Oct 31, 2006 By Rebekah Sungala 4 min read

Sujo John’s life changed Sept. 11, 2001. Although the terrorist attacks happened more than five years ago, John remembers the horrific event as if it happened yesterday.

“On that day, the worst of humanity made their presence known. But they were met by the best of humanity, the firefighters and policemen who laid down their own lives to save others,” John said.

John, a World Trade Center survivor, addressed a crowd of emergency personnel and community members Sunday evening at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown.

The program, sponsored by the Penn Highlands Teens For Christ, was meant to honor police, firefighters and emergency medical services professionals, said the Rev. Travis Deans, associate executive director of the organization.

“I would not be here if not for the brave firemen and policemen,” John said, sharing his story with those who attended the event.

John was working on the 81st floor of the North Tower when the first jetliner crashed into the building. The New Jersey resident had been living in the United States for about seven months, having moved to the United States after leaving his home in Calcutta, India.

“Things were going great for me and my wife. We both had great jobs and were expecting our first child,” he said.

John said he and his wife both worked at the World Trade Center.

He had just arrived at work the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, trying to send a fax to Philadelphia when the first plane crashed into the building.

“I heard what sounded like a tremendous explosion,” he said. “Fire broke out and the walls caved in.”

After getting over the initial shock, John said he and his coworkers made their way down crowded and smoke-filled stairways.

As he walked, John said he attempted to call his wife, Mary, who worked on the 71st floor of the South Tower, on his cell phone, but said he couldn’t get through because the signals were jammed with others trying to call loved ones.

John said he was sure his wife was dead.

As he and several thousand people continued to walk down several flights of stairs, John said they were met by hundreds of firefighters and police officers who were on their way up, climbing higher into the chaos.

“These men were literally walking up to their deaths,” he said.

It took John about an hour to reach the mezzanine level of the tower, he said, saying the courtyard was covered with the bodies of people who jumped from the upper floors to escape the fire.

He broke down when the South Tower, the second to be hit, came crashing down.

John said he fell to the ground and called out to Jesus Christ. He stayed on the ground for about 20 minutes and when he arose, John said everyone around him had been crushed by debris.

Following a flashing light that turned out to be an ambulance, John said he dug his way out of the debris and was able to get out of the building. Then the North Tower collapsed.

John said his cell phone rang a few hours after the attacks. It was his wife, who had been late getting to work and was at the World Trade Center but not in her office when the terrorists attacked.

Since Sept. 11, both John and his wife gave up their six-figure jobs and have spent time traveling the country, sharing their inspirational and evangelical story with others.

“The real reason I’ve traveled around the country telling this story is so I can tell the greatest story ever told, the story of Jesus Christ,” John said.

John thanked all the emergency personnel in attendance Sunday night, saying they represent what “makes America great.”

“You brave people, who are so willing to go work, and never ever know what a day can have in store for you and your families,” he said.

The Rev. Peter A. Malik, executive director of Penn Highlands Teens For Christ, said three local Bible clubs from Uniontown, Laurel Highlands and Albert Gallatin high schools are attempting to launch a national campaign asking President Bush and Congress to make Sept. 11 a national holiday to honor police, firefighters and other emergency personnel.

More information about the campaign is available by calling Penn Highlands Teens For Christ at 724-439-1011.