Remembering 9/11...A Must Read!

[Jakesmom1]

I will never forget, I lived in NY at the time, and had just gotten to my office after dropping my DS off at school, my friend came in and said she had just heard a plane flew into the World trade center, we thought like everyone else that it was an accident, we turned on the radio at work and listened to see what had happened, at first they were reporting it was a small plane, then my DH called me, he was still home before going to work and told me that a second plane hit tower 2. Now we knew it was no accident and that we were being attacked. My first reaction was to go pick up my DS who was 7 at the time, As I rushed to his school I couldnt comprehend what was going on , when I got to his school there were dozens of parents pulling up. He went to a Parachiol school and they had just come out of church. I went to the principals office and spoke with her to tell her I wanted to take my DS home, and she said no problem, but the children were just told there was an accident and they said some extra prayers for everyone in the buildings. She suggested and I guess all the parents incuding me agreed it would be better for the children to stay in school and have as normal a day as they could. I went back to my office and we all just stared at our computer screens watching everything unfold on the internet. When I left work and picked up my DS and went home, we could not believe the images on the tv. We lived by an airport and the quiet and stillness of all planes being canceled was the most eerie feeling . We just cried as a family and I think the biggest sadness for me was how the children would never again have the sense of security and innocence I was able to grow up with . I felt such a loss for them, and still do. It still amazes me to this day how people can be so full of hatred toward all Americans without even knowing us. I have met so many people since that day that were either working at the Trade Center or the Pentagon who some how were able to escape with thier lives. I have heard all of thier horror stories and still too this day cant believe what they saw. My brother and my nephew both of which are police officers had to respond to the trade center for the recovery and they will never be able to get those images out of thier minds. My prayers go out to everyone who was affected somehow by that day.

 

[Tony NY]

8 yrs later and it still seems like it was just like yesterday after watching all the media coverage today

So you thank all for not forgetting 9-11-01

 

[Nina1]

This is a Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies Forum. Why are we talking about 9/11 here ?

Because, as American citizens, we can and should talk about 9/11 whenever, wherever and however we feel like it. It is a day that should never be forgotten. And asking that question on 9/11 is offensive and disrespectful. If this discussion bothers you, please feel free to read another thread. After all, it is still a free country (for the time-being, at least).

 

[leeann32]

On 9-11-2001, I woke up ready to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary with my husband. We had planned to go out to lunch and just spend quality time together that day. I got out of the shower to find my husband glued to the tv and thought to myself, what in the heck is he watching at 8:00am ? I walked over to him and sat down and looked at the tv. They were talking about the 1st plane that hit the WTC and how they thought it was an accident. Just then plane #2 hit. We just couldn't belive what we were seeing. Needless to say, we skipped lunch that day, but we did spend time together, watching the news and praying for everyone. Every year I remember this day first as a horrific event that still gives me goose bumps thinking about it.

 

[BreTyPres87]

I was a high school freshman sitting in second period computer class (yawn!) when the intercom came on and the principal announced that the WTC had been hit, we all wondered why they would announce something that happened all the way in NY and what it meant. Then we went to 3rd period and my English teacher started explaining to us what the day meant and there was another teacher sitting on his computer because my teacher was the Journalism department head and had good internet access in his room so he was looking at the news, but then he stands up and goes "The news is saying the State Dept, Watergate, everything in DC is hit!" which made all hell break loose since i'm in the DC suburbs and most of the students have parents who work for the govt (including mine). I remember being excited that we got to go home early it was a child like excitement because school was being cut short and we hadn't seen or understood yet but when I got home and the tv was on it all pretty much set in. I had nightmares for months of another attack. I can't imagine what it was like for the people who were directly affected.

 

[JoMarie]

I was a freshman in high school. I had gym class, which was walking outside on a track for 45 minutes. After that I went to my Journalism class, which started at 9:00 am. My teacher had told us the WTC was bombed and just brushed it off as if it was no big deal. (I'm assuming she didn't completely understand what happened.) Being in Brooklyn, we couldn't stop asking questions and wanted to talk about it but she wouldn't let us. As the day went on, the teachers told us more and more about what happened. Students keep either getting pulled out of school or just went home on their own. My mother always told me that a school building is the safest place to be since it has the bomb shelter; so unlike everyone else I stayed in school. I didn't have a cell phone at the time and my dad travels to different places for work. Although he normally stays in Brooklyn, it was still scary to think that he might have been in the city that day since he goes once in a while. Walking home from school was especially creepy because from where I live, we saw the smoke and had papers scattered throughout the streets. I live right by the Verranzo Bridge (I can see it from my house) and we were all scared that that was going to be the next target. When I got home I found out about the Pentagon and the planes in Pennsylvania. I remember the feeling I got when I heard about the Pentagon, my best friends' father is a General and worked in the Pentagon at the time. I just stood in my house and started to cry because all of the phone lines were jammed and I couldn't get through to talk to her.

That evening, I was supposed to go see O-Town (yes, the boyband. Don't judge me!) in the city. I was supposed to meet my friend from online at the show, but she didn't make it out of the building that day. I just remember the horrible feeling of walking through the streets that day, it just seemed completely silent as if everyone were walking around in a daze.

Shortly after 9/11, you could feel the difference in the city. We were all more aware of how precious life is. Everyone was kinder, it seemed. There were flags everywhere and it seemed like we were living in a close tight-knit community not one of the biggest cities in the world.

 

[charming23]

I remember it so well. I was home sick with strep throat during my Junior year od High School and my mom had just told me she and my dad were leaving for his doctor's appointment. I decided I would get up and get some tea and watch Regis and Kelly before starting on my homework. I had turned on ABC and was in the kitchen when I heard the announcers say that a plane had hit the WTC and that they did not know if it was an accident or not. I got my tea and had just sat down on the couch when I saw the other plane hit. I was horrified because I knew right then that it was no accident. I watched all the coverage which looking back on maybe I should not have but I did until my parents came home when I told them what had happened (they had seen it at the hospital).

It still makes me sad to this day to think about all the people who lost someone that they loved that day and I will always keep them in my heart and prayers.

And thanks to those who continue to fight for our freedoms today. Without you who knows where we would be.

 

[PJAY]

It's hard to believe it's been eight years.
That day was surreal--as it was for so many of us I am sure.
I was at work just returning from an appointment when I heard on the radio that a plane had struck the WTC. My first thought was that it was a small plane.
When I got upstairs to the newsroom I asked if anyone had heard about the plane hitting the WTC. Everyone was quiet and motioned to the tv.
The normally bustling newsroom was silent as everyone sat fixated on the images flashing across the screens.
I was horrified to say the least. We had a quick meeting and while we were speaking about the enormity of this act, the second plane hit. The rest of that day is a blur as we hammered out story after story, made numerous calls and put out a newspaper that day like every other day. Only this time we could really feel the repercussions of the events unfolding before us.
I called my wife who was 8 months pregnant at the time and informed her that she should turn on the tv.
The rest of the day I interviewed politicians, people stuck in airports and some eyewitnesses. I saw photos of the destruction and the injured and the heroes. I admired the NYPD/NYFD while pondering bringing new life into the world. It was that day I decided my career wasn't that important--my family meant more to me than a byline.
I quit three months later and now am self employed. I get to see my kids and my wife and I treasure every moment.
The world changed that day and I'll never forget what this day means to me.

 

[MEK]

Remembering 911

We must never forget!

 

[pumpkinfish]

Just wanted to give this a bump if you havent read it before.

 

[mickeyluvncwgrl]

All of these post are bringing tears to my eyes!!! I was in 2nd grade and one of the teachers came in and told my teacher what had happened and turned the T.V. on. We didnt fully understand what had happened. some of the kids parents came and got them. I remember the teachers running up and down the halls and coming in and checking on us about every 30 minutes. When i got home my family watched the news all day and for weeks after the attack. 9 years later and fully understanding what happened it brings tears to my eyes whenever i hear stories about people witnessing it or people talking aobut people they lost or when they show videos and pictures on T.V.
No true American will ever forget this day!!! God Bless the U.S.A!!

 

[Chellymouse]

I was working that day as a home care nurse and I remember being called back to the office because parts of Akron Oh were being evacuated. My brother is a mechanic at Cleveland Hopkins and it was scary not being able to talk to him because the local news had said a plane was grounded in Cleveland with a bomb scare. DH and I had a trip coming up that Dec. and ultimately we decided to go and we flew, but it was a very surreal experience. My heart still goes out to all the families that were effected and we continue to pray for those effected by 9/11.
OP---DH and I are also originally from Canton!

 

[harpinjean]

I was teaching and another teacher came to my classroom to tell me what was going on. My DH worked in Washington and could see the smoke from the Pentagon. It is a day I will never forget.

 

[sydneysmom]

As long as I live, I'll never forget that day. My parents were on a flight from Boston (Logan airport) to Bermuda. Their first vacation in like 10 years. The first radio reports came that the first plane originated from either Logan or Providence. Oh dear God. My sister and I were online trying to track their flight.....nothing. I can't begin to tell you the fear and anguish going through us. All while watching the horror unveil. My sister was watching on tv from her breakroom....I had no access to TV so everything I got was from the radio. I remember when the second tower fell I just cried. I couldn't stop crying. I grew up in New Jersey. I went to college in New York. I remember when the PATH trains were down in mid-town, I had to take the subway to the WTC and take the PATH to Hoboken from there. Now, it was no longer there. I had friends that worked in the towers. People I grew up with, friends who's parents worked in the WTC. It was horrifying beyond belief.

We tried calling their hotel all day and finally got a fax through if they could please ask my parents to try to call to let us know they were okay. About 3pm my mother called from Bermuda. We only got like 10 seconds before the connection cut off. They had just taken off from their layover in Baltimore when the second tower was hit. So they were too close to landing in Bermuda to be called back to land. They were stuck in Bermuda unable to come home. I know that doesn't sound bad to be stuck there, but my mom said everyone there was crying and glued to the tv. she said the horror of not being home was worse than anything because you didn't know if they would strike somplace else. And she and my dad were no where near my sister and I. But for the 10 seconds my mom got through on the phone and i got to talk to her were the greatest 10 seconds of my life. I knew my parents were safe. My heart bled for those who could not say the same.

I can't watch the footage still of the towers coming down. It's painful still to see where so many brave souls lost their lives that day. When I see the footage, it's hard to breathe. The pain is still so raw.

May God bless all that lost their lives that day and bless all those that lost their loved ones. Your strength is awe inspiring.

 

[Pjimmeyer]

I wonder that myself and then I wonder why American troops have killed over 400,000 innocent iraqi's in 4 years.

Way out of line. I have nothing but contempt for you.

 

[Pjimmeyer]

May God bless the United States of America and all who server her.

 

[Friendly Frog]

Two stories:
My husband's cousin Mike lost his dad about twenty years ago. He was a young boy, but forced into the role of Man of the Family. Mike had a job at Cantor/Fitzgerald and worked up on one of the top floors of the tower. The Friday before, he was laid off along with other people. He was bummed out. It was a great job and he loved it. That weekend was a tough one for him. But when he woke up on the next Tuesday morning, it was a nightmare. His best friend, who was not laid off, called him up. He said that everyone at work had come to the realization that they were going to die and everyone was busy calling family and friends to say their last good-byes. Mike wouldn't go into the details of the conversation. I'm sure it's one he wished he never had.
He feels his father up in Heaven had somehow "gotten" him laid off. If it weren't for that, he would have been up there on the top floor making calls to his friends and family.

Mike's girlfriend worked at 7 World Trade Center. She had just placed her hand on the handle of door to pull the door open and enter the building when she saw a plane race over her head and crash into one of the towers right next to her. She said that everyone stood still for a moment and was absolutely silent and then all hell broke loose. Everyone was literally running in circles not knowing where to go.

My husband is a retired New York City Police Officer. He retired a little before 9/11. That morning me and Eddie were at the gym and on the way home we heard that a plane had crashed into one of the towers. We were thinking that it was some stupid pilot in a Cessna, because things like that had happened in the past. When we got home and turned on the news we couldn't believe our eyes.

My husband immediately took out some card that he had in his wallet which the police department gives out telling police officers what to do in an emergency and he called whatever number was listed on the card. Between the time he placed the call and the time he left, he was directed here, then there, then somewhere else. By the time he left, I didn't even know where he was going to. He just ran out the door and told me he would call me on the cell when he figured it out.
He wound up getting stuck in Staten Island because they had closed the bridges. He finally got home late that night.

Unfortunately, my boss did not close the school I work for. I don't think anyone really knew what was going on. We were all in shock and we were still trying to decipher the information that they were giving us on the news. While driving to work, I was doing about 80 or 90 and there were so many cars flying past me doing at least over 100, driving towards the city. I'm sure they were just like my husband, retired or off-duty police officers or fire fighters.
After staying at work for about an hour, my students and I were talking and we came to the realization that this was a terrorist attack. My God, we're only 40 miles from the City.....What if they use a nuclear device next? How do we survive a nuclear attack being so close to the city? What are we going to do?!
So everyone went home.

When we got home, I ran to the cash machine and took out all the cash we had. Then I went to the grocery store and bought gallons and gallons of water and lots of things that wouldn't go bad should there be another attack and we lost power for a certain amount of time...Batteries....Candles....etc. I was preparing. It was very scary.

Then I picked the kids up from school, and so was every other parent.

We got home and I explained to the kids what was going on. I didn't pussyfoot around it because there is no pussyfooting around a terrorist attack.

We stayed glued to the TV and the telephone. I heard so many stories that afternoon from friends and family about who was missing - Grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends.....It was a very surreal day.

My husband then went into the city again on Thursday. By then the NYPD had established a system directing all off-duty and retirees on where to go to help out. He wound up going down into the pit. He was told to go down into the pit with a buddy, not to go down alone. He described the pit as a war zone. He found fingers, feet, arms, legs, personal items, clothing, etc. but no one was alive.
They were given these buckets and there was like a line of people and Eddie would fill the buckets with stuff, including the body parts, and pass the buckets along up and out of the pit.

While in the pit he said that there was this huge guy that had accidentally slipped down one of the steel girders that was sticking out of the rubble. He tried to grab onto something while sliding down to the bottom of the pit so he wouldn't get injured by the sharp debris at the bottom and he dislocated his arm. Eddie said it would take him or someone else about twenty minutes to make their way in or out of the pit. You put your hand and foot on whatever would support you and just make your way up.

Then him and his buddy heard someone talking underneath them. They told everyone to be quiet and they heard the voice again, so they kept digging and digging through stuff trying to get to the man. They were told if anyone came across a survivor to tell someone in charge, so he crawled up to the top of the pit and let a captain know what was going on.
It just so happened that a Daily News photographer took a picture of that moment. I went on-line and bought an 11x13 photo and had it framed. It's hanging next to all of my husband's other awards from the police department. You can see Ed standing with a captain and Ed is pointing down into the pit while another worker is standing there holding up one finger, indicating one survivor.

Anyway, the survivor turned out to be a firefighter who traversed down into the pit without a buddy. He slipped under the debris and was trapped. I think the guy was stuck down there for over a day.

The most profound experience my husband had:
There were buildings all around the towers that were blown to pieces but still standing. There were engineers all over the area monitoring the buildings to make sure they didn't come down on all the rescuers below. Whenever there was any sort of movement in the buildings or the engineers were fearful of a collapse, an alarm would sound and everyone would have to clear the whole area.
But if you were down in the pit, there was no escape. You just hunkered down and prayed that that building was not going to fall on you and kill you.

When my husband came home early the next morning (he was there for a day and a half with no sleep) and we laid down in bed to talk about what was happening he told me about the alarms.
He said to me, Corryn, seven times they sounded that alarm, and seven times I thought I was going to die.
I'll never forget that.

He also told me about this awesome drink that kept him awake all day and all night called Red Bull.
He said while walking to and from the pit on the way there and on the way home there were stands everywhere Giving Away things like Timberland workboots, jeans, t-shirts, Carhart stuff, etc. He came home wearing his 103rd Precinct T-shirt and his cheap Wal-mart work boots. I scolded him, why didn't you pick up some free stuff? I'm going to have to throw all this stuff out anyway! He said that he felt like he was walking through a nightmare and didn't even realize until he was talking with me then about the free stuff.

When he came home, he was covered from head to toe in dust. I am sorry if this is cruel, but I called it Dead People Dust and I refused to let him stay in the house covered in something like that. It just didn't seem right. People were missing their Loved Ones and, this is very sad to say, but he was wearing them. I couldn't handle that. I really couldn't. I took a picture of him with our girls and I made him take off his clothes outside and then I put them in a plastic bag and threw them out. I didn't know what else to do with them.

The next day Eddie's old partner was getting married. It was a wedding full of cops. Throughout the whole ceremony and reception there was not a dry eye. The beer and liquor were flowing and so were their tears. These grown men were sharing their personal accounts, all the while being supported by their brother officer who knew exactly how they were feeling. Everyone felt sorry for the bride. Her wedding was overshadowed by a horrible tragedy and people were feeling guilty about living it up and having a good time at what should have been a joyous occasion. That was a wedding I'll never forget.

My BF lives in Staten Island. Of course, her husband is cop too and they've got their own stories as well. Anyway, I remember speaking with her days, weeks, months after the attack. Up here in NY it was an extremely mild fall and early winter. I thought at the time that it was God's way of making it easy on the rescue workers.
Anyway, Eileen's kids were sick for months. And it wasn't just Eileen's kids. She would go into the school to drop off her kids in the morning and most kids were absent. She said there were times when only 4 or 5 kids would show up for school. Everyone on Staten Island was sick. I said, Ei, when there's sickness in my house, I just open the windows to get fresh air to circulate. She said, Corryn, my windows were open, but keeping the windows open is what's making us all sick. Like I said, she lives on Staten Island and at the time they were sending all the debris from the World Trade Center to a special facility at a landfill on Staten Island. Everyone she talked to (neighbors, friends, teachers, etc.) felt that something was circulating in the air all around the city that was making everyone sick, respiratory infections. It wasn't until that next spring that everyone was feeling a little better.

Another one; Ed's uncle is a little off-balance; he was a prisoner of war during WWII and hasn't been the same since. Well, that Tuesday morning he was to go for his regular hair cut. He lives in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He takes the subway over to another section of Brooklyn for his haircut, but the subway wasn't running, so he decided to walk. Later that afternoon, Ed's mom called his uncle and she was asking him what his neighborhood was like with all the goings-on. He didn't know what she was talking about. She was trying to describe what was happening but he wouldn't believe it. She told him to turn on the news, but (like I said a little off-balance) he said, I don't turn on the TV until 6:00 for the news. He did tell her that he tried to get his hair cut, but the stupid subways were broken so he had to walk and everyone was going crazy in the streets and there was a lot of smoke around and when he finally got to the barber shop it was closed, and that he was very annoyed. He said he didn't know what was happening. Ed's mom kept trying to tell her brother what was happening but he didn't want to hear it.
The guy just didn't want to face the truth. I guess his experience during the war put him in a permanent state of denial.

There are so many other stories and I can go on and on. Those are just a few that come to my mind right now.
This morning I felt it was important to have a discussion during class about this day six years ago. Every one of my students had their own story. You can't be a New Yorker and not know someone personally that had been killed.

Your husband is a hero, but you are too. I know how hard it must have been for you, and how worried you had to be, while he was there working.

 

[LilRonGal]

I too, was in Columbus OH. Living there at the time. I'd just taken my very first flight just over a month before (to Disney World--my first time there), and I remember looking at the sky, that beautiful blue sky, and thinking "Wow, I wish I was flying somewhere today, instead of going to this all-day offsite meeting."

When I got to the place where the meeting was held--some cabin in some park--no one was setting up or working. Everyone was gathered around the TV, so I joined them.

We watched the Towers fall. They talked about the Pentagon, and the plane in Pennsylvania, and I remember feeling so very terrified. I was just 26 then, and it was one of the scariest things I'd ever experienced in my life.

People started showing up for the meeting--somehow we'd managed to get things set up--but no one (except maybe a few people) actually wanted to meet. The leader said for us to eat the catered lunch and go home to our families.

Later that evening, the skies were so very quiet. I only heard one more plane that day--Air Force One.

 

[Donut23]

There were 3 retired firemen in our Production division. They spent the fall traveling to NY often - to be honor guard for the fallen FDNY firemen.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I was up getting dressed for my cousins funeral. He was only 40, and was killed at gunpoint during a robbery. Only a year earlier my father had died, and my mom and I were still in morning for him...and now my cousin.

I was in my own little world of personal loss when I turned on the tv as the news was just breaking. We left for the funeral soon after watching the 2nd plane hit.

I was sort of in a daze during the funeral and we all returned to my uncles home afterwords. The TV was on but at a very low volume. It was hard because we were trying not to watch the TV out of respect for my Aunt and Uncle, but we were also concerned about what was happening to our nation.

My dad was a retired police chief and civil defense director of the town I grew up in. I was use to him being the strength of the family during times of trouble. I remember thinking that first my family, and now the nation was in crisis and we are gong to have to face it all with out my dad here to help us.
I was also thinking about how many more families were going to have to go through what I was going through (funerals) that day.