Remembering 9/11...A Must Read!

[Luckymomoftwo]

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Several students on my floor left school for good - but not the only guy I knew who lost someone. *Both* his parents worked on one of the upper floors. When they discovered that the stairs had been cut off by the plane - they sent him a good bye email. He never heard from them again. When he accepted his diploma at graduation, I heard he got a standing ovation.

A lot of these stories have really broken my heart...but this one put tears in my eyes. My heart just aches so badly for all of those who lost loved ones that day. I didn't know anyone personally that lost their life that day yet I always feel like I did lose someone...I guess maybe it's not a "someone" but it's a "something"...I think it's the loss of feeling safe. Everytime there's any type of mass destruction from any type of accident or incident everyone's first thought is that it's the terrorists again. We didn't live with those thoughts before...that's so obvious in all of the posts that state "we thought it was an accident". NOW, when something like that happens, even if it is a small Cesna, our thoughts first turn to "Oh no, another terrorist attack".


CORRYN - Thank you for your story. That must have been tough to post that picture of your husband with the fact that you threw away those clothes because of what they represented and what was on them. You, as well as everyone else who had loved ones helping clean up, should be so proud of your hero.

GABKATT - Thank you for starting this thread...I am so glad to see so many people keeping the memories fresh so that WE WILL NEVER FORGET...it's so important that our children know how important that day was and how it brought our country together.

 

[Gabkatt]

Thanks. I was going to open up the proverbial can of whup **s but you said it better than I ever could. This thread was meant to honor the memories of those lost that day and for people to heal. I'm proud of everyone who shared their memories of that day with such candor and heartfelt emotion.

It's funny you said that, the person PMed me and don't worry the can has been opened!! I'm still waiting for a reply...

 

[december]

It is just so sad that someone can be that immature and that unfeeling! It doesn't matter what political stance you take, that attack was against all Americans that day, and the whole western world. This thread is a wonderful way to remember that day and release some of those feelings. I'm just glad there was only one person trolling.....

 

[kelmac284]

I know I am a couple days late but I am on the other coast and I just wanted to share how I felt so far from where it happened. We are 3 hours later here and so it was very early in the morning. My dh works construction however and left at 5 a.m. so he was listening to his radio and had called to tell me what had happened and to turn on the tv. We have one in our bedroom so I turned it on and at that point we thought it was a small cesna and an accident like the rest of you. I immediately called my folks to inform them and then I actually saw the 2nd plane hit and called dh and told him.

I remember thinking how could 2 planes "accidentally" hit the towers and then it dawned on me that this was no accident. I guess I didn't want to admit to myself that anyone could do something like this on purpose.

I know that I was scared to death and as I watched the events of the day and then listened as Jim Mclashefsky announced to Katie Couric that he thought the Pentagon had been hit while he was on the phone with her I was just stunned. I kept thinking to myself when is this going to stop. Everything just seemed so surreal and my dh was in the Army reserves and I immediately thought he would be activated and so of course I was scared of what that meant to us as a military family.

At the time we had a 2 year old and a 5 month old as well as his daughter who lived with us who was 10. I know I was glued to the tv all that day and night as well as the rest of that week and I will never forget how the first time in my life that I can remember there was NOTHING on any channel but news 24/7 for days, no planes and then remember the telethon they had some time later that had all the stars on was on practically every channel?

I remember so many things about that time but mostly about how terrified I was.

I can't even imagine what people on the east coast must have felt but even living here on the west coast I live in the state capitol of my state and things were crazy here as well and it was just a very very scary time.

My husband didn't end up getting deployed right away but he DID go to Iraq in 03 for 15 months which was ANOTHER scary time but luckily he made it home safely and he was proud to go and serve our country and do his part and I am proud to that he was able to serve and show his support for this whole ongoing situation.

I only hope that no one ever forgets the sacrifices that were made and are still being made. I know I NEVER will!

 

[LaurinG]

I was on the college program as a lifeguard at the WL on Sept 11th. I was actually guarding Meadows Pool over at Fort Wilderness that morning, it was definitely the most surreal moment of my life. They annouced that the parks were closing, which meant panic-mode for the hotel pools, I had started at 7:30am and I worked until almost 11pm because they needed more guards for the pools. After about 3 days the place emptied out and the parks were empty until Thanksgiving.

 

[Gabkatt]

I know I am a couple days late but I am on the other coast and I just wanted to share how I felt so far from where it happened. We are 3 hours later here and so it was very early in the morning. My dh works construction however and left at 5 a.m. so he was listening to his radio and had called to tell me what had happened and to turn on the tv. We have one in our bedroom so I turned it on and at that point we thought it was a small cesna and an accident like the rest of you. I immediately called my folks to inform them and then I actually saw the 2nd plane hit and called dh and told him.

I remember thinking how could 2 planes "accidentally" hit the towers and then it dawned on me that this was no accident. I guess I didn't want to admit to myself that anyone could do something like this on purpose.

I know that I was scared to death and as I watched the events of the day and then listened as Jim Mclashefsky announced to Katie Couric that he thought the Pentagon had been hit while he was on the phone with her I was just stunned. I kept thinking to myself when is this going to stop. Everything just seemed so surreal and my dh was in the Army reserves and I immediately thought he would be activated and so of course I was scared of what that meant to us as a military family.

At the time we had a 2 year old and a 5 month old as well as his daughter who lived with us who was 10. I know I was glued to the tv all that day and night as well as the rest of that week and I will never forget how the first time in my life that I can remember there was NOTHING on any channel but news 24/7 for days, no planes and then remember the telethon they had some time later that had all the stars on was on practically every channel?

I remember so many things about that time but mostly about how terrified I was.

I can't even imagine what people on the east coast must have felt but even living here on the west coast I live in the state capitol of my state and things were crazy here as well and it was just a very very scary time.

My husband didn't end up getting deployed right away but he DID go to Iraq in 03 for 15 months which was ANOTHER scary time but luckily he made it home safely and he was proud to go and serve our country and do his part and I am proud to that he was able to serve and show his support for this whole ongoing situation.

I only hope that no one ever forgets the sacrifices that were made and are still being made. I know I NEVER will!

Thanks for sharing! The time difference never occurred to me. By the time the West coast was finding out, most of the country would have already been shut down and on high alert.

I wanted to thank everyone for your comments and stories! I can't tell you how many people have contacted me and said this thread has moved them to tears. I am glad to hear so many keep this as an honored time to remember who we are and where we've come from. I know we have DISers from many countries, but I have to say I'm proud to be an American! And I will truly never forget!!! I would encourage everyone to copy and paste some of these stories. I intend to do so, as my DD has asked to read some at her school. Thank you all!

 

[Gabkatt]

Bunping from last year....

 

[Rhonda922]

Oh my goodness, I'm sitting here listening to the radio station that I listen to every morning. They just played some footage from that day from people who actually saw the planes fly into the WTC. There was also some footage from the firefighters reacting to what had just taken place. I'm sitting here at my desk trying to dab my eyes.

 

[lbklyn]

I live in Brooklyn, but worked a couple of blocks from the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001. I was on the train about a minute from my stop which is like a half a block from the buildings and the train came to a halt. The only thing I was thinking about was how I was going to Cape May New Jersey (a beach town I love dearly) the next day for vacation. The train slowly pulled into the stop (this was all because the first plane had just hit and I believe the train was probably passing under the buildings at that time). I came out and saw a crowd staring up at the towers. We could see fire pouring out some of the windows. Still nobody thought about terrorist attacks. I was very upset but turned to walk to my office. Halfway there there was a HUGE boom. It was the second plane hitting. I never even turned around to see. I just ran.
I finally got to my office where my brother and 19 year old nephew worked also. Brother was not in yet. The people in the kitchen could see one of the buildings coming down from the windows. We all ran down the stairs (12 flights) and were told not to open the lobby doors. The smoke was pouring in under the doors. We stood there, some were crying, some just in shock, firemen came by to tell us which way to run when we left. Someone was handing out wet towels to cover our faces. So much more but that was the beginning of the horror of that day. May those who lives were taken from them on September 11th 2001 forever rest in peace and may there be comfort for their loved ones. God Bless.

 

[disgram]

I am glad to see this thread brought back today. I am sitting here watching the tv and am remembering that day. I remember calling my husband at work and, at the time we were having problems, suddenly nothing seemed so terrible. My son called and said, "Mom, I can't talk just wanted to let you know I Love You". He was a Paramedic in Charlotte NC at the time and was working too. I called my Dad and I told him, "Dad, I love you". He was on his way to the hospital to see my Mom. So many thoughts keep going through my mind.

We must never forget.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!

 

[TSMAMI]

THIS IS SUCH A SAD DAY! WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

 

[cheerky]

I, too, am heavy hearted today. God bless the families of the victims and God Bless America.

 

[brockash]

I always remember where I was when it all started to unfold. I was young, married less than a year, about 3 months pregnant and had just (less than a month beforehand) moved across the country away from my family for the first time. My husband is in the Army, and we had just moved to Alabama. I wasn't working yet, and my husband was already at work when the first plane hit. I remember watching the Today show, and I completely thought it was some kind of horrible accident, until the second one hit. I just remember every channel (and I mean EVERY channel) had live coverage of what was going on. I just remember no one really being able to wrap there mind around what was actually going on. My husband came home to get all of his "gear" and they started pulling guard duty 24 hrs. a day. I literally didn't see him except for about 4 hrs. a day when he was sleeping for about a month. Before this had happened, the base was open, meaning you could drive right in without stopping. That changed that day, and the lines literally took 2-3 hrs. to get through in the very begining. I remember my Dad, Mom, Step-mom, and a lot of other family members calling. We had just bought a house, and even our realator called to ask if I'd like to spend a few days with her at her house (I think it was because I was only 19, had just moved there, pregnant and she knew my husband would always be at work.) It was just very surreal to me.

 

[Orlando313]

I was in the 10th grade.

We had just gone into homeroom for something, and ours didn't have a tv so we still didn't know anything. The teacher next door came in and said we should all go in her room to see the news.

It was packed, two classes of kids packed into one. The bell rang to go to next period and we just sat there, no one moved. Imagine about 50 to 60 10th graders sitting in silence, not a word was spoken. Our whole school sounded like that that day. We witnessed in real time the second plan hitting and the first tower to come down.

You know when kids ask their parents where they were and what they were doing when Kennedy was shot? Well my kids are going to be asking me what I was doing and where I was on 9/11. And I will never forget. I see that day and those images in my mind better than I remember yesterday.

 

[Marc A.]

GOD BLESS AMERICA LAND THAT I LOVE!!!!!
We will never forget.

 

[danalee]

God Bless America

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

My husband coaches college soccer and he and his team were in the air on a plane to Disney to play in a tournament. He was in the air when the first plane crashed. I am a teacher and our son was only a few months old at the time. I had no way to contact my husband and I was frantic. I ended up leaving work because I was so ill, even after I finally spoke to him and he was ok. Their plane landed in another city in Florida and they got a bus to take them to Orlando. A month later my best friend got married at Disney and I debated cancelling my flight and staying home. I ended up going alone. I still have letters I wrote to my son and husband just "in case" something happened to me. They are sealed and I have never opened them.

 

[eliza61]

IAnd to answer the original poster's question...today, and many days throughout the year, I STILL wonder how anyone could be that heartless that they would kill thousands of innocent people.

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Hey Lucky,
Unfortunately I was there and injured on 9/11 ( I was hit by falling debris after the 2nd plane hit the towers). I make a conscious effort notto think about the terrorist. I simply don't want to ever imagine or think of a place that exist in anyone's mind that is so dark, evil and desolate that they could do some thing like this.
I was very fortunate that after experiencing the worst human nature had to offer, my family & I experienced the best that human nature offered. The outpouring of support we recieved from perfect strangers is still mind boggling.

 

[moonpie85]

I was a senior in high school. I went to a small private school and had decided to play hookie that day. I remember I woke up that morning and stumbled into the kitchen to get something to drink. My parents had left for work and left the Today Show on tv. That's when I saw they were talking about a plane having crashed into the towers. I immediately got on the phone and said to my mom you're not going to believe what just happened.

A few minutes later when the second plane hit my jaw dropped and tears filled my eyes. I knew we were under attack and I already knew who was behind it as I had done a paper on Bin Laden maybe 6 months prior.

I knew they would be praying at my school so I immediately got dressed and drove over there. We prayed all morning and then they were about to dismiss us back to our classes and I asked if we could say the pledge of allegiance. The principle said yes and asked me to lead. I could barely speak I was so overcome with emotions just saying "I pledge allegiance to the flag..." Everyone was emotional and just kind of stood there in silence for a few seconds after we were done. I think for the first time in some of our punk kids lifes that flag meant something to us that day.

We all went on with our classes that day but it was a totally bizarre day. I remember parents were picking up their kids because nobody knew what was happening and everyone was just so scared.

The following weeks the sence of pride everyone had in our country still amazes me to this day. What a wonderful country we live in and what wonderful friends we have in some other countries who stood beside us during that time.

God Bless America.

 

[bwolfe]

I was on the podium conducting when the other band director came out to say that a plane had hit the WTC. My first thought was it was a horrible accident. Minutes later he came back out to say that another plane had struck the WTC. It was at this point I think we all began ot realize that this was no accident. The rest of the day was spent in front of the TV and radio. It's my wife's birthday...it's a hard day for us all. She was pregnant with our first child at the time and I remember thinking how different his life would be as a result of 9/11.