Patch Reader Elizabeth Dwyer Remembers Sept. 11

 The following was submitted by North Brunswick resident Elizabeth Dwyer.

I was working in New York. My husband and I used to drive together to Newark Penn Station. I remember commenting on what a beautiful day it was, not a cloud in the sky, as we sat on Route 18 waiting to get on to the Turnpike. I was anxious to get to work that morning, we were on deadline for the biggest issue of the year. As we approached Exit 14, traffic was backed up. We looked over toward the Towers and we noticed that one tower was on fire. My Dad called to tell me that he had just seen the news of a plane hitting the towers. As we were talking, I looked up and saw the second plane drive right into the second tower. My father and my husband said that I should not go to work....but we were on deadline. So, I hopped on the train at Penn Station. The train originated from the Little Silver/Long Branch area. There was a woman in the same car as me that was about seven months pregnant. She was sleeping. All of the commotion woke her up. She asked the woman next to her what was going on. The next thing we heard was a blood-curdling scream. She said her husband worked in the Towers. She was hyperventilating. We were met at the platform by emergency personnel that took care of her.

I worked on 7th Ave a few blocks south of Penn Station. By the time I got to my office, there was already a TV set up. My coworkers and I sat in silence and stared at the TV. At that point it was very obvious that we were under attack. Although many of us have since moved on to other jobs, on September 11 I still send and receive many email messages from a number of them. That day we formed a certain bond. We knew we were stuck in the city. We wanted to do something that we thought would be helpful. So we decided to go to Bellevue Hospital. Walking across town was eerie. The streets were silent. We walked in silence. The hospital had set up a makeshift blood donation center. We stood in line with hundreds of other donors. As time went on, it became evident that the blood they were collecting would not be needed.

I was able to get a train back to New Jersey at around 8 p.m. The next day as I headed back into the city. I took the Path train to 23rd Street. When I got to the street level, there were army tanks roaming the streets. I remember asking the man next to me if he thought something else happened in the 15 minutes I was underground. For weeks after that day, as I walked through Penn Station I would look at the posters hanging. Posters made by mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends, looking for their loved ones. Most days I didn't make it out of the train station without tears in my eyes. Looking at those pictures of dads holding their babies, families vacationing, young couples smiling...it was heartbreaking.

Elizabeth Dwyer

North Brunswick