9/11 Anniversary

[CouchCoach]

I was at work when it happened, in the warehouse, not on the road that day. Suddenly our maintenance guy walked in and said a plane had just crashed into the WTC. We thought he was joking, because he was weird that way, in fact Strange was literally his last name. When we realized he was serious we all went up to the conference room to watch the news. At that point we thought it was just a horrible, unlikely accident, but then we saw the other plane headed toward the second tower.
Just the day before, I'd read an article on Bin Laden, so I had a fair amount of certainty he was behind it, which made me incredibly angry and frustrated. Then came the news about the Pennsylvania crash.
At least someone was able to fight back and piss in the terrorists' corn flakes.
Soon after, the news was showing the glee of the people in the Middle East, as crowds of hideous, creepy old women, men, and even children shrieked in delight that thousands of innocent lives were destroyed. It made me want to turn that whole part of the world into an ashtray.
Fortunately, it wasn't my decision to make.

I felt the same way at first. They were burning the flag and celebrating people had died, innocent people, and I hated them.

My niece joined the Air Force the week after and volunteered to pack bombs, ended up in Afghanistan and later Iraq on her mission to send as many of them to hell as she could. That's how she started out but not how she ended up.

She made the mistake of curiosity as to why those people celebrated Americans dying like that, that was the real driving force behind her mission of payback. What she discovered was so rooted and taught that she swore the children are born hating America. Like so many cultures, and we are the same here, the citizens only know what they are told. And we've never been told the whole truth of what we've done there to help fan the flames of hatred.

We decided to get involved in what had been going on for centuries and waded into a fight when we didn't know the good guys from the bad guys, enemies from friends. And it was a former friend turned enemy that staged that attack. The other thing that seldom surfaces was just how easy we made it for them to do that.

I also look at 9/11 as an in our face learning experience of just how vulnerable we can be when we underestimate the resolve of an enemy.

 

[John813]

I was in school at the time. All of a sudden they had everyone report to the auditorium and announced two planes hit the Towers. Some kids were getting picked up shortly after but back then cellphones were still rare for kids and definitely no mobile internet we could access.
After school was over my friends dad was a teacher there and that's when we found out it wasn't two small planes but 737's and it was a terrorist attack. Rest of the day was spent in awe watching the news. Towers collapsing over and over wondering if there were more attacks to come or what further chaos the world would be in.

Then remembering that my aunt worked in the towers and wondering if anyone got a hold of her. Found out she had a few days off and luckily wasn't there.

Watching/listening to phone calls from that day is just heartbreaking. People realizing that a seemingly normal morning has turned into their last few moments on this earth.

 

[aria]

All non-military flights were grounded because of the attack.

True story: After arriving home, I walked into my front yard and looked up into the sky. I did not expect to see anything other than sun, clouds and birds but my mind was trying to digest the fact. It was the first time in my life NO commercial (and likely private also) flew, anywhere, in American airspace.

That may not faze anyone. It dumbfounded me that day. Still does.

Yup, I was thinking about that earlier, it was very eerie and only added to the mood.

A few other things I was thinking of...

How many fire departments from across the country just loaded up and headed to NYC to help with the recovery. It got to the point where they had to turn other FF’s away and ask them to stop coming.

People jumping out of windows. This still disturbs me to this day thinking of some of those images. Things were so bad, with no way out, that the best option was to jump out of a window.

Not surprisingly cancer has become the number one killer of firefighters, taking over heart attacks. Although 343 firefighters and thousands of civilians died that day, many are still dying of cancer related to the dust they breathed in while trying to get away, help others, search and recovery, etc. In other words, 9/11 is still killing people.

When I went to NYC shortly after 9/11 I remember seeing the fire engines and trucks go by, they still had a job to do, and how many of what are typically the more senior guys (captains, chiefs) looked like they were barely out of the academy as I’m sure some were. They obviously still had to make things work, adapt and overcome but so many crews were wiped out that a lot of younger guys had to step up to the plate. It was just weird for me to see that as I’m sure it was weird for them to be in that position. I can’t even imagine coming into work for my shift, or when I leave, and all the guys I normally see and joke with are gone. And then to still have a job to do...hats off to those guys/gals.

And again...hats off to all of NYC the way they came together. I love the Beastie Boys but this song explains it well.

 

[SlammedZero]

Then remembering that my aunt worked in the towers and wondering if anyone got a hold of her. Found out she had a few days off and luckily wasn't there.

I've thought about these kind of situations. Could you imagine if you worked there and were on vacation or had called in sick that day? Running late? Or whatever? Whether it's fate you believe in or coincidence, that would be just a crazy emotional feeling.

 

[Tabascocat]

I still get angry thinking about that day and that will probably never subside. I had a cousin join the military because of this who later died over there(still don’t know which country, he was in special ops) in 2009. He made that sacrifice that I will never forget

 

[CouchCoach]

I can! I was doing a contract for my company and we were working nights up in Seattle. So I was usually just getting to sleep in the morning when this all happened. This was back when Nextel was around (any of you remember Nextel?) and they had a walkie-talkie feature on their phones. My buddy was alerting me over and over as I was just getting to sleep. I answered the phone ready to kill him and he just insisted I turn on the TV. So, I did, and it was on the first channel I came to. I then just sat there speechless. I figured it was an aviation accident until the second plane hit. Then I knew something was definitely wrong.

Unfortunate thing to have to witness. I can't imagine the emotional roller-coaster NYC area residents went through/have had to go through.

Wasn't just the residents in NYC, the unease was felt all across this country. That was something we only saw in movies, that wasn't possible. No one could, would, do that.

But when we began to consider what was not only possible but how easily they'd pulled that off and if not for some brave and courageous passengers on a plane, they might have achieved a 100% blow against this country, that unease set in.

This was before the run of suicide bombers started up but if that had been prevalent at the same time, I think this country could have come unglued. As it was, they were ordering additional patrols around mosques in Dallas.

The blow to the economy was effective which was their ultimate goal and America on alert was achieved. The only thing that surprises me about this is that we haven't seen more, Bin Laden wasn't the only one that hated America.

 

[SlammedZero]

Wasn't just the residents in NYC, the unease was felt all across this country. That was something we only saw in movies, that wasn't possible. No one could, would, do that.

But when we began to consider what was not only possible but how easily they'd pulled that off and if not for some brave and courageous passengers on a plane, they might have achieved a 100% blow against this country, that unease set in.

This was before the run of suicide bombers started up but if that had been prevalent at the same time, I think this country could have come unglued. As it was, they were ordering additional patrols around mosques in Dallas.

The blow to the economy was effective which was their ultimate goal and America on alert was achieved. The only thing that surprises me about this is that we haven't seen more, Bin Laden wasn't the only one that hated America.

Oh I get that, but I imagine it hits differently when it happens in your home city/in front of your eyes.

 

[CouchCoach]

Oh I get that, but I imagine it hits differently when it happens in your home city/in front of your eyes.

Of course it does, I had my salespeople on the phone to all of our clients in the Northeast just to let them know they were in our hearts and minds.

Being there is different. As a 10 year old kid, I was there in the middle of the integration of Central High in Little Rock which rocked the entire town and have never forgotten the images.

I was staying on Central Park the day John Lennon was murdered and walked down to the vigil and can't hear a Beatles or Lennon song without that image coming back to me.

For those that live in and around NYC, this day is far more invasive than it is to those of us on the outside.

 

[Runwildboys]

I've thought about these kind of situations. Could you imagine if you worked there and were on vacation or had called in sick that day? Running late? Or whatever? Whether it's fate you believe in or coincidence, that would be just a crazy emotional feeling.

Survivor's guilt is probably a big part of her now.

 

[noshame]

 

[Creeper]

Being from newark. I'll never forget that day. It was crazy. Seen the towers a bunch of times before they went down. That skyline looked so bare for so long. RIP.

This is so true. The southern Manhattan skyline looked empty after 9/11. It took way too long to rebuilt too.

 

[America's Cowboy]

It's hard to think about 9/11. So many feelings build up, especially being an ex-fire rescue firefighter/EMT paramedic. Every lost soul that day will never be forgotten. RIP

Hope our country can become united like back then someday.

 

[Creeper]

I remember my parents discussing the John F Kennedy assassination and, in particular, recalling exactly where they were and what they were doing at the time.

I suspect it is much the same for our generation. I recall staring at the TV in complete disbelief, thinking this was some kind of sick Orwellian joke.

I was in grammar school when John Kennedy was assassinated. I do remember it clearly. our Catholic school decided to end classes early and send us home. The nuns were walking the hallways getting all the kids lined up to let us out of school. They were all crying. When I saw mean old Sister Anna crying, I knew something bad happened. Then she told us the president had been shot. When I got home, I walked into the house and my mom was in the kitchen crying. She told me Kennedy died. It was a different time back them. People had more respect for just about everything.

I also remember when Oswald was shot. My uncle and I was sitting in the recreation room watching our little black and white TV. My uncle was the calmest, laid back person I ever knew. He served on submarines in WWII. As we were watching them move Oswald through the basement there was a commotion and a bang. I had no idea what happened but I will never forget my uncle very matter-of-factly remarking, "They shot him".

 

[Hennessy_King]

Of course it does, I had my salespeople on the phone to all of our clients in the Northeast just to let them know they were in our hearts and minds.

Being there is different. As a 10 year old kid, I was there in the middle of the integration of Central High in Little Rock which rocked the entire town and have never forgotten the images.

I was staying on Central Park the day John Lennon was murdered and walked down to the vigil and can't hear a Beatles or Lennon song without that image coming back to me.

For those that live in and around NYC, this day is far more invasive than it is to those of us on the outside.

Yeh there were some kids who I was in HS with whose parents died in the towers. I was in woodshop class. The teacher always had the radio on. So they start talking about a small plane hitting the tower. We thought it was nonsense until they started talking more and more about it. We actually had a tv in that class. So the teacher turned on the TV because reports on the radio started getting reports that it was a commercial airliner. We were watching when the 2nd tower was hit. He let out a holy ****. cut the tv off. called the main office then it was mayhem. You see kids crying and screaming in the halls. teachers crying. They basically had us in lockdown until someone could pick you up. Since we were so close to the city and didn't know what else was gonna pop off.

 

[aria]

Yeh there were some kids who I was in HS with whose parents died in the towers. I was in woodshop class. The teacher always had the radio on. So they start talking about a small plane hitting the tower. We thought it was nonsense until they started talking more and more about it. We actually had a tv in that class. So the teacher turned on the TV because reports on the radio started getting reports that it was a commercial airliner. We were watching when the 2nd tower was hit. He let out a holy ****. cut the tv off. called the main office then it was mayhem. You see kids crying and screaming in the halls. teachers crying. They basically had us in lockdown until someone could pick you up. Since we were so close to the city and didn't know what else was gonna pop off.

Ugh...first time I’ve ever heard a story from someone so close to it and was in high school at the time. Definitely a different perspective, I can’t imagine how horrible that must have been since it was so close and a lot of you probably had family that worked in the towers or the city.

 

[Hennessy_King]

Ugh...first time I’ve ever heard a story from someone so close to it and was in high school at the time. Definitely a different perspective, I can’t imagine how horrible that must have been since it was so close and a lot of you probably had family that worked in the towers or the city.

Yeh a lot of ppl either had parents working in the city and even a lot of faculty members had relatives working in the city. What ppl dont also realize is there was zero cell service and manhattan was on total lock down only way ppl got home was by boat or walked across the bridges. That made it even more hectic that ppl couldnt get in touch with anyone. Yeh I'll never forget that day.

 

[Big_D]

An old friend from high school was going in to clean out his things. His wife was pregnant. That was supposed to be his last day of work. He worked at Cantor Fitzgerald. 104th floor tower 1. That company lost everyone. Really just horrifying for so many people and their families. The ripple effect of this tragedy is endless.

 

[aria]

An old friend from high school was going in to clean out his things. His wife was pregnant. That was supposed to be his last day of work. He worked at Cantor Fitzgerald. 104th floor tower 1. That company lost everyone. Really just horrifying for so many people and their families. The ripple effect of this tragedy is endless.

OMG. Poor family, what’s sad and crazy is that baby never knew it’s dad and is now in college. I always think of the living/aware who were affected but not so much the unborn or babies who never knew their parents and are borderline adults now. That’s gotta be tough.

 

[Crazed Liotta Eyes]

I've thought about these kind of situations. Could you imagine if you worked there and were on vacation or had called in sick that day? Running late? Or whatever? Whether it's fate you believe in or coincidence, that would be just a crazy emotional feeling.

There were three people that apparently missed flight 93. I can't even imagine how they feel.

 

[Crazed Liotta Eyes]

OMG. Poor family, what’s sad and crazy is that baby never knew it’s dad and is now in college. I always think of the living/aware who were affected but not so much the unborn or babies who never knew their parents and are borderline adults now. That’s gotta be tough.

I saw a story a few years ago about the child of a New York Firefighter who died that day who joined the department. It made me choke up.