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OFF-TOPIC: 9/11 Memorial and other news


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Until we get our Off-Topic board on the Groundspeak forums, I thought this was a fitting multimedia tribute and memorial to 9/11

 

9/11 Pictures with music

 

Best viewed by anyone OTHER than 56k dialups due to the bandwidth demands - unless you are prepared to wait. Well worth it.

 

Anyone else have good websites or other places to visit online? I plan to visit the WTC site tomorrow right across the street from where I work. Witnessing the entire sickening event last year still haunts me to this day. Let's hope for a peaceful 9/11/02 onwards.

 

AD

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What were you doing a year ago on 9/11?

 

Me...I was on the way to court (I'm an attorney) and heard on one of the morning radio shows that's programmed on my radio (Hmmm...Is the proper term for that a "waypoint"?) and heard that a plane had hit WTC, and that another one hit a short time later. Since John Boy and Billy are always joking around during their show, I thought it was a joke, but there was no punch line.

 

I switched over to NPR (a MUCH more reliable news source) and they were just breaking the story. My first thought was for a cousin of mine who worked in lower Manhattan, so as soon as I was free, I called her on my cell phone, but couldn't get through. I called my uncle and he told me that she was in Boston, so I relaxed a bit.

 

Headed back to the office and switched on the TV that we've got for viewing videotapes of wayward spouses in adulterous action and was astounded at what I saw. Then they broke the news that that one of the planes that hit originated in Boston.

 

Stress level immediately skyrockets again, as I'm thinking that possibly Nancy was on one of the flights inbound for home. Office staff is given leave to drop what they're doing to watch TV (nothing else was getting done in America that day, anyway) and we later learn that all of the flights were bound for the left coast. Stress level back down.

 

Then I suddenly recall that one of my best friends is a trader on the AMEX exchange. Stress back up. Called his wife and she hasn't heard a word from him. Called her later that night and still no word from Doug. Gave her the reassurance that Doug's a smart MoFo and had the sense to get out of Dodge while the getting was good and that he was probably holed up with a friend in upper Manhattan.

 

Learned later that Doug had, indeed, shacked up that night in a co-worker's apartment by the park. Unfortunately for Doug, the co-worker was a beautiful, unmarried, 23 year old secretary in their office. Doug was in much more trouble with wifey than originally thought. icon_rolleyes.gif

 

As a divorce attorney, though, I was very interested to find this in my inbox one morning recently. icon_eek.gif

 

Always wear proper caching safety equipment!

60748_1200.jpg

 

[This message was edited by Lyra on September 10, 2002 at 03:45 PM.]

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What were you doing a year ago on 9/11?

 

Me...I was on the way to court (I'm an attorney) and heard on one of the morning radio shows that's programmed on my radio (Hmmm...Is the proper term for that a "waypoint"?) and heard that a plane had hit WTC, and that another one hit a short time later. Since John Boy and Billy are always joking around during their show, I thought it was a joke, but there was no punch line.

 

I switched over to NPR (a MUCH more reliable news source) and they were just breaking the story. My first thought was for a cousin of mine who worked in lower Manhattan, so as soon as I was free, I called her on my cell phone, but couldn't get through. I called my uncle and he told me that she was in Boston, so I relaxed a bit.

 

Headed back to the office and switched on the TV that we've got for viewing videotapes of wayward spouses in adulterous action and was astounded at what I saw. Then they broke the news that that one of the planes that hit originated in Boston.

 

Stress level immediately skyrockets again, as I'm thinking that possibly Nancy was on one of the flights inbound for home. Office staff is given leave to drop what they're doing to watch TV (nothing else was getting done in America that day, anyway) and we later learn that all of the flights were bound for the left coast. Stress level back down.

 

Then I suddenly recall that one of my best friends is a trader on the AMEX exchange. Stress back up. Called his wife and she hasn't heard a word from him. Called her later that night and still no word from Doug. Gave her the reassurance that Doug's a smart MoFo and had the sense to get out of Dodge while the getting was good and that he was probably holed up with a friend in upper Manhattan.

 

Learned later that Doug had, indeed, shacked up that night in a co-worker's apartment by the park. Unfortunately for Doug, the co-worker was a beautiful, unmarried, 23 year old secretary in their office. Doug was in much more trouble with wifey than originally thought. icon_rolleyes.gif

 

As a divorce attorney, though, I was very interested to find this in my inbox one morning recently. icon_eek.gif

 

Always wear proper caching safety equipment!

60748_1200.jpg

 

[This message was edited by Lyra on September 10, 2002 at 03:45 PM.]

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I was just about to get up when my pager went off with a CNN breaking news that it was thought that a plane had hit the WTC. I got up and put CNN on and saw the first live shots of the smoke and a confused anchorman. I woke up the rest of the household to watch, and just a few short minutes later saw the live view of the anchorman stop in mid sentence, say "Oh my God, there's another one!" and then the jet appeared over his shoulder and impacted the second tower.

 

I run an ISP, and as the bandwidth to all the news centers was so high, I spent the day utilizing our full bandwidth to get into news sites to gather content and pictures to put on our local server for our customers. I had three staff just gathering what they could from every source possible to keep our area informed, while lessening the load on the new agencies. A day I will never forget...

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I woke up (as usual) to the sound of my roommate watching the morning news. That days news sounded a bit unusual, however. I got up and he told me a plane had struck the World Trade Center. Thinking back to the story about the small plane hitting the Empire State building back in the 30's, I thought it was curious, but didn't worry too much, even after seeing the pictures of the smoke and fire.

 

I wondered when they were going to put out the fire.

 

I got in the shower and came out just about the time the second plane hit. Then it occurred to me (and probably millions of others) that this wasn't some accident. However, even with this information, I still wasn't aware of what was really going on.

 

I went to class. In both of my classes, the topic was brought up, but we went on with our regular day. After class I went to the Student Center, where hundreds of students were gathered around TV's. I still didn't quite understand all the fuss. I'm not sure why it didn't sink in.

 

Later, I was bringing my clothes to the cleaners, turning the radio on to hear any updates. Just out of curiousity, I changed stations. And then again, and again, and again. When I realized that absolutely every station on the air was covering the events, that's when it dawned on me.

 

I still don't know why the seriousness didn't sink in until so much later. I guess I felt so confident that something like that simply couldn't happen, that I refused to accept it.

 

It's still an event that is very distant to me. I don't know anyone in New York, or anyone that was directly affected by the destruction. I guess that's good, but in a way, I wish I had some sort of line to connect me, and help me understand or realize just what happened.

 

Jamie

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You were probably like me that day Jamie. I had the same thoughts when I hears about the first plane. Thought it was just a small plane accident.

 

Then I heard about the second one. That one didn't sink in either. I hadn't seen any news coverage & just assumed it was a news helicoptor or something that had crashed trying to cover the first crash.

 

It wasn't until the first tower fell that I realized the extent of the event. I couldn't fathom anyone wanting to carry out an act of this magnitude & malice.

 

It takes some time for the completely unbelieveable to become the believable.

 

- "This river dont go to Aintry. You done taken a wrong turn." -

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I was doing pretty much what I'll be doing this 09/11... Watching a weather pattern that was/is near Cape Cod. One boat owner I Captain; I was sure he had friends near, if not in the place, called me, and we didn't go by Manhattan till October. Cruise was off........

 

My cache pal from CA had given me an LAPD "Anti Terrorist Squad" hat and a "Don't Tread on Me" flag months before. The hat is my favorite among many, and flag is self explanitory.

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Tuesday was a day off for both me and Christine. Woke up early and went to Shaws Supermarket to get the food shopping done for a day of caching. As we were were checking out, the cashier asked if we had heard about "a plane hitting the World Trade Center?". No, we hadn't heard. Plane? We thought a Cessna? Didn't think much of it. Got back home and turned TV on.....I'm watching the television, Christine putting away the groceries asking "what's going on?"...."The World Trade Centers are gone...." I say. "Gone?"...She runs in to see.. decided to still go caching that day. Remember parking in a lot, walking by a van (construction/or something?) hearing the radio in the van talking about the attacks, driving and looking at the sky with no planes, we ate at Wendys also...when you think of that day, it all comes in blurbs..if you know what I mean. Walking along a beach, are we safe?..just a hodge-podge.

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Being on the west coast, I was asleep.

First thing I did that morning was check email. Saw a message on my scanner enthusiast mailing list simply saying "Well, after what happened this morning, scanner activity should be very interesting."

Still not knowing fully what was up, I checked text messages on my cell phone. Saw one that said something about the WTC being attacked.

That's when I turned on the TV...

The first image I saw was the papers flying through the air.. Tons and tons of paper... Then I saw the video of the towers.

It all just seemed unreal. I remember wanting to touch those papers that were flying all over the place. That would have made it feel real..if I could touch part of what happened...

This tribute by Blue Man Group (Exhibit 13) is my favorite... It's probably the closest I'll get to touching those papers. After watching it, that day feels so much more real to me.

 

-fractal

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

N 45 30.ish

W 122 58.ish

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I was at Starbucks Coffee in Brandon, FL. with a friend that I meet there every morning, and all of a sudden a man that we have never met before came up to us almost in tears! He was a car salesman for Saturn we guessed, because he had a Saturn shirt on. I thought about it after the fact that why did he choose us to come up to rather than anyone else, and it finally came to me why. It was truely a great morning for myself, and my friend up until this happened. We seemed to be the only ones in this Starbucks that was having a good time, and enjoying our morning. Everyone else was still half asleep, and just wanting their cup of morning java!

 

Here is why we were so happy:

 

My friend worked for a very large financial company that deals with stocks and bonds. While we were waiting for the Starbucks to open,(Starbucks opens at 9 a.m. It is located in a Barnes & Nobels Bookstore) he was typing an email, and communicating with a business associate of his that was located on the 29th floor of the first building. The associate was letting him know that they had just had a meeting, and were granted a three year contract to be the companies IT Techs, and he was about to sign the contract. The last email was received by his associate at 8:42 a.m. (This was the time his Blackberry Pager showed.) His associate, (Frank)was not heard from for nearly 4 days, and the worst was expected. Needless to say, it is terrible how a morning that was as great as 9/11/01 was to us for just a simple 15 minutes, had completely changed the lives of so many people! As for my friend, and his associate, They have since had to close their business, and move on.

 

Stay Strong, and Move On!

 

Team Shuey

Riverview, Florida

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I was home in CT getting ready to go to the office. The TV was on. First report made it sound like it was a small plane. Then they said it was a passenger plane. I called work. Pictures were coming over the news now. Co-worker and I cried to each other. The second plane hit. Then the Pentagon, then Pennsylvania. The reality that it had to be a terrorist attack was hitting really fast. Who could be doing this. Reports of missing planes and the threat of more crashes loomed. My other co-worker was right there in Manhattan, with her daughter. A chunk of the plane went into her apartment building. They started to run in the opposite direction of everyone else. They were knocked down. They got up and ran again in the direction of the river where they jumped onto a barge that took them up river so they could eventually make it to her son's apartment. Her daughter couldn't go home for months and now lives in a different building. My friend's mother died in the Towers. Another woman I know lost both of her sons. A fireman I know made it from his town to NYC in 30 minutes, a ride that usually takes more than an hour, no one is on the highways except emergency people. His wife said he cried when he came home. Another friend is a photographer for CNN. I saw him a week later and he looked awful. I ran into him just as he was coming back into town and he looked as though he had been through a war and had seen the most horrible things. A year later he is interviewing surviving firemen who are still trying to recover from the injuries. The memories are constant, a year later, it still seems like yesterday. My cousin watched it from her studio in NYC, taking photos from the window. I don't have copies to put here, but you've all seen it from every angle. My other cousin also a photographer was there before all this happened, I'm not sure how long before, but he has some interesting photos of the World Trade Center on his site here if you're interested: http://www.freezefotoz.com/site.php?FREEZEID=f6f74d027b5772901fdbe390c3457a70

(please note, I think the "date taken" next to the phot is actually the date it was submitted)

 

In the following days, flags started to fly, candle light vigils started happening. We Stand United signs went up everywhere. Flag stickers on all cars. Volunteers started digging through the rubble to find one small part or thing for the families who lost loved ones. Days later, they still found people alive. The United States of America truly united, at least in spirit. God Bless America!

 

Now if only we had the waypoint for Bin Laden! icon_mad.gif

 

Cache you later,

Planet

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I was home in CT getting ready to go to the office. The TV was on. First report made it sound like it was a small plane. Then they said it was a passenger plane. I called work. Pictures were coming over the news now. Co-worker and I cried to each other. The second plane hit. Then the Pentagon, then Pennsylvania. The reality that it had to be a terrorist attack was hitting really fast. Who could be doing this. Reports of missing planes and the threat of more crashes loomed. My other co-worker was right there in Manhattan, with her daughter. A chunk of the plane went into her apartment building. They started to run in the opposite direction of everyone else. They were knocked down. They got up and ran again in the direction of the river where they jumped onto a barge that took them up river so they could eventually make it to her son's apartment. Her daughter couldn't go home for months and now lives in a different building. My friend's mother died in the Towers. Another woman I know lost both of her sons. A fireman I know made it from his town to NYC in 30 minutes, a ride that usually takes more than an hour, no one is on the highways except emergency people. His wife said he cried when he came home. Another friend is a photographer for CNN. I saw him a week later and he looked awful. I ran into him just as he was coming back into town and he looked as though he had been through a war and had seen the most horrible things. A year later he is interviewing surviving firemen who are still trying to recover from the injuries. The memories are constant, a year later, it still seems like yesterday. My cousin watched it from her studio in NYC, taking photos from the window. I don't have copies to put here, but you've all seen it from every angle. My other cousin also a photographer was there before all this happened, I'm not sure how long before, but he has some interesting photos of the World Trade Center on his site here if you're interested: http://www.freezefotoz.com/site.php?FREEZEID=f6f74d027b5772901fdbe390c3457a70

(please note, I think the "date taken" next to the phot is actually the date it was submitted)

 

In the following days, flags started to fly, candle light vigils started happening. We Stand United signs went up everywhere. Flag stickers on all cars. Volunteers started digging through the rubble to find one small part or thing for the families who lost loved ones. Days later, they still found people alive. The United States of America truly united, at least in spirit. God Bless America!

 

Now if only we had the waypoint for Bin Laden! icon_mad.gif

 

Cache you later,

Planet

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I think one of the best things we can all do on 9/11/02 is FIND A CACHE.

 

Pick a favorite place with a cache you haven't found yet, or where you want to hide one. Find/hide your cache.

 

Then take a moment where it's peaceful and quiet to remember everyone, and also to be thankful that we live in a place where (by and large) we have the freedom to move about as we please, tiptoeing through the woods with GPS receivers.

 

If we live our lives as we normally would, then those who seek to change our way of life shall have failed. For me, "normal" means finding a geocache. Whether that is, in fact, "normal" is a topic for another thread.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A computer without Microsoft software is like a dog without a brick tied to its neck.

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I could go to In Memory Of _________ here in CT. Thought about it all day, bought a flag pin and keychain with the firemen and flag at the WTC picture on it to put in a cache tomorow. Anyone in NW Massachusetts is welcome to drive up or hike (long hike) up to Some Gave All and pay their respects. E-mails have been going around saying "Unite - drive with your headlights on" and "Wear Red White And Blue" on Sept 11.

 

Cache you later,

Planet

 

[This message was edited by Planet on September 10, 2002 at 08:54 PM.]

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quote:
Originally posted by The Leprechauns:

I think one of the best things we can all do on 9/11/02 is FIND A CACHE.


 

Yeah. Just don't be a dummy and look suspicious. Keep in mind that people's radar will be on high alert for suspicious activities. I don't want to hear any reports of geocachers getting in trouble tomorrow, ok?

 

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location

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I had no idea anything was going on until I got in the van with my then 4yo to take him on a canoe trip in Tishomingo State Park, MS. As soon as I heard the news, I turned around and headed back to the cabin, much to the dismay of my 4yo. I had to tell my husband the news and we spent the next couple of hours sitting in the van listening to news reports. We heard, but of course didn't see, the second tower fall. The first had already fallen by the time we started getting any info. I kept saying over and over, "I don't believe it!" My then 6yo finally told me that he was tired of hearing me say that. I just couldn't quite get him to understand the magnitude of the situation. I called my mom and told her to tape CNN for us since we were still without a TV.

 

I ended up taking my son on the canoe trip that afternoon. I had heard hours of news reports, all real time, and had these horrible images in my head. Our canoe trip lasted a couple of hours and we never saw another soul. The peacefulness of the river was a surreal juxtaposition to the carnage in NYC. It wasn't until we got home almost a week later that I actually saw the news footage. We had stopped by my mom's to pick up the CNN tapes on our way back. Even though we'd had a week to absorb everything, seeing those towers fall made it seem like it had just happened.

 

As I type this, I'm hearing fighter jets periodically flying overhead. This is in rural Indiana so I can only imagine what it's like in the major cities.

 

GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

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i have spent the better part of the year 2001 and 2002 involved with the WTC recovery.

 

Just a short note to thank all of the rest of you from all over for your thoughts this time of year, and for all your help (which we received from all over the country) and wishes over the last year. particulary i remeber the members of the Southern Baptist Convention, The Salvation Army and the Red Cross who kept us fed and clothed in the first months after the attack. many of us required new cloths after ruining them at WTC for one reason or another. Finally (and i dont care if this is approipriate or not to say), people from outback steak house (mostly college kids) who came form all over the country to cook food for us on their own time; and Marriot who let us sleep in their down town hotel when we needed. I wish there was some way to repay each and every American who helped in their own way. THANK YOU.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

SR and dboggny. my mother in law rides a broom!

 

[This message was edited by dboggny on September 10, 2002 at 09:59 PM.]

 

[This message was edited by dboggny on September 10, 2002 at 10:05 PM.]

 

[This message was edited by dboggny on September 10, 2002 at 10:06 PM.]

 

[This message was edited by dboggny on September 10, 2002 at 10:08 PM.]

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My neighbor called and woke us up. We turned on the t.v. just before the second plane hit. I will never forget my shock, anger and disbelief. I cried and held my then 1yr old son.

Spent alot of time after that staring at the sky, and viewing airliners as potential weapons of mass destruction.

We will carry on, and never forget...

 

Visualize Whirled Peas

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I was in the shower getting ready for work. The radio was on, as always, and when they announced that a plane had hit the first tower I thought I was hearing things or it was a horrible accident. When the second plane hit I knew it wasn't an accident.

 

I got out of the shower and had to lie back down for a bit. My son, then 4 yrs old, crawled in with me, like he often does in the morning. I just held him...so tight at one point he had to say "Mommy you're squishing me!"

 

I turned on the morning news and watched in shock and horror as reports of the other two planes came in. Then when the towers fell...at that point it became unreal.

 

Being so far away I was overwhelmed with many conflicting emotions. Relief that I was okay and no one in my family was anywhere east of the Mississippi. And guilt that this horror was going on and there was nothing I could do. Sure we did the things everyone did, we put flags on our cars and on the house. We donated as much money as we could spare to the Red Cross, but it just didn't seem like enough.

 

I spent all day trying to explain what had happened, to a coworker who was having a real hard time dealing with the attack, to my curious 4 year old who kept asking questions and to myself. I kept thinking if I could explain what happened I might be able to understand. But there is no explaining and I still don't understand.

 

In the weeks to come I would hear from people I knew who either had lost someone in the attacks or knew someone that had. Three thousand miles away we still felt the loss. We know people who were affected.

 

Tomorrow I will get up. Hug my son's and go about life as usual. I refuse to be terrorized into changing my life. I refuse to let them win!

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About 9:30, a friend called me and asked me to turn on the television. Since I am about 30 miles west of the WTC where most of the NY channels broadcast from, they were all snow. CNN and one of the PBS stations were the only channels broadcasting at the time. Had I but known, there's a local hill where I could have gone which afforded a view.

 

I was unemployed, so I spent the next week glued to the television.

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I was in work when a co-worker who was scanning the news websites mentioned that a plane hit one of the towers. We dismissed it as a Cesenna or

Piper or something similar, then we heard a 2nd plane hit, so we knew something was up. I called my brother who workd for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of 1 WTC, but was on paid leave. He said he was talking to one of his friends in the office when the plane hit. He said his friend exclaimed "Holy S%$#, what F%$# was that? Hey I gotta go" and the phone went dead. He was never heard from again.

 

The lucky thing is that my brother was was supposed to be there that morning to sign some papers and was calling his friend to tell him he wasn't coming in, because it was a nice day and he wanted to spend it with the kids.

 

He lost several very close friends and all of his co-workers that day. Very sad.

 

We then went to the cafeteria where there was a television and watched as the 1st, then 2nd tower collapsed. Going back to my desk, my director passed by for news (he had worked accross the street from the WTC until recently). We told him the towers collapsed. His response was "Oh, the television tower on top?" I said no, the whole thing, gone. He turned white.

 

They closed our building around noon and on the way home I climbed a local mountain that had a good view of the NY skyline and all I could see were plumes of smoke where the towers had been.

There were several people already there and more came along and we just stared, not saying a word. Finally one guy said, "I can't believe they're gone" and collapsed to the ground in tears. The rest of us gathered around, comforting a total stranger.

 

"Life is a daring adventure, or it is nothing" - Helen Keller

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I was on my way to NJ from Long Island (via staten Island. I got on the parkway as the 1st plane hit and was at the NYC (queens) line when the 2nd one hit at which time I got off the next exit and onto the LIE headding back home. the 1st tower fell from the time I left the car to the time I turned on the tv.

 

----(sig line)---> Did you ever do any trail maintainence? - if so you will know that all but the most worn trails need continuous maintenance to prevent mother nature from reclaiming it. herd paths are quickly reclaimed - k2dave

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I was headed to the hospital a year ago today so I had to listen to the news on WLS out of Chicago. No pictures until I actually got to the hospital an hour later (right about the time the second tower fell).

 

I was there because a good friend had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was having surgery that morning. This guy is a huge American history buff--even has a masters in the subject--and he spent the worst day in American history knocked out. He says that by about 10:00 pm he realized something was wrong (they had kept the tv in his room turned off). He finally asked his wife what happened and she reluctantly told him. His only response was, "I can't deal with this, I have to get well."

 

The good news for us was that the cancer was totally contained and the doctor got it all. I guess it's nice to have one bright spot in the middle of such a horrible day.

 

Bret

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again." Mt. 13:44

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I had one of the worst stomach virus in my life that weekend. I stayed home on Monday - first time I was out sick in 3 years. I really didn't feel that well, but decided that the fever had gone down by the am on 9-11, so I went into work a little later than usual. A guy in the elevator told me about the first plane into the WTC. I just dismissed it.

 

I tried to get to the major news sources online, but all were blocked out due to traffic. Somebody finally found a tv and whoever was left in the office gathered around it to figure out what was happening.

 

I worked near the Charlotte Douglas airport. We kept watching planes gather and circle over and over and then land and land and land.

 

I was relieved when they told us to go home. By that time, my fever was back up and all I had the energy to do was watch tv. Well, tv without cable = replays all day. I was sick, but sicker of the tv.

 

I have a friend who worked in the Pentagon. I had to make several calls to find out if she was OK. She was, just happened to be out of the office at the time, but her office was hit.

 

Geocaching Carolinas

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I don't like people who hit you over the head with their patriotism, and then look down on you or think less of you if you aren't as vocal as they are.

 

Personally, I've seen enough of the WTC incident to last a lifetime... I don't need to see it again on TV to be reminded of how horrible it was. I remember what happened. I know how bad it was, and is.

 

And yes, it is nice that so many people have started waving flags, showing their support for the country, and having all this brotherly love for other US citizens... but don't forget about what many of these people were like BEFORE 9/11/01.

 

How many of these outspoken loving citizens were really like that before? I've never been vocal about my patriotism, my religion, or a lot of other things - and I didn't change that because of 9/11. However, I know a LOT of people who are pretty much a$$holes during every other day of the year, but during occassions like this - they magically become these 'wonderful, caring citizens of the USA' - it just kinda bothers me.

 

Now, I'm not aiming the comments in this post at any of you in the forums here... in fact, I've not read many of the replies here. Like I said, I've seen all I need to see, and heard all the sad stories that I care to hear. But that doesn't mean I'm not willing to throw my .02 in, I guess. icon_smile.gif

 

I'd hand these out to a lot of people, if they were real bumper stickers:

bandwagon.jpg

 

- Toe.

 

--==< Rubbertoe's Webcam, Photo Albums, and Homepage >==--

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I don't like people who hit you over the head with their patriotism, and then look down on you or think less of you if you aren't as vocal as they are.

 

Personally, I've seen enough of the WTC incident to last a lifetime... I don't need to see it again on TV to be reminded of how horrible it was. I remember what happened. I know how bad it was, and is.

 

And yes, it is nice that so many people have started waving flags, showing their support for the country, and having all this brotherly love for other US citizens... but don't forget about what many of these people were like BEFORE 9/11/01.

 

How many of these outspoken loving citizens were really like that before? I've never been vocal about my patriotism, my religion, or a lot of other things - and I didn't change that because of 9/11. However, I know a LOT of people who are pretty much a$$holes during every other day of the year, but during occassions like this - they magically become these 'wonderful, caring citizens of the USA' - it just kinda bothers me.

 

Now, I'm not aiming the comments in this post at any of you in the forums here... in fact, I've not read many of the replies here. Like I said, I've seen all I need to see, and heard all the sad stories that I care to hear. But that doesn't mean I'm not willing to throw my .02 in, I guess. icon_smile.gif

 

I'd hand these out to a lot of people, if they were real bumper stickers:

bandwagon.jpg

 

- Toe.

 

--==< Rubbertoe's Webcam, Photo Albums, and Homepage >==--

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my wife on one side of the bed and my Great Dane on the other. I was scheduled for the afternoon shift at the power plant. We were watching FOX news. Being a retired soldier, and having lived in terrorist areas for many years, I am very aware of the expected tactics. I was at USAFE HQ when they took it out. As I saw the first tower burning, my wife and I argued over the cause. She felt it was a navigational error, and I was sure it was not. Terrorist attack was in my mind, but I did not speak it. When I saw the second plane hit, I was sure of it, and said so. My wife, a German, wouldn't believe it.

 

The two images most in my mind are...

 

#1. The photo of the three firemen raising the flag at Ground Zero. It was so symbolic, our country once again raising out of the rubble. We have done this many times before.

 

#2. A poster. It shows a fireman, standing in the rubble at Ground Zero, holding out a flag. To his left, is a soldier, M-16 in his right hand, walking away... stepping into a ground assault. He is reaching back with his left hand to take the flag from the fireman, and saying "I'll take it from here!"

 

I am a veteran of the first Gulf War, I went forward with the 24th ID, (mech) into Iraq. I have ALWAYS regretted that the U.N. wouldn't allow me to complete my mission. Only another combat veteran can understand the fear, and excitement, of pushing forward into the assault. I kept my fear in check by telling myself I was doing it so my 10 year old son James wouldn't need to. I had a flag he colored in my pocket over my heart, with 51 stars on it. The 51st star was for Iraq, when we captured it. KIDS!

 

In three weeks, my only son James will be going forward to complete my unfinished mission. He is a CAV scout. Wherever he goes, he will be out front, leading the group. This is what a CAV scout does.

 

My request. Forget your petty political party squabbles. If soldiers are in harms way, all they ask for is support. YOUR SUPPORT! No one that has seen the face of battle wants to see it ever again. They are doing it for us. All of us in the U.S.A., and the free world.

 

GOD BLESS AMERICA.

 

Mike. KD9KC.

El Paso, Texas.

 

Seventeen minutes after her FIRST call for help, police officers arrived to find Ronyale White dead.

 

Prohibiting self defense is the ultimate crime. Police carry guns to protect themselves. What protects YOU ???

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But I'll try not to.

 

First in reponse to that's guy's site, that's impressive. I doubt very much that the networks will come up with anything as good as one guy.

 

Second, a personal note. Last September 4th, I was on vacation with friends in NYC. They had tickets to the US Open, I didn't. They urged me to come down and buy a scalped ticket but I decided no, I'll go down and spend the day at the WTC. I remember walking there and thinking, "Maybe I should have gone with my friends, after all, the World Trade Centre is always gonna be there." I remember that thought very distinctly.

 

I mention this because at the moment the first tower collapsed, I was absolutely gobsmacked. For someone who has never been there and looked up (and then gone up and looked down) at those towers, there's just no way of conveying how absolutely huge they were. Because they were so elegantly designed, they may have appearred to have been tall and thin - they weren't. They were thick and very very tall, if you take my point. More like giants than stick people.

 

Third, what strikes me so much coming out of 9-11 is the basic decency of so many people - the kind of decency that so often doesn't get a chance to come out in the day to day grind of mundane life. How often we just sort of grunt at each other and try to make our socialization the minimum possible instead of actually inter-relating as human beings.

 

Finally, and here is the trickiest bit. In a world with only one superpower, Canadians like myself will always be wary of a jingoistic America. The hatred of the United States doesn't spring out of nothing. Some of that hatred the US has earned for the wrong reasons (i.e because of moral failures in American foreign policy) - even though the vast majority of it has flowed against the US for the right reasons (i.e because it is an example of a feee and proud democracy, and that really ticks off a lot of tyrants who are terrified that they would lose power if ever their people got a whiff of what freedom is really like). I understand that politics stops at the water line, and that soldiers in the field must have unfailing support from home. But never let those be excuses for America to act rashly, excessively, or to curb freedom under the guise of its defense. I know some of the voices that are using 9-11 to go on the usual anti-corporatist tirades, they don't give me any comfort. What I do find reassuring are the many voices in the centre of America's polity who are continuing to insist that the nation act responsibly and in a way that demonstrates that ends do not justify the means. Their reflective and reasoned approach reassure me that America remains the world's First nation, and its best and brightest hope for the future. And when a nation like that lives up to its great promise, it is an honour for other nations to stand behind her, including mine. Indeed, and I add this for Americans' sakes, there are a goodly number of Canadians who are embarrassed at how weak our government has been in providing the friendship and support America deserves. 'Nuff said.

 

[This message was edited by Rigour on September 11, 2002 at 12:25 PM.]

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quote:
Originally posted by Rigour:

Third, what strikes me so much coming out of 9-11 is the basic decency of so many people... How often we just sort of grunt at each other and try to make our socialization the minimum possible instead of actually inter-relating as human beings.


 

That is a good attitude to have... I wish I could see it for the "good" that has come - but instead, I sit around and watch these people, thinking "Yeah, you are being nice NOW... what about a week before this happened, or a month AFTER? What about THEN?"

 

I suppose I should appreciate any goodness that comes from people - even if it only comes when extreme things like this happen, and even if it comes because they feel like they are supposed to do something, not necessarily because they want to. icon_smile.gif

 

Good post.

 

- Toe.

 

--==< Rubbertoe's Webcam, Photo Albums, and Homepage >==--

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quote:
Originally posted by Rigour:

Third, what strikes me so much coming out of 9-11 is the basic decency of so many people... How often we just sort of grunt at each other and try to make our socialization the minimum possible instead of actually inter-relating as human beings.


 

That is a good attitude to have... I wish I could see it for the "good" that has come - but instead, I sit around and watch these people, thinking "Yeah, you are being nice NOW... what about a week before this happened, or a month AFTER? What about THEN?"

 

I suppose I should appreciate any goodness that comes from people - even if it only comes when extreme things like this happen, and even if it comes because they feel like they are supposed to do something, not necessarily because they want to. icon_smile.gif

 

Good post.

 

- Toe.

 

--==< Rubbertoe's Webcam, Photo Albums, and Homepage >==--

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When I was in the sixth grade, my parents decided to have an adventure for the summer and we moved almost 2,500 miles to NYC into a flat on Mott Street. That summer I fell in love with the WTC towers. I can remember, dozens of times, sitting in the observation deck and pressing my nose against the glass that bubbled out over the street. That was just the coolest thing -- you could look out over the edge straight down!

 

I have probably been to the top a few dozen times, but the outdoor deck was only open three times! Man, do I remember those...

 

One year ago, my mom called and just said, "Turn on the TV." I looked at the clock and my first thought was, "Do you know how F-in early it is?" So I kind got grumpy with her and said call me later. But she repeated in a very firm voice, "Turn on the TV. Now." I said something ot the effect of "OK, whatever." and just hund up while I searched for the remote. That was just about ten minutes before the second plane hit.

 

Last weekend I was cleaning out boxes of stuff and unpacking (finally) in the house we bought a couple of months ago. One was labeled "NYC" and it was full of stuff my mom and dad had kept from our Summer in NYC. One item was a brochure for the WTC observation deck. On the front is a view of the towers and the words, "The closest some of us will ever get to heaven..."

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quote:
Originally posted by KD9KC:

#2. A poster. It shows a fireman, standing in the rubble at Ground Zero, holding out a flag. To his left, is a soldier, M-16 in his right hand, walking away... stepping into a ground assault. He is reaching back with his left hand to take the flag from the fireman, and saying "I'll take it from here!"

 


 

The poster you referenced is right here.

 

Always wear proper caching safety equipment!

60748_1200.jpg

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quote:
Originally posted by Lyra:

quote:
Originally posted by KD9KC:

#2. A poster. It shows a fireman, standing in the rubble at Ground Zero, holding out a flag. To his left, is a soldier, M-16 in his right hand, walking away... stepping into a ground assault. He is reaching back with his left hand to take the flag from the fireman, and saying "I'll take it from here!"

 


 

The poster you referenced is right http://img.Groundspeak.com/user/60748_1400.JPG


 

Yessir... and thank you. I am not responsible for typing errors, too hard to see through the tears. Old soldiers.

 

Thanks.

 

Mike. KD9KC.

El Paso, Texas.

 

Seventeen minutes after her FIRST call for help, police officers arrived to find Ronyale White dead.

 

Prohibiting self defense is the ultimate crime. Police carry guns to protect themselves. What protects YOU ???

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I work underground in the coal mines. That morning, our boss had just came from the phone (directly linked to the outside). He was erratic and such, anxiously explaining what had happened moments earlier. We all stopped what we were doing trying to settle the boss down and try to understand it all. It weighed on my mind the rest of the shift, but the magnatude really hit me when we finally came out to daylight and our Superintendent had a T.V. there in the office watching the whole events of the day. My heart sank. How sick I was, not knowing in full detail what others were seeing the whole time I was underground trying to imagine what it was. My thoughts were WAY off, believe me. If I had my preference, I would have stayed underground. God bless America. That's what I felt then and every day since. We'll be O.K.

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I was at work when I heard Howard Stern tell of the first plane. I found myself compelled to listen to his account. Personally I hate the network news to begin with and I knew i wanted to hear the reporting from someone that wasn't going to gloss over everything and would tell it like it was.

 

I dismissed the first crash as an accident as i'm sure most people did. After the second impact I realized we were under attack and was feeling a little depressed. I continued to listen feeling worse with each new description. Then when I heard about the attack on the Pentagon my heart sank. My sister worked in Washington in the Capital. I began to get stressed at that point and I'm not a person to often be stressed. I spent some time just standign infront of my machine not doing anything but thinking, it was hard to get back to work. Then the plane crashed in Sommerset, about 40 miles from where I live. And at the time the renaissance festival was going on not very far from the crahsh site. I have a lot of good friends that work the festival and camp at the site through the week. Had the plane been just a few degrees west it could have landed on my friends. I think at that point after the worry for my sister and the thought of losing my friends had anything else happend that day I would have had to go home. I don't do stress because I don't handle stress well.

 

I was very happy that that was the end of the mass killings. The ensuing anthrax attacks bothered me but not at al like the worry for my relative and the twist in your gut you get when innocent people die for no reason.

 

"Geocaching" - A nature hike with a mission!

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I am far away from New York, Washington DC, Pennsylvania. I was driving my kid to high school. We learned of it on the way. By the time we got there we were saying "Oh my God, they are going to have to shoot down the other planes, jetliners or not!" What sticks with me is a cell phone call from a young brooker to a 911 operator asking what they must do to save themselves, A young lady in tears holding up a photo of here lost friend, hoping against hope, hearing of a man and woman who held hands and jumped and never let go. I morn yet, and always will for those people and those others they represent. I also remember giving notice to the terrorists of the world that this will stop! Never again will terrorist acts be allowed! In our grief have we forgotten our resolve?

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i was at my desk, having arrived at 8:30. I work for Verizon, taking calls in a customer service center. we were all shocked but we were still receiving calls, and no one knew it was terrorism till after the 2nd one hit. Then it was obvious and by about 915 the calls dropped to a trickle so we all were sitting at out desks chattering and speculating, with words occasionally trickling in from those in the break room.

 

After maybe another 30 minutes it suddenly occured to me that my wife's aunt works in the tower. I suffer from stress (among other things) and so I went home on FMLA leave. I found out that her daughter developed a fever of 102 at 3AM, and she was at the pediatrician at the time of the air strike. Mysteriously her fever hd cleared up by then without the application of any medicine. Weird, eh?

 

Course we didn't know this at the time. I spent the day watching the video replay over & over & over, as they just kept kitting us over the head with that same horrible footage. (Sorry this is one pet peeve I have about the media coverage is how they aired the shot of the towers crashing only about 1200X that day)

 

I watched even though I didn't want to. I couldn't NOT watch. I have tried to avoid all coverage of the anniversary as much as possible, but found myself watching two specials last night & one right now. Thankfully two of the three are scientific in nature, dealing with the construction of the WTC (I never knew that battery park didnt exist till they dumped the dirt they dug up to make the foundation, over there. neat!) The other dealt with the specific reasons for the collapse itself from an architectural POV. the last focused on those little canadian towns that took in the passengers whose flights got diverted when the air space was shut down. To me this should've received so much more coverage then it did. The way those towns opened the hearts to americans was absolutely astounding. "Welcome to Canada, eh?"

 

To make this note on-topic to geocaching, there was a segment tonight dealing with the debris field. Rescuers couldn't tell where they were on the debris field. Also when they found a body part they wanted to document where it was found. Also if they could locate certain pieces of building debris they might be able to locate "huddle spots" of victims. Enter the GPS. A map making company mapped the area topographically which helped tremendously, then later GPS units were given out with little drop down lists for what they rescuer found, and then they logged the waympoint. very cool!

 

alt.gif

 

www.gpswnj.com

 

[This message was edited by Gwho on September 11, 2002 at 07:40 PM.]

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Many of my posts relate to the fact that I have two kids. Well, I was 8 mos. pregnant that fateful morning & my husband was out of town on an assignment. My OB/GYN had allowed me to work 1/2 days beginning that week due to a somewhat difficult pregnancy. I was listening to NPR as usual when I heard about the first plane. They didn't give it much play at first, so I figured it was just some idiot in a Cessna or something. Husband called & asked me if I'd heard about it...Yeah, what a stooge! Oh well, baby, have a good day... Man, I have a lot of work to do today... I gotta get these contracts keyed or they'll hate me when I leave at 11...

 

Things progressed, everyone knows the timeline... People were glued to the TV set in our conference room and I just couldn't sit there & watch it. I'd come & watch awhile, go back to work, talk to hubby on the phone, cruise to the conference room just in time to see the second collapse. The pentagon, the field... Too much sadness, too much work...

 

While my colleages watched in terror, I keyed my little contracts. I called the babysitter & felt a great need to hug my daughter. Still, I keyed like there was no tomorrow. At 11am, just like a good girl, I left the office for the day. The freeway was unusually packed for that time of day, but most businesses around town were letting their staff go home early due to the tragedies.

 

I remember that I was supposed to rest after work, then pick up my kid at the end of the day. But I just needed to keep her near me. Even if she just took her nap & did her kid thing, I needed that child more than ever.

 

My son was born on Nov. 8th, as scheduled. He is a triumph in the face of such devastation in this world. Today, as my children grow & play, I know that evil cannot prevail. I know, because I see God in the faces of the children and in God, we have hope.

 

I will never forget.

 

Mother Gootz

 

[This message was edited by Team Gootz on September 11, 2002 at 08:08 PM.]

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What surprised and severely disappointed me was that no survivors were found in the rubble of the towers. So many times after plane crashes, earthquakes or other accidents, survivors are pulled from the wreckage sometimes days later.

 

I felt absolutely sure that this would happen. The days went by, and nothing. Nobody lived through it. That says something about the total destruction of the buildings.

 

It would have been such a boost to hear about a few people that made it through the collapse.

 

Jamie

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Not true Jamie Z. There was a small team of NY firefighter, about 5 of them, they were helping a lady down the stairs, step by step. Very slow going. They were in the stairwell when the building collapsed. They had already heard the first building collapse. That small single fight of stairs was the only thing that made it though the destruction, with the firefighters and the lady as well and unscathed. They radioed out for help stating the building they were in and the flight of stairs they were on. The response was, "Where's the building?"

 

4497_300.jpg

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Living near San Francisco, I didn't get up until much later. I turned on the radio and the first thing that I heard was Lee Rodgers, normally a cheerful guy say in a monotone. "The north tower is down and it looks like something is going on at the south tower." Being a frequent boater on the SF Bay, I immediately thought of the North tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. I turned on the TV and was briefly relieved, then horrified that it was the World Trade Center North tower, then the South tower.

I was supposed to be going to work that morning and taking the kids to school, but we were an hour late because it's hard to get dressed and to get the kids dressed when your eyes are glued to the TV. My 9 year old son was very chatty, saying "oh, wow, look at that! Cool" like it was a controlled implosion on TLC. I looked at him and told him that those buildings were full of people. He looked at me then burst into tears. I hope that I didn't hurt him.

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I live in Arizona and worked the evening shift at the time. Meaning I didn't usually get up until almost noon. However, on 9-11 my phone kept ringing. I finally got up to find two messages on my machine telling me they wanted me to come into work early because of the "attack on the US"

 

I thought I heard my boss incorrectly and immediately picked up the remote and turned on the tv. I was instantly faced with a picture of the WTC just after the 2nd tower hit. I was stunned, I just sat on the couch and stared. I don't know how long I watched when I picked up the phone and said I would be into work in an hour.

 

I remember dressing in front of the tv for work as I watched the towers fall. It was like I was in a different place, I couldn't get enough of the news (which I normally NEVER watch or read).

 

Once I was at work, my co-workers and I spent all day listening to talk radio- several of us had the same station on so we could all hear it without blaring anything. We have no tv at my place of work, so all we had were the radios.

 

I spent the next several days working morning/afternoons instead because of flight cancellations our job was messed up while we waited for people to drive our work in from the western states.

 

I had no ties with NY, PA, or DC except for the fact that I've seen the NY skyline when driving through once, and I used to live close to DC.

 

My heart cries for all the lives lost that day, and all the families forever split by what happened.

 

We are a great nation, and perhaps every generation needs to be reminded that we sometimes have to fight VERY hard to the right of living with the freedom our forefathers have fought to give us. Nothing is free in life, and I'm PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!!!!

 

**Try something 3 times before giving up on it! The 1st time may be bad weather, the 2nd may be dead GPS batteries, the 3rd you may spot that hiding spot!!**

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Here on the east coast of Australia, it was just after 10.45 in the evening of September 11 when a news flash came over the TV informing us that a small plane has crashed into the WTC. We tuned into CNN to see the amazing pictures and continued to believe it was a small plane. As the pictures were coming in, we noted that in the background of a reporters visual a large commercial jet appeared to be flying past the WTC but it never came out the other side. I said to the wife.."Was that my imagination or was there a plane flying past a second ago". She said she saw it too, but the news was still not reporting anything new. It was only after about a minute or two that we realised with horror that we were correct and that the plane had flown into the other tower.

Most people in the city of Sydney never went to bed, they stayed up all night and it was 5 am before we finally decided to turn in. My wife cried almost the whole night, and we were worried sick because or son was on a business trip in the USA at the time. You may also recall that our Prime Minister was in New York at the time also. Our son was OK but our heart goes out to all the victims. Last night we lit a candle that burned all night next to a little American flag we have set up. Just our way of expressing our sorrow for the terrible events of that day.

 

Peter and Camilla

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