I was living and working for Virgin Atlantic Cargo in the UK at this time, I had traveled to New York on September 10, on a BAA (British Airport Authority) promotional to give a speech along with other carriers (BA) and various other UK airports/handlers to help promote the Airports of Britain.
     On the morning of September 11, I and my colleagues from Virgin Cargo in NY, along with the other participants were setting up the venue for our presentation to the Cargo industry at the JFK Holiday Inn Hotel (now the International Hotel).
     For the people who know this hotel or have been to it, you know when standing in front of the building looking West you have a clear view of Lower Manhattan and the Twin Towers. That morning was one of those clear crystal days in New York. As we were setting up, someone came into the room telling us a plane had hit Tower 1 (north tower), we stepped outside and we were able to see clearly the smoke coming from the upper floors and blowing thick smoke south towards tower 2 and lower New York harbor.
     We were shocked and stunned watching this unthinkable sight taking place in front of our eyes. Having friends who worked in the towers, I remember saying, ‘God Help them get out.’
     As we watched the horror unfold and the first tower collapse, there were screams from people around me and when I looked at them I saw that they also had tears streaming from their eyes. When the second tower was hit I could not believe my eyes and when that tower went down it was just surreal, the sounds around me at the hotel at that time, besides people crying, were the many sirens from the fire trucks from the Queens fire houses responding and racing to lower Manhattan.
     The horror of that morning continued when I got home to Port Washington, seeing the TV reports and getting phone calls about personal friends and friends of family who were missing and never to return home.
     This tragic day changed and rocked our lives, our country and the world . . . and nothing and no one has ever been the same since.
     We all know in the aviation, Cargo and traveling sectors how this has changed the entire industry and our lives and the way we do business.
     As I'm writing this on a sunny day in New York, almost 10 years to the day, I'm traveling on the Long Island Railroad approaching Manhattan and looking south towards lower Manhattan. I can see the freedom tower just starting to rise above the surrounding buildings towards the beautiful blue sky . . . the events of that day seem so long ago, yet the friends and countless others lost and the horror of that day will never be forgotten. May they all rest in peace.