After reading Ms. Robison's opinion on Sept. 21, 2001, I was deeply troubled by her words. I was five blocks from the World Trade Center, at work in a federal office building, when I watched the second plane hit the South Tower. I cried at that very moment, not only for myself, but for the victims and all of America. I evacuated my building because I, as well as my co-workers, felt that the federal buildings were next to be attacked.

Ms. Robison states that, "It's almost a slap in the face to the ones that have really suffered a loss," with regard to sob stories, I say to her, all of America (and the world) really suffered a loss. For those of us who have survived, do not celebrate, but mourn with the rest of the world. For those of us who survived, we know someone close who had died. In the end, we may all know someone who died in these attacks.

In the days following (even the day of) the attacks, I watched on television others tell their stories of survival. I do not think for one moment they were looking for attention. I hope that one day Ms. Robinson, in her travels, never has to recall how she survived a tragic event.

I have been in counseling since the attacks, I have just come back to work, but I know co-workers who are still out because they are dealing with this attack. My wife, a Penn State graduate in the psychology field, has helped me through this time. All she and my counselor have been telling me since day one, is to talk about what I saw and how I survived. Waiting by a phone to hear if someone you know survived is just as much a story as waiting and finding out someone died. Talking about it is an important step in recovery.