The What-If's
Dealing with the tragedy of 9/11 as a survivor

I Try Not To Think About The What-If's when I Think of September 11, 2001
Written for Haleisner.com 9/11 Edition

THOUSAND OAKS, CA- As webmaster for Haleisner.com, I've never actually contributed to his web site as a content writer. However, as so many of our regular contributors share their experiences, I too have felt a need to express my thoughts about the time I worked in the World Trade Center for the 2000 Election.

Fresh out of college, I jumped at the chance to work for the infamous Voter News Service. For me it was a golden opportunity to work in the World Trade Center as California State Manager from the 93rd Floor of Tower 2. As I look at my WTC ID now, I shudder at the thought of working there. Not many people know about the extensive background checks that one must endure in order to be allowed inside the non-tourist areas of the towers. The building welcomes thousands of visitors a day, but as an employee, enduring the stringent screening was a prerequisite. "Tight security" doesn't even begin to describe it. The badge system - implented after the first WTC bombing -required submitting your request 2 weeks in advance. Once you were issued an ID card, it was the only way anyone could gain access to the non-tourist areas of the towers. In fact, you needed to swipe your ID card into a subway-esque turnstyle just to get into the elevators.

With the extreme background checks, security officers at the elevators, and digital check-in access turnstyles, I always felt safe while I worked there, as did many of the other WTC employees.

As if Election 2000 was not memorable enough, now I carry other memories to make that experience something NEVER to be forgotten. In the days after 9/11 I've tried not to think about the What-If's. I worked there exactly 11 months prior to September 11, 2001. I'll never forget the massive size of the complex where the towers stood, or being inside the building with lightening-fast elevators. I'll never forget the vertigo-inducing views from that awesome height, nor will I forget the creepy sway that the tower had- and was built to do - when the wind kicked up.

I'll never forget the victims who have lost their lives in the tragedy, because for a fleeting few weeks, I was one of them. I rode the 3 separate elevators it required to get to the 93rd floor, I ate with them at the WTC Food Court, I rode the subway home with them after a long day at the office. I was - for a short time - one of them, and I Will Never Forget.