Ann-Marie Taylor, Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Operations at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA), reflected on her experiences during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. At the time, Taylor was serving as a police detective in Palm Beach County.
Taylor described learning about the attack as she drove to work. “I didn’t know if my uncle was dead or alive or stuck,” Taylor said, recalling concern for her uncle who was working at the Pentagon that day. “Being a police officer, I’m the one in charge of my family, so everyone was calling me to find out what happened.”
She explained how communication lines were overwhelmed as families tried to contact each other. During this time, she focused on keeping her relatives calm amid uncertainty.
Taylor also recounted advice from her supervisor: “My police chief called me into his office that day,” she said. “He said everything was going to change for law enforcement and the way we do things from then on.”
Her husband, a firefighter, was also involved in public safety efforts that day. Taylor said they found support in each other during this difficult period. “In the catastrophe that was the event, it was impactful to have a husband who was in the field, so we both understood what the other was experiencing,” she noted. “Our faith was surely our guiding star during that time in our lives.”
Later that night, Taylor learned her uncle had made it home safely after walking from the Pentagon to Alexandria, Virginia.
Reflecting on September 12th and its aftermath, Taylor observed an increased sense of national unity: “Sept. 12, 2001 was the most amazing experience of unity I’ve ever witnessed in the United States,” she said. She highlighted stories of people supporting strangers and noted an enduring bond among public safety officers.
Following 9/11, Taylor joined a joint-terrorist task force with the FBI investigating international terrorism for eight years before returning to local policing and eventually joining PBA’s Department of Public Safety as Deputy Chief.
Taylor concluded by sharing how these events continue to influence her work: “While we want to honor the past, we never want to get stuck in it; we want to learn from it,” she stated. “My takeaway is to focus on the unity created by the event. While it was horrible, there were good things that came out of it.
“It’s important to focus on the good and stay centered on Christ and carry on in a manner pleasing and glorifying to God.”
