I flew into the states to visit with my mom for a couple of weeks. She was dying of cancer and we knew she had little time. The doctor told us she was starting to have incohernet sessions so my brothers and sister and I decided to spend time with her.

After a wonderful time with her I flew out of New Orleans the morning of 9/10 and took a cross country flight with a layover in Salt Lake where one of mybrothers lived, we had a nice meal together. Then onto LAX.

Flew out of LAX the morning of 9/11, wee hrs of the morning. Our plane had a full 1st class, the US Open had just been played and the Aus contingent was on the play. Kind of neat seeing John Newcombe and the tennis bunch, I used to play tennis and am a fan.

Shortly after we crossed the international dateline, there was an announcement that we had an electrical problem in 1st class and the people there were relocated downstairs to business class. I thought it must be pretty severe given the big names they were inconveniencing, but thought nothing more of it.

A few hrs later the pilot came on and announced we were 50 miles outside Brisbane, everyone pkease strp in for a landing. Now this would not have been troublesome had we been bound for Brisbane. Our destination was Syndey. Like tellng someone headed for Atlanta that they were landing in Chicago. I pened the window shutter and checked to make sure we still had all our engines, something major had to be up.

We landed to a strange sight at Brisbane. There were NO other planes in sight and we started taxiing AWAY from the terminal toward the far end of the runway. Then a bunch of cop cars and people with dogs started rushing toward the plane. I was slightly alarmed to put it mildly, figured we were had a bomber or something aboard.

Pilot came on and said "Ladies and gentlemen,. There are times you wil always remembr where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news. This is one of those times. Last night we lost 4 planes, they were hijacked and crashed into buildings. The NY Trade Centre is reported to be gone, hit by one of those planes. We have unconfirmed reoprts that the Pentagon has been hit and the Wite House my have been. Please turn on your cell phones and call your families and loved ones because they will all be very worried about you.:

I called my wife. She was hysterical, because I had been debating flying to NY to see friends before I left and had not bothered her withal my flight details. We were escorted into the airport, and I walked into the luggage area with my mother in law on the phone talkign to me about what had happened. As I walked in I saw the footage of the 1st tower collapsing inthe monitor. I told her I would cal her back and hung up, I had to sit down for a few minutes watching the TV footage. I have never been hit by news like that before. I felt sick to the stomach and weak at the knees.

We were left in the luggage area for over 6 hrs while the Aus government decided how to handle us. All they knew was we hd a group that had flown out of NY ont he plane and I guess they did their best effort at background checks while we sat there. The US Open group was quickly escorted out and set free, of course, only us peones were left waiting. They finally made everyone open every bagand thoroughly checked out luggage. They had us go to the deskand they put us on other flights home. I arrived in Adelaide  day and a half late, and had never been happier to see my family in my life.

We sat up talking and watching the rpelays over and over for hrs. The inlaws came over and we all just had a sort of group therapy session. The news hit Aussies jsut as hard, they tend to think of the US as an invincible big brother and the signs of mortality hit them bigtime.

It was a bizzare and horrible day, just watching those poor souls jumping from the tower and the crash of the structures over and over. I wil never forget it and never forgive the sick bastards who planned that. I wish they would slice them to pieces a little at a time publicly and let us all watch and get satisfaction from their pain. I have no mercy in my soul for them.