di Hammer. L'originale inglese è disponibile qui .
Each
testimony of the survivors of September 11 has some details that makes it unique and worthy of being told, and feel the direct words of those who lived an epochal event is always the best way to pass on the memory. To this end, the group Undicisettembre public on this occasion the interview he has given us one of the survivors, he has to tell a story very touching.
Hans Kunnen, this is the name of the witness, quoted with his permission, is an Australian citizen on 11 September was on business in the U.S. and found himself alone in a foreign country with very few personal effects and prevented to return home for several days. Even
its history is to deny, even if it were needed, the crazy conspiracy theories about the Sept. 11, in particular, having been an eyewitness to the crash of United Airlines Flight 175 into the south tower of World Trade Center, its testimony finally clears the field from view "no plane" . Hans Kunnen
thank you for your courtesy and helpfulness.
Undicisettembre: What do you remember, in general, that day? Can you give us a brief account of your experience?
Hans Kunnen: was a normal day in New York, with fine weather and blue sky. It was the last day di una conferenza del NABE [National Association for Business Economics, Nabe.com ] che stavo seguendo. Ero nell'hotel Marriott del WTC, a una colazione di lavoro e stavamo ascoltando un relatore della Morgan Stanley. Quando il primo aereo colpì, sentimmo un rumore sordo e distante, come un'esplosione. Le luci, i lampadari e i tavoli tremarono. La gente iniziò a gridare, abbandonò i propri effetti personali e scappò verso l'uscita. Io rimasi seduto, perché non sembrava esserci pericolo imminente. Non pensai a un attacco terroristico perché mi ero dimenticato dell'attacco al World Trade Center avvenuto negli anni Novanta.
Nel giro di un paio di minuti, rimasero only three of us in the room. We went out to see what had happened. The people came through the Plaza to escape the falling rubble and - it seemed - to fuel the burning plane. I tried to get into my room to get my bags, so that I would be in a position to resume the air in the afternoon. I was not allowed to go back. We were told to leave the hotel from far side, through the Tall Ships Bar and Grill, in order to avoid the rubble. According
entrance I saw on the street cars in flames and rubble. The air was full of burning paper. I left the hotel, crossed Liberty Street and the routes to the current Pumphouse Park in Liberty Street. There was a pedestrian bridge covered between the two buildings and it was there for the first time I turned to look back. Looking up I saw the smoke coming out of Tower 1.
While I was still wondering what had happened, I saw an airplane flying low over the area of \u200b\u200bthe port of New York. Speed \u200b\u200bup and leaned sideways before crashing into the South Tower The noise was very loud, the sound of a plane accelerates. Blaze orange, black smoke, blue sky, screams of terror, tears and confusion.
At that moment I was not clear that it was an accident and it was time to leave if there were more coming.
decided to head for the ferry to Staten Island. My idea was to go to Staten Island, knock on the door of a church and ask for help and shelter. So I made my way with a sense of determination, fear and anxiety for about a mile to the terminal boarding the ferry. While waiting inside the terminal building there was a loud noise. The building shook, people screamed, there was the sound of explosions that followed, like the roar of a broadside of a battleship of World War II. It was the noise of the planes of the South Tower collapsing on one another. There were screams and fear among the crowd of several thousand people who were in the terminal and around it. I thought I would die.
Around the same time opened the gates of access to the ferry and the people climbed aboard. Not ci fu panico, ma la gente salì a passo spedito. Mentre salivamo sul battello, le volute di una nuvola di polvere grigio-giallognola arrivò sopra di noi. Fummo costretti a respirare attraverso fazzoletti e lembi delle camicie. Mentre ci sedevamo o prendevamo posto in piedi, la nuvola di polvere della Torre 2 ci avvolse. Questo creò un po' di paura e apprensione tra le persone intorno a noi e anch'io mi portai il lembo della camicia sulla bocca. La gente indossava i giubbotti di salvataggio mentre il battello era ancora fermo sul pontile.
Offrii il mio posto a sedere a una signora, ma lei declinò. La stessa donna tentò poi di infilarsi un giubbotto di salvataggio e fece cadere uno dei suoi orecchini. Glielo raccolsi e glielo restituii. Iniziammo to speak. He had noticed my name on the tag of the conference - Hans Kunnen, Sydney, Australia - and asked me where I was going. I told her about my idea to seek refuge in a church and she offered to host me at his family. Mrs. Leslie was Castelucci DeFreitas. Leslie was with a co-worker and offered help to the man who was sitting next to me.
After about 20 minutes, the boat departed and went out after a few hundred yards from the cloud of dust that had enveloped the terminal and most of the port. Once delivered, we went down and took the train to Dogan Hills, then walk up to Leslie's house in Cromwell Street. There he tried to contact my wife in Sydney, but lines were not working. After about four hours we reached it, with great relief by Suzanne: he had seen on television the second plane hitting the towers and knew I was right there underneath. It was a very hard time for her. Some friends had gone to find her to be near her and pray with her.
Undicisettembre: After September 11 you were forced to stay in New York a week before returning to Australia. What will happen in those days and they were the city and its inhabitants after the tragedy?
Hans Kunnen: Good question! I was in Staten Island for the first three days in a hotel in mid-town [the central district of Manhattan] for the last four (l'Hilton Hotel).
Leslie e Rod mi ospitarono presso di loro. Mi diedero da mangiare e da vestire e cercarono di mantenere più “normali” possibile le attività giornaliere. Visitammo alcuni parchi con il loro giovane figlio John, cenammo fuori a un diner – molto americano! – il King's Arms, in un parco a Staten Island. Andai a trovare Rod al lavoro – è un idraulico.
Il tempo era bello e ci sedevamo in giro a parlare delle nostre famiglie, delle nostre speranze e dei nostri sogni. Notai un risveglio del nazionalismo americano. Alcuni dei giovani per strada parlavano di arruolarsi nelle forze armate. Altri semplicemente speravano di andare al college and find work in the future. When I arrived the first time in Cromwell Street, where they lived and Rod Leslie, there were maybe five flags of the United States every ten houses. When I went there were from fifteen to twenty every ten homes. Flags were erected everywhere. In each site, in Manhattan, Times Square - everywhere.
The police were very nervous. While I was on a bus to New York City from Staten Island ended up in a traffic jam. The driver told us to get off the bus because there was a problem. It seemed that a terrorist had just passed a checkpoint and was heading to Staten Island. Therefore, all the bridges to and from Staten Island were closed until further notice. This was the reason engorgement. Ero con un'amica di Leslie e ci incamminammo alla ricerca di un telefono per trovare il modo di tornare a casa. Mentre camminavamo un'automobile accelerò verso di noi seguita da un'auto e da un elicottero, entrambi della polizia. Si fermarono a 30 metri da noi. I poliziotti tirarono l'autista fuori dall'auto, estrassero le pistole, lo bloccarono contro il cofano della sua macchina e lo perquisirono. Sembrava una scena presa di peso da un poliziesco in TV. L'elicottero fece un gran baccano volando proprio sopra di noi e sollevando la polvere. Temetti che potessimo essere colpiti da una raffica di proiettili e quindi ci accucciammo dietro a una grossa Chevy. Si trattò di un innocente malinteso. L'uomo non si era accorto del posto di blocco e lo lasciarono andare. A construction worker was an eye on their lunch break!
Later that day I went to Grand Central Station by bus and train. As soon as you opened the doors of the train, a police officer with a megaphone told me there was a bomb threat and that I and many thousands of people had to climb the stairs and exit. There was no bomb, but regretted that it was better to be cautious. An hour later, the same building as the bomb reached the Australian High Commission and the alarms started ringing again - just as I was sitting just below it to fill out a form.
We agreed that it would be wise to move closer to the Australian High Commission [immagine qui accanto, N.d.R.] , che era a mid-town, così che potessi ottenere un nuovo passaporto, procurarmi dei biglietti aerei, comprarmi vestiti e così via. Leslie fu straordinaria nel reperirmi una stanza all'Hilton Hotel e nel trovare i vari numeri di contatto. Mi trasferii all'Hilton giovedì.
Prima della conferenza economica del NABE che stavo seguendo avevo comprato molte cravatte al Metropolitan Museum of Art. Tutte erano decorate con motivi dell'artigianato americano. Mi piacevano. Le avevo riposte nella mia valigia, pronte per la fase successiva del mio viaggio. Quando crollò la Torre Sud, il mio hotel ne fu schiacciato insieme ai miei effetti personali. Ero deciso a rimpiazzare ciò che era andato perduto, e con il permesso del mio capo andai a comprare un paio di cose, tra cui delle camice di JoS A Bank! Ricomprai le cravatte del ”Met” – ora in versione 2 – e le indosso tuttora con orgoglio, anche se risentono un po' dell'usura.
Ho l'abitudine di comprare tazze da caffè nei posti che visito (questo fa impazzire mia moglie – abbiamo troppe tazze in cucina!). Ne avevo comprata una dopo essere andato in cima all'Empire State Building il primo sabato che ho trascorso a New York. Dopo essere stato al Met a comprare le cravatte andai all'Empire State Building. A quel punto la sicurezza per entrare nell'edificio era esasperata. Posi sul nastro trasportatore il mio sacchetto con gli acquisti ed entrai nel store, completely forgetting the bag. When I realized that I had not, I collapsed. I sat on the floor in the shop of the Empire State Building, and began to cry! Finally I ricomoposi after some people asked me if I was okay. Eventually I realized what I had done and with some embarrassment I found my bag at the security check at the entrance. I was very tense and fragile. I did not sleep well and I missed the comfort and conversation Leslie, Rod, their family and their friends. In some ways it was a mistake to move away from them and in a hotel, but at the time had seemed a good idea.
I bought new clothes in shops that seemed almost deserted. There seemed to be few people in the area of \u200b\u200bmidtown.
One nice thing happened to me. After I refused to pay $ 200 for a leather belt, I walked away a few blocks from Fifth Avenue and ran into a chain store Jos. A. Banks men's clothing. They are the white shirts from office the most beautiful and easy to iron in the world. Later I bought more online from Australia!
Having moved to the Hilton Hotel in midtown, I had plenty of time. At that point there were no flights leaving the United States. On TV there were appeals for donations of blood, and so Friday, after picking up my new passport, I headed to the center of the nearest blood collection, which found to be the main hall of the Martin Luther King Jr. High School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The collection and medical interview took place on stage, using what appeared to be emergency equipment that was brought to the site. It was not a normal blood donation center. What struck me most was the quiet determination of people who presented themselves to donate blood. They were mainly women between 30 and 40 years who seemed to simply want to make themselves useful. Women who were jogging, metropolitan mothers, girls gym. All they wanted to do their part - and did. I was impressed.
The procedure was similar to donating blood in Australia. Aspects of the tuo turno, compili dei moduli, rispondi alle domande, ti verificano la pressione sanguigna e alcune altre cose e poi doni varie centinaia di millilitri di sangue. Dopo ti riposi mentre mangi una barretta di muesli che ti viene offerta e bevi succo d'arancia o di frutti di bosco.
Durante la procedura per la donazione del sangue ci fu detto che i donatori avrebbero avuto diritto a un accesso gratuito alla famosa e favolosa Frick Collection di opere d'arte sulla East 70th Street. All'epoca non avevo idea di cosa contenesse, ma pensai che meritava un'occhiata. Era davvero bella! C'erano opere di Constable, Gainsborough, Holbein, Rembrandt e molti altri. Fu una festa per gli occhi in un ambiente tranquillo. Gli orrori dei giorni precedenti si persero in a sea of \u200b\u200bcolor and culture. The atmosphere was calm and reflective at the show. Few spoke. We watched and meditated. I bought the postcard as a souvenir and I went into bringing me a memory to be treasured.
Near the hotel there was a store that caught my attention as I wandered the streets. It was called American Craftsman. Excuse me if I seem exaggerated in my praise, but their work was really outstanding. There were paintings, engravings, sculptures, furniture and glassware. I was looking for something to bring home for my children and some "boxes" of fine workmanship caught my attention. The words were engraved on the lids. I bought three. On one was written "Kindness" to another "Courage" and third "Hope". In a sense, reflected a message that I wanted my children to incorporate after the shock of September 11. Nothing expensive, nothing flashy, just a box with a word on the cover! The people still on their desks or beside the bed.
strolled through Central Park. It seemed that laughing was a crime. The people playing with the children, but it was all very sad. It was a dreary place in which to be. We wanted to be normal but we were all still in shock and mourning.
Having bought a camera uses throw-away I walked the streets. Every time I passed the fire station. It was from there that the men had rushed into the towers to turn off gli incendi e salvare chi era rimasto intrappolato. Molte stazioni avevano perso degli uomini. C'erano omaggi floreali sui marciapiedi antistanti. C'erano anche foto di persone disperse, con numeri di telefono scritti sotto, così che chi li avvistava potesse telefonare a qualcuno.
Vorrei essere sincero: l'Hilton è un bellissimo albergo. Le camere sono di altissimo livello, il servizio era eccellente e la TV aveva 43 canali. Il problema ero io. Riflettendoci, ero ancora in parte sotto stress per ciò che era appena successo. Parte di me voleva parlare e interagire, ma un'altra parte di me voleva che stessi seduto da solo nella mia camera. La TV era carica di dolore. Le trasmissioni televisive mandavano in sovrimpressione messaggi di ricerca delle persone scomparse che attraversavano lo schermo nella parte più bassa. Non ricordo assolutamente che ci fossero spettacoli di intrattenimento. Avrei voluto ridere, ma non credo che ci sarebbe stato nulla che avrebbe potuto farmi ridere in quei giorni.
Nella camera c'era una Bibbia dei Gedeoni [nota associazione evangelica che distribuisce gratuitamente Bibbie negli alberghi, N.d.R.] che fu di grande conforto. Ricordo di aver meditato sul Salmo 25, dopo aver sentito George Bush citare il Salmo 23 nel suo discorso alla nazione. Ho voluto leggere ciò che c'era dopo il Salmo 23 – dopo il passaggio per la valle dell'ombra della morte [trad. Nuova Riveduta], cosa c'era? Il Salmo 25 mi diede la risposta. I versi 15- 17 dicono “Tengo i miei occhi rivolti al Signore, perché libera dal laccio il mio piede. Volgiti a me e abbi misericordia, perché sono solo ed infelice. Allevia le angosce del mio cuore, liberami dagli affanni.” Parole come laccio, solo, infelice, angosce, affanni erano parte della mia vita, e della vita di New York, in quel momento.
Prenotai un minibus dall'albergo per andare in aeroporto. Ospitava circa otto persone e i loro bagagli. Avevo visto Leslie e Rod il giorno prima per salutarli. Avevo una sacca con pochi vestiti: poche cose da far ispezionare all'aeroporto. Posso garantire che fu il viaggio più sicuro nella storia del mondo. C'erano circa 10 soldati che ci controllarono non appena salimmo a bordo dell'aereo. Tutti avevano pistole – presumibilmente cariche. Fu un bellissimo volo verso casa.
Com'era la gente di New York? Gentile, generosa, triste, determinata, ferita, confusa, arrabbiata, pragmatica. Si rimboccò le maniche quando fu attaccata e quando ne vide il bisogno. Io fui il fortunato destinatario della loro gentilezza e generosità, per le quali sarò sempre grato.
Undicisettembre: Torniamo all'11 settembre. Dopo lo schianto del primo aereo contro la Torre 1, pensasti che si trattasse di un terribile incidente o capisti subito che doveva trattarsi di un attentato terroristico? E cosa ne pensava la gente per strada?
Hans Kunnen: Sentii pronunciare la parola “aereo” mentre ero per strada e pensai “Cessna”: non mi passò neanche per la testa che potesse trattarsi di un aereo di grandi dimensioni, nonostante la grandezza dello squarcio nell'edificio e la quantità di danni. Era un pensiero irrazionale. Nei minuti successivi all'evacuazione, mentre ero circondato dalle persone che erano uscite dall'hotel, nessuno sembrava sapere nulla. Dove mi trovavo io, la sensazione era “ci penseranno i pompieri e la polizia”. C'erano molte sirene che suonavano. L'idea di un attacco terroristico semplicemente non mi passò per la testa.
Undicisettembre: So che questa è una domanda abbastanza bizzarra, but there are crazy people on the net claiming that the planes hit the Trade Center were fake. They argue that the towers were hit by missiles or bombs that exploded in and the planes shown on television were only holograms. As you saw with your eyes the second plane hitting the South Tower, I think you can definitively refute this madness, right?
Hans Kunnen: I saw the second plane approaching the river from above. I thought it was a strange place to fly, maybe it was a joke of a university or a televised advertisement for an airline. I never thought that the plane was fake. I traveled a lot and I have to do with the planes for years. It was definitely a real plane. It was the sound of a real plane. The sound of a plane accelerates very strong. One of my most persistent memories is the sound just before the explosion. It was a real plane, I could almost see the people behind the windows. Then it penetrates the building and created a fireball. Claiming that it was not a real plane is preposterous. I saw him, I heard and felt the consequences of its impact.
Undicisettembre: Can you describe what you saw and sentisti of this second impact? For example, are unable to see the logos of United Airlines aircraft? You noticed a few details of its trajectory? There are other issues that affect you?
Hans Kunnen: Ero a circa 150-200 metri dalla Torre Sud, in Liberty Street. Sentii e vidi un aereo che volava basso sopra il porto. Accelerò e s'inclinò verso la Torre Sud. Il rumore era molto forte mentre accelerava. Non ne ricordo i marchi ma non ne dimenticherò mai la palla di fuoco, il rumore e il fumo nel momento in cui si fuse nella Torre Sud.
Undicisettembre: Come reagì la gente dopo il crollo della Torre Sud?
Hans Kunnen: A quel punto mi trovavo già sul terminal dei battelli per Staten Island. Ci furono urla quando l'intero terminal tremò. Pensai che si trattasse di mortai o granate o missili Cruise exploding nearby. Almost simultaneously opened the gates of the boat and we could go up. The movement was made up but there was tension. I remember seeing many women's shoes abandoned in order to walk faster. The people shouted "Stay calm, do not want them to create a stampede."
Undicisettembre: How would you describe the area downtown New York after the first collapse? On television it seemed that it was enveloped in a cloud of dust and smoke, but I think that it was nothing compared to what the witnesses saw with their eyes. How do you remember the city after the first collapse?
Hans Kunnen: I was on the boat Staten Island. I did not see the collapse, I heard him, but for a certain period of time did not know what it was. The boat people were wearing life jackets when the cloud of dust poured on us.
Undicisettembre: What do you think of conspiracy theories claiming that the 11 / 9 was an "inside job"? Most supporters of this theory asserts that the towers were intentionally demolished with explosives, and some even claim, as mentioned above, that no plane ever crashed into the towers and all the videos to prove it is fake. What is your opinion?
Hans Kunnen: None of the theories del complotto è plausibile. Quando due aerei carichi di carburante colpirono le torri, era inevitabile che l'impatto fosse catastrofico – e lo fu.
Undicisettembre: Per quanto ne sai, queste teorie del complotto sono diffuse in Australia?
Hans Kunnen: Le teorie del complotto sono note in Australia ma di solito vengono ignorate. La maggioranza delle gente accetta il fatto che degli aerei si schiantarono contro le torri e che il carico di carburante avio creò temperature tali da indebolire la struttura e portare al crollo. Quando parlo della mia esperienza, ogni tanto qualcuno solleva la questione delle toerie del complotto, ma sono solo una piccola minoranza.
Undicisettembre: sostentitore Have you ever met some of the theories of conspiracy and tried to argue?
Hans Kunnen: No. Usually they asked me if I believe and I answered "No". I stop what I experience. The filming of the first plane I've seen indicate that it was real enough to shake the building, as it did. The sight and sound of the second plane was as real as any other plane I have ever seen or heard.
Undicisettembre: How did you react Australia, as a nation and as a people, 11? I mean, Australia being one of the staunchest U.S. allies, have you felt directly affected?
Hans Kunnen: When I returned to work in the city of Sydney I was stunned and emotionally touched by the floral tributes in front of U.S. consulate [next image here, Ed], which was near where I worked . Martin Place was covered with flowers. It made me cry! I had seen similar floral tributes outside the fire stations in New York. Affected, shocked, offended, saddened are the words that best describe the feelings. There was great solidarity with New York and its inhabitants.
Undicisettembre: We heard other survivors say that sharing our stories with other survivors has been very helpful to recall. You are living so far away from the U.S., I guess you have not had the opportunity to participate in meetings with other survivors of 9 / 11. How did you do then to recover from such a shock and such a tragedy?
Hans Kunnen: told my story to others I could share the burden. I have held meetings on my experience - reminding people their own mortality and the need to be ready to die - especially in a spiritual sense. In the months following 9 / 11 I was asked continually to tell my story and I was happy to tell it to anyone who had plenty of time.
Even today, some parts of my story telling makes me cry. The vision of a woman being thrown out of the South Tower explosion and through the twists and turns in my view broken. The extreme kindness Leslie DeFreitas Castellucci and his family. The clothes they gave me, a stranger. The sadness of Central Park. The lack of laughter on television. The messages full of pain that ran on television from those who tried to contact their loved ones. Then the many funerals each week, to which people came. There had been a loss of life so great - the lives of people who were simply doing their peaceful daily activities.
Undicisettembre: On September 11, as it has changed your life? Were you able to get back to normal?
Hans Kunnen: I survived. I had a job to do, children to raise, earn a salary, to assist our customers, which form part of a church. I was not confronted daily with the lingering grief that we lived in New York. I had to meet deadlines and responsibilities and these focused and gave direction to my street everyday. They offered me a positive distraction from the dark thoughts that otherwise would have overcome me.
for a while 'time I was nervous about loud noises. I was a bit 'on edge. Now I take fire drills seriously. I am very thoughtful on days of clear sky, when they are surrounded by office towers and a plane flew over me at high altitude. Every time I see it all.
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