FOR A NORMAL DAY OF WORK AT THE
WORLD TRADE CENTER.
BUT THE SURVIVORS AND WITNESSES
OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS THAT
UNFOLDED WILL FOREVER REMEMBER
THE IMAGES THAT THEY SAW THAT
DAY.
PHOTOGRAPHER PHIL PENMAN WHO WAS
ON THE SCENE JOINS US WITH
LESLIE HAS KIN WHO WAS IN HER
OFFICE ON THE 36TH FLOOR OF THE
NORTH TOWER WHEN THE PLANE HIT.
I’M GOING TO START WITH YOU,
PHIL.
YOU’RE A PHOTOGRAPHER.
YOU WERE DOING WHAT YOU DO.
YOU HEARD WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
YOU RAN DOWN TO THE SCENE.
YOU STARTED TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS.
THE FIRST QUESTION I HAD DID YOU
KNOW YOU WERE IN DANGER BY
GETTING SO CLOSE?
>> GOOD MORNING.
TO BE HONEST, PRETTY MUCH VERY
UNAWARE THAT YOU BECOME LIKE YOU
ARE TAKEN TO ANOTHER PLACE.
YOU KIND OF -- THERE IS THAT
MOMENT WHERE YOU’RE
PHOTOGRAPHING PEOPLE AND YOU
DON’T KNOW IF YOU CAN GO THROUGH
WITH IT BECAUSE YOU ARE SEEING
PEOPLE AT THEIR WEAKEST HOUR.
YOU KNOW, WHEN IT WAS ALL GOING
DOWN, IT WAS VERY SURREAL.
I WAS LOOKING UP AT THE BUILDING
PHOTOGRAPHING THE FLAMES COMING
OUT AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE
BUILDING JUST -- YOU HEAR THIS
RUMBLE AND IT’S COMING DOWN AND
YOU ARE LOOKING THROUGH THE VIEW
FINDER AND JUST SEEING THE
SHARDS OF THE BUILDING GETTING
CLOSER AND CLOSER.
AND YOU ARE TOTALLY, YOU KNOW,
YOU ARE COMPLETELY UNAWARE UNTIL
YOU SEE THAT IT’S COMING CLOSER
AND CLOSER TO YOU.
I WAS ABOUT A CITY BLOCK AND FOR
ME LIKE FIREMEN RUN PAST ME AND
LIKE RUN, RUN, RUN.
AND I RAN INTO A MUSIC STORE
THAT WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME.
RACHEL: IT WAS THERE THAT YOU
ENDED UP MEETING SOMEONE,
CORRECT, THAT WAS -- YOU HAD
THIS CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH
THAT PERSON SINCE THEN.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
>> YEAH.
A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT I
PHOTOGRAPHED THAT DAY, LIKE I
HAVE SINCE REACHED OUT TO, YOU
KNOW, THERE IS A FRIEND OF MINE
JOANNE WHO I PHOTOGRAPHED ON
THAT DAY, AND WE REUNITED AFTER
CONNECTING THE 9/11 MUSEUM, AND
SHE -- I ACTUALLY PHOTOGRAPHED
HER WEDDING ABOUT 17 YEARS
LATER, WHICH WAS NICE.
AND THEN I WAS WITH HER THE
WEEKEND.
THERE IS A LOT OF THE PEOPLE
THAT I PHOTOGRAPHED THAT DAY I
HAVE SINCE MET WITH OR, YOU
KNOW, I STAYED OVER AT THEIR
HOUSE, YOU KNOW, HAD DINNER WITH
THEM.
YOU KNOW, IT’S BEEN -- IF I WAS
TO SAY ANYTHING NICE THAT CAME
OUT OF THIS IT WAS THE
CONNECTION THAT I MADE FROM THE
PEOPLE THAT I PHOTOGRAPHED THAT
DAY.
RACHEL: ABSOLUTELY.
YOU WERE WITH HER PROBABLY --
DEFINITELY ON HER WORST DAY AND
ON HER BEST DAY.
LESLIE, YOU WERE ON THE 36TH
FLOOR IN THAT NORTH TOWER, YOU
LOST 22 FRIENDS THAT DAY.
YOU SUFFERED THROUGH VERY SEVERE
PSSD.
TELL US ABOUT THAT DAY AND ALSO,
I THINK SO MANY PEOPLE THINK,
YOU KNOW, IT HAPPENED AND DON’T
REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW LONG
PEOPLE CARRY THAT TRAUMA WITH
THEM.
, YEAH.
YOU ARE RIGHT.
I THINK FROM THE MOMENT THE
PLANE HIT THE BUILDING, WE KNEW
THAT IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF
TIME BECAUSE WE HEARD THE
EXPLOSION.
WE FELT THE IMPACT OF IT.
AND THE BUILDING SHOOK SO
VIOLENTLY AND NEVER REALLY
RIGHTED ITSELF.
IMAGINE GOING BUILDING IT NARROW
AND FILLED WITH SMOKE AND SEEING
PEOPLE AND HEARING PEOPLE
SCREAMING AND BEING BURNED
ALIVE, AND WHEN WE CAME OUT OF
THE BUILDING WAS WHERE MOST OF
THE JUMPERS WERE.
SO IT’S BEEN 20 YEARS OF
REMEMBERING THAT AND HEARING
THOSE SOUNDS AGAIN.
I WILL NEVER FORGET THE SOUND OF
THAT BUILDING COMING DOWN.
I WILL NEVER FORGET THE SOUND OF
PEOPLE SCREAMING AND LOOKING FOR
HELP AND THOSE BRAVE FIREMEN WHO
RISKED THEIR LIVES AND REALLY
GAVE THEIR LIVES TO GO UP THOSE
STAIRS TO HELP SOME OF MY
FRIENDS.
RACHEL: YEAH.
IT’S JUST, AS YOU DESCRIBE IT, I
JUST CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE.
YOU SAY THAT WHAT GOT YOU OUT OF
THIS WAS GOD.
TELL US.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
IT WAS AFTER 9/11 AND I, MY SON
TALKED TO ME ABOUT SOMETHING
THAT HE HEARD IN SCHOOL.
HE WENT TO A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL AT
THE TIME.
AND HE WAS TALKING TO ME ABOUT A
SCRIPTURE THAT HE LEARNED IN
SCHOOL.
AND FOR SOME REASON, IT
RESONATED WITH ME.
AND I JUST WENT TO THE LORD THAT
NIGHT AND JUST PRAYED AND SAID I
DON’T LOVE YOU BECAUSE I DON’T
KNOW YOU.
BUT IF YOU REALLY ARE THE GOD
THAT MY MOTHER SAID YOU WERE, IF
YOU REALLY ARE THE GOD THAT MY
FATHER PREACHED ABOUT, THEN I’M
GOING TO NEED YOU TO BE BIGGER
THAN THIS EVENT FOR ME.
AND I WENT ON A JOURNEY THEN OF
DISCOVERING WHO GOD IS AND
LEARNING WHO I AM AND THE
STRENGTH THAT GOD ARE EACH OF US
IN THE HUMAN SPIRIT TO REALLY BE
ABLE TO OVERCOME.
RACHEL: WOW.
WHAT A MESSAGE.
HE IS BIGGER THAN THE EVIL OF
THAT EVENT.
AND WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY AND
PEOPLE CAUSED THAT LESLIE, PHIL,