Zardnaar
Deity
From memory some weren't on the floor they were supposed to be on. Others made it down the only stairwell that was open.
[RD] Remembering 9-11-2001 (20 freaking years later)
- Thread starter SpacemanSpiff
- Start date
From memory some weren't on the floor they were supposed to be on. Others made it down the only stairwell that was open.
Josu
Emperor
I was 21, I was in the house my family used to rent during summer in a beach town.
Although sunny, I did not went to the beach beacuse I was preparing a university exam which was schedulled for the 12st.
It was my last retake, if passing the exam I would be ending my undergraduate studies and would be able to start the postgraduate education, otherwise I would be kicked out.
It was about 3 PM, I took a rest of preparing the exam and decided to watch news on TV before lunch.
I spent the rest of the day in front of TV and did not study a minute.
I took an horrible exam. Passed several days thinking that I was going to fail the exam again and I that I would be kicked out.
Some days later a classmate phoned me at 10 pm and told me that the califications were allready in the calification board. He did not know my ID number (here writting name, last name and calification is forbiden), so he was not able to check.
Only 8 people out of more than a hundred passed the exam.
It was one night more without sleeping, next day I was at the campus' doors before they were open
I don't know how, but I got a 5 out of 10.
Although sunny, I did not went to the beach beacuse I was preparing a university exam which was schedulled for the 12st.
It was my last retake, if passing the exam I would be ending my undergraduate studies and would be able to start the postgraduate education, otherwise I would be kicked out.
It was about 3 PM, I took a rest of preparing the exam and decided to watch news on TV before lunch.
I spent the rest of the day in front of TV and did not study a minute.
I took an horrible exam. Passed several days thinking that I was going to fail the exam again and I that I would be kicked out.
Some days later a classmate phoned me at 10 pm and told me that the califications were allready in the calification board. He did not know my ID number (here writting name, last name and calification is forbiden), so he was not able to check.
Only 8 people out of more than a hundred passed the exam.
It was one night more without sleeping, next day I was at the campus' doors before they were open
I don't know how, but I got a 5 out of 10.
Here are a few more examples of 9/11 from Canada's perspective:
First responders: Meet some of the Canadians who rushed to New York after the 9/11 attacks
How Gander's response to 9/11 changed the lives of its teenagers
Terror, tragedy, heartbreak and healing: How 4 Canadians are building a positive legacy 20 years after 9/11
It's the first article that got to me the most. One of the Canadian firefighters said he wanted to rescue people... but realized that even among the dead, there were few actual bodies to find, that they were just "dust."
@SpacemanSpiff: Enya's "Only Time" was played over and over on CNN over the weeks following her appearance on Larry King Live. It's a song of reflection that's even inspired my writing (I've been working on a historical fantasy novel over the past three years and needed a funeral scene for one of the good characters; this song kept running through my head, and next thing I knew I was just sitting in front of the computer in tears).
First responders: Meet some of the Canadians who rushed to New York after the 9/11 attacks
How Gander's response to 9/11 changed the lives of its teenagers
Terror, tragedy, heartbreak and healing: How 4 Canadians are building a positive legacy 20 years after 9/11
It's the first article that got to me the most. One of the Canadian firefighters said he wanted to rescue people... but realized that even among the dead, there were few actual bodies to find, that they were just "dust."
@SpacemanSpiff: Enya's "Only Time" was played over and over on CNN over the weeks following her appearance on Larry King Live. It's a song of reflection that's even inspired my writing (I've been working on a historical fantasy novel over the past three years and needed a funeral scene for one of the good characters; this song kept running through my head, and next thing I knew I was just sitting in front of the computer in tears).
There were already multiple broken windows on top floors, another hole wouldn't make much difference.
Yes, it was clearly not enough time, especially for the 2-nd tower. And that antenna on top of the first one was a problem too, it had to be removed somehow.
Still, in hindsight it might be better than trying to send firefighters from below.
Zardnaar
Deity
Well it was unprecedented.
People didn't have access to the roof anyway. It wasn't designed for evacuations and the access points were locked.
They could drop off firefighters on the roof, to break in.
Lexicus
Deity
I would mostly agree except he said it was a good thing that Bush was President, suggesting the parking lot thing would be good.
Anyway, there's no need to make a post justifying or defending what was said in that thread. I ain't here to judge people for what they posted 20 years ago (though, yes, I am judging what they said, I also do understand that people say things they don't mean in the heat of the moment)
I'm much more interested in the content of the posts than in identifying who said what and determining whether they are a bad person or whatever. I think we can say now, fairly definitively, with 20 years of hindsight, that we badly botched the response to 9/11 and made almost all the wrong decisions. And that thread is, at least IMO, a good illustration of why that happened. Whatever else you can say about 9/11, it succeeded beautifully in provoking the US into enormous wastes of resources and lives.
This was in the South Tower, and as I recall only one of the four stairways was left intact by the plane crash. 9-1-1 operators were telling people not to try to descend through possibly dangerous areas on their own, which obviously turned out to be a tragic miscalculation - but then, not even bin Laden expected the towers to collapse the way they did. Those 14 basically survived because they took the initiative to escape, I don't remember whether they just didn't call 9-1-1 or if they chose not to take the operators' advice.
Famously, one of those 14 was the guy who saw the plane coming at the building from his office.
I mean that helicopters could barely approach the building due to the massive heat and choking, toxic smoke rising from the raging fires.
I don't think they couldn't approach.
Helicopters have been used to extinguish fires in very complex situations, such as massive forest fires and exploded nuclear reactor.
If towers stood longer, I believe it might be a viable solution.
Lexicus
Deity
AmtrakQuebec
King
The response by Gander to the thousands of people from around the world that were stranded there when all the flights were grounded was made into an award-winning play...Here are a few more examples of 9/11 from Canada's perspective:
First responders: Meet some of the Canadians who rushed to New York after the 9/11 attacks
How Gander's response to 9/11 changed the lives of its teenagers
Terror, tragedy, heartbreak and healing: How 4 Canadians are building a positive legacy 20 years after 9/11
It's the first article that got to me the most. One of the Canadian firefighters said he wanted to rescue people... but realized that even among the dead, there were few actual bodies to find, that they were just "dust."
@SpacemanSpiff: Enya's "Only Time" was played over and over on CNN over the weeks following her appearance on Larry King Live. It's a song of reflection that's even inspired my writing (I've been working on a historical fantasy novel over the past three years and needed a funeral scene for one of the good characters; this song kept running through my head, and next thing I knew I was just sitting in front of the computer in tears).
Come from Away - Wikipedia
Even though I wouldn't want to live there, I've always said that people from the East coast of Canada are the friendliest/funniest people I've met in all my world travels.
Zardnaar
Deity
Probably didn't have time. By the time the firefighters organize, get to helicopters etc the towers were already down.
We should develop technological solutions for such cases. Like, some kind of drone or slow flying missile, which can be fired from the ground or helicopter and deliver crapload of liquid nitrogen inside. I don't know, weapon developers have been very successful in designing ways to kill people, may be they can use their creativity to develop something to save people instead.
These kind of events may happen again. Not necessarily because of terrorist attacks, it may be industrial accidents or disasters. I remember fire in Ostankino TV tower a year before 9/11. On 460 m. altitude, it continued for more than a day. Luckily there was no risk of collapse and all visitors were evacuated, but 3 servicemen were killed during firefight.
These kind of events may happen again. Not necessarily because of terrorist attacks, it may be industrial accidents or disasters. I remember fire in Ostankino TV tower a year before 9/11. On 460 m. altitude, it continued for more than a day. Luckily there was no risk of collapse and all visitors were evacuated, but 3 servicemen were killed during firefight.
SpacemanSpiff
Rational Spiritualist
Didn't see a 9-11 thread here today yet. It's only 2 years out from this 20yr anniversary thread ... nothing new to say ... I think the first post here still contextualizes it all well.
Bumping this thread as my annual remembrance for 2023. Still sitting in an office chair, working in front of a computer, in the same geographical area ... just like that day.
This day still messes with my emotions a bit, as it should. A paltry price to pay compared with those who already lost everything that matters by this time 22 years ago.
From those who were "in theroom world where it happened" ... to those who don't vividly remember it. Peace.
(if you were conscious of it live, and still have your marbles, you still vividly remember it)
Spiff / Steve
Bumping this thread as my annual remembrance for 2023. Still sitting in an office chair, working in front of a computer, in the same geographical area ... just like that day.
This day still messes with my emotions a bit, as it should. A paltry price to pay compared with those who already lost everything that matters by this time 22 years ago.
From those who were "in the
(if you were conscious of it live, and still have your marbles, you still vividly remember it)
Spiff / Steve
MPorciusCatoCivver
Chief Windbag
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2023
- Messages
- 311
I was watching it from home too. Ten year old back then. It was rather shocking but still didn't grasp fully what was happening.
Darsnan
Emperor
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2007
- Messages
- 1,215
I was working at a telecon company in Red Bank New Jersey. I remember someone coming into the lab and saying a plane had hit one of the towers, and I just thought that it was a single engine piper or something small like that, and went back to work. A while later someone else stopped by and said the other tower was hit, and that's when it sunk in to me and the rest of the company in general that something larger was going on.
A few hours later I called my wife in Syracuse and she said that her hospital was putting together an emergency response team to send to NYC, and because she had ER and burn ICU experience she was on the shortlist, so could I please come home to watch the kids. I remember heading up the Garden State Parkway and around mile 109 I could see this huge blanket of smoke coming out of New York city, and when I started up Interstate 287 I saw all of the exits were lined with various emergency vehicles waiting to be called into the city to help out.
On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 I had the honor of attending a dinner with our former county coroner: for the next two months after 9/11 her job was to spend time at Ground Zero identifying the remains that were being pulled from the wreckage. I remember her saying that as a mental cushion when she talked about the experience, that she started referring to everything in the third person.
D
A few hours later I called my wife in Syracuse and she said that her hospital was putting together an emergency response team to send to NYC, and because she had ER and burn ICU experience she was on the shortlist, so could I please come home to watch the kids. I remember heading up the Garden State Parkway and around mile 109 I could see this huge blanket of smoke coming out of New York city, and when I started up Interstate 287 I saw all of the exits were lined with various emergency vehicles waiting to be called into the city to help out.
On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 I had the honor of attending a dinner with our former county coroner: for the next two months after 9/11 her job was to spend time at Ground Zero identifying the remains that were being pulled from the wreckage. I remember her saying that as a mental cushion when she talked about the experience, that she started referring to everything in the third person.
D
Narz
keeping it real
I lived in Queens. I was unemployed at the time but a couple months prior I'd worked at a courier service that delivered there occasionally (I'd gone maybe seven times in a year but never would've been there that early in the morning).
My next door neighbor woke me up and told me to turn on the TV. Was a shock to say the least. I rode my bike w a friend to try and get as close as possible, just stupid curiosity really. Iirc it was impossible to get south of canal Street.
I didn't know anyone personally who was killed.
My next door neighbor woke me up and told me to turn on the TV. Was a shock to say the least. I rode my bike w a friend to try and get as close as possible, just stupid curiosity really. Iirc it was impossible to get south of canal Street.
I didn't know anyone personally who was killed.
Zardnaar
Deity
Think it happened very early in the morning here. Wet into work without watching TV or listening to radio at 7am.
"America's under attack" say what? Didn't really get a clearer picture until 6pm that night. Got general gist via the radio.
"America's under attack" say what? Didn't really get a clearer picture until 6pm that night. Got general gist via the radio.
SpacemanSpiff
Rational Spiritualist
Wow, yeah, I get it. That had to be a rough position to be in. Demands respect for her doing a job that had to be done, though it also had to be so, so difficult.
Smellincoffee
Trekkie At Large
I hadn't found CFC yet, but I was a member of the original 3DO forums. They were fully-threaded, kind of like reddit, and had different level rankings depending on the class you chose and how much you posted. I'd been at the forums for a while, long enough to reach the "Halfway House", which was reserved for members who had reached level 50. That's where I posted articles I saw that hadn't been posted about the "falling man", to be told by the mods that they were censoring that thing out of respect. I understood. This wasn't contempoary reddit where you were banned for life for the slightes offense. Anyway, I was in 10th or 11th grade when 9/11 happened, taking creative writing. Aide came in, asked the teacher to step outside. Teacher came in, and the world changed. We spent the day watching news. For my generation ,it was the breaking of a spell. We'd grown up not knowing the terror of the Soviet Union. For us, kids in the 1990s, the United States and the EU was the only game in town: it was The End of History. Then history struck again. To me it's bizaare that there are numerous people alive today, people who VOTE, people who do things that matter, who have no idea what 9/11 felt like. People who never saw cultural icons on fire, who thought "They're still standing", who saw those icons crumble -- who witnessed the world changed around them into one of fear. I turned 18 in 2003, voted to relect Bush. That was the last time I ever voted for a main party, because I became very concerned about the war/police/security state in 2005, and the Democrats made mouth sounds but proved they had no integrity when Patriot Act-renewing Obama was elected in 2008 and continued the wars. Been a perpetually POed civil libertarian ever since. 9/11 had a huge effect on my political development. I don't know that I'd be a crank without it.
