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On 9/11/2001, I took my life partner, Jane, to the local airport, bidding her goodbye as she took off to New York for a conference.

Later in the morning, I was at work, settling in to follow my business plan, which included calling colleges and universities in the pacific northwest.  I noticed a group of people talking excitedly and walking swiftly down an aisle that led to a couple of conference rooms with large screen TV's.  Out of curiosity, I followed - and my world change in an instant.

The obscenity on the large screen was heart-wrenching.  I am a native New Yorker, having grown up on  Long Island, 35 miles from Manhattan.  It was about 9 a.m., and I watched the horrible scene of one of the towers burning, people jumping, papers flying.  Within a few moments, I watched as another plane flew into the second tower.  I began sobbing.  I knew people there - and my partner was on a plane, close to NY by that time, or so I thought.  My brother worked in downtown Manhattan.  A distant cousin worked in the mail room of one of the towers.

We were told we could go home if we wanted to; I rose to go, and my manager held me back.  I didn't understand, but then he told me he wanted me to be more grounded before I drove the 40 miles to home.

Eventually, I got home.  My best friend, who only happened to be in town, came over and our eyes were glued to the TV.  Where was Jane?  What was the number of her flight??  We watched the endless replays, feeling somehow freshly wounded with each repeated assault.  Other news came in, about the pentagon, Shanksville.  Where was Jane???  It wasn't clear for some time that the events had happened, and no more would be occurring that day - so Jane was theoretically safe, just lost.

At 6 p.m. I finally heard from her.  She been grounded in Atlanta, and was in a very long line of people waiting to make phone calls.

I learned later that my brother was OK - and that my distant cousin had been killed, nothing of him ever found.

I was angry and scared for a long time.  My anger eventually focused on my own government, as I read more and more about just how much warning we had, and how all those warnings went unheeded.  9/11 could happen again.  

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