September 11, 2011...Too close for Comfort (Part One)

Lately I have read many blogs about September 11, 2001.  Some people have described where they were on that day.  Some people were near, some people were far away.  Some bloggers knew people who were  either  injured, lost their lives, or volunteered in the days after.  Other bloggers just remember watching it on television as it played out in front of our nation.

I wasn't going to do one of these blog posts, but since this is the ten year anniversary of that horrible day, I thought I would share my story...and then tell you my thoughts on the non-stop coverage this anniversary is sure to bring.  I will say that my thoughts are my own, and I am not criticizing anyone who wants or needs to watch news coverage, television shows, documentaries, movies, etc.  This is my story...


I was a United Airlines flight attendant, based out of Boston on September 11, 2001.

THE DAY BEFORE...

Monday September 10, 2001

I was a ready reserve that day...I dressed in my uniform and went to the airport at 4:00 pm.  I was required to sit in the crew room for the next four hours.  If I was not needed that day, I would be sent home and placed on reserve for that evening (where I would fill in for a missing flight attendant if needed).  How I hated ready reserve.  Since Boston was such a small domicile, there rarely was a need for an extra flight attendant....it just felt like a waste of a day.

Around 6:00 pm, I called the crew desk and begged asked for a flight.  Usually if you were nice, the crew desk would do their best to plug you in somewhere.

"Please don't make me sit here all night...I want to fly!"

"Hang tight, let's see what we can do."

About an hour later, I was sent up to a gate to catch my flight.  The plane was a Boeing 757, and it was almost empty.  The flight attendants who were working all looked at me with a puzzled look...there was not a need for a fifth flight attendant that evening.  I didn't care...it sure beat sitting in the crew lounge and being converted to wait by the phone all night for a morning flight!!

I landed that evening and called my boyfriend (now husband)...I was in Los Angeles for the night.  I had just flown in on flight 176.  This was the last flight from BOS to LAX that evening....the following flight would leave in the morning...flight 175.  Flight 175 was the second plane to hit the Twin Towers.

(To Be Continued...)

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