I had been with USG for little over a month when world changed for the United States. One of the team leaders from a different department came into work at 8:30. It was he who mentioned that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. Of course, by then, both Towers were already a flame.
Trying to get onto the internet, all of us at the customer service center tried to find out what was going on. The internet was running slow, and trying to get to news sites like CNN became difficult. But eventually, I was able to discover that what first was thought as an accident was actually a terrorist attack on America.
In a small window on the CNN web site, I saw the video footage of the second Tower being hit. I remember commenting to my fellow employees, as I watched the video over and over again, that I felt we were watching a movie.
I called my parents, who had yet to turn on the TV. As a matter of fact, they were just getting out of bed. As you would think, my mom gasped at what she saw.
From there on, things got weird. Since most of my customers were based on the east coast, the phones into the CSR fell silent, with the west coast feeds barely even going. Work became a second thought as we all started to wonder what was going on, and the mood of the center became very subdue.
At about 11 am, a decision was made to close the CSC and send employee’s home. It has been said many times how clear and crisp that September day was in New York. But the same could be said of that day in Schiller Park, where the USG center was located. The sky was blue, the air was warm and the day was gorgeous.
By now, the FAA had grounded all flights, and it was the first thing you noticed while leaving. Of course, the CSC was located right next to O’Hare, but still you could sense the stillness that had descended like a blanket.
I drove home, briefly talking to my parents who wanted me to come their house. I declined, as I just wanted to get home and see for myself what had happened in New York on September 11, 2001.
I spent the rest of the day watching the news. Finally, at about 12:30 am, I switched off the TV and went to bed.
Trying to get onto the internet, all of us at the customer service center tried to find out what was going on. The internet was running slow, and trying to get to news sites like CNN became difficult. But eventually, I was able to discover that what first was thought as an accident was actually a terrorist attack on America.
In a small window on the CNN web site, I saw the video footage of the second Tower being hit. I remember commenting to my fellow employees, as I watched the video over and over again, that I felt we were watching a movie.
I called my parents, who had yet to turn on the TV. As a matter of fact, they were just getting out of bed. As you would think, my mom gasped at what she saw.
From there on, things got weird. Since most of my customers were based on the east coast, the phones into the CSR fell silent, with the west coast feeds barely even going. Work became a second thought as we all started to wonder what was going on, and the mood of the center became very subdue.
At about 11 am, a decision was made to close the CSC and send employee’s home. It has been said many times how clear and crisp that September day was in New York. But the same could be said of that day in Schiller Park, where the USG center was located. The sky was blue, the air was warm and the day was gorgeous.
By now, the FAA had grounded all flights, and it was the first thing you noticed while leaving. Of course, the CSC was located right next to O’Hare, but still you could sense the stillness that had descended like a blanket.
I drove home, briefly talking to my parents who wanted me to come their house. I declined, as I just wanted to get home and see for myself what had happened in New York on September 11, 2001.
I spent the rest of the day watching the news. Finally, at about 12:30 am, I switched off the TV and went to bed.
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