Lantana resident Sujo John and his wife both worked in New York’s World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and both lived to tell the tale. Twenty-five years after the attacks, he is encouraging Americans to remember not only what happened that day, but the unity that followed.
Before coming to America, John grew up in India.
He moved to Lantana from New York in 2004 to be closer to DFW Airport because he traveled frequently for work.
Following the attacks in New York, he could feel the tension when he was on planes. On a flight back from Europe, a man changed seats after John got up to use the restroom a couple of times.
“The next time I got up, he said he was going to jump on me,” John said. “He thought I was a terrorist.”
John then took out his Bible, and the man came over. The two ended up having lunch together. The man later donated to John’s charity, and they have remained friends ever since.
On another flight, some women not-so-quietly asked each other if John was a terrorist.
John was on his way to a 9/11-related event that was covered by a local TV station. On the flight back, the same women recognized John from the news and apologized for what they had said.
It’s something that would make many people angry, sad or lose hope in humanity, but not John.
“I would hear it and feel bad, but I get it,” he said. “This happened, all of these people are thinking about it and we were so anxious.”
Those passengers didn’t know John’s story, but once they understood, they were able to make a connection with him.
John worked on the 81st floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower and tried repeatedly to reach his wife, Mary, after the first plane struck his building. She worked in the South Tower.
John escaped the tower before it collapsed and began looking for his wife. He finally reached her around 5 p.m., when phone service was restored, and learned that she had avoided the attack because she was late to work. Click here to read more of their story.
John still had to travel for work after the attacks and attended many events related to 9/11. He described flying during that time as an eerie experience.
“About two weeks after the attacks, I was on a private plane and these F-16 fighter jet pilots came close to the plane and asked where we were going,” he said. “And a lot of planes were just empty … people were scared to fly.”
John recalled that many of the people on flights to New York were ironworkers traveling there to help sift through the debris.
It was a time when many people were united and there to support their fellow Americans. John hopes Americans will once again make an effort to understand one another and see where others are coming from rather than living in a bubble.
“If we allow ourselves to get out of that bubble and experience life around us, you will realize God made a beautiful world,” John said. “In John 3:16, it says ‘God so loved the world,’ not just our ZIP code or town.”
John is scheduled to make appearances on podcasts and television shows during September. He said he plans to appear on both Fox News and CNN.
“Maybe at least on that day, people can have civil conversations and we don’t have to be so divided,” John said. “Because being a Republican or Democrat doesn’t matter — they both love America. There’s no reason to hate each other.”
John also encourages people to thank the first responders in their communities, who would be the ones risking their lives to save others in a crisis.
“Even after 9/11, I would see ‘Never Forget’ signs on fire trucks,” he said. “They showed the world what this country was made of, but it can be a thankless job at times.”
Read more about Sujo John’s story of faith and survival at sujojohn.com.
