Still Remembering

By Myrna Ynares Celerian (chunsanit)

Ten years is a long time but up to now, when I think about 9/11, I cannot help feel I was part of American history in the making, and I can vividly recall that day it happened as if it was only yesterday.

I took an early retirement from the World Bank in 1998. By 2000, I decided I wanted to travel free so I worked for United Airlines (part time) from 2000 - 2003. On September 8, 9 and 10, there seems to be an endless exodus of customers, mostly arab looking or muslims as their women were all wearing the light blue burkas; whereas the Arab women were mostly covered except their eyes with black from head to foot. I remember asking one of the sales agents if there is a muslim holiday because most of those leaving Dulles International Airport in Virginia have no less than 6 largest size luggages and some even more. On Sept. 10, I was assigned to cover the economy class as they have the most number of passengers. One agent asked me to check the passport picture vs. the face of the woman in a burka, and only her eyes was showing. But when I asked her some questions she definitely sounded male, even her height is quite tall. However, the other male companion was giving me an angry look and we were instructed that if there is a problem passenger, we have to call security and not solve it ourselves. I made eye contact with the ticket agent but with so many passengers, they were so swamped and disregarded me, she issued her/him a boarding pass knowing I already check the passport against the face, but could not tell her what I discovered because we were still in the unsecured area and I saw the other guy put his hand inside his trouser while still giving me a bad look. When they walk away, the other guy told me "you will all be sorry" and suddenly the one covered by the burka suddenly gave him an angry word in their language and grab him by the arm and walk away. My other officemate covering the main lobby of Dulles Airport just looked at me and shrugged (we worked as customer service agents and sometimes I am assigned in Customs and sometimes in the international first and business class). A lot of muslims were working then at Dulles handling baggages, some worked pushing wheelchairs, a few at the counters.

September 11, 2001

I woke up that morning without watching the TV as I showered, dress up and was about to go to Dulles Airport before 10 a.m. when my daughter called me up and said to watch the news on TV. I flicked the switch and could not understand at first what was happening.... all I see was the WTC's north tower in flames (which I thought just an ordinary fire on that floor) but then there appeared another jet flying towards the other tower. I then heard the TV news anchor saying that america is being attacked! Still not comprehending what was going on, suddenly they flashed our United Airlines 2 jets and another one hitting the Pentagon, then the news of another plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field, and they were announcing it might be intended for the White House or Congress (World Bank is a block away from the White House - 8 buildings in all, and the main building almost the whole block).

I immediately turned off the TV, dashed to my car and sped using the back roads of Lawyers Road that connects to the highway to the airport (a good 25 minutes from my house to the IAD airport). When I was halfway there, a lot of cars passed me by on the opposite direction but I continued thinking I have to be there on time to help customers as I heard that they cannot use their cellphones or phones and one of my jobs was directing the traffic of passengers. When I arrived at the huge Employee Parking lot (for all airlines), it was DESERTED except one employee bus that took me to the main terminal. I saw my supervisor but none of my officemate and people crying walking about like in a daze.... the airport was a complete mess of humans. I particularly felt sorry for a very pregnant British woman and her husband who just checked out of their hotel for their early flight back to London but now NO FLIGHT WAS ALLOWED TO LEAVE AND THERE WAS A COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN ... no cellphone working. And they cannot go back to their hotel since no phone was working.

My supervisor then told me to go home and that we lost two of our jumbo jets -- about Flight 93 and another United Airlines plane that were diverted. I felt my knee turned jellylike and disbelief because one of the stewardesses of that flight happens to be with me in the employee bus a few days earlier telling her companions that she will be retiring in a month and was really looking forward to it. I also recognized from the picture roster a few stewardesses as they used to passed by us while we were daily working the floor helping passengers and answering their queries, or watching for those in wheelchairs and telling them to be at the front of the line.

A few months later, our whole Customer Service group were all furloughed to cut costs because losing two jumbo jets were very costly for our airline. We can still travel free though. America was never the same again!! And travelling have never been the same. Before, security was quite lax, then all those muslim looking guys' jobs were replaced by our Homeland Security. Some of those guys were hardworking and nice, but we all became victims of the evil schemes of a few really bad people with the wrong ideology. By 2003, I resigned and moved to a private company and completely retired end of 2009.