I was a mananger at Home Depot in queens, NY at the time. The first plane hit right after I got to work that day. The TV we had was a piece of crap and the picture was fuzzy so looking at it I kept thinking it was a small plane that just went off course. After the second plane hit we closed down the store because some of the employees had family that worked in the towers. At this time some officers from NYPD showed up with a list of supplies they needed so me another manager loaded up a truck with generators, gloves, power tools, and other safety equipment. Then we made a stop at the supermarket to load 2 pallets of water onto the truck and then took everything to police station. We waitied around there for a few hours to see if they wanted us to drive the truck into manahattan but eventually they decided to do it themselves.
I remember that day like it was yesterday, its really weird I can close my eyes and picture everything perfectly and I can still feel the sun beating down on me that day. I remember standing in the street talking to a cop and he was scared, all he kept saying was that he "didn't need this shit anymore" he said he was going to retire asap. I remember thinking that it was going to be my last day on earth, I expected more shit to happen that day and didn't think there was going to be a tomorrow. I remember calling my parents and wanting my sister to get back home with them. I remember watching all the off duty cops rushing into the police station and coming out in riot gear and being loaded onto a bus to go the WTC. Sometimes I think I just remember too much and wish I didn't.
Also, at one point in my drive to work I used to see the twin towers and for weeks after the attacks I remember the big cloud of smoke that marked were the towers stood. I also remember smelling the smoke and thinking that was the smell of bodies burning.
May all those who were senselessly killed Rest In Peace
