The Badger Herald: News: 9/11 survivor touts God’s role in escape

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9/11 survivor touts God’s role in escape

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By Nick Penzenstadler
Thursday, November 9, 2006 12:00 a.m.

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Sharing his first-hand account of surviving the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, former businessman Sujo John spoke to a packed Memorial Union Theater Wednesday.

Student Impact, part of the Campus Crusade for Christ, sponsored the event.

After moving to the United States from his birthplace of Calcutta, India, with his wife Mary in early 2001, the couple began working for separate firms at the World Trade Center. He worked on the 81st floor of the north tower, and she worked on the 71st floor of the south tower.

John shared his miraculous story of survival and incorporated his personal faith, which he said played a large part in his successful escape.

John's story and description of evil in the world brought tears to University of Wisconsin sophomore Nikki Carow's eyes.

Carow said the speech provided a unique perspective of the events the whole world had watched from afar.

"I thought it was really powerful; it really brought me back to when I was there watching it all on TV," Carow said. "To hear his story and his testimony on how his life was changed with his faith in God was a blessing to me."

After John's speech, he fielded questions from the audience about his experience.

UW sophomore Jasun Karner questioned John's argument of faith playing a role in his survival and pointed to the "terrorists" who claimed their own faith guided them.

"It's difficult when you bring up disputed facts and tie religious faith to it," Karner said. "You can't tie Jesus' intentions in with a modern-day event that is being called into question, especially when it's as important as religious faith."

John said the morning of 9/11 began as any normal office day, with him faxing documents. Then tragedy struck.

"I heard a tremendous roar and thought my eardrums were going to burst," John said. "We could see 10 floors above us."

John said as he and his coworkers made their way to the stairwell, the elevator shaft at the center of the building sent "balls of fire" past their floor, where jet fuel from the main impact of the 88th floor had drained.

Though it took more than an hour for John and his co-workers to make their way down the stairwell, he said he remembers one pivotal moment.

"At the 44th floor, we encountered the hundreds of firemen and policemen making their way up," John said. "These great men were literally walking to their death."

After finally exiting the building, John said he was faced with the image of hundreds of fallen bodies of people who had jumped from the building. Moments later he joined a group of about 20 people to pray when the first tower collapsed.

John responded to multiple audience questions of why God did not intervene in the attack by saying God granted mankind independent willpower.

John said that later that day he reconnected with his pregnant wife, who also survived the towers' collapse.

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