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B6 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday September 11, 2002 REFLECTIONS & HEROES A world changed Just like everyone else, I woke up at my usual time on the morning of Sept. 11, and began to get ready for the day. I was just getting used to the school routine again, and had my mind mainly on the football season that had just begun. I walked to the bus stop that morning, not know ing what was in store for the world in a bit over an hour's time. I was sitting in my first period history class learning about how our world had been changed in the early 1900s, not even realizing that our world was being changed once again. I did not hear anything about it until the end of second period when my science teacher informed us that something horrible had happened in the U.S. I heard from people throughout the day what had happened since they had watched the news in some of their classes. I could not believe that the World Trade Centers had collapsed, but I didn't think much about it after that until I got home after football practice. As I walked in the door and walked upstairs my mom was laying on the bed, watching the T.V. Something was wrong in the way she looked. She then broke the news to me that a family member of ours was missing in New York. I could not believe that someone in my family was missing. I spent most of that night in tears and talking to friends on the computer as they tried to give me hope that it will be okay. Every time the phone rang that night I would pray that it was good news. Unfortunately, we didn't get a phone call that night with the news I wanted. Every night, I would go home and hope that my mom had heard something throughout the day from New York. A few weeks after the 11 th, all hope of finding him alive was gone. We were told that they were going to have a memorial service later that week. The next morning, we traveled down to New York City to attend the memorial and to comfort our family. Almost every car, every tunnel over head, every building in the USA, had an American flag hanging proud. I will never for get the image of the smoke rising through the buildings of down town New York as we went across the George Washington Bridge. I never expected to see the smoke still rising two weeks after that tragic day. My parents and I went down to New York during the week of the six month anniversary. Going down to Ground Zero for the first time was a feeling you never want to feel ever again in your life. As I walked around the sidewalks surrounding Ground Zero, 1 looked at all the pic tures of the missing, and realizing that all of those families are feeling the same pain and loss as I am. There has not been a day gone by since Sept. 11 that I have not thought about that day. I can not look at an airplane flying over any city the same way. I have an American flag in my room, along with a plate of the New York skyline. I still look at that everyday and wonder how it could have happened. As the thoughts come into my mind of that tragic day, 1 just look down, and think of my family. Those images are still glued in my mind. For this world faced a horrible tragedy that day, but we will go on, and we will get stronger. -- K. M cG ill grade 11 student Campbellville man who escaped WTC attacks looks to `simpler' life Batty, who now works close to home, reflects on events a year later By Richard Vivian S P E C IA L T O T H E BEAVER A senseless act My feelings around the 9-11 tragedy are extremely sad as it shall always touch on a per sonal tragedy in my life - the loss of my dear father. During the summer of 2001 my 91 year old Father was critically ill and his life was slowly ebbing away at Oakville Trafalgar Hospital. I remember when ! first heard the news of the first plane hitting the tower, I called my Dad and said to tum on the T.V. as something really big was happening in New York. Later that day while vis iting Dad we talked about the horror and devasta tion with so much disbelief and shock. I remember even some of the hospital staff were talking about the possibility of going to New York to offer medical assistance. It is very wonderful to see how people come together to help those in need. My Father passed away on Sept. 23, 2001 with myself and my husband by his bedside. In the midst of our grief my husband said that we were lucky to have the chance to be with him and to tell him how very much we loved him and would miss him everyday while those loved ones of the victims of the World Trade Centre and on the air planes said goodbye to their loved ones that morning and never saw them again. How life changed for so many in a split sec ond! All of us have or will experience our own per sonal grief but hopefully never again will thou sands be affected by such a senseless act of ter rorism. -- L. Milne Nearly a year has passed since Campbellville resi dent Pat Batty escaped the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre (WTC) and life is somewhat dif ferent now, he told The Champion. "I don't dwell on it on a daily basis. I did go through a stressful and sleepless period for about a month," he explained. "No one knew, as we were going through the events, the magnitude of the events. It took a while to sink in just how historic an event and how tragic an event it was. The fact a war has now broken out because of it even amplifies that." More than 3,000 people died on the morning of September 11, 2001 after two planes flew into the WTC in New York, a third plane attacked the Pentagon in Washington and a fourth plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field. Mr. Batty was at the WTC that day on business and he feels immensely grateful to have escaped with his life. As the first plane struck, Mr. Batty was waiting for a colleague on the mall level (one floor underground). Not having heard the plane hit -- he only felt a slight shudder -- he thought it might be best to stay put because of the chaos. However, after a few minutes of watching the panic, he and several others decided it was best to get out of the building. Once outside, he walked through the flames and debris to what he thought was safety. And as the second plane struck -- sending more debris falling to the ground -- Mr. Batty was able to find an archway for shelter, helping others in as well. "Naturally, I'm very thankful that I survived it. But I'm also thankful, looking back at it, that I was able to help a few other people," he said as he reflected on the events. "I know it may sound a bit strange, but it helps you feel a bit less guilty. You see people that are going in to help people, that is their job. I think any survivor prob ably feels somewhat guilty that all they were doing was getting out of there." After taking some time off work, Mr. Batty's job required him to return to New York by mid-October. During the numerous work-related trips that followed, the local man found his way to Ground Zero on three or four occasions. "That was pretty emotional to see what's no longer there. They (WTC buildings) were still standing as I left, though the one collapsed just a few minutes after ward," he said. Graham Paine · O ak\ille Beaver Pat Batty, who was at the World Trade Center when the first airplane hit, says the ordeal will never totally disappear from his mind, but he thinks it's important to move on. "When you go there for the first time, it's certainly an emotional experience. I mean, we (he and his wife, Boni) were at the top of the building last March (2000) with the family." In addition to the emotional stress of the attacks, the company Mr. Batty worked for -- Rogue Wave Software -- was forced to downsize in the aftermath. The company provided software to financial and avia tion industries. "As a result, our company cut back in April and I decided to take the opportunity to get back home," he said from his new real-estate sales office at ReMax Blue Springs in Milton. "I'd been travelling to the States for many, many years on business and I wanted to take advantage of my background on a local basis." Working closer to home is one of several ways Mr. Batty said his life is "simpler" now. And while the events of September 11 will never completely disap pear from his mind, it's important to move on, he said. "I would like to extend my condolences to all the families who have suffered under this," he said. "The Canadians who died don't seem to get much attention." More than 50 Canadians are believed to have died in the attacks. On September 11, 2001 hundreds of police officers, firefighters and em ergency medical workers lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks on our neighbours. Their courage and strength during their crisis makes us proud to be their neighbours.