September 12, 2001
New Mexico Tries To Cope With National Attacks
By Richard Benke
The Associated Press
New Mexico's Air Force bases spent a second day on the highest security alert Wednesday, travelers waited for flights to resume and many people cautiously returned to work a day after devastating terrorist attacks against the nation.
"We're back to our normal schedule, but I think employees are still a bit shocked and disheveled about what happened. So it's not back to normal, but we're just trying to get through our daily business," said Kathy DeLucas, a spokeswoman for Los Alamos National Laboratory, which was closed after Tuesday's attacks but reopened Wednesday.
Planes at Albuquerque International Sunport remained grounded at mid-morning. Nationwide travel was expected to possibly resume at 10 a.m. MDT at the earliest, but it was clear there would be long delays throughout the day.
Police officers cleared out the airport and searched it to ensure the building was safe before opening it to the public, said Albuquerque police Sgt. Brian McCutcheon.
Shirley Herman, 45, from Ellsworth, Minn., sat on the curb outside the airport with sister-in law Sharon Fischer. Herman was trying to go home to her family after visiting her aunt in Albuquerque.
When asked if she was apprehensive about flying Herman said, "A little bit, but then like (Fischer) says, this is probably the best day to fly. They're going to check everything — and that helps."
Hundreds of miles away from the devastation at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, New Mexicans rushed to blood banks and offered prayers in support of those caught up in the airplane attacks that turned the 110-story twin towers to rubble and tore into the Pentagon. An Alamgordo man was a flight attendant on one of the planes.
The Rev. Trey Hammond of the La Mesa Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque said before a service at Albuquerque's Civic Plaza that people should stand together and that "good will triumph. Violence will not be the final word."
Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Department of Energy asked essential personnel only to report to work Wednesday at Kirtland Air Force Base, said Tracy Loughead, a DOE spokeswoman.
Kirtland and New Mexico's other two Air Force bases — Holloman and Kirtland — were on the highest military alert, called "Threatcon Delta."
Kirtland asked only essential personnel to report to work, as well, and base schools were closed.
The New Mexico State Fair, shut down at midday Tuesday, was scheduled to reopen Wednesday.
In Santa Fe, the Capitol was open and the Legislature was scheduled to resume work on redistricting. The attorney general's office and state land commissioner's office, which closed Tuesday, were reopened for business.
All state courts opened for business Wednesday, said Mike Hall, acting director of the Administrative Office of the Courts.
One New Mexico resident, a flight attendant from Alamogordo, was among the people killed Tuesday. Al Marchand was a flight attendant aboard United Airlines flight 175, which was hijacked after taking off from Boston and crashed into the World Trade Center.
Marchand was a former Alamogordo Department of Public Safety lieutenant, a department captain said.
It was unknown whether anyone survived any of the terrorist crashes.
Hundreds of people turned out Tuesday night for prayer vigils around the state and hundreds more waited in long lines to donate blood. Religious leaders, politicians and concerned citizens prayed for peace and for the victims.
"I'm here because I think it's important for people of faith to do what they can in the face of all this tragedy in our country," said Shirley Nilsson, who attended the vigil at Civic Plaza.
"I think violence isn't the answer and I hope we don't become like the terrorists," she added.
Dania Dandashly, a young woman from Lebanon who teaches special education in the Albuquerque school district, offered a prayer in Arabic during the vigil.
"God bless our victims and may god have peace all over the world," she said.
Dandashly, a local representative of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, said she was concerned that people were jumping to conclusions that Arabs and Muslims are to blame.
"We are as peaceful as anybody," she said.
At least one person present at the vigil did not offer a message of peace. Anthony Temer, a Vietnam veteran, carried a placard that read: "Pray for America. Declare War on Terrorists."
"This is just too much," Temer said. "It's time they take care of it. I think they should retaliate as soon as possible."
Although they were many miles away from the devastation, New Mexicans were affected nevertheless.
A few school districts remained closed Wednesday. But others felt it was important to stay open.
"We feel that by closing schools in the absence of a specific threat to our students' safety, we would be giving into terrorism," said Dr. Sue Cleveland, superintendent of the Rio Rancho Public Schools.
The state Capitol was evacuated for two hours as a precaution following a bomb threat and state and U.S. flags flew at half-staff.
Newspapers around the state told readers of the attack with big photos and bold headlines, including The Albuquerque Tribune's "TERROR STRIKES AT PULSE OF U.S." The Albuquerque Journal, a morning paper, published its first "Extra" of recent memory on Tuesday afternoon, as did the Las Cruces Sun-News, The Santa Fe New Mexican, The Daily Times in Farmington and the Carlsbad Current-Argus.
"I just think this is really devastating, but in an instant, all their lives are over," said Jimmy Nurre, a 13-year-old eighth-grader who attended Mass at St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church in Albuquerque. "I'm glad I got to come to Mass again. It really helps calm you."
Not far from the church, Jim Epstein was waiting in line at the United Blood Services of New Mexico to donate blood.
"Being so far removed from New York, this is about the only thing I can do to be of some help," he said.
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