I knew one person who was lost in the WTC that day, Charlie Magee, - TopicsExpress

I knew one person who was lost in the WTC that day, Charlie Magee, Chief Engineer at WTD, I found out a week after and his name was on a sign in the subway that I passed daily for years, and it gave me a chance to speak to him on a regular basis and remember him, his sacrifice and his families loss. In 2012 I finally made a visit to the memorial and left the following so others would know he wasnt just a name on the wall. Its a little long but worth the time to know what one persons selfless act was that day, and there are thousands of stories just like this. Shoe store owners who handed out free shoes as people headed to cross the bridges to get home, delis giving free drinks, and so many others. Know their stories too. He wasnt a first responder, but he responded first. He was the Chief Engineer for the World Trade Center and a 28 year member of Local 94. He was on the 88th floor in the management office with co-worker, John Griffen Jr. When the plane hit they thought an electrical substation had blown up. Charlie immediately called his wife, Janet Wexler-Magee, letting her know he was ok and said, “I have to go so that I can help people.” Falling debris and furnishings blocked all exits. He and John worked together to break glass and create an exit as the floor filled with smoke. They got all co-workers of the floor and started the long descent down the stairs. They were comforting people, keeping them as calm as possible and checking every floor to make sure everyone was getting out on their way down. No one really knows from here what happened but it has been reported that Charlie did make it to the first floor, but being his nature would not leave the building as long as there were people to help. The tower collapsed and he was lost. His sacrifice will never be forgotten. I leave this tribute as someone who worked only briefly with Charlie at Manhattan Mall. He is the only one that I personally lost that day. I found out a week after and it was devastating to me. At that time I had been working as an Admin with a bunch of guys from Local 94 who had become like my family. We all went together to Malachys Church for the Local 94 memorial. The church was full and we were on the sidewalk, everyone coming together to lean on each other in their grief. Strangers on a sidewalk listening intently to the prayers and stories. As the service came to a close we ALL began embracing and crying and holding onto each other for the strength to go on. My life changed and then I was commuting through Brooklyn every day and during my subway swap crossover they put up an enormous banner that had the names of all lost that day. I broke into uncontrollable sobs the first day I saw it but after that I found solace in speaking to him each day, sometimes stopping to touch the name and grieve. Thank you for taking the time to read this. So many names here, it is hard to see them all as individual stories. I wanted Charlies story to be told….. He wasnt a first responder, but he responded first.