The pair later formally met back in 2015 at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, where Penman's photo of Capestro was on display. What a strong and beautiful woman. 'In the last 20 years, I have gone down to the site on around 14 of the anniversaries and I go down quite a bit all year round to be by the pools of water. "I feel like I'm giving back. hitType: 'event', "Our heartfelt thanks to our friends at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., especially Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Stoltzfus, Mr. Whaley, and JoAnne Capestro, for their kind hospitality." This event was part of the College's year-long 150th anniversary celebration. }); "Not many people went through what we went through and survived. She began her descent with several colleagues and reached the street level just as the South Tower collapsed. "Phil was with me. Right now, Joanne Capestro lives in Brooklyn, NY. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { But the phone rang and he answered, then the plane hit five or six floors above us," Joanne recalled. Joanne-vasquez Lubrigado. She shared that it was only until they reached the 64th floor that other people began to use the stairwell to escape. And I was standing at my desk with one of my co-workers because we were going to go downstairs. But the phone rang and he answered, then the plane hit five or six floors above us. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Capestro told how she has 'worked on myself', read a lot of self-help books and met with a lot of other survivors over the years. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, As seen in photographer Phil Penmans photo, she and a colleague were walking away from the site, clearly shaken up and covered in thick white dust and debris. Covered in toxic dust and debris from the scene, Capestro was captured in a photo taken by acclaimed photographer Phil Penman, who grabbed his camera and rushed to the scene when he found out a plane hit the North Tower. While there, he captured a scene 9. Zebediah Smith Dr. Robert Lahita, New York City Dr. Robert Lahita traveled to Ground Zero with two paramedics. The pair later formally met back in 2015 at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, where Penmans photo of Capestro was on display. Join Facebook to connect with Joanne Vasquez and others you may know. The September 11th terrorist attacks left 2,996 people dead and more than 6,000 others injured in the United States. There they stayed until she saw another first responder's awe at spotting his own helmet on display in the museum. "When we're gone, it needs to be somewhere where it can be seen, where it will be safe," Fajardo said. Much to his astonishment, the staff there recognized Joanne and united Penman and her around three years ago. 'We have a great friendship. "The work carries a lot of weight. Street photographer Phil Penman was on the ground during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It was this moment that Penman captured the image of the two women - a look of shock and terror on their faces. "For me, looking over the images over the last 20 years, it's kind of helped me deal with it more," Penman reflected. "We were waiting to see what the museum looked like" and how it handled people's possessions, said one of his sisters, Megan Fajardo. Six weeks ago he was the photographer at my wedding. While she was on the call, the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower only six floors above Joanne's office where she worked as an assistant secretary. ga('ads.send', { Street photographer Phil Penman was on the ground during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It was the photographer's first day off in a long time after he had spent months working nonstop. But the phone rang and he answered, then the plane hit five or six floors above us. A retired police detective gave the sole-scorched boots she wore while working amid the smoking wreckage of the twin towers. "Nobody could understand that because they weren't there. It's a bond that can't be broken," she added. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. I thought that everybody must have left already from above because I thought it was going to be crowded when they didnt have a chance to make it out," she recalled. Years later, Penman's photos were shown at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in a 2015 exhibit. gads_event = event; Friends," Penman said. "That's the only good thing that came out of it, I think for me develop this bond. At 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center's south tower. During some point when she was trying to escape the scene, she was unknowingly captured on camera along with one of her co-workers. },false) Now, 17 years later, the same photographer Phil Penman shot her wedding images six weeks ago. ", How a 9/11 photo brought two people together, Capestro recounted on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna Friday, America prepares to mark 20th anniversary of 9/11, Officer who survived WTC collapse reflects on 20th anniversary of 9/11, An oral history of 9/11, as told by kindergarteners at ground zero 20 years ago, 12 defining photos we will never forget from 9/11. Another man photographed her and the picture went on to depict the catastrophe that was the 9/11 tragedy in its full fury. I wanted to share it with people. Capestro even appears to be barefoot. Finding the displays tasteful, the relatives decided to contribute the items: his wallet, cards he carried, and pocket change. That image was captured by a New York-based Philman and has, since then, gone on to become one of the most iconic images of individuals who emerged unscathed even at the wake of such a tumultuous incident. Catalog; For You; Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland) . Now here we are today and six weeks ago, on August 11, he was the photographer at my wedding. "After many years, I decided, 'I want to get married.' Living with survivor's guilt was not easy. She stored them carefully and showed them to me before donating them to the new National September 11 Memorial Museum. Indeed. "That's how it all started and we stayed in touch for all of these years. Once Capestro made it out of the tower, the building began to collapse and she started running and screaming "God help me". ", For Capestro, Penman's photo has meant a lot. Capestro, then 39,was photographed that day covered head to toe in thick dust and debris as she fled from the World Trade Center with a coworker. The impact was so strong and the building was shaking until all of a sudden it stopped.. He didn't pick up but he checked the message anyway. Photo: Phil Penman pic.twitter.com/oTjNLN0e4Z. For more information, please see our "I wasn't even outside 30 seconds and building tower two started to fall down on me," she said before she reunited with a co-worker, who had also managed to leave. You know, we had to make face masks. Capestro put it best when she said: Phil was with me on the best day of my life and the worst day of my life.. What would happen immediately, in the aftermath of the North Tower falling into dust, would be the emergence of an image of a tall, mid-aged woman, feeling lucky- as expected- at having escaped the incident, walking barefoot alongside her coworker, covered completely in dust and rubble. Within 22 minutes, Capestro made it a few steps out of the North Tower when it began collapsing and she started running and screaming God help me. Capestro even credits the photographer for helping her heal in the traumatic aftermath of 9/11. Afterward, she donated everything she had on that day, including the heels, to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which History Channel says it is helping to support. After finding the only available stairwell exit, Capestro rushed down the 87 flights of stairs, part of the way in high heels, before running out of the North Tower all within 22 minutes. Photographer who captured iconic image of woman on 9/11 returns to shoot her wedding. Dolphins Bring Gifts to Humans After Missing Them During the Early Pandemic, Dutch Woman Breaks Track and Field Record That Had Been Unbeaten in 41 Years, Mystery of Garfield Phones Washing Up on a French Beach for 30 Years Is Finally Solved, Study Suggests Body Odor Can Reveal if a Man Is Single or Not, Man Who Was Illiterate at 18 Is Now Youngest Black Professor at Cambridge University at 37, 8-Year-Old Helps Raise Money for His Favorite Waffle House Worker To Buy a Family Car, Santa Fe High School Shooting Survivor Pays Tribute to Fallen Classmates During American Idol Audition, 11 Trailblazing Female Scientists That You Need to Know, Students Raise $270K for 80-Year-Old Custodian Who Came Out of Retirement After His Rent Went Up, Functionally Illiterate Man Teaches Himself To Read and Has BookTok Cheering Him On, Bindi Irwin Honors What Would Have Been Her Late Father Steve Irwins 61st Birthday, Heinz Wants To Buy a New Boat for a Man Who Survived a Month at Sea by Eating Ketchup, Ukrainian Wedding Planner Opens Up About Adapting to War and Still Finding Joy in Life, Dad Takes Toddler Son for a Mani-Pedi After Teacher Says Nail Polish Is Only for Girls, Mom and Son Graduate College Together After Making the Promise Almost 20 Years Ago. For Capestro,the memorial at Ground Zero is now a positive place which she goes to spend time in around five or six times a year. ga('ads.send', { The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Legal Statement. In the immediate aftermath of the horrific fall of the Twin-Towers, there emerged a picture of a young woman completely covered in dust and rubble, walking in a manner that truly indicated that the world around her had collapsed. You have to put your best foot forward every day, because you can't let terrorism get to you.'. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Arguably, at the most important date of her life; can there be anything more important than a marriage, Phil was present to capture her on her wedding day. Capestro, who now lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, is happily married, has nine grandchildren through marriage and is still working on Wall Street in a job she finds 'very rewarding'. But I have to say when I turned the corner, I owe a lot of it to Phil Penman. A museum staffer recognized Capestro in the picture and helped make the connection. 'We were rocked again when the second tower was hit and that made me run,' Capestro told DailyMail.com. Today Joanne is quoted in an article by the AP. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { She said she now puts 'my best foot forward every day now because we can't let terrorists win', 'I felt like I needed to be there.