Remembering 9/11

Army Major Thane J. Thompson was in the reserves, working for Morgan Stanley on the 61st floor of WTC Tower II, at the time of the 9/11 attacks. A Green Beret Medic, he went on to serve in the first wave of the invasion of Iraq. Thane has since completed a second tour in Iraq and continues on active duty at Fort Bragg, NC. In this three part series, he recalls what it was like at Ground Zero on 9/11.

Army Major Thane J. Thompson was in the reserves, working for Morgan Stanley on the 61st floor of WTC Tower II, at the time of the 9/11 attacks.  A Green Beret Medic, he went on to serve in the first wave of the invasion of Iraq.  Thane has since completed a second tour in Iraq and continues on active duty at Fort Bragg, NC. In this three part series, he recalls what it was like at Ground Zero on 9/11.

NewMajority thanks contributor Sean Linnane for forwarding this material to us from Stormbringer.

Part 1: "A Muffled Sound Like Distant Thunder"

We three were at the 20th floor and still descending. An awful explosion roared above. The building shuddered and lights flickered. Everybody flinched, went still, and listened.

Part 2: "It was Horrible. There was No Escape."

I looked closely at the gash and broken windows that bellowed dark smoke from Tower 2. I could see people sticking their heads out of several openings. It was horrible; there was no escape. Two people popped out of the gash and fell. I watched a single man fall all the way to the ground. He didn’t flail or kick or wave his arms. He just fell with arms out all the way down. The absence of movement made his fall seem calm.

Part 3: "This is How I'm Going to Die"

We raced north and a thick cloud of dust chased us. The cloud boiled with debris… As the dark, thick cloud rolled through the streets it engulfed people as they ran to escape.