FEATURED September 11th Attack - 25 years ago today

[Whirlwin]

I was a sophomore in high school, and I stayed home from school that day.

My mom worked at the Pentagon at the time. Those few hours of waiting to hear anything were horrible.

I can only imagine,

 

[Reverend Conehead]

I was living in Denver at the time and was working for the phone company there. When I got to work, people were already talking about the first plane that had hit the first tower (the North one I think). I had a new girlfriend. We weren't even officially together yet, but I had a pretty good idea that that was going to happen (and it did). She was from New York City and had just traveled back there to see her family and was planning to come back on September 11th. When I realized that, I was like, "Oh, @#$%." However, I got a call from her, and she said she was in Denver. She had changed her reservation and had flown back the day before.

They sent us home from work, and I ended up spending it with her. It was strange that I simultaneously felt the excitement of a new romance, but also the horror of the events that were happening.

My brother was also an airline pilot and sometimes flew in that region, so for a moment I was worried, but then on the news I saw that none of the hijacked planes were from the airline he flew for.

 

[Runwildboys]

Does everyone remember how eerie it felt having no planes in the sky for a while afterward? Maybe it's just me, but it was very strange - Also, seeing armed soldiers at every bridge and tunnel into NYC for a long time.

That changed a lot of things we took for granted.

 

[Cowfan75Lives]

I was working at Target in Iowa, when a coworker told me a plane had hit the tower. I was thinking a small plane, accident, etc...like everyone probably thought. By lunch I had gone home to blindly throw in a VCR tape to record the news. I didn't want to go back to work. How could I? How could anyone? I went back to work and listened to Peter Jennings describe the collapse: "Oh my God".

No, I will never forget.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

its a fair and true observation - i think the difference has to do with the dichotomy of the "foe" - ww2 had very direct and clear enemies in the axis and is considered the last "good war" - the situation with terrorism did not have as clear of an enemy and consequently didnt elicit the same visercal lasting national reverence unforutnatly.

I am moved on each day, i am also a student of history and have educated myself over the years - my children understand the signifcance of both events, and many more, and its our job to continue to educate so that the reverence is elevated and we truly never forget

We were very reluctant to go iinto WWII.

"They" forced our hand with Pearl Harbor.

Sound familiar?

Even then some didn't support it.

Having said that...yes...the "enemy" didn't come out and announce themselves on a battlefield.

AND...the atomic bombs made it very difficult to go Nuremberg on anyone, let along atomic.(lottsa guilt all the way around!)

So the long extended battles occurred. With no real end or victory.

The odd thing is Japan and Germany became some of our closest allies. Very ironic...when compared to modern warfare.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Does everyone remember how eerie it felt having no planes in the sky for a while afterward? Maybe it's just me, but it was very strange - Also, seeing armed soldiers at every bridge and tunnel into NYC for a long time.

That changed a lot of things we took for granted.

I remember that. You get used to planes being in the sky, and then it feels weird when they're not there. My brother, who was a pilot, had his trip diverted to Detroit (I think). Then he had to rent a car and drive all the way home to Houston where he was living at the time.

 

[JW82]

I'm in NJ. We have 2 friends that both worked at the Trade Center. One was at a meeting uptown and another missed a train and was late for work that day. She was actually getting out of the subway when they were collapsing. Terrifying. We have other friends who lost siblings and spouses. Watching it happen on TV in real time was as close to an outer body experience as I can imagine. One of the worst days ever. Never forget.

 

[Whyjerry]

I worked in midtown Manhattan then. We had just got out of a morning meeting when the first plane hit. There was a healthy debate going on whether it was a terrible accident or something else when the second plane hit. I went back to my office and packed my stuff up. 2 buddies and I just jumped on the next train north. Some people on the train had come from downtown. They were dirty and scared. I remember people passing around their phones so strangers could call someone. My wife picked the 3 of us up in Rye NY. We took the backroads home around the reservoirs. Fully kitted out guys were all over those waterways. It was surreal. Crazy day. God bless all those lost that day. God bless the heroes that climbed up those stairs at the WTCs. That changed the world. Today it is still changed.

 

[tyke1doe]

Was scheduled to work the 3-midnight shift at work. Had my sons with me waiting for the woman who kept our children while we worked to arrive. Usually, the boys liked watching PBS, but that day I had the urge to watch the morning news. They were talking about a plane hit, and I thought it was a TV news helicopter. Then I saw the second plane hit the tower and immediately thought (like so many other people) that this was a deliberate, diabolical, coordinated attack. I then called my sister who worked in downtown New York City. I couldn't get through to her because the phone circuits were down - so many calls I imagined it just shut everything down. I called into work and asked whether they needed me to come into work. Before going into work I stopped by this news stand to purchase all the national newspapers who ran stories on the attack. I remember reading in one paper (I think it was the NYTimes) describing people falling/jumping from the towers and hitting the pavement so hard that "a pink mist rose from the concrete". That description was so insightful and chilling to me.

 

[Whirlwin]

Does everyone remember how eerie it felt having no planes in the sky for a while afterward? Maybe it's just me, but it was very strange - Also, seeing armed soldiers at every bridge and tunnel into NYC for a long time.

That changed a lot of things we took for granted.

It was just so surreal

 

[Whirlwin]

We were very reluctant to go iinto WWII.

"They" forced our hand with Pearl Harbor.

Sound familiar?

Even then some didn't support it.

Having said that...yes...the "enemy" didn't come out and announce themselves on a battlefield.

AND...the atomic bombs made it very difficult to go Nuremberg on anyone, let along atomic.(lottsa guilt all the way around!)

So the long extended battles occurred. With no real end or victory.

The odd thing is Japan and Germany became some of our closest allies. Very ironic...when compared to modern warfare.

I was stationed in Germany
The people loved us
We have barracks everywhere there they have no choice, but be allies, lol
No, they love us

 

[triplets_93]

 

[triplets_93]

 

[Hardline]

My comment will be self-deleted if it derails this thread by even a little bit. I am a 60's baby. I grew up decades after Pearl Harbor, but I saw the old film clips of the destruction. Those visual images and the Arizona Memorial are visceral experiences that were born well before my birth. No December 7ths pass without me also saying, "Never forget."

It may be unfair and totally off-base, but I do not see the same emotional attachment to 9/11 in young people today who were not born when it happened. They do not have access to spare, grainy footage. There are VOLUMES of videos and photos that can be researched. Even so, the seemingly same reverence my generation had for Pearl Harbor does not seem as strong in the current generation for 9/11.

I don't get it. If you watch the towers fall... If you watch the invincible Pentagon on fire... If you look at the downed wreckage in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania... HOW are you not moved to your core?

Please forgive the rant.

A lot of kids nowadays are being taught the United States is the enemy.

 

[Vintage]

I remember finding out as I was grabbing books switching between first and second period at school. The rest of the day we just went from class to class essentially watching TV. I saw a country come together united.

I remember watching then President Bush throwing the first pitch a month or so after 9/11 in the World Series. It sounds so stupid now, but that pitch being a strike was some sort of moment collectively for the nation. And that isn’t a political comment - though I’m sure it will get interpreted as such. It was an iconic moment.

I remember not hating NY sports teams for a bit. As if somehow feeling like if they had success, it would show American resolve/defiance. Of course, that’s long gone and I wish their fans nothing but years of misery. Except the Jets. I simply don’t care about the Jets.

The event sparked a massive interest in reading about the history of the Middle East. I’ve always loved history - but the events of 9/11 led me to an obsession about reading about that particular region. I still have a book case that is dedicated to that topic.

I remember watching the coverage of it days/weeks after it and the feeling of utter shock that we (the US) could be touched that way. Naivety and youth made me think we were invincible, prior to that moment.

It was a profound moment for the country - profound moment for many of us who were kids growing up.

 

[cityochamps]

Thank You!

 

[Reid1boys]

I had quit law school.I was working on a teaching credential and I was substitute teaching at the time. I would get up and get ready with no tv or radio. I drove my motorcycle to work. I walked into the school I was working at that day and they had the news on a tv. It was roughly 730 am west coast time. I watched what was happening in ahhh. I went to my room for the day..... I should have went home. In reality, all schools should have been closed and parents told to pick up their kids. I could not concentrate, but as a teacher, no matter what happens, we have to put on a happy face for the kids. ( I once found out a former student of mine put a shotgun in her mouth and pulled the trigger..... 15 minutes before my lunch ended. But yep, us teachers cant be human. We are expected to keep on for the kids.) Anyways, my uncle worked for AIG and took the train to into the towers everyday for work as his building was just a few buildings down from the tower.

About 7 years ago we sat down at a table and he recounted that day for us. I sat for 90 minutes and didnt say much. I just listened. I told him he needed to write all of this down so he wouldnt forget certain details. That day is one of the most sobering days of my life. The only positive? Its the last time we were united. My uncle's neighbor died on that day. Prayers for all of those that lost a loved one.

 

[ChuckA1]

God bless America.

 

[Reid1boys]

My comment will be self-deleted if it derails this thread by even a little bit. I am a 60's baby. I grew up decades after Pearl Harbor, but I saw the old film clips of the destruction. Those visual images and the Arizona Memorial are visceral experiences that were born well before my birth. No December 7ths pass without me also saying, "Never forget."

It may be unfair and totally off-base, but I do not see the same emotional attachment to 9/11 in young people today who were not born when it happened. They do not have access to spare, grainy footage. There are VOLUMES of videos and photos that can be researched. Even so, the seemingly same reverence my generation had for Pearl Harbor does not seem as strong in the current generation for 9/11.

I don't get it. If you watch the towers fall... If you watch the invincible Pentagon on fire... If you look at the downed wreckage in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania... HOW are you not moved to your core?

Please forgive the rant.

I dont disagree with you. BUT, I took my daughters to the 9/11 memorial and it was a sobering experience for them. I am former military and I was born in 1970. Pearl Harbor has always been with me. I went their 3 years ago. We went to the Arizona. I cried as I stood there saluting that wall. The young people around me must have thought I was nuts. But as a Marine, my heart broke for every name on that wall, for every family that lost a loved one, and for every member of the military I served with. 99% of us that served, served proudly, but none of us wanted to die.

 

[triplets_93]

I worked on 9/11, and my days off were the following two days.

What I remember in the days beyond 9/11 was the eerie silence.

I lived about 3 miles from DFW Airport.

It was so very strange to not even see one plane taking off or arriving at that busy airport.

I remember we had to wait about 2 weeks before overhead photos of ground zero were published in the paper.