My memories come from the perspective of a local travel agency on a normal clear-sky Tuesday morning, expecting a calm day. Shortly after we got to work someone heard a plane had struck one of the WTC towers. Then, a little while later, the other one. Then, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.
Our phones lit up since all flights were grounded. We had a radio on and heard them say "The towers are gone," but I couldn't comprehend until I actually saw the footage on TV.
That day and week were insane, mostly trying to find rental cars for stranded clients since all flights were canceled. One of my colleagues even arranged a carload of strangers on the East Coast trying to get back to the Midwest.
The lasting effect in my industry is a simple "pre-9/11, post-9/11" because everything changed after that — what we take on planes, how we go through security, how the airlines did business with us. What I came away with though, even with the horror and busy week ,was how everyone pulled together.
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Julie Siemsen
Lincoln