Comments on: The 9/11 Diaries

By: Donatella

Donatella — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:27:14 +0000

Ms. RH,
I am so glad you posted these photos and your diary. I was in Chicago (living in Kansas City – a 2 year work stint) and was transfixed and heartbroken in a way I never felt before. Mostly I wanted to go home and help somebody, do something. I know how you felt, wanting to do SOMETHING. I flew back as soon as I could and spent time with friends and family (brother a FDNY Battalion Chief who lost 30 guys there) and industry friends. I worked downtown for 25 years at that time and had just left a job at the Exchange, down there at Ground Zero and lost colleagues. It was so wrenching I thought my heart was yanked out. I guess it was worse in a way since I wasn’t home. Or maybe it wasn’t. But today my colleagues and I talked about that day and what we did and who we lost and how tight we all were with one another and teared up — I think it is great that you ran around taking pictures. They are great.
I try to remember the feeling of love that we all felt in the midst of that. I would give anything to get that back.

By: RH

RH — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:55:25 +0000

I also remember people being very polite to each other for awhile, which was totally freaky in NY. It was 3 weeks to the day when I heard the first car horn and then I knew we were getting back to normal.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:16:06 +0000

I totally get using the camera as a shield. The photographs of that day that always stick with me the most are of people holding their heads in disbelief and the looks on their faces. For so long everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop especially in those early days just after. The unspoken tension on the subway was very intense for a long time.