THE 2996 PROJECT: REMEMBERING JOHN ISKYAN

I first want to thank DC Roe for making the 2996 Project a reality. I am more than honored to be able to participate in this project. Being a Canadian I felt hesitant at first to sign up for this, but then I started looking at the victims’ bios; many Canadians died on 9/11 too. The attack wasn't against New York City, it wasn't against only America, it was against Western civilization, it was against democracy; it was a vicious, senseless, deliberate attack against innocents by those who represent a vile hatred of all that is valued by the West. In a hurricane or a car accident, innocents die, but not on purpose. This is why 9/11 and the victims of 9/11 must be remembered; there was intention to murder innocent civilians. Life in the West changed on 9/11; unsuspecting people were murdered for being Westerners. Our perception of radical Islam changed as well. We can't afford to forget.


John Iskyan of Wilton, Connecticut died of smoke inhalation on September 11th, 2001. He was only 41 years old, just nine months older than me.

He was struck down in the middle of a life that most people would envy. He had a loving wife and two young children whom he loved dearly and who loved him back. He was also very close to his mother Carol.

Only three days earlier, he had thrilled his wife with a surprise 40th birthday party that he had secretly planned for close to a year. His children, Peter, 12 at the time and Carolynn, 9, both kept the party a secret as well.

He worked 16 years for the brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald Securities on the 105th floor of the North tower, as a bond trader. In fact, he lived through the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. I know that some have criticized the remembrance of 9/11 victims as giving them “hero status.” But in 1993 it took John over an hour and a half to evacuate because of his selflessness in helping others get out of the building. John was, in fact, a hero.

In 2001 thought he was going to make it out alive as well.

After the first plane hit, a friend called Iskyan, who said he was about to leave the building and would see the friend later.

John was a very good athlete and an active member of his community. He enjoyed skiing and coached lacrosse. His love of skiing was what brought John and his wife Margaret together in the first place at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. He then went to work at Cantor Fitzgerald where he worked his way up to partner.

John's workday was long because of the commute from Wilton to New York. He got up regularly at 5 a.m., rode the train and was at his desk by 7 a.m. He would return home at 7 or 8 p.m. "Everything John did, he researched it, he studied it, he looked hard at it," Bob Keeling, a brother-in-law, said yesterday. "He didn't want to do it half-baked."

I can tell by the comments left on other tribute sites that John was a well-loved, great guy. One comment, though, says it all:

"That was my dad. i love him dearly. I miss him very much. he is the best dad in history."
*** Posted by Carolynn Iskyan on 2004-01-30 ***




Click either "blogroll" or "assigned victims" here for links to the other tributes to the victims of 9/11.