did a Memorial Walk on Liberty Avenue starting from 133rd Street and ending at the Fire Station at 107th Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard. Wreaths were laid at the starting point and also at the Fire Station. There were two firefighters, Ronald Geis and Terry McShane, from the Fire Station who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Tributes were paid to them and their grieving families.
It is argued that America lost its innocence on September 11, 2001. The coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on United Airlines Flight 93 led to significant changes in American domestic and global policy. It turned out that the attacks on the US was terrorism with Al Qaeda taking responsibility. This led to anti-Muslim feeling and non-Muslims were attacked. A Sikh man, Balbir Singh Sodhi, was mistaken for a Muslim and shot in Arizona. President George W. Bush declared a War on Terror, launched an invasion in Afghanistan in October 2001, and security measures at airports were increased. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Christine Whitman, assured people that the ‘air was safe to breathe’ in Lower Manhattan. This was false information as more than 49,000 persons were diagnosed with ‘certified WTC-related cancers.’
A Department of Homeland Security was created and the Patriot Act gave law enforcement agencies more powers. President Bush was convinced that Iraq was involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Congress passed the ‘Iraq Resolution’ in 2002 and the invasion of Iraq took place in March 2003. No weapons of mass destruction were found, according to US investigations. The 9/11 Commission Report was released in July 2004 and a main finding was that, “there was a lack of effective communication and coordination among intelligence agencies.”
As we mark the 25th anniversary, let us remember ‘the babies of 9/11.’ Shelly is from Guyana. She was married to Jose from the Dominican Republic. It was a wonderful wedding with the blending of two cultures. On the morning of 9/11, Jose called from the World Trade Center to say how much he loved Shelly. They were excited about their first child. Unfortunately, Jose didn’t make it. Baby Selena grew up to be a beautiful young lady who is loved by the community. She excelled in her studies and is a nurse at a well-known New York hospital. The other 9/11 babies are also reaching for the stars.
Discussion