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By Pari Patel
Editor: Breanna Naysmith
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It’s been twenty years since the traumatic terrorist attack that killed thousands of innocent people. Although we are taught about this event in history class every year, we only learn about the horrible stories of tragedy and death that occurred, never have we heard a survivor story. Why don’t I tell you one. This is the story of the famous survivor Joe Dittmar.
Dittmar was 44 years old at the time of the event. On September 11th, 2001, he was on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower, which was the second tower to get hit. He worked in the insurance industry and was there for a business meeting. Before the meeting had even started, the first plane hit the North Tower. When Dittmar and the others with him saw this happen, they wanted to escape, as anyone sane would do. They took down the stairs quickly without another thought. When they had reached about the 74th floor, 17 minutes after the first crash, the second plane hit the second tower, the one holding Dittmar. He recalled the stairwell vigorously shaking from side to side as well as the smell of jet fuel and the heat of the blast. This, however, did not shock the group enough to stop them. They were terrified for their lives, but they were also determined to survive. They kept going down the stairs as quickly as possible and as they went down, Dittmar recalls seeing firefighters. He said they had a unique expression, one of someone who knew they couldn’t save others but tried anyway. Fortunately, Dittmar had made it all the way down and outside the building. As he came out, he was told by emergency personnel to run and not to stop; to get as far away as possible. He listened and made his way to a train station. He then went home to his wife and kids, traumatized, but safe.
Out of the 54 people he was going to have a business meeting with, 47 did not make it out. Joe Dittmar is extremely lucky to be alive. As a survivor of a terrorist attack, he now shares his story with millions of students and adults as a way to never forget the horrible events of that day.
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