9/11, Ten Years Later: Memories Fly Back

Port Washington resident Joan Groh didn’t even think twice about flying shortly after Sept. 11, 2001 — but the events that occurred that day will always remain in her mind.

Groh, and husband, Joe, spent much of the day wondering about the whereabouts of their son, Bill, a cardiologist and electrophysiologist who was attending a conference in New York.

The Grohs did not know the exact location of the conference, and — for all they knew — Bill could have been in the towers, Joe said. The morning went by, but nothing seemed to be moving.

"Everbody's eyes were glued to the TV," Joan said. "We did nothing."

Nothing except answer the constantly ringing phone, calls from family members concerned about Bill.

By the afternoon, the Grohs finally learned from Bill’s family that he was OK — and "OK" was all they needed to know, Joe said.

Bill would be stuck in New York longer than planned, and would eventually tell his parents how he saw the second plane hit the Twin Towers from his hotel room. In the meantime, he would realize the unfortunate fact that a doctor stuck in New York had little help to offer the victims of the attacks.

"There weren't that many people injured — they needed the morgue more," Joe said.

It would still be several weeks until the Grohs would actually hear their son’s voice; the couple was set to take flight out of O’Hare International Airport on Sept. 13, destination Europe. The Grohs called the airport multiple times prior to heading to the Chicago area to be sure their flight would still take off, and were told it would.

The couple sat waiting in the airport while "one-by-one, (the flights) were canceled," Joe said.

All canceled, except for their flight to Europe.

While they don't really know the reason their flight wasn't canceled — and the number of empty seats showed that most people assumed it would be — the Grohs said the tragedy didn't cause anxiety about stepping on the plane.

“(We) never even thought twice about flying,” Joan said, and they haven't thought twice about flying since.