Today, on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, we pause to remember a day that forever changed our nation and touched countless lives.
We share the stories of several credit union leaders who recall where they were when the attacks occurred, what they witnessed and experienced in the hours that followed and how those events have stayed with them over the years. Their memories offer a personal perspective on a defining moment in history and a reminder of the resilience, compassion and sense of community that emerged in its aftermath.
May we never forget!
Dennis Dollar
Principal Partner, Dollar Associates, Birmingham, Ala.
As NCUA Chairman on September 11 back in 2021, I heard about the planes flying into the World Trade Center on the car radio as I was going to work at NCUA headquarters.
By the time I got there and went to my office on the 7th floor at NCUA, I told my Chief of Staff as I looked out the window that it looked like the Pentagon was burning. The plane had hit the Pentagon, which I could see from my office window, just a few moments before I got into the office.
For the next few tumultuous hours, we watched the Pentagon fire, followed closely what was happening in New York on TV and began our foremost responsibility of checking on the status of NCUA employees in New York and around the Pentagon – as well as checking on credit unions located nearby.
It was a hectic several days, especially with all of the warnings about subsequent possible attacks. All NCUA staff was okay in New York and in the D.C. area, as were credit unions and their personnel. Two weeks later I was invited as NCUA Chairman to visit the site of Ground Zero and meet with leaders at nearby credit unions that served the firefighters, police and port authority.
To visit with those heroes that served on those credit union boards, many of whom had lost literally hundreds of members, was incredibly moving and a reminder that days like 9/11 that show the worst of mankind that engineered these heartless attacks also shows us the best of mankind that follow the Biblical example of love that is willing to lay down one’s life for a friend – or in this case, folks that they didn’t even know.”
Casey M. Bacon
Chief Executive Officer, Statewide Federal Credit Union, Flowood, Miss.
My wife and I were in Scottsdale, Arizona, for a credit union conference. I was operations manager for Capitol Credit Union in Austin, Texas, at the time. With flights grounded, we had to drive back to Austin, and I remember the fighters and bombers patrolling the interstate as we made our way home.
My credit union was just a few blocks from the Texas Capitol, and we served state employees. Over the next year, Austin saw a strong sense of solidarity, and everyone came together to support the country and our servicemen and women. We also helped raise funds for the victims and did what we could to support our members.
John McKechnie
Contract Lobbyist for the Association, Washington, D.C.
Of course, 9/11 was a nightmare for our entire Nation, but in “official Washington” it took on an extra air of fear and tragedy.
The day started normally, an average early Fall Tuesday morning. I was head of governmental affairs at CUNA, and in my car on the way to a hotel to meet a group of California credit union leaders who were in town with the League. It was going to be a big day for credit unions on the Hill—September 11, 2001 was going to be the official grand opening of Credit Union House. Several dozen credit union people from all across the country, including Tennessee, were set to gather later that afternoon for a ribbon cutting ceremony.
That never happened.
I heard a radio a report about a plane hitting the World Trade Center in New York, which is how I led off my breakfast briefing with the California group. None of us understood the big picture until a waitress serving breakfast overheard my comments and said “a second plane just hit the other World Trade Center tower.”
Needless to say, we sat in stunned silence. When we finished the breakfast meeting, the TVs in the hotel lobby showed chilling video of the Pentagon on fire. I said to the California group “not only should we cancel whatever DC meetings you have, you folks should scramble to rent as many cars as possible and get back home. Because nobody is going to be flying for a while.”
Around 10 a.m., I started driving home and got a call from a House staffer, who had been in a meeting in the Capitol that was interrupted by what he described as a “very loud Capitol cop” telling us to evacuate. We did promptly. And one of the House Speaker’s senior aides later told my friend that there was a “pretty high probability that the missing plane (which crashed in Pennsylvania) was headed to either the Capitol building or the White House.”
The rest of that day, and the rest of that week for that matter, was a blur. I remember several of my staff at the CUNA office could not retrieve their cars—they were parked in a garage about 3 blocks from the White House, and the police had a security perimeter set up until Friday. And those of us who were lobbyists couldn’t get into the congressional office buildings for several days; one House member set up a de facto office in a restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue where we could meet instead of in his Rayburn office. I don’t think we talked about financial services once in that meeting. Political issues weren’t as important then.
Those kinds of mundane details have stuck with me.
Downtown Washington has returned to what passes for normal around here. But it has never been the same.
Bonnette A. Dawson
CEO, Old Hickory Credit Union, Nashville, Tenn.
I was on my way to work when I heard the news of the attack on the first World Trade Center tower.
I remember being so upset at the time, and talking about having been to the restaurant on the top of the tower and looking out over the city of New York and all the landmarks that were painted on the windows.
It was hard to believe this could even happen. As far as I can remember, we did not have anyone impacted directly by the attacks. Of course, everyone was so concerned, and we spent most of that day talking about how unbelievable all of it was.
We saw so many changes in the year that followed, especially around security at airports – had to take your shoes off, could not go to the gate to meet passengers without a ticket. I think it made all of us think about how fortunate we had been up to that point and how much we had taken for granted when it came to safety.
Anna Gyulai
Executive Assistant, Tennessee and Mississippi Credit Union Association, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Most of my family is or was military. Several family members were sent overseas for multiple deployments over multiple years; my dad reenlisted and it inspired my brother to join the Air Force when he graduated. I remember it being a lot more peaceful, even at a time like that, everyone seemed more patriotic, had more hope and seemed to stand more united. Yellow ribbons were everywhere.
Brian Trotter
CEO, EPB Employees Credit Union, Chattanooga, Tenn.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was working at Cleveland/Bradley County Teachers Federal Credit Union. I had gone to the post office to pick up our morning mail, and while I was on my way back to the credit union, the news broke that a plane had struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. I remember walking back into the credit union and telling our CEO, Cindy Hines, what had just happened. We all gathered in the boardroom, where we had an older television that we normally used to watch training videos. We were able to pick up the local news, and as we watched, the second plane struck the South Tower at 9:03 a.m. Like the rest of America, we were in complete shock. At that moment, I knew we were witnessing something terrible, but I don’t think any of us could fully comprehend how much that day would change our country.
As for the credit union movement’s response, I don’t remember a specific memory. What stands out to me is how resilient credit unions were. The credit unions that were located around the World Trade Center experienced significant disruption, yet they found ways to continue serving their members or resumed operations quickly. That response reflected something that has always been special about our movement: when people and communities are hurting, credit unions find a way to serve.
The year that followed changed our industry, it brought greater attention to disaster recovery and business continuity, as well as an increased responsibility for financial institutions in combating money laundering and terrorist financing through the USA PATRIOT Act. Those responsibilities became an important part of how credit unions protect not only their members, but also the financial system as a whole still today.
What I remember most…the feeling of that morning, the disbelief, the uncertainty and then the incredible unity that followed. For a period, differences seemed much less important, and we as Americans simply, stood together. I believe there is a parallel to the credit union philosophy in that. At our best, credit unions understand that we are stronger when we work together. We may have different fields of membership, different asset sizes and serve different communities, but when one credit union or one community is hurting, this movement has a long history of stepping forward to help. I personally know this firsthand.
September 11 reminded us how quickly an ordinary morning can become a day that changes history. It also reminded us of the importance of taking care of one another. Twenty-five years later, that’s a lesson worth remembering.
May God bless our credit unions, may God bless those who continue to carry the memories and scars of September 11, and may God Bless the United States of America.
Fred Robinson
President and CEO, Tennessee and Mississippi Credit Union Association
I can still remember exactly where I was on the morning of September 11, 2001.
I was driving to the office when a local radio DJ came on the air and said there was an unconfirmed report that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. At that moment, none of us could have imagined what was actually happening or how much our world was about to change.
When I arrived at the office, everyone had gathered around a small 19-inch television in Tom Gaines’ office. Together, we watched in disbelief as the events of that terrible day unfolded.
The mood in the room and across our country went from confusion and disbelief to sorrow and sadness, and eventually to anger. We mourned the innocent lives that were lost. We prayed for their families. We watched firefighters, police officers, first responders and ordinary Americans run toward danger to help people they had never met.
But I also remember something else about those days.
America came together.
For a time, the things that divided us seemed much less important than the things that united us. Political differences didn’t matter nearly as much. We were Americans first. We rallied around our country and our leaders, supported one another and stood together with a determination that those responsible would be brought to justice.
Our world changed dramatically that day.
A little of the innocence we had known disappeared. The sense of security many of us had taken for granted was shaken. Airports changed. Security changed. Our military went to war. Families were forever changed. And an entire generation grew up in a different America.
During that difficult period, the credit union spirit was also on full display.
Across the country, credit unions did what they have always done in times of uncertainty: they took care of people. They worked with members who needed help, supported their communities, assisted families and businesses, and found ways to be there when people needed them most.
That spirit is one of the reasons I have always been so proud to be part of the credit union movement. At its very best, our movement is about much more than financial services. It is about people helping people.
Now, 25 years later, September 11 is increasingly becoming something younger generations know through history rather than something they personally remember. That makes it even more important for those of us who lived through that day to tell the story not only of the tragedy, but also of what happened afterward.
We came together.
We helped our neighbors.
We honored sacrifice.
We remembered that despite our differences, there is far more that unites us than divides us.
Our country is not perfect. We will disagree. We will stumble. There will be difficult days. But I continue to believe in the fundamental goodness of the American people and in the strength of a nation whose citizens are willing to care for one another.
Perhaps that is one of the most important lessons we can carry forward from September 11.
When things are at their worst, we can choose to be at our best.
As we remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost that day, let us also remember the firefighters, police officers, first responders, military personnel and countless ordinary Americans who demonstrated extraordinary courage and compassion.
And within our own credit union family, let us continue doing what our movement has done for generations: looking after one another, strengthening our communities and living out the simple principle of people helping people.
Twenty-five years later, we remember.
We honor.
And we remain grateful to call this country home.
God bless those we lost, God bless those who continue to serve, and God bless the United States of America.
