kyeela

http://www.reddit.com/user/kyeela

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kyeela16 karma

He says that in the year following 9/11, he got more jumpy than he normally would when he heard loud noises. Some of my family members say it softened him a lot. One of my cousins told me once that he didn't think people were capable of true personality changes until he saw my dad before and after 9/11. If you ask me, that's a bit of an exaggerated take. But maybe I'm just too close to it. I think he dealt with a lot of survivor's guilt, even though his direct employees all ended up surviving. It's hard to make sense of why some people make it out and others don't, so I get it. Thinking about the first responders, especially, is really tough for him. Prior to my mom passing away, I had only ever seen my dad get teary-eyed twice in my life. Once was pre-9/11 when he was talking about his mom who passed away. The second time was post-9/11 when we saw the movie World Trade Center in the theater. I think he fared a lot better than many when it came to any long-term mental health issues, but I know he still carries pain from that day.

kyeela7 karma

To my knowledge, no one ever said anything like that to him, though I'm sure he wouldn't blame them if they did. He did tell me a story today about someone who was higher up than him in the company who had been killed and his body was not found. He said that a week or so after 9/11, the man's widow called the control offices and was put on the phone with my dad. She yelled at him and asked why they had not recovered her husband's body yet and asked what he was going to do about it. He tried to explain to her that he was not at all involved in recovery efforts, but she wouldn't listen. So he just let her yell. He doesn't suffer from any PTSD anymore, but this anniversary each year definitely triggers some difficult memories and emotions.

kyeela7 karma

Looking for a place now. I'm a bad redditor!

kyeela3 karma

It was my own fault for neglecting to post until late, then panicking because I didn’t know where to post it and choosing a subreddit that wasn’t the right fit, as I ended up not being able to see most of the comments since they weren’t phrased as questions. I have posted it elsewhere. I’m a bad redditor. I’m learning, but oh well. Thanks for reading though!