September 11th 2001 - Heavy on my heart again this year

[khdem Member Find all posts View Profile Close khdem]

September 11

Thank you for sharing...it is a day we will never forget. For those of us who saw it on TV it was unreal...I can only imagine what it was like for those who saw it happen live. Indelible..to be seen over and over in our minds. Let us do everything we can so that this never happens again...

Kay

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

Our hearts go out to all the victims of the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and all the flights as well as the rest of the country.

I turned on the History Channel this morning and was rivited like the day it happened. Very heavy heart today.

United We Stand. Peace through Strength.

[Joe L Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe L]

I received an E-Mail from a cousin from California today. We met through a Geneology search about 7 years ago. We never met in person. I didn't even know she existed. She sent me an E-Mail on the first anniversary of 911 saying how she was thinking of me. I sent her and E-Mail in return. Today's E-Mail said she has kept my original E-Mail from 9/12/02 and reads it every year on the anniversary. I was humbled that she did.

Here was my E-Mail to her on 9/12/02 regarding 911.

It was a sad day for all. I was working that day and was passing the towers on a highway in Brooklyn. I saw the flames and smoke after the first plane hit. I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought it was an explosion from within. It took me 2 hours to get back to my office, normally a 20 minute ride. I spent the remainder of the day and evening coordinating traffic checkpoints into Manhattan.

The following morning at 4AM I was at ground zero. Drina, I could not begin to describe the site. All I can say is that if you can picture what nuclear winter might look like, it would come pretty close. The sun was completely blocked out by the smoke, there were burning embers in the air; burning papers in the trees; thick, unbreathable air all around. Everything was covered with a 2 to 3 inch layer of pulverized concrete. There were demolished cars everywhere. We found pieces of the planes in the streets.

The site itself looked like a futuristic war zone after a large bomb blast. It was surreal. I'm sure you have seen all the video on television. For me, on that first day everything seemed to move in slow motion, yet we were working frantically. I think I may have been in shock for the first few days. I seemed to be just working on instinct. I spent the next two weeks at ground zero, working from 4AM until 8PM.

I was back there yesterday for the memorial service. The oddest thing yesterday, was the incredible wind. All the family members were in "the Pit" and with the wind ,it stirred up the dirt so much, that it looked eerily similar to those first few days. Gotta go now...keep in touch,
Love Cousin Joe


NEVER FORGET

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

Thanks, Ken, for reminding us all again. We should never forget.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

Thank you Ken. We all remember where we were that day. I was lying in the hospital recovering from emergency gall bladder surgery. The night b4 I was telling the Dr why me? I have a trip coming up in 2 weeks. He came in that morning and sat down on the bed and held my hand as tears streamed down both our eyes. I told him please forget what I said last night, I don't have any problems. It really put our lives in perspective.

Alan Jackson wrote the most poignant song, "Where were you when the world stopped turning. He was asked how he wrote it and said he didn't , he just held the pen.

shaggy

[Guest Close Quarterbore]

Thank you Ken. We all remember where we were that day. I was lying in the hospital recovering from emergency gall bladder surgery. The night b4 I was telling the Dr why me? I have a trip coming up in 2 weeks. He came in that morning and sat down on the bed and held my hand as tears streamed down both our eyes. I told him please forget what I said last night, I don't have any problems. It really put our lives in perspective.

Alan Jackson wrote the most poignant song, "Where were you when the world stopped turning. He was asked how he wrote it and said he didn't , he just held the pen.

shaggy

Know it well...

YouTube - Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning? - 9/11

[StressCadet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StressCadet]

Our hearts go out to all the victims of the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and all the flights as well as the rest of the country.

I turned on the History Channel this morning and was rivited like the day it happened. Very heavy heart today.
United We Stand. Peace through Strength.

Did you watch 102 Minutes? I really shouldn't have...however, my kids watched with me. We couldn't stop watching. They were only in 1st and 4th grade at that time. I sheltered them as much as I could. Now they know and in a real first hand account.

My daughter asked me, "the 'people' we know in NYC? Were they there when it happened?" I said, "Yes" "and Uncle XXXXX, doesn't he work at the Pentagon?" I said, "Yes"

Heavy heart indeed.

We will never forget.

[Sandcrab Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sandcrab]

I saw I had replied to this thread a few years ago. As I mentioned then, my wife and I were raking at our lake place and I had to move my pick-up. Radio was on to a local talk show hosted by the now national Ed Schultz. Took 35 minutes before I could figure out what was going on because he was trying to figure out who to blame...Rumsfield, Bush, Cheney etc.? When he finally reported what happened, I called work (North Dakota Air National Guard) and they said "get you ass in here, you are on active duty"...and at 55 years old I was on active duty for nearly two years. We had an alert detachment at Langley and it was our jets that were scrambled to the Pentagon only to arrive and see it in flames. I have a copy of the print that also hangs in the Pentagon of a burning building with two F-16's circling...signed by our pilots...who also had permission to shoot down a civilian airliner if necessary.

About Ed Schultz: In my opinion, he was a buffoon a few years ago when he was a Republican and hasn't changed now that he's a Democrat, except he's now making more money. He's local and the stories about him abound and some I can substantiate.

But we all forget. As striking as it was in my life, I was working (yesterday now) and saw flags at half mast...and I thought: "what for"? I then looked at the calendar and felt so very stupid. How soon we forget.

God Bless America!

[Guest Close Quarterbore]

Another year and resolved to never forget...

My contribution to the thread on the 8th Anniversary:

See Video -> 9-11 Tribute Movie featuring photos of the faces of 9-11 set to Garth Brooks "The Change"

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

Thanks Ken for the reminder. I think that everyone in this country will always remember where they were when they heard this news and especially the folks in the city that actually saw things that day.
Also tho, it is a reminder of the resillence of the american people and of the people of NYC in particular. People came together and helped and comforted one another and I think the city softened a bit that day and has stayed a bit different since.
We lost 2 really good people from our NY office that day, one our regional office IT manager who stayed with one of his employees who had hurt his leg and couldn't walk to wait for rescue but then the tower came down. Very sad.

[Joe L Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe L]

I will never forget seeing the smoke from the WTC after the first plane hit. I didn't see the plane, just the smoke. I thought it was a fire from within. I will never forget the sights and smells the early morning on Sept 12 when I responded. It was surreal. Thank You for continuing this thread. I WILL NEVER FORGET.

Here is one my favorite tributes:

YouTube - When the World Stopped Turning: A 9/11 tribute

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

My friend's daughter is reading the names tomorrow. Her dad was head of security at Cantor Fitzgerald....her name is Stephanie Waring and she will be reading the "W's". She was age eleven 8 years ago, her sisters were 14, 8 and 4 when their father was killed.

Never forget ....

[Ireland's Call Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ireland's Call]

I will remember tomorrow too . Until last year when I retired I worked with Aon. We lost 140 souls on that fateful day and our main competitor Marsh a similar number. Lost some colleagues whom I knew extremely well. Both Marsh and Aon had offices on the top floors .

RIP


G

[pcgirl54 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pcgirl54]

Today is a reminder of what America means and a reminder to hold our loved ones a little closer.

Bless all the people who lost loved ones and friends I cannot begin to imagine your pain.

To those who assisted in the search and clean up please know that this nation is indebted to you and humbled by your courage and dedication.

My oldest son rented a Uhaul 9/10/01 to move to The Big Apple for a post college job. His first day in Manhattan was 9/11/01. I too heard the news at work and thought at first it was a little commuter plane but we all know it was not. We did not know where our son was until 1pm. I still have his emails to me from the first week about Manhattan seeming like a giant fire of burning leaves. He still lives in Manhattan eight years later.

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

We will never never forget.