I Was in Washington on 9/11, I’ll Never Forget It

Pictured: Pentagon Memorial

Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy K. Baruah reflects on a long walk out of D.C.

September 11, 2001, which we all refer to it simply as “9/11,” was 25 years ago – a generation. The 112 million Gen Z Americans born since about 1997 have no personal recollection of the tragic events of that day. Just like the generations following the Pearl Harbor attack – they know of these attacks mostly from history books. For the rest of us, 9/11 is still with us.

For me, 9/11 memories are deeply personal.

On that morning, I was in my office at the Commerce Department, across the street from the Washington Monument. When I walked across the hall for a meeting in the interior part of the building, someone noted that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. Like most when we first heard the news, I assumed it was a small craft gone awry.

Let’s start the meeting.

When I returned to my office and looked out the window, I noticed what looked like steam on the corner of 17th and Constitution – where the American Red Cross and other stately buildings are located. I assumed it was the steam vent in that area – but geez that was a lot of steam.

Soon, office chatter grew and telephones rang. So, I turned on the TV in my office and that’s when I realized what was happening. The “steam” at 17th and Constitution was American #77 that hit the Pentagon across the Potomac.

Time to evacuate.

From the White House to federal buildings to every other office building in Washington, people flowed out of buildings like a faucet on full. Sidewalks were packed and the streets were filled with cars going every direction yet going nowhere. Complete gridlock.

Everyone was scared – me too.

Looking at the chaos, I decided it was a good idea to leave my car three levels down below the Ronald Reagan International Trade Building. My thinking was not that the Commerce Department or the Reagan Building were targets; I feared that the Washington Monument or the White House were and if they missed by a block… The walk home was about 90 minutes – it felt longer because of the new dress shoes – that I would toss that night.

Everyone on the Eastern Seaboard remembers that 9/11 was a beautiful day. Unlike the usual conditions in September, it was clear yet and not humid. This not only aided my walk, but as traffic remained snarled for miles, people had their car windows down so I got my news listening to car radios. That’s how I learned the first tower had collapsed and later – the second tower.

My wife had not yet moved to Washington. She was closing on the sale of our house in Portland, OR. In those early cell phone days – especially in a high traffic environment like Washington, D.C. on 9/11 – getting a call out was impossible. I desperately tried my wife and vice versa. We eventually connected for a few minutes before we were disconnected, just enough to ensure we were both okay.

Fast forward – I was on one of the first commercial flights once airlines were allowed to fly – Washington Dulles to Chicago to Portland. Not many planes in the sky and not many people on the planes. As I settled into my seat in Chicago, the captain started chatting with the two of us seated in the front of the bus. His black arm band was for his fellow captain, and friend, who perished when United #175 hit the South Tower. He talked about the reinforcements of the cockpit door and was grateful to be flying again. After a few minutes, he looked both me and the fellow front row passenger in the eye, then said, “last line of defense, right guys?” I’ll never forget those chilling words.

On the return trip to Washington, I was accompanied by our family cat. As the cat and I reached the screening, I took her out of her carrier and placed her on my shoulder (she loved being held like a baby…but perhaps not the venue). As the cat appeared, a pronounced “ahhh” washed over those behind me in line. It was a brief moment of relief when people needed one.

Sandy K. Baruah is the Chief Executive Officer of the Detroit Regional Chamber and served President George W. Bush as Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce.