On Tuesday, September 11, 2001 I was on vacation visiting one of our daughters in San Antonio, Texas. While we were having our breakfast, another of our daughters called, telling us to turn on our television. We, like millions of other horrified Americans watched the screen as the second plane flew into the second tower. Our eyes were fixed in disbelief as we couldn’t believe what we were seeing. I said to my daughter, almost right away, that she would be getting another telephone call, and at that moment, it rang and the call was for me.
At the time I was employed by the Maryland State Police, assigned as the assistant barrack commander of the Golden Ring Barrack in Baltimore County. The barrack commander told me that my vacation was cancelled and that I was to return to duty as soon as possible.
Breakfast was over – – who could eat after seeing this on live television? I began to pack almost immediately, leaving the television on only to learn of the other attacks on the Pentagon and the plane crash in Pennsylvania. I continued to pack and get organized for my trip back to my residence in Parkville, Maryland. I was finished packing, ready to return home, only to learn that all airports across the country were being shut down. Now what? How am I supposed to get back to Maryland? After a few minutes I realized the only way I could get back home was to drive. You do what you gotta do! Ok, fine, I’ll just rent a car, it will take longer but it was my only option. I began calling every rent-a-car agency I could find in the Yellow Pages, but there were no rentals available – – many people found themselves in the same predicament. But, I finally found a vehicle rental agency that told me there were no available vehicles, but there was a vehicle expected to be returned to their company the next morning. I asked that a hold be placed on that vehicle because I simply had to leave Texas and get home. I had a car to drive home.
The next morning I was waiting for the rental agency to open. I grabbed my luggage, hugged and kissed the kids and grandkids and my journey began. I could not be choosy as, at that time, I just wanted a vehicle, and I got it! The only vehicle available was a 2000 Kia! Now, I am 6’4″ tall and weigh 280. The Kia is the size of a foot-long hotdog. But I didn’t care. I drove from San Antonio to Montgomery, Alabama, stopping only for gasoline and drive-thru fast food restaurants and restrooms. I could take no more, I had to get off the road. I spent the night at a motel in Montgomery, asking for a 5:00 AM wake-up call. I ate a quick breakfast at a Waffle Hut and I was back on the road. The drive was boring but easy as there was hardly any traffic on the highways, the AM/FM radio stations were filled with recaps of the attacks. I had the pleasure of meeting state troopers from Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina because of my speed. I showed them my badge and explained my situation, so we shook hands and wished each other well. Finally, I pulled into my driveway in Parkville at 8:30 that evening. I reported for duty the next morning.