Remembering 9/11 and its aftermath...

This is a picture taken soon after the events of 9/11/2001.  At the time, I was Director of Projects for Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago and Trump International Golf Club here in Florida.  The morning of 9/11, my staff and contractors were reviewing interior choices for the completion of the golf course clubhouse.  As the events unfolded, we found it impossible to concentrate on the task at hand and all headed back to Mar-a-Lago to call New York.  After all, our boss was a high profile figure whose offices were in a New York office tower.  We wondered if the lines would still be operating - they were, but I remember it took a couple tries to get through.  We found Mr. Trump in his office and he told us about the mayhem going on in the city. He mentioned that he knew many people who worked in the World Trade Center and he expressed his concern about their safety.  No one knew all the details and ramifications that would follow in the weeks, months and years that followed, but it was good to here a reassuring voice on the other end of the phone that things would be alright.

The most eerie thing about the immediate time that followed the attacks was the elimination of the usual plane traffic over both properties.  While an irritant in the past, the lack of the usual drone of jet noise was a silent reminder that the world had entered uncharted territory.  I've kept this picture of the Mar-a-Lago tower dressed in the U.S.A. flag as my reminder of that day and find it symbolic that a flag would drape one of the few towers in Palm Beach which happened to be owned by a prominent New Yorker.

I hope that you were able to find time to honor those who lost their life that day and those that continue to protect this country here and abroad from future attacks.