As Americans across the nation watched their television screens in horror, social studies teacher Matt Thompson stood in an ashen street gazing up at the two plumes of smoke pouring upward from the skyscrapers.
“We were just in complete shock,” recalled a shaken Thompson.
Thompson was entering his senior year at Northwestern, when he and his roommate Gabe decided to take a road trip to Gabe’s home town of Boston. Thompson had never been to the East Coast before, and was eager to explore a new place.
“We were in the car September 9, and we were just like, ‘You know what, let’s go to New York’” narrated Thompson.
They had no idea of the tragedy that would occur just two days later.
The two drove down to New York that same night, where they stayed with one of Gabe’s cousins, who lived in Jersey City; the twin towers were looming just across the harbor. The next day, September 10, the roommates spent the day exploring the Big Apple, hanging out in the Twin Towers and going to a Yankees game until they were rained out.
“We ended up staying out pretty late; we were literally right outside the Twin Towers at around 4 in the morning on the 11,” noted Thompson.
The roommates’ original plan was to take a ferry home, but upon finding out the ferry wouldn’t come until around 6 or 7, the tired travelers were prompted to take a cab back.
The next thing Thompson remembers is being shaken awake by his frantic roommate.
“My roommate just says ‘Guys, one of the Twin Towers is on fire’. We were half asleep and were like, ‘What are you talking about?’” recalled Thompson.
Not able to see a view of the towers from the apartment, they rushed out in the street. By the time they were outside, the second plane had hit. The college students were in complete shock. In a daze, they attempted to get ahold of their families to assure them that they were safe.
“It was the strangest thing you could ever imagine. Like, you saw it on TV during the whole thing, but we saw it first-hand,” remembered Thompson.
It was then that Jersey City began to ferry evacuating New Yorkers across the harbor.
“We started to see more and more people just covered in ash, and hearing their accounts was just horrifying and sad. They were explaining that they had friends that worked there and they didn’t know if they got out,” said Thompson.
After an emotionally draining day, Thompson headed back to Boston on the 12 where he and his roommate stayed for a couple days. From there, the two drove back to Northwestern.
Thompson is still haunted by the decisions he made in those fateful three days.
“What if we had stayed in Boston first then went to New York? What if we had pushed [the trip to New York] back a day? We thought about it a lot,” said Thompson.
Ten years have passed since the national tragedy, and Thompson believes that the nation has evolved as a whole with 9/11 as a trigger.
“Before 9/11, it was a simpler time,” reflected Thompson.
