It was a day just like today - a note on 9/11

[+joefrog]

I remember well -- It was beautiful outside. Clear as a bell, great temperature. I had breakfast on the deck, and was about to leave when I sat down on the couch for one more sip of coffee. That's when it happened. The world turned upside down, and it will never be the same for thousands, millions of people. Planes slammed into the buildings. My God. The images that followed are branded on my memory.

 

My inlaws are in NYC. I've touristed around town many times, and feel fortunate to have "known" the towers, and having been to the observation deck. I remember that my Sis-in-law was job-searching that day, and my wife was in a panic because she was to be near the towers that day. We didn't know that she was okay for hours. Many thousands of others never came home that night, or ever again.

 

The Twin Towers were never what you'd call "beautiful" buildings, but they were magnificent in their scale and identity in the NYC skyline. They were a fixture; they were something you expected to see. They were something that you got used to seeing. And then they were gone.

 

Did you ever watch the show "Seven Days?" Where when something awful happened, they sent the guy back seven days into the past to stop whatever occured. That day, I was thinking to myself "God, if that is even somewhat based on fact, PLEASE let him succeed. I've never wished for Hollywood and the military to be so closely related before. Just one DAY and they may have been stopped.

 

I remember. Do you?

 

Joel (Joefrog)

 

[+TEAM 360]

I had a date with a flight attendant the night before it happened. On the morning of 9/11, we were talking about airplane security and how easy it would be for someone to hijack a plane, believe it or not. She went home and about an hour later called me and said "Oh my God, have you turned on the tv?" When I did, I thought it was the beginning of the end of the world...I remember wondering how much ammo I had on hand, and thinking about all the hiding spots out in the desert I had noted during my hikes.

[+opey one]

One hour, one day, ten days or a hundred years....We will never forget.

 

 

Yup. That's MY goat!

[+Renegade Knight]

That morning I had to drive my son to school. I turned on the radio and heard about the first tower being hit. They were still unsure if it was terrorism or a horrible accident. Just then the second plane hit. They hesitated on calling it terrorism but I knew. I knew what it meant but not what the aftermath would be.

[+mtn-man]

It was a day like today. I was a bit late that day. I went out and started my truck and I hear the first tower was burning. I decided to go back inside to look at the news. Three minutes later I saw the second plane hit the second building live on TV. I called my wife and told her to turn the radio on. I watched... 15 minutes... 30 minutes... I called the office. My boss, our sales manager and our marketing manager were in Manhattan that day. I told our people to get them on the phone. It took hours to find them.

 

No, I will never forget.

I have flown my flag every day since.

If you flag is not flying, put it up when you get home.

[+Kouros]

A thought from the UK...

 

I remember it happening. I remember the "whats" and the "whys" and the "hows". I remember the shock, and the anger. I remember the terror - and I am hundreds of miles away.

 

I remember the sadness, and I remember the honour. I especially remember the honour - the bravery of the few that went back in to save others, but did not come out.

 

But there are times when it all gets too much, and I don't remember anymore. Like ten days ago (what were you doing ten days ago?) or three months from now.

 

It would be much too clinical to say that life has moved on but it did continue, if not on the same path. For three thousand families, September 11 will always be a day of sadness.

 

I refuse to let it be so. I will remember, but I will not let them win. Find a reason to smile today.

 

------

"There's Sparticus. That's him, over there."

[+joefrog]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kouros:

_Find a reason to smile today._

---

 

I have a reason, now -- my wife just called and while we were on the phone, our daughter pulled herself to a standing position for the first time!

 

 

Proud Poppa!

 

Joel (joefrog)

 

"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for ye are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!"

[+Doc-Dean]

My wife and I were visiting friends in Oregon and that morning we were to drive to Seattle that morning to fly back to Florida. We got up about 530am to shower and have a quick breakfast with your friends before getting on the road for a 3 hour drive to Seattle. We turned on the TV and saw the first tower burning and while we watched we saw the 2nd plane hit the other tower and my friend said, "Oh my god, we're under attack" We had no idea how true those words were.

 

We watched mesmerized but because we didn't know the severity of this or what was to come next, we got in the car and started up to Seatlle. We found an all news station and listened intently. I could not believe my ears when I heard the first tower collapsed!! Then the second. (I grew up in NY across the bay from NYC and I remember watching the towers be built as a kid.) We stopped at a gas station to find a TV and watched the horror we were listening to. We were both in tears. But we had a flight to catch and got back on the road. Along the way to Seattle there are 2 large military bases and the highway was backed up for miles as they were on high alert and were only allowing all their recalled people throgh a single gate after all the vehicles were inspected.

 

We managed to find some backroads to get around the traffic jam and just as we were getting close to Seattle and trying to decide if we should even get on a plane, it was announced that the entire US air system was being shut down. I was actually relieved to hear that. Fortunately one of my best friends lives in Seattle and we were able to stay with him. Who would have guessed it would be 6 more days before we could fly again. Everyday we had nothing to do but sit dumbfounded in front of the TV. We had to get out a few hours each day just to walk and clear our heads. Also fighting with the airlines to get on a flight was really frustating. We managed to get a stand by reservation and were lucky to get on the flight. At the airport I met many other pepole who were stranded there the whole week. I had no idea how lucky we were because we had someone to stay with. There were no car to rent in town and the hotels were expensive. Some people had to stay in the red cross shelter because they could not afford a hotel.

 

Sorry this is so long, but it feels right to let it out every now and then...

 

---------------------------------------------------

Free your mind and the rest will follow

 

[This message was edited by Doc-Dean on September 11, 2003 at 10:11 AM.]

[+Tsegi Mike and Desert Viking]

Never forget.

 

How could I?

 

My mother-in-law was dying of cancer. My husband was up north to be with her for a final week. He called me and woke me up.

 

"Turn on the TV"

 

"What? What is it?"

 

"Turn on the TV"

 

"No games, just tell me"

 

"I can't. Just turn it on"

 

Just in time to see the second tower fall (3 hour time difference, it was early).

 

I was alone, all alone, on this terrible day. Mike didn't want to talk on the phone because his mother was dying. I couldn't reach other family members to talk to them. I was all alone and scared that I would never see my husband again. Who knew that day if anything else would happen? I began to wonder if anyone I knew as a child growing up in New York was in those buildings. My sister-in-law couldn't fly down to see her mother. I had to try and figure out a way to get her down here before my mother-in-law died.

 

Days later, my husband came home, and 2 weeks later my mother-in-law died. Our hearts ached and grieved that whole year.

 

For me, one of the hardest things is not having anyone to talk to about 9/11. Mike can't talk about it because of his mother. No one else I know will talk about it. I needed to talk about it and I couldn't.

 

Even now, nearing the second anniversary, I ache. The images are there, imbedded in my brain. Images of people jumping off the building I can't get rid of. Even now, if I see an image of the WTC, or 9/11, I physically recoil.

 

I ache for a world that we lost, the innocence the young children will never know in this new world. The innocence I used to know growing up, not realizing that people hated me because of who I am. Not knowing that people longed for me to die because I am an American. I wish we could still live like that.

 

I will never forget.

[+Life Journey]

I've spent today trying to figure how to remember and forget today at the same time.

 

2 years later and I still can't read this post without tears coming. I can't watch the news shows, read the news articles. I bought the book "Let's Roll!" (by the wife of the guy on the PA flight) when it first came out, and I can't read it yet. I have a book of email messages collected from AOL that day - I can't read that either.

 

It was a scary day - it has been a scary time since. My brother-in-law was in Afghanistan for a year - his son was 10 months old when he left - he missed his first steps, first words. We pray he doesn't need to go back.

 

While sitting in my office today, I had teared up from reading something, and someone walked by and wanted to know what was wrong. The person then said I should 'get past it - it's over' - but I am not ready yet. Thank you all for letting me know there are others who still feel this pain.

 

"I took the road less travelled by, and that has made all the difference"

[+robert]

It's far from over.

 

~robert

Notice: Driver carries less than $20 cache.

[+CYBret]

I was on my way to Terre Haute, IN. A friend of mine there was having surgery for prostate cancer and I went to sit in the waiting room with friends and family. He's a history buff, has a masters in U.S. History and was unconscious the whole day. He woke up in a completely different world (and completely cancer free I should add).

 

I heard about the first plane on the radio as I took my daughter to the sitter, saw the second plane when I dropped her off and then listened to the rest on WLS radio out of Chicago. They had to bring TV's into the waiting area for us at the hospital.

 

Lots of other stories about that day, but I won't bother with them here. Hope I never forget them all.

 

Bret

 

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

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

[ju66l3r]

Forget about what?

 

 

You couldn't forget about this date, even if you wanted to. Every reporter and correspondant in the nation is running around trying to find out what today means to you.

 

Oh, and I was waking up in a hotel on the south coast of France at the time. Fortunately, my room had CNN World and BBC1. I flew out of Logan airport about 10 hours before they hijacked the planes. My reservation for my return flight was the first plane allowed to leave Paris to land in Boston. Everyone applauded when we arrived. About half of us had been stuck in Paris without any clue when we'd be able to get back home. I remember calling the American Embassy in France and getting an answering machine.

[Captain Chaoss]

I cant stand the people who say " its over and we need to get on with life."

 

Its still in my mind like yesterday. I had finished my work shift at 9:00am. I stopped in at my fire station on the way home. 12:00am sunday morning our attack pumper had a short in the wiring. It burnt up and nearly took the station with it. Other members were there, inventorying equipment before the insurance adjuster arrived. The feelings of gut wrenching terror from fighting to save what we all loved were still there. The acrid smell of smoke permeated the whole building.

 

When the phone rang, the chief said to turn on the news, and hung up. As the screen flickered to life, what we all thought was a replay was the 2nd plane, the 2nd tower. Standing in a building which had recently been on fire, the explosion, the scent, the image was almost too much. To be so far away, unable to help, that was a feeling I cant, and dont want, to describe.

 

I went home, sat on the edge of our bed, and simply stated to my 11 month pregnant wife, "we're under attack." we arrived in front of our tv in time to see the burning pentagon.

 

I went to work that night. I watched the world continue. I never cried till december, but I still haven't quit inside.

 

I get sick when people say life goes on. For so many, it doesn't.

 

May they rest in peace.

 

Two roads diverged in the woods and I,

I took the one less traveled,

and that is how I found the cache.

[+Xitron]

I agree with all the people that say we should never forget, I spent 4 years in the Amry as a grunt and was more then willing to protect our country. I guess you could say I was lucky I never had to go to war,but when Sept 11th happened I was a bit sad I wouldn't be able to go and get revenge for our civilians who died by the cowards hands. I know the men and women I served with are doing all they can to fight these pukes and to make Americia a safer place. They are placing their lives on the line every day, lets remember them as well.

 

I see your lips moving but all I hear is blah blah blah

[+Cooter13]

Please remember those that are out in the world trying to bring peace and justice those that deserve it. Bake a dish, some cookies or offer to help out a family that has a member in the service. They may refuse the offer, but, silently, they thank you. Pray for our young sons and daughters serving our country, us, in providing us with security that is needed. Please also remember the veterns of past conflicts and wars, they have fought for us as well. Life goes on, but the feelings remain. Remember those that have gone before us, but praise those that are with us today, for tomorrow we may not get the chance.

[+briansnat]

My brother worked for Cantor-Fitzgerald on the 105th floor. Not long before 9/11, he had an argument whith his bosses and was put on "paid leave", which basically meant he was being fired...eventually. The day the planes hit, he was supposed to go in to sign some papers, but decided that because it was such a nice day, he'd spend it with his kids, who were about to go back to school.

 

He was on the phone with a co-worker explaining why he wasn't coming in and the guy said suddenly "Holy sh*it, something happened, gotta go". My brother was the last person to talk to him.

 

He lost his best friend and all his co-workers that day. A few months later my other brother met him for their annual Christmas shopping trip, where a bunch of their friends would meet in a certain bar, have a few and go shopping for their families. They met in the same bar as they always did and my one brother saw the other sitting at the bar alone and asked "where is everybody?" Well, they were all dead.

 

quote:

---

I cant stand the people who say " its over and we need to get on with life."

---

 

At the service for my brother's friend Bill, I still recall the words of Billy's wife who gave the eulogy (they had a newborn son). She said (talking to her lost husband) "I promise you two things. I promise you that someday I will laugh again. And more important, I promise you that our son will never have to ask me 'mommy, why are you sad'"

 

Get on with life? Absolutely! To do any different would be a dishonor to those who died and their families. Forget? Never.

 

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on his hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" - Max Beerbohm

 

[This message was edited by BrianSnat on September 12, 2003 at 04:14 AM.]

[+RobRee]

i was awakened by my son, who at the time was turning 4. he said

 

"daddy your city is on fire, and you have to go to work... don't go."

 

i drove in 64 miles on the shoulder of roads, and against the flow of traffic moving away from the city. my two partners and i made the 64 miles in about 45 minutes.

 

i returned home 3 days later for a shower and a dinner with my family, a few hours later returned to manhattan. i remember sleeping to work again.. not returning home.. just sleeping in tents and abandoned buildings rejoining teams to search again.

 

what i remember most was the first two nights running into steel workers, and firemen from alabama, missouri, chicago etc that threw on gear and rode amtrak to help out....

 

those men and women are my heros!

 

my heart is filled with the memories of the people that died that day, and that will stay with me forever.

 

god bless america, not just a country, but the millions of men women and children that make up this free land that has the compassion to help one another and the balls and courage to hunt down the freaks that planned these attacks.

 

be safe all.

with pride, honor and respect,

robbie

 

A family that Geocaches together... eventually gets wet.

 

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[+BadAndy]

I was taking a break in the OR lounge in the hospital I worked at just north of NYC. A surgeon barged in and switched to Cnn, explaining that another of our surgeons had called him on his cellphone from Tower 1 (it would be the last we ever heard from him). We all watched in horror as the second plane slammed into the building. The images of people jumping, the constant replays of the attacks, the knowledge of friends lost were overwhelming. About 15 minutes later the hospital went into full disaster mode. We packed supplies into a schoolbus bound for Manhattan and readied ourselves for casualties that would never come. There were almost no wounded, either you made it out, or you didn't. The events of the next hours, days, weeks, months are forever burned into my memories. I saw the best of the American spirit emerge in a time of unspeakable horrors. Never EVER forget.