Mary Lou Gervie:

My boss and I took the 7AM shuttle to NYC on the morning of Sept. 11th.  We had a business appointment at CBS and were planning to return on the 5PM shuttle.  We were in a cab in Manhattan when the first airplane hit the first Tower.  A telephone call came in my cell phone from the client frantically worried that we were in the airplane that hit the World Trade Center.  Of course, we reassured her that we were fine but looked up at the sky (a beautiful blue, clear day) and wondered how any plane could possibly hit a building.  I immediately called my husband at the National Security Agency (NSA) in the Washington DC area (where he works) to let him know that was not my airplane that hit the Tower.  It was of no comfort that the NSA was not aware of this first tragedy.

We turned on the radio and heard that a second place hit the second Tower.  We knew immediately that something was seriously wrong.  The city was already blaring with noise from ambulances, fire trucks and police cars.  I watched the rest of the sad news (as so many Americans did) on the TV from the CBS building.  The buildings are so tall in NYC that from mid-Manhattan we were unable to actually see any of the damage.

But, we did know that we had to try to leave immediately or be trapped in Manhattan with no place to stay.  We walked miles through the city - train station (just to see the bomb stiffing dogs searching for problems), bus station, etc. just to learn that everything was closed.  The city was like one in a war zone - police had streets barricaded and emergency hospital sites were established on the streets wherever there was a medical facility.  The sirens still blazed throughout Manhattan - it was an experience I will always remember.  It is a strange feeling to feel "homeless" with a possibility of being killed by another airplane attack.

The bridges were closed to New Jersey - it appeared there was no way out!  We finally walked back to CBS (to see the reporters coming into the building covered with soot and ash - you could tell they were emotionally devastated).  One of my client's producers agreed to take us to New Jersey.  We went north and made it out of the city.  Of course in New Jersey there were no cars to rent (they were taken a emergency vehicles for the police), the main roads were either closed or jammed, the hotels were all full.  One hotel offered to put us up in a conference room with fifty other people - beds lined up in rows - for a mere $200 a bed.  Talk about gouging!

We found a Limo service that for "cash" would take us as far south as our money would last - that did get us to Delaware.  My boss's wife picked us up there and we made it safely home.

I must admit the experience makes me stand strongly for any action that our President and country feels necessary to try to eradicate these horrible people that have terrorized our nation.  Our country might experience retaliation but I believe that is the price necessary to relieve the world of these organized groups that have no qualms about killing innocent men, women and children.

So much for my story - but I have faith in God and believe that good will overcome evil.

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