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West Point Class of 1969

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By Tom Kerestes

Jul 30 2024

9-11 Experience from Abroad – 2001

     When 9/11 happened, I was working for British Petroleum whose headquarters was in London.  In the afternoon on 9/11 I flew on a 1 ½ hour British Airline flight from London to Brussels for some business meetings. I had just gotten off the plane when I saw a news flash on the airport TV that a plane had hit one of the Trade Towers in New York City.  Initially, the reporting seemed like it was a private aircraft.  I immediately called my daughter who I thought was working at her company’s upper east side NYC office.  She was actually in her Chicago office but had been in contact with her NYC colleagues.  Her colleagues did not have to evacuate, as did my brother-in-law who was near the Wall Street area and had to walk 10 miles back to his home in Brooklyn.  She also said it appeared to be a private small plane.  As I watched the TV it was revealed that a large passenger jet hit the Trade Tower.

              Viewing the Terrible News

     As I watched the TV, a second plane hit, and I knew it was a big problem.  I immediately had this urge, which is hard to explain, to get back home.  It never entered my mind to be concerned about flying since I flew almost every week to some place. I tried to book a flight from Brussel to London to fly back to Chicago to catch an American Airline flight but could only get an early morning next day flight on British Airlines.  I called my colleague to cancel my Brussels meeting. My colleague seemed to be as concerned as I was and therefore understood why I couldn’t attend any meetings. I stayed up most of the night watching TV as events unfolded.

Reporting from Britain 9-12-01 (London Times)

     Once I got into London, I then tried to book a flight back to Chicago but at that point all planes were grounded.  I booked myself into a hotel at Heathrow airport and continued trying to get on the next available flight to Chicago. Oddly, the hotel was filled with Americans trying to do the same thing as me.   I stayed up most of the night trying to get on a flight to Chicago and watching the reporting about the attack. I was flying on American Airlines which was not only my company’s airline of choice, but since I have flown so much, I was in the top of their flyer status group.  This allowed me to have a direct line to the “privileged class” customer service and therefore getting me priority on booking a flight.  Despite all of that, I couldn’t get on a flight for three days. Even then, I could “only” get a coach seat, which to normal people was great, but to a “travel snob” who only flew business or first class, it was a downgrade.  BUT I didn’t care, I just wanted to get home.  When I finally boarded the plane, coach seating was filled with people like myself.  I did feel sorry for those people who had regular coach seats on previously cancelled flights because they had very little status with American Airlines and had to wait in the back of the reservation line.

Trying to Get Home

     During the three-day wait, I only interfaced with fellow American business travelers who were at the hotel.  We didn’t know much and only speculated.  I didn’t sense any fear.  Everyone was just fixated on getting back to America.  No one left the hotel, which was a shuttle-bus ride from the airport terminal, since we were waiting to be contacted about what flight we could get onto, then get to the airport as soon as possible

     As it turned out, I was on the first European flight to land at O’Hare.  It was very eerie to fly over O’Hare and not see any planes on the runway.  After going through Customs, again being the first people to go through Customs, I thought I would run into a lot of cameras and reporters, but it didn’t happen.  I got a taxi, got home and felt I was back where I belonged.

     Of course, my family was very glad I made it back home.  As I look back, my mission became to get home, and I thought of nothing else.  It wasn’t until I was home that I realized how paralyzed everything was and how scared everyone was.

Written by Suzanne Rice · Categorized: By Tom Kerestes

Jul 01 2023

Haircut before R-Day

My parents dropped me off at the entrance to central area after a couple days drive from my home near Chicago.  We stopped one day in PA to visit my Dad’s relatives and drop off my siblings. We arrived in the morning of R-Day and I didn’t see my family again until Christmas. It seems kind of harsh especially since I was only 17, not turning 18 until December, but I didn’t know any better! It might have been harder on my parents; I was the oldest of 5, so this was new for everyone. 

My dad had given me a haircut the day before.  I remember going to the barber shop and being asked why I was there since “it’s obvious” I had already been there for a haircut!!!

I knew nothing about the military, so the rest of the day (and all of beast summer) is a blur.  I do remember marching out to Trophy point for the swearing-in ceremony.

I also remember a guy standing next to me before reporting to the “man in the red sash”, quit on the spot and left!!

Getting a Cadet Haircut on R-Day

Written by Suzanne Rice · Categorized: By Tom Kerestes, R-Day Memory

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