In memory of the 2981 victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, among them three Albanians
[Disastrous September, by the Albanian-American author, Skifter Këlliçi, takes place on two different days: May 10 and September 11, 2001. The novel tells the story of a well-known CNN reporter named Steve Ferguson, engaged to Jacqueline Cramer, a flight attendant based at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, the novel explores the lives of four Albanians. Besim Istrefi, Rrok Camaj, and Marko Muzaka worked as window washers in the Twin Towers. Sokol Kama, a journalist and writer, works in security at Logan International Airport. On September 11, 2001 just a few days before Steve and Jacqueline’s wedding, two planes, bound for Los Angeles, depart from Boston. Terrorists hijack them and crash them into the Twin Towers in New York. The author, who worked at Logan International Airport during the attacks, offers a gripping account of the tragedy and shows how it could have been avoided.]
By SKIFTER KELLICI
[Translated from the Albanian by Carrie Hooper]
While they were immersed in conversation, CNN broadcast an interview with experts, who, in hushed, tremulous tones, discussed the history of hijackings. The first hijacking occurred in 1968, when Palestinian terrorists forced an El Al plane, which had departed from Rome, to land in Algiers and demanded the release of several Arab prisoners. The experts also mentioned hijackings in 1970, 1976, and 1981. The worst tragedy occurred in 1985 at the Cairo airport, when Egyptian soldiers attacked a plane, hijacked by Palestinians. They killed not only the terrorists, but also fifty-two passengers. In March of 2001, at the Medina airport, Saudi snipers attacked a Russian plane, en route to Istanbul, which had been hijacked by Chechnyan terrorists. Three terrorists and a flight attendant were killed.
The hijackings, which had occurred just a short time ago, differed from earlier hijackings in that they not only caused the death of the terrorists and passengers on the planes, but, Worst of all, they led to the destruction of the Twin Towers, burying hundreds of people in the rubble. Each plane, carrying about one hundred tons of fuel and traveling at more than 500 miles an hour, became a weapon with as much energy as a small atomic bomb. The extreme heat melted the towers’ steel structures, causing them to fall.
The experts predicted the death toll could rise to around two- or three thousand.
“It’s an immense loss,” said one commentator, a military historian. “During the Korean War, which lasted from 1950-1954, we lost almost 34,000 soldiers. During the Vietnam War, which lasted eleven years, from 1964-1975, we lost almost 59,000 soldiers. In this case, we don’t have an exact number, but we may be talking hundreds or thousands, I hope to God fewer victims killed within a few hours.”
The commentator shook his head and closed his eyes, barely able to breathe. He forgot millions of people were watching him not only in America, but all over the world. Still, he had a right to feel the way he did. The indignant spectators shook their heads, too for the dead were people like them: workers and tourists, savoring the magical view of the city from dizzying heights.
“Oh, God!” sighed Jay. “Thousands of soldiers gave their lives in wars which lasted years while scores of people in the towers perished in a matter of minutes. It reminds me of that December morning in 1941 when Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor. In a short time, more than three thousands of our sons died before they could realize their dreams.”
In March of 2001, at the Medina airport, Saudi snipers attacked a Russian plane, en route to Istanbul, which had been hijacked by Chechnyan terrorists. Three terrorists and a flight attendant were killed.
“The people on the planes and in the towers had dreams, too!” Floyd gasped. “Some of them had just started a new work day, some were traveling.”
Gray-haired Floyd could no longer contain his sobs.
“Imagine the greetings, wishes, and messages people shared over the phone not only in New York, but in other American cities as well! Think of the meetings young lovers arranged, the women who told their husbands they were pregnant, the engagements and weddings that had been planned, like Steve Ferguson’s wedding which was supposed to happen this Sunday. He called you first because he wanted to tell you what had happened to Jacqueline. He was able to keep his composure while reporting on the attack of the Twin Towers.”
“Many people talked and smiled even as the planes hit the towers,” said Jay. “Others worked, their eyes glued to their computers or documents on their desks. They sipped coffee, ate, and told stories. Young men and women whispered words of love to each other, maybe for the first time, and brushed their lips against each other. Maybe they were hesitant to kiss since it was their first one. Little did they know it would be their last. They never imagined those planes would land on them.”
Jay’s eyes glistened with tears.
“Perhaps some people fainted or cried out, unable to put their fear into words,” sighed Floyd, swallowing the horror that ate him through and through.
“How many families are mourning their loved ones, lost on the planes and in the towers?” sighed Jay, his eyes filled with grief. “Why? Why?”
He answered his own question.
“Because we at the FAA didn’t do our job. We should never have allowed passengers to carry pocket knives, bottles, or lighters. Also, we should have checked their shoes where they could have hidden explosives.”
He sighed and almost whispered, “This tragedy happened because we failed to do our job.”
Floyd’s eyes fell as he stammered, “We, more than anyone, are responsible for what happened.”
Jay shrugged his shoulders.
“What do you mean?”
“You mentioned the terrorists trained in this country to become pilots and attacked us with our planes. Right?”
Jay nodded.
“A few weeks ago, one of my colleagues in New York told me in early July, an agent in Phoenix named Kenneth Williams sent him a memo in which he stated some young Arabs were taking courses to learn how to fly commercial planes, perhaps with the support of Osama bin Laden, in preparation for an eventual attack.”
“Really?” Jay exclaimed. “What did your colleagues do when they got the memo?”
Floyd smiled bitterly and looked solemn.
“No one even bothered to look at it.”
“Unbelievable!” sighed Jay, his face pale.
“I didn’t give it much thought, either. If I had insisted the head of the New York office put those Arabs under surveillance, I’m convinced the FBI would have found them, thereby avoiding this horror. That’s why I say we, more than anyone, were responsible for this tragedy.”
Many people talked and smiled even as the planes hit the towers,” said Jay. “Others worked, their eyes glued to their computers or documents on their desks. They sipped coffee, ate, and told stories. Young men and women whispered words of love to each other
A tense silence fell. Finally, Jay spoke, on the verge of tears.
“We at the FAA bear a greater responsibility for what happened. If we hadn’t allowed the aforementioned objects on board, we would have nipped this tragedy in the bud.”
Without waiting for an answer, Jay stood up and almost staggered to the security checkpoint near which Sokol was talking to a passenger who insisted the flights, suspended for an indefinite period, should be rescheduled for the next day. He barely managed to break away from the unruly passenger. When he entered the checkpoint, Sokol found himself face to face with Jay. He did not understand the look in his eyes, brimming with tears, until Jay approached him, put a hand on his shoulder, and said, “Forgive me.”
With his words, he apologized to Sokol for disregarding his suggestions and for not answering the letter he had written several months ago. At the same time, he apologized to the other employees who had recommended more or less the same changes.
Sokol did not feel the need to respond to Jay’s apology.
“This evil came from people from the east!” shouted the passenger with whom Sokol had just spoken. He was a businessman, who was apparently supposed to go to Florida for a pressing matter. Rather tall and with a withered face, he paced the area around the security checkpoint, not seeming to care about what had happened in the Twin Towers and elsewhere. His ranting shocked everyone around him, but not Fatie. Small as she was, she confronted the man, who regarded her with wide eyes.
“Sir, I am from the East,” she said, eyeing him with contempt.
Her voice sounded withdrawn, as if at any moment, it would break from the sorrow she felt for herself and her friends.
“I am from Afghanistan, suffering under the cruel yoke of the Taliban. I escaped from there with the help of the International Red Cross. They brought me to America, my second home. Maybe I’m a bad person.”
Fatie paused, keeping her eyes on the stunned businessman. Then, pointing to a slender woman with a cleaning cart, she continued more passionately:
“Maybe the cleaner from Indonesia is a bad person. Unfortunately, Indonesia has Islamic fundamentalists who have nothing to do with true believers like me. In fact, we hate them.”
Fatie pointed to a middle-aged man and his wife at the restaurant counter.
“Maybe that husband and wife from Morocco are bad people. Maybe my friend who works with me in security is a bad person. He came from Albania, a country in the East, where Muslims, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians live in peace.”
Fatie laid a hand on Sokol’s shoulder. She spoke in rapid, broken English. Even if people didn’t understand her, they understood her broken spirit. Therefore, no one made fun of her or interrupted her.
The businessman wanted to say something, but before he could open his mouth, Floyd grabbed his arm and took him away.
“What happened today could happen again,” said Fatie, her flaming eyes taking in everyone around her. “Indeed, evil comes from the East, from one man, Osama bin Laden, who hides in the mountains of Afghanistan and feeds a few thousand shortsighted fanatics with hatred of the West in general and America in particular.” (Continues)
Click here for Part-1, Part-2, Part-3, Part-4, Part-5, Part-6, Part-7, Part-8, Part-9, Part-10, Part-11, Part-12, Part-13, Part-14, Part-15, Part-16, Part-17, Part-18, Part-19, Part-20, Part-21, Part-22, Part-23,
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About the Author
Skifter Këllici was born in Tirana, Albania and received a diploma in history and literature from the University of Tirana. He worked as a journalist, scholar, and sportscaster on radio and television. He is the author of several novels and nonfiction books, including the children’s books, “Memories of the Old Neighborhood” and “In the Footsteps” as well as the historical novels, “Assassination in Paris”, “The Murderer with the White Hands”, and “September Disaster.” He wrote the screenplay for “In the Footsteps” which won a special prize at the International Children’s Film Festival in Giffoni, Italy in 1979. He has lived in Boston, Massachusetts since 1999.
About the Translator
Carrie Hooper was born and raised in Elmira, New York. She has been blind since birth. She received a B.A. in vocal performance from Mansfield University, Mansfield, Pennsylvania. She went on to receive an M.A. in German and an M.A. in vocal performance from the State University of New York at Buffalo. After completing her studies, she spent a year at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden as a Fulbright scholar. Carrie currently lives in Elmira, New York. She taught German, Italian, and Romanian at Elmira College. She has a passion for foreign languages and in addition to the languages mentioned above, she is also proficient in Swedish, Spanish, and Albanian. Music also plays an important role in Carrie’s life. She teaches voice and piano lessons, gives vocal concerts, plays the piano and organ at a church, and sings in a community chorus. Carrie not only loves music and languages, but also enjoys poetry. She has published three books: “Piktura në fjalë” (“Word Paintings”), a bilingual collection of poetry (Albanian-English), “My Life in My Words”, and “Away from Home.” She has also translated texts from Albanian and Romanian to English.
[The book ‘Disastrous September is being reproduced in episodes with the consent of the author]
