It Was 20 Years Ago Today

Fran, I'm coming late to this video thanks to travel. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I can't imagine seeing what you saw. I've not watched any other 9/11 remembrances besides yours. Best wishes looking ahead,

Mark Sundstrom

Thank you for that testimony Fran. It helped me better understand how it may have felt to be near there at that time, which is not something easy to imagine.

DeuxVis

I just finihsed this, and why on earth people ruined this enough you had to pull this is beyond me. You should pull out the Frantone and Han Solo story and release that, perhaps even expand on it, as that was most interesting.

EEVblog

Woah, you designed the memorial? How close is it now to your original design?

EEVblog

Wow Fran! What a weekend you have had! The emotional roller coaster of the 20th anniversary and all the memories it recalled to the physical roller coaster of the zero G experience! Give yourself all the peace and space to process it all. You have a world spanning group of friends who all love you and admire you all the more for your actions. I’m sorry you had to experience it all but I’m glad you were there to bear witness.

God of Ramblers

http://imgur.com/a/qcLodRU

I too ended up on the pile on 9/13/01, voluntarily..I spent 9/12 and the morning of 9/13 at the Long Island Blood Center in Bohemia (Suffolk county NY) collecting and organizing the amassing donations. On the 13th a Lakeland Fire department commissioner, who was NYPD (either retired or some how off duty) arrived with a deuce and 1/2 and several fire department vehicles asked me to go to the city. At first we were going to a hotel in Commack on the LIE to regroup. Then we we headed to Long Island City, where we were to drop off the goods. I rode in the rear of that Duece looking east bound on a mostly empty LIE passing patriotic displays of reassurance and honor to all of those west bound, including me. When we arrived at the entrance of the Midtown tunnel, we stopped and the Commissioner check in at the command post. Shit got real, quickly. The acrid smell permeated everything. Dusty workers, people in very obvious signs of distress. I had my father's Canon AE-1 35mm and I was capturing images for 2 days at that point.I heard the words "saddle up, we are going to Javits. Reality smacked me in the face. I had two rolls of film left. My flip phone had half charge. I called my then girlfriend (still next to me as I type today) and told her I was heading to midtown. She was not happy.I promised her "Just the Javits center. The ride thru the Midtown tunnel was frightening. Our caravan was the only vehicles in it. I was in the canvas rear of a former military, now fire department 5 ton. Emerging from the tunnel we were greeted by countless NY'rs holding signs of love, encouragement, patriotism. The heart wrenching signs were please find my: Father, mother sister brother daughter and son. We got to Javits, and again told to wait. We got delayed by a bomb threat at the Chelsea pier. Then I learned we were going to Ground Zero. St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church. The three photos in this link were the last photos I took that day. My entire life trajectory changed. Hugs

I made it through 10 minutes. I’ll try again to listen to your essay. I’m still angry about the events of that day.

Jim

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Leslie Deana

The video hit my YT notifications but it's still marked as unlisted. Turning comments off was wise as you know the trolls love to sh*tpost. I'd like to share it but won't until you've made it public.

lohphat

Yes. Thank you. This is stunning, literally. If I'm ever in conversation with someone who doesn't understand the enormity of that day, I will show them this. And if I ever forget any part the emotions I felt that day, I will watch this again.

Jeffrey R. Broido

Thank you Fran.

The haunted sound of empty streets happened again last year when NYC was seeing 800 people a day die of Covid. Everything was locked down and the EarthCam video of Times Square showed it completely devoid of humans no matter when you tuned in. The only sounds in the city were the constant runs of ambulances 24 hours a day. It felt like a war zone. Empty trains were normal and those riding them before vaccines were the healthcare and critical workers heading to/from work. Train services was stopped 2am-5am most of last year -- for the first time ever. They still do a basic cleaning of all trains at the termini -- but really the larger problem are people ignoring the mask mandate law -- which is not enforced by the NYPD who just stand around in stations -- also many not wearing masks themselves either.

lohphat

Fran: Thank you. You are incredibly brave *and* a consummate professional. When Uncle Walter announced the assassination of JFK, he teared-up on camera. You witnessed and continue to bear witness to the horrific death of 3500 souls and the attempted assassination of New York City. You could not be human if that didn’t impact you as strongly as it did. I strongly suggest you send your brilliant essay to The New Yorker magazine. And I would reference this video in the cover email. Your art, both written and photographic, should be read and seen by everyone.

Mike O'Dell

Thank you so much for sharing. I watched the second tower fall on CNN nearly 2000 miles away in a different country, then drove to my IT job and spent the day without internet because it was effectively down. In the 20 years since, I don't think I've heard a personal account like yours. This is the best "memorial" I've ever heard. Better than anything I've seen on TV. Again, Thank you.

Words fail me. You're a professional HUMAN! And you're added to my book of heroes that had to stand in the face of that terror and still get on an empty train to try and help any way you could. Nothing I will ever do will be as brave.

Matt Wietlispach

Nothing can take your memories and you're about to make more.

Dr Andy Hill

A sad tale all through, but now on to greater zero-g things.

Dr Andy Hill

More than excellent! No, much greater than excellent! Thank you for sharing...

Donald J Arndt

As a first responder to the terrible 911 scene, and having lost fellow police officers and firemen to that horrific event, I fully understand your feelings. I can never forget, God Bless America and those we lost!🙏 🇺🇸💙

YT chat comments are often spam so she'll need a team of moderators to vet any comments to make the content useful.

lohphat

Hi Fran, thank you for sharing these memories and photographs. As someone who was far more distant from the events of the day than you were this helped give me a new perspective on them. One suggestion I have would be that when you make this video public to do so as a YouTube Premiere, I think viewers would benefit from being able to talk to each other and share their emotions in real time (or to see others do so on the chat replay).

Tyler Knott

Glad you shared, lady.

Being human is NOT being "unprofessional". You have a reason and a purpose for demonstrating your humanity publicly like this. Your emotions are real and and appropriate for the content. Every single time I see the magazine cover of the jumper, I cry. The terror in his mind that made him and all the others chose instead being burned alive is unimaginable. Now when I'm in a high building (I'm already afraid of heights), that image flashes in my mind and my thoughts always return to "could I do it if it were me?" I still can't answer that question. When I started coming to NYC from San Francisco regularly in 2010 I was exploring Battery Park for the first time and came across The Sphere. As I approached I suddenly realized what it was and where it was from. I started crying just standing there as it was the first "artifact" of 9/11 I had encountered in person. For me The Sphere represented the city as it was the centerpiece of Oz in the movie "The Wiz" with the cosmopolitan dancers circling it as the colors changed. Seeing the sculpture crushed as it is brought a huge wave of emotion and memories from watching the horiffic events from the safety of my living room in SF 2500 miles away nine years prior. It is my "innocence lost" memorial. Now that it's back near its original home is fitting. However I wish they would place a brass marker in the pavement where it used to stand as its own form of remembrance.

lohphat

I disagree, this wasn't something I shouldn't watch, it was something I didn't know I needed to watch. Thank you, Fran.

David Peaker

I appreciate your decision to share this. It is cathartic to be able to distil your thoughts into such a descriptive narrative. Don't apologise for being emotional, it would be hard not be. *warm hugs*

veritanuda

You didn't have to do this Fran, I'm sure this was far more painful for you that it was to watch. I hope making this video will give you at least some of the closure you seek.

Dr Andy Hill

Heavy stuff.

William Alsing

Thanks for sharing!

A powerful story, beautifully told, Thank you for sharing Fran.

Doug McRae

I’m so glad that you shared your experience with us. This is honestly one of the hardest hitting videos about 9/11 that I’ve seen. Your account of the events feel so personal, as if a friend was sharing it with me. Thank you.