As the nation remembers those who died in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a 77-year-old Valley man, Cary Peskin, who lived in New York and saw the attack firsthand, hopes to keep the memories at the forefront by sharing stories from the tragedy.
As Peskin looks at the photos he took himself on September 11, he recounts that morning vividly. He worked just blocks away from the Twin Towers 22 years ago, on the eighth floor of a building as an associate commissioner and chief information officer for the Housing Preservation and Development Department for New York City.
He was in a meeting that morning when he felt the building shake. Looking outside, he saw smoke pouring out the North Tower. Then, they saw the aftermath of the second plane.
“We saw a ball of fire come from the building when it did hit. Needless to say, it became painfully obvious that we were under attack,” he said.
Peskin said at one point during all of this, he asked someone for a camera.
“We are viewing history here,” he recalled.
Some of the photos Peskin shared with ABC15 showed the curtain drawstrings as he took photos out of the office building.
Peskin said he also went out of his building toward the North Tower to see what he could do before it collapsed.
“I was within about a block when I started hearing loud thuds. It didn’t register. I didn’t comprehend what I was hearing until it became apparent that these were people jumping from the buildings,” he said.
Peskin said he was on the ground when the South Tower fell first.
“I became completely engulfed in the debris. I knew there was nothing more I could do. So, the best thing I could do is turn around and try to get back to safety,” he said. “From that moment on, life has changed for everyone.”
Following that fateful day, they opened their office building up to help give relief to responders. They were there for several weeks, and the memories of September 11 still linger with him to this day.
“Probably one of the more difficult things that I had to do was explain to my grandchildren, what happened,” Peskin said, getting emotional. “I mean, that was tragic for me.”
Since moving to the Valley in late 2007, Peskin started teaching at Estrella Mountain Community College and has since been sharing his story and educating others about what he saw 22 years ago.
“I want them to be aware. I want them to understand what happened as best they can,” Peskin said.
On Monday, Peskin stood in front of former FBI agents and shared with them everything he witnessed. He told ABC15 he was there while some others came after to help out.
Since the attack, Peskin told ABC15 he has battled two cancers, and doctors told him it was related to September 11.
“That was a bit of a shock,” he said.
While he continues teaching and speaking to others, his main mission is to make sure people remember that tragic day as he still has visions about it.
“It's not 22 years later. It's every day. You don't forget,” he said. “There are certain images that just stick with you.”
