Michael Wright: Surviving on 9/11

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For The Curious,

Of all the stories I’ve written over the decades, the one that will endure the longest contains not one of my own words.

It will endure because people who want to know what it was like to have been on the 81st floor of the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001 will be able to find the account that Michael Wright told me a few days after one of the towers fell on his head.

The story originally appeared in Michael’s own words in Esquire Magazine in January 2002. The subhead called the narrative of his escape the fastest 3,863 words you will ever read.

I’ve made it a habit to make sure the story gets out around the anniversary of 9/11. That’s because every year people find out where Michael was on the day the hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center, and it’s only natural that these people reach out to him to hear how he survived.

Michael doesn’t want to relive the horror of telling the story over and over and over again. He’s running a successful company and caring for his family. What he does is simply point people who want to know about the experience to the original story.

A year ago, when I was experimenting with starting a podcast, I called Michael to get caught up and have him look back on the events. Michael declines most interviews. But he decided to talk about it.

I see that that I should’ve taken the time to fly across the country and sit with Michael in a recording studio.

But the quality of the audio over a phone line is not going to deter anyone from listening to his story.

It’s my hope that today  — and every 9/11 going forward — will be a peaceful day for Michael Wright.

My best wishes go out to anybody who was affected by the tragedy of that day.

Sincerely,

Cal