9/11

[06 H3]

I know its a few days early but I just watched a show on animal planet of one of my friends dog who helped his family during the healing process of losing 2 uncles during 9/11. Every year when this time comes around it just sucks. I will never forget that day. I was living on long island and in 4th grade at the time. My dad worked in the city and was out of his office that day and had meetings all over NYC. He could have been anywhere. We weren't sure. It was early in the school day when all the teachers got called in one by one to talk with the principal. We all knew something was wrong but we had no idea. Later on in that day the principal went classroom to classroom asking kids who had both parents working in the city. I only had one so he didn't take me from the room. All the other kids that had both parents in the city were informed and left the classroom for the day. Later on I get home from school and walk in and hear the T.V. on and my mom just repeating "those bastards those crazy bastards." I was quickly informed by my mom on what happened. We did find out my dad was ok but he was close to the trade center and saw it first hand. He ended up leaving the city but there was no easy way out. The LIRR (train system) was shut down, he ended up having to walk through the city and cross the 59th street bridge and catch a cab on the other side. Luckily he made it home in one piece. While he told us what happened and what he saw first hand I just got the chills. 10 years later I still get the chills just thinking about it. One of his co workers had a meeting in the WTC that morning and was running late, fortunately he went to another meeting with my dad that wasnt in the WTC. If he wasn't late he probably would have been killed. I had a good friend who had 2 uncles killed. He was never the same after that. He was the one who was on animal planet tonight with their dog blaze. There are plenty of other stories I have with people I know and people who were directly affected. The list goes on. For months NY was not the same, the gloomy depressing feel was in the atmosphere day in and day out. Year after year around this time that feeling just takes over. After that day the feeling of American pride was crazy. The unity was overwhelming, something I will never forget. Later on I moved to Ca due to my dad's job transfer. I feel like people my age dont have the same feeling of 9/11 that I do which is understandable but that feeling of pride and unity isnt the same around this time of year. This day was terrible and we are lucky to have such brave people and such a great country. The times may be tough, our president may not be the brightest bulb but we are still lucky to have such a great country. Its almost unfathomable to understand how much hatred a person has to have to do this to our country but people with that much hatred are miserable. NEVER FORGET. Be a proud american and lets just hope the rest of these american-hating asswipes go down in hell one day.

 

[TXH3T]

This Is truly one of the greatest tragedies to ever strike our country. I was young when this happened and it still haunts me watching the images on the tv with my parents. The fact that so many have basically forgotten what has happened sickens me. You are right we MUST NEVER FORGET. Im horrified that of all people the FIRE AND POLICE FIRST RESPONDERS ARE NOT INVITED TO THE 9/11 CEREMONY. Of course Barack and his billion security will attend. No dont worry keep your seat mr. president they only gave everything they had to save innocent people. God bless America and lets hope people remember what true patriotism and love for your country is on this day

 

[06 H3]

It is a disgrace they cant show up. The saying that has been going around is something like all these brave men and women werent invited to show up on 9/11/01 but they did. Now they are not invited to 9/11/11....wtf they should show up anyways.

 

[TXH3T]

They really should. Can you think of anything more inspiring than the police and fire departments walking into the ceremony together. Who is really going to say no you can not come in? If they did this is a sad sad time for our country

 

[ReconH3]

I have a cousin that was working in building practically across the street. I've never talked to him about it because it seems like he would rather not. It's obvious he is bothered by it when September comes around. Most Californians don't give a damn about what goes on outside of California. I always heard very negative comments when I lived there. It is critical that people never forget what happened, because otherwise they will go ahead and do it again.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

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[3Hummers]

Never forget. It should be mandatory that this be taught in the schools. Who would stop the fire and police from showing up and participating if they did show up. I would bet no one would say a word.

 

[LagunaH1]

I was on my way to Houston from NY that morning. Ended up driving home from Atlanta. It was a scary and strange time. It was like that U2 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday"

 

[Tactical h3]

Thanks 06 H3 your words mean alot I lost 4 buddy's from the FDNY and there families and I will never forget that day.

 

[DJinCO]

We can NEVER forget.

Unfortunate that some people only remember in September. Some of us are reminded of the mission every day.
I know that many won't believe it, but USNORTHCOM is on the job 24/7 defending and keeping the Homeland safe.

 

[Cotilo]

I was born in NY and have family all throughout the state and it was a crazy morning because you couldn't reach anyone by phone and had no idea if they were okay. That September day really put things in perspective for me. Each 9/11 anniversary we order take out, get a box of tissue and watch a 9/11 documentary or movie to honor and respect the victims and heroes of 9/11. Last year we had all of my family at our house and its become a very special way for us teach our younger generations about the event and that we lost over 3,000 people that horrible day and they weren't just in NYC. Thank you to all of our military and first responders you are a very special breed of people.

 

[Tactical h3]

All of us at the fire house run our flags at half mast as our chaplin says a prayer for the department over the open channel and we rign the bell for our lost brothers and sisters honestly we will never forget that day in our lifes no mader where we were or what we were doing that day will live on in our memories as the day the world stopped... so if i can say this and nothing more remember all ways say (I love you, thank you, i miss you) because all we have all seen life can change in a instant and you may never have the change to say it again.

 

[alrock]

I was playing tourist in NYC two weeks before this with my (then) young niece and nephew. We tried to go to the WTC but the cloud ceiling was too low so we skipped it. I had been to NYC many times but this was their first visit. The events of 9/11 really left a very personal impression on them as having been there just a couple of weeks beforehand really brought it home for them.

 

[Tactical h3]

it is amazing how one day somthing is there and the next it can be taken away

 

[06 H3]

Tactical I appreciate not having the flag all the way up. Last year the flag at work was up all the way, the flag at school was up all the way. ITS BULL****. This year its on a sunday so I wont be on campus but I will be at work...If the flag isnt half mast I will politely explain why the flag should be that way and if they dont do something about it I will go out there and personally change it myself. I am not trying to sound like an ass because I am not. I am a nice guy but i feel its insulting to our country and the victims family/friends

 

[MuDnYrI]

I could see the smoke from my window ... it was a very sad day. My Father retired from Ladder 101 which lost 7 Hero's that day. My Dad then wrote this article:

"The Final Run of Ladder Company 101."

As I watched the unbelievable events of Sept 11 unfold, my
mind raced to comprehend what was happening. Seeing the gaping holes, red-orange
rolling fire, black smoke and people jumping and clinging desperately out of
broken windows was something none of us will ever forget.

I am retired from FDNY Ladder Company 101, located only five
minutes away from the World Trade Center on the Brooklyn side of the Battery
Tunnel. I also completed all of my nursing education at nearby Hunter College
Bellevue School of Nursing while assigned to this company.

Five other men assigned to Ladder Company 101 were enrolled
in the nursing program, and together we spent countless hours studying for
exams. Nurses and firefighters seem to be relatively compatible; many
firefighters, including myself, are married to nurses. Nurses and firefighters
share a common bond in that both jobs exist for one purpose - to help people.
When the crisis hit on September 11, how I wished I could have been there to
help.

As the disaster unfolded in front of my unbelieving eyes, I
realized the men from Ladder Company 101 already would have responded and all of
them would be in mortal danger due to the potential for loss of life. The
response and fire fighting operations for any major or minor World Trade Center
disaster were methodically worked out long ago. Part of this plan was for Ladder
Company 101 to be first due on the second alarm. Thus I knew the firefighters
from Ladder 101 would be at the World Trade Center and going up into the
building for search and rescue.

Simply put, you can't make rescues from outside on the
ground, so you go in and you go up. People are trapped and jumping, and when
you're a fire fighter, you've got to help them. The men from Ladder Company 101
went in knowing they were putting themselves in mortal danger but were compelled
to rescue as many individuals as possible.

This is not to say that fire fighters race blindly into
dangerous situations. I assure you that the New York City Fire Department is the
best fire department in the world and has incredibly detailed plans regarding
fighting high-rise fires in general and World Trade Center fires in particular.
Fire fighters know what they are doing, but no operations plan ever could have
prepared them for this. Take two planes fully loaded with JP4 jet fuel, crash
them into the heart of the World Trade Center, and no fire suppression system or
firefighting plan ever could contain, let alone put out, a fire of this
magnitude.

As it turned out, the number of lives saved by the New York
City firefighters, police officers and EMS is estimated to be over 20,000, which
makes it the biggest rescue effort in history. My son knows a man who worked on
the 22nd floor of World Trade Center Building 2. As he was evacuating and
arrived on the 5th or 6th floor, he saw fire fighters passing him and going up.
He told my son there was nothing in this world that could have turned him around
and compelled him to go back up.

What does it take for fire fighters to do this? Courage,
dedication and above all else, a willingness to lay down your own life so that
others can live. And that's exactly what these men did on that horrible day.
Even the Bible says, "No greater love has a man than to lay down his life for
another."

It is not known exactly where the seven members of Ladder
Company 101 were when they died. What I do know is that they all died a noble
death doing what they loved to do and they now are in God's arms, forever safe
from the flames that took them.

 

[06 H3]

That was touching Jimmy. The people who are firefighters are brave brave people

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[06 H3]

I was playing tourist in NYC two weeks before this with my (then) young niece and nephew. We tried to go to the WTC but the cloud ceiling was too low so we skipped it. I had been to NYC many times but this was their first visit. The events of 9/11 really left a very personal impression on them as having been there just a couple of weeks beforehand really brought it home for them.

Im sure it hit them hard. It's an unfathomable thought when you see something a few weeks before hand and it's all normal and then next thing you know it's gone. Its like the brain has a tough time processing it

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[06 H3]

Wow...11 years, I still have not forgotten. I try to make a long facebook status and remind the people my age who didnt live through this to say prayers. Its a shame that many go through the day without remembrance. God bless the USA!

"I still get the chills every year writing this. I cant believe it was 11 years ago that the towers were hit. I will never forget that morning, I was in 4th grade living in NY and at school, had no idea what was going on but I remember coming home to my mom glued to the TV, My dad worked in the city and I was worried if he was ok but luckily he made it home safely, I was lucky to have him share the story of what he saw with his own eyes that day, unfortunately I know many people never got to see their parents again. I specifically know 2 brave firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11. Every new yorker knew someone who died and every new yorkers life had changed after that day. We all had a boost of unity and were prouder then ever to say we are Americans. Its a shame that people are so envious of the beautiful country we have and have to do these terrible things. Be blessed for what we have and to all my california facebook friends, take the time out to acknowledge the day, think about how lucky you are to be an American and to be safe, its easy to forget that day because you were young and across the country, when you were there you never forget, just have this day in your minds and put prayers out to the families who lost a loved one on 9/11"

 

[cgalpha08]

Ill never forget it. Like most i was in school and they didn't tell us anything. I remember walking in the back door of my house, my grandmother was visiting, and she comes up to me and tell me that we have been attacked. I was younger and more naive and i thought that it was impossible for America to be attacked. Ill never forget when i turned to look at the television set that was in the kitchen with the image of the two towers filled with smoke, about to collapse.

My prayers go out to all of the families, fire fighters, policemen and service man and women who lost their lives that day and since that day protecting out nation.

Never forget.

 

[3Hummers]

Been watching the programs on 9.11 all morning. It should be mandatory. Just like teaching real U. S. History, not the watered down revisionist crap they teach now. We are doomed to repeat past mistakes if we let ourselves forget them.

 

[3rdH3]

Thank you 06 H3 for starting this thread. Your have wisdom and experience beyond your years.

 

[06 H3]

Thank you...it means a lot 3rd H3

You are right Dave another day that I feel the younger generation forgets is pearl harbor...which is similar to this day, different but similar. I feel this was worse seeing it wasn't an attack on base but to civilians but either way it's not taught well. I went throughout H.S. with teachers not even bringing it up...id have to raise my hand and ask my teacher for a moment of silence then I'd share a story. I think that hit students harder seeing it was much more real.

Even adults don't know what the **** is going on...I work at Costco part time after school. 2 years ago I show up late afternoon and the flag is up all the way. So I go to the flag pole and lower it half way down. A manager came out and asked me what I was doing and told him its 9/11 it's an official day for the flag to be raised half way. I told him to go online and check his response was "o yea" I was kinda pist. Last year I show up and it was half way...let's see what this year brings.

 

[twinmill28]

I was at work that morning, stationed active duty here at Eglin Air Force Base, when we got the word and went into the break room to watch the events unfold on TV. Later that afternoon I went home and told my wife that I'd be deploying somewhere and we should enjoy our time before I went. My wife wanted to know how I knew I'd be going somewhere when things had only unfolded that day. I told her it was inevitable in my job and that I was sure we'd be going somewhere very soon. Just a month and a day later we were on our way to a little country called Uzbekistan to pay some retribution. It was the worst and hardest deployment I'd ever been on, I wasn't able to call home until two weeks after we'd been on the ground, and even then I couldn't really talk about anything over the phone. I will say that everything that happened in our camp happened at night, lots of Special Forces guys walking around with beards and camoflauged uniforms with no markings (no name tapes, US insignia, flags etc.) and carrying all kinds of weapons I didn't know we carried in the military. I brought home one of the 105mm shell casings we sent into one of the cities, there were LOTS of empty shell casings in the planes when they landed in the early morning back at our base.
The biggest memory of the whole event was flying home from this trip and the pilot for charter plane we were on told us to look out the windows (it was night) at Ground Zero below lit up like daylight as it was still being cleaned up. That was payment in full for the hell we'd just left behind.

God bless our firefighters, law enforcement and military for the sacrifices they made during and after this event.

 

[H32NV]

I was sitting in spanish class as a Junior in High School when it went down. There was an announcement over the PA for every class to turn their TV's to the news. I remember a few seniors leaving that day to talk to recruiters and three or four ended up going to West Point/Naval Academy as they felt it was their Duty. The tragic events of 9/11 still resound in thousands of citizen's families and lost friends. I'd like to think that this country is healing, but even a healed wound still leaves a scar. One thing gives a bit of comfort though as we look forward into the future as a Superpower in the World - The new WTC tower is a statement of what America is made of. After having just been to NYC to see the progress on the new Freedom Tower in person, I can say that it is an absolutely stunning piece of architecture. It is now the tallest building in New York, and the third tallest in the world, measuring 1776 ft as a reference to our Independence Day. Wikipedia has some great information on the designed capabilities for the structure, including ground level bomb protection, and ability to sustain multiple airliner hits – outside of the incredible engineering that has gone into this building’s defense, it is also a superb representative of modern architecture, recycled materials and LEED efficient building design.

This is a really cool time-lapse video covering the entire construction of 1 WTC Tower(The Freedom Tower)

The sobering thought is that the events of 9/11 are what led to this project. The victims and all those affected and the heroes, and our country, deserves nothing less.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5_oQfhHLYY&feature=player_embedded#!

 

[abearden]

I woke to a frantic mother that day. Had no clue what was going on, but she told me to come watch the news. I sat there slack-jawed for a while with my brain on overload trying to comprehend. Then I trudged onto campus for school and sat in my history classroom before school started watching coverage. At some point in there the first tower fell. And then the second. My mind was fairly blank when the bell rang for class. That day, and several afterward, consisted merely of going through the motions. I think only one teacher even bothered to continue with the lesson plan that day.

Unfortunately, we have disgraced the memory of those fallen with our actions as a nation in the 11 years since. I hope we can change that someday and that they rest in peace.