And Still I Persist

While Webster attempts to tame a new swarm of micro Dobermans, I am set to travel to the land of my ancestors. As luck would have it, business is taking me to London for several days to pitch strange new forms of software to large scale financial institutions in hopes of keeping the venture solvent for a long time to come.

Once all of the pitching and presenting is done, why not head to Scotland? There are relatives and members of my extended family whom I have never seen before in my life. Since my father (may god keep his soul) immigrated to this country, the family in America became somewhat estranged from the family in Scotland. It is my sincere hope that the time has come to make new friends and mend old grievances.

The great part about traveling in the UK is that you can take the train almost everywhere. Oh yeah, I am a tremendous train buff.

I will do my best to photograph and add to the site while I am over in Scotland. If you fear the sight of men in kilts, you may want to exercise caution.

[Please welcome Bruce Henderson to And Still I Persist. Bruce is a close friend of 15 years and one of the finest people I know. This is his first post here. ..bruce..]

Sometimes I think that we as a nation want to push the events of September 11^th 2001 into the history books, and convince ourselves that it can never happen again. Some of us think that it has become little more than a political stunt, still others inexplicably think that this was an “inside job” concocted by the “neo-cons” to enact their shadowy master plan.

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(UPDATED 09/11/06) Check out Bruce Henderson’s post above for some high-resolution shots post-9/11. ..bruce..

In March 2001 — just six months before the 9/11 attacks — Sandra and I took our daughters Jacqui and Crystal, along with John Hicks (soon to become Jacqui’s fiance and then husband), up to New York City. We did the usual touristy stuff, including stopping on the way up to take the ferry tour of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty and going to the observation deck of the Empire State Building. We did not visit the World Trade Center, but it shows up repeatedly in the photographs I took. On my many trips to NYC since 9/11, I have always noticed the gap in the skyline where the WTC towers stood.

After the jump are some of those photographs taken in March 2001. I fear that on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the gap in the NYC skyline will still be there. ..bruce..

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Robert (”Rob” or “Gringo”) David Peraza was 30 years old on September 11, 2001. He had earned both his undergraduate degree (1994) and his MBA (1996) from St. Bonaventure University, where he had loved to play rugby. He was now living in New York City and working as a bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald near the top (floors 101-105) of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. He had a girlfriend, Megan Cressy, also a St. Bonaventure alumna, who loved him and whom he loved.

He went to work on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

At 8:46 am, American Airlines Flight 11 — scheduled to go from Boston to Los Angeles but having been hijacked by five Al Qaeda terrorists — slammed into the North Tower just below the Cantor Fitzgerald offices, instantly killing all those on board as well as hundreds of people on floors 93-101 and trapping those above, including Rob. A little less than two hours later, at 10:28 am, the North Tower collapsed, killing all who were still trapped in the building as well as police and firemen there for rescue operations. (The South Tower, hit by United Airlines Flight 175 some 17 minutes after AA #11 hit the North Tower, had already collapsed at 9:59 am.)

Sometime in those two hours, Rob Peraza died, leaving behind his parents, Robert & Suzanne Peraza, his brother Neil, his girfriend Megan, and many other family members and friends. By day’s end, the coordinated hijackings and resulting attacks (three successful, one failed) would kill a total of 2,996 innocent victims.

Rob is gone but not forgotten. An annual St. Bonaventure Rugby Alumni weekend was renamed in his honor. Two scholarships were set up in his name, and an annual golf tournament (the “Gringo Open”) established to help raise funds.

I did not know Rob, nor his family. I signed up for the 2,996 project and was randomly assigned his name. But I have read his tributes, have spoken with his brother Neil, and Rob’s death grieves me. We have childen close to Rob’s age; it could have been one of ours who died that day.

And while my wife Sandra and I did not lose any friends or family members on 9/11, the attacks struck close to home — literally. We had just moved to a house on Quebec Street in northwest Washington DC, only 3-4 miles north of the Pentagon and about the same distance from the White House (the apparent target of United Flight 93). We watched the attacks (including the one on the Pentagon just a few miles away) unfold on live cable TV. For the next four years, we dealt with the aftermath of 9/11 and subsequent terrorist threats (including the anthrax attacks via the DC post office, which interrupted our mail service for a while). We also lived about a mile equidistant from the Israeli embassy, the Vice-President’s residence, and what would become the temporary site of the Department of Homeland Security. Elevated terrorist threats to specific DC buildings and to DC in general were a regular occurrence during those four years. Yet when we moved to Colorado a year ago, it was not out of fear but for more prosaic concerns: a lower cost of living and to be closer to our grandchilden.

Earlier today (Sunday, September 10th), we hugged our son Jon goodbye. He graduated from Marine boot camp on September 1st and came out to Colorado to visit Sandra and me for a week. He flew back to San Diego today; he reports to Camp Pendleton on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 for further training, followed by likely deployment overseas. My heart aches at the danger and risks he will face, but I know why he goes, and I am proud of him.

He goes for Rob. ..bruce..

Between drving some 4000+ miles since late August and spending a week with our son Jon before he heads off for further Marine training and then deployment, I’ve been a bit busy. Regular blogging will recommence. ..bruce..