Something else from 9/11

[vbhoutex]

I recieved this from my sister-in-law. I have no idea if it is true, but I hope it is!!

VERY TOUCHING STORY
A man from Norfolk, VA called a local radio station to share this on
Sept 11th, 2003. His Name was Robert Matthews. These are his words:

"A few weeks before Sept 11th, 2001, my wife and I found out we were
going to have our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her
sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife
a safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said 'amen' we both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. we had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire
as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight.

Both very upset, we drove home. I received a call from my father who
was a retired FDNY. He asked what my wife's flight number was, but explained that we missed the flight. My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. 'This is not something I can just sit by for, I have to do something.' I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up. Before he got off of the phone, he said, 'take good care of my grandchild.'

Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while
helping in the rescue effort. My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife
had been answered quickly became anger. Anger at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for nearly 2 years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say goodbye. Then something happened.

About 2 months ago, I was sitting at home with my wife and my son, when
there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could tell she
wasn't expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple with a small child. The man looked at me and asked if my father's name was Jake Matthews. I told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, 'I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.' He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then said, 'there is something else you need to know.' his wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and lead him to Christ.

I began sobbing at the news. Now I know that when I get to heaven, my
father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family
would be able to thank him themselves."

When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew in honor of
the man who gave his life so mother and baby could live.

This story should help us to realize two things: First, that though it
has been two years since the attacks, we should never let it become a mere
tragic memory. And second, but most important, God is always in control. We may not see the reason behind things, and we may never know this side of heaven, but God is ALWAYS in control.

Please take time to share this amazing story with those you love.

You may never know the impact it may have on someone.

[GalvestonDuck]

From Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/rumors/matthews.asp


Claim: A retired New York fireman, the father-in-law of a pregnant woman who missed a doomed September 11 flight, died rescuing others at the WTC.

Status: False.

Origins: On 11 September 2001, terrorist acts in America resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocents. Many tales, from the horrifying to the inspiring, have emerged from the events of that day: accounts of tragedies averted through fortuitous coincidences, accounts of incredible acts of bravery and heroism, accounts of lives shattered and faith reaffirmed. The story quoted above contains all of these elements, but — like so many other September 11-related tales — it appears to be a work of fiction.

Perhaps someone really did call a Norfolk radio station on 11 September 2003 and relate this story, but unless the details have been garbled or deliberately changed in the telling, it doesn't match any known real-life events. Consulting several comprehensive databases of September 11 victims which include emergency sevices personnel (e.g., CNN, MSNBC, Firehouse.com) turns up no one among the WTC dead with a surname of Matthews (let alone one with a first name of Jake or Jacob), nor does searching news databases locate any story resembling the one described.

On the available evidence we have to conclude that this account, touching as many may find it, is purely the product of someone's imagination and not a true story.

Last updated: 18 October 2003

[GalvestonDuck]

However... http://www.snopes.com/rumors/ferry.asp

Claim: A survivor of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center died in a ferry crash.

Status: True.

Origins: On 15 October 2003, a horrific accident in the harbor of New York City claimed the lives of ten people and injured sixty-five others, three of whom lost limbs. On that fateful Wednesday afternoon, the ferry from Staten Island plowed into a maintenance pier hundreds of feet from the slip where it normally docks at St. George Terminal. It has been speculated the blood pressure drugs prescribed for the pilot, Assistant Capt. Richard Smith, caused him to slump over the controls as the boat was coming in, or possibly that his failure to take his medication that day resulted in his losing consciousness. Smith twice attempted suicide after the crash and was hospitalized under police guard.

This was not the first such accident Smith had been part of: He had been at the helm of the Andrew J. Barberi when it crashed into the Staten Island dock in July 1995, injuring some passengers. That accident was blamed on a propeller failure.

Numbered among those killed in the 15 October 2003 ferry crash was 25-year-old Darius Marshall. This security guard for the United Nations, whose assignments included details for President Bush and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, had been injured in the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on America — he was knocked unconscious by debris falling from the towers and was missing for 13 hours until his frantic family found him aboard a ferry that had been converted into a first aid station.

Another of the deceased, 44-year-old John Healy, a lawyer for the Kemper Insurance Companies, worked on the 36th floor of one of the World Trade Center towers at the time of the attacks, but he was late getting to the office that terrible day because he was taking one of his daughters to school.

Deadly coincidences strike us as especially chilling in that they serve to confirm a persistent belief that the Grim Reaper, once he points his finger at someone, is not to be denied. In a similar vein, a woman who had survived the destruction of the World Trade Center died on American Airlines Flight 587 when it crashed in Queens just two months later.

[vbhoutex]

Thanks for the investigation and additional news!! I did not take the time to go find out if this was true. I should have.

[Lindaloo]

Good ole' Snopes huh Shawn? lol. If all else fails just go to http://www.snopes.com. hehe

[GalvestonDuck]

Yup, and I'd actually already received that story a few days before VB posted it, so I recognized it right off the bat.

You're welcome, VB. Some of the stories can be inspirational or emotionally touching, like Snopes said. But sometimes they're just that -- a great story.

[rob8303]

This is false. No rescue workers died in the 9/11 recovery efforts. I remember hearing it from a multiplicity of sources who commented on how miraculous that was. And yes, the ferry store is sad but true.

[GalvestonDuck]

Rob, shouldn't you be studying?

Seriously, how have ya been? Long time, no see.