Michael Hingson, 9/11 Survivor, World Trade Center

Michael Hingson was hosting a training session in his offices on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower on the morning of September 11, 2001. As he reached for some paper, Hingson felt and heard a muffled explosion and the tower bent drastically before snapping back into place.

Of course, it was American Airlines Flight 11 crashing into the tower – the first of four planes hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists as part of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.

Hingson was born blind but knew every inch of his office and the North Tower. Soon he, his guide dog, a colleague, and everyone else in their office began the long descent to the ground floor.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Hingson explains why he was so meticulously prepared for an emergency, how he quickly got a clue abut the cause of the explosion as soon as he entered the stairwell, and what it was like going down 78 floors with countless other people as the firefighters started to make their way up the stairs.

Hingson also shares escaping from the World Trade Center only to discover the South Tower was also on fire and what it was like getting caught in the dust storms from both towers collapsing to the ground near him.

Finally, Hingson details the fantastic performance of his guide dog, Roselle, that day and how his experience and Roselle’s actions actually led to a career change as an author and public speaker.

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Veterans Chronicles