Remembering 9/11 2001

[Alcibiaties of Athenae]

Good to see you around here, Leo.

 

[Heffalump]

My wife and I both work in DC. She called and told me she could see smoke rising from the Petagon.

We met up and took the metro home. Our route took us underground via the Pentagon station. I'll never forget the smell there ... a sort of burned rubber.

At one of the nearby stops some very dusty looking soldiers in dress uniforms boarded ... after having been bused over to the stop from the Pentagon. They looked shellshocked.

Later in the day I lay in the park and watched the sky. Strange how beautiful the weather was that day. Made it seem all the more unreal.

 

[Chris85]

I was getting ready for school and my TV was on in my bedroom and I came back into my room and the WTC on fire, no one could figure out what had happened and it seemed like it was only an accident. When I got to school, I didn't hear about anything else until we were told to go down to the library and watch the news coverage on the TV. Just as I was walking in, at that moment the 1st tower came tumbling down and the 2nd tower was smoldering. Images of people screaming in terror cried out from Manhattan as dust and smoke swallowed the city whole; my entire high school watched in horror.

 

[Orioles3386]

For the first plane I was in chemistry lab with no tv and didn't know anything about it. The second plane hit just after I got to my next period history class, which had a tv. When I got to math class later in the day my math teacher hadn't heard and didn't believe it when we told her. She wouldn't turn on the tv and made us take a test(which was the worst grades my class had all year....77 was the highest mark :s ). After that we spent the rest of the day watching the news, and all sports and after school activities were cancelled. My chemistry teacher cancelled the homework he assigned that morning. I went home and watched the news all afternoon too.

 

[TubaGuy]

I was in history class, it was towards the end of class and my teacher was done with what he had planned that day so we were all just sitting around talking about this and that. Then our principal came over the PA system and said that planes had crashed into the WTC and the Pentagon. None of us had any idea how bad it was. I remember saying "Holy S***, 3 planes, that can't be a coincidence, it has to be terrorists" At first I was more concered about the Pentagon, since I had no idea about how bad any of the damage was and I just wondered what else they would hit.
Fourth Period I had a study hall and even though it was supposed to be quiet all the time we usualy talked, on that day we talked about what we thought happend for a few mins then we just sat there in silence. By the time I got to 5th period english, the TV was on and I saw the video of the towers collapsing and the planes hitting and I knew that was it. We were going to go to war.
I'll never forget that day.

 

[joespaniel]

This is a good thread. I've enjoyed many of the stories here.
It is depressing by its very nature though.

I tell my story in the hopes that it will bring a smile to someones sad face.



I was on the can.

 

[Leowind]

@ joespaniel

We all deal with tragedy in our own ways, and sometimes humor is not out of line.

I've been reflecting since my hastily typed post in here yesterday. Have been through two memorial services and watched much of what was on TV last night. It was incredible to relive those events. I almost felt like I was there a year ago again, not just remembering, but actually reliving. And it struck me that I had forgotten much of what happened and of what I felt. There has definitely been too much hype around that event and all the issues it raised, and around the anniversary just passed, but we MUST NOT allow avoiding the hype to rob us of the very real need to remember. We NEED to remember the horror of that day, the suffering of the innocents, the grief of those left behind. It is easy to remember the rage and the drive for justice and vengeance, but these become distorted and out of perspective without the other. I know I'm looking at my life and family differently today than I was yesterday, and the differences are good. I hope to be less self-centered, and give more of myself to my family. Heck, I might even give up some Civ-playing time just to be with them At first I thought this would be good to put 9-11 behind us, and then move on. We do need to move on, but I honestly hope some sort of rememberance every Sept 11 can take place, every year, to remind us again of our humanity, in all its best and worst forms. I keep thinking of our previous "Day of Infamy," Pearl Harbor, and how that event holds very little real meaning for most people today. I know that is inevitable as generations pass, but I hope that does not too quickly happen to 9-11.

 

[joespaniel]

A thoughtful post, Leo.

On that day, I was the one doing all the consoling, for my girlfriend, my co-workers and customers. It wasnt really until later that I was able to sit and deal with the horror, sadness, shame and anger I felt.

This brought it all back for me:
9-11 Flash

It brought it all back for me, one day later. Just like the first time.

 

[puglover]

I had just woke up from bed. I walked into the room and Mom and Dad were watching the news. Mom said the Twin Towers were falling. "The what?" I replied. I had never heard of them and after the fall of the towers, I knew a lot about them. Almost every channel on TV was talking about it.

 

[joespaniel]

Ugh. You shouldnt dig up old threads like that.

You could awaken an ancient curse!

 

[puglover]

lol

 

[Suppersalmon]

i was a school when my teacher came into the class room and told us bout it put the TV on and saw all the way to the first tower collapsed and i remember comming home it was very hot and usually people will be gardening but no one was there i got a cold shiver down my Back