OT: Remembering 9/11

[Chief Fox]

I had just arrived at work. It was a Tuesday. I didn't have the radio on and hadn't turned the TV on that morning. The night before was the first Monday night football game of the season. Eddie McCaffery of the Denver Broncos broke his leg in the game.

As I was walking through the parking lot I said to one of my co-workers. "Did you see that game last night? Bummer about McCaffery's leg.". She says, "Do you realize that we're under attack?". I go into work to find that the whole internet has come to a screaching hault and we all just watched TV for the rest of the day.

[BruceSteveRoy]

I was in college in NJ and learned that a very large portion of the student body had parents that worked in or around the WTC many of whom did not make it out. My wife (she was my girlfriend at the time)'s brother worked right across the street and saw a few of his friends die. My friend's dad worked for some Japanese company that had its office in the towers his dad got out but the dad's bosses all stayed behind to call back to japan and make sure they knew what was happening. They all died. It was a crazy day. i remember when all the planes were grounded how scared people would get when a plane would go over head. They were all military planes patrolling but still that look of terror would just sweep across people's faces. It was a crazy day.

[Mr Punch]

I had just finished work.

Went to a net cafe as usual with that gf (never really spoke much). Bout 930 pm maybe, my mate from the UK mails me with the legend 'Someone's really p!ssed the f***wits off this time,' and the link to the live BBC website images of the smoke pouring out of the first tower.

We watched. And read. The netcafe was quiet like a library. People were sitting round reading manga, drinking free coffee, looking at porn, smooching.

Things were different.

First was cold, and thinking, 'The b@stards'!

We went home, me giving the gf a potted history of what had possibly just happened (she didn't know anything about the Middle East at all). Got home and the Brazilians (there were eleven Brazilian models sharing our house) were crowded around the TV. A couple of the chicks were crying and they were saying something in Portuguese. A couple of them turned to us and said, 'You seen?' 'Somebody's got the US,'... and by then we noticed the second tower and then they'd both gone.

My first rational thought after the cold vengeful anger was wondering who that ****er Bush would bomb, and if all the crazy fundies who support him had finally got their wish for Armageddon.

Wore my NY Yankees cap all the next week. People were nice to me on the train. Of course I'm not American but I wanted to show my solidarity and the Japanese were the warmest they'd ever been. The world was with you.

RIP.

Peace.

[Chief Fox]

I remember after that day going for a run through my neigborhood. On a 3 mile or so run I counted all of the American flags that I saw out in front of people's houses. I saw 72 american flags. It brought tears to my eyes that day and still gets me choked up thinking about it now.

[SPJ]

I was practicing some warming up exercises with Tai Chi and Tong Bei in the park. My neighbor told me that the world trade center was attacked by a civil airplane. It is on CNN live.

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[shirkers1]

I got up at 6:00 mst and checked the spawn.com forums to read that we were under attack... So I went and checked the news to see the first tower on fire, I saw the second plan hit live... I couldn't believe it. I then turned on stern because I knew he was in NY, he stayed on the air through out the whole ordeal and I respect him for that. We ended up setting up the tv's at work so that the people at work could keep updated on what was happening. There are a lot of people from back east that work at my company. Sad day...

You know on this day I mourn the loss of those who lost their lives on that day. I also mourn the loss of democracy and liberty because of this current regime in office now. This country was united on all political lines, class lines, etc behind our president because he promised to bring those responsible to justice. The world was behind the US against terrorism and 5 years later NOTHING has happened to bring those responsible to justice. The middle class is almost extinct, this country is divided on all lines and the world hates the US. Bush used this as a chance to attack a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 just to put money in his friends and families pockets. I ****ing hate G W Bush and those who support him.

sad times

[Pork Chop]

I was driving from San Antonio to San Marcos (Texas) to pick up my friend so we could go back down to San Antonio for his appointment with Bosley Medical- a company specialising in hair transplants. I stopped into a macdonald's on the way coz I was hungry, i had to pee, and it was a long drive. Everyone was staring at the TV, i think it was the first tower when I got there, and the second tower shortly thereafter. I remember that the first thought that popped in my mind (however inappropriate it may be) was "didn't those idiots learn the last time?" (referring to the 1993 parking garage bombing).

I picked up my friend and we just kinda talked about it for a while. I don't think it really sunk in for either of us. It wasn't till the 24/7 news coverage for the next week that it really hit me what happened.

I'd graduated from college a month earlier and didn't have a job yet- my processing for my government job was taking FOREVER. I really felt isolated and helpless, but at least somewhat comforted by the shelter of living with my folks out in the middle of nowhere.

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVVxZ6ZZl4Q

[rogue]

I was at work, having just returned from a family vacation at Disney. My wife called me minutes after it happened, I think they were tele-conferencing with someone in the South tower when it happened.
One of the guys that I was working with had been with the 160th SOAR and without even seeing the TV called it as intentional, and when the second plane hit we knew it was AQ. After touching base with some friends in DC and NC we just watched and waited for the next plane to hit somewhere. It really wasn't much of a surprise that it happened as AQ was gunning for us for some time.

[Badger]

I was on this forum when those A-holes flew planes into the twin towers...

It appears alot has changed since then...sad. Rouge you should put the pic back in your sig.



NEVER FORGET.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

sadly i don't know that i would have made the association dating a tech log or a paper for school today.

my heart goes out to all of those who lost their lives or loved ones in 2001.

[Mas Judt]

word.

we should never forget.

[bodhitree]

God bless the victims and their families

God bless this great country, where no matter how different our opinions are we are able to freely express them

God bless the ideals that our founding fathers had, let us try to achieve those ideals


God let us, as a nation, continue to be a great nation, and to always improve the areas where we need to improve to keep the American dream alive for future generations


God bless the USA!~

[Lucas]

I was at home and got a call from a friend to turn on the radio or tv. I had a tv at the time so I turned it on as they were covering the situation with the first tower.

I didnt turn the tv off for quite a while.

After I did I remember being kind of depressed and not really doing anything.

Thinking about everyone directly effected, then how the rest of the country would be effected.....brought tears to my eyes. still does.

Everyone should take a moment for contemplation. Not just for those that died in the towers but for everyone across the entire world who has been effected by these types of attacks. All of the innocent people dead at the hands of extremists and terrorists.

stand tall, be strong, and if you need to, support the person next to you....

[Mel]

I had moved away from New York City a number of years before the attack. When it happened I had just finished bringing my daughter to preschool. I was on the telephone with my sister in New York (not NYC) and we watched in horror as the second plane hit and then eventually when the buildings collapsed.

After I picked my daughter up and got some semblance of sanity, I attempted to locate the friends I had in NYC. I couldn't get a line in. Finally, I located their relatives in other areas and found out that they were all OK. One friend in particular scared me to death. I couldn't locate him. When I finally did he told me that he had a meeting in one of the Towers that morning that had been canceled, and at the time he was ****ed. He sure was glad then that it was canceled but was devastated that so many of his friends had died. I was relieved that he was alive.

When I think of how many times I took the trains to and from the WTC on my way to work or home--thousands upon thousands--it makes me cringe. How did I get so lucky?

I get choked up when I see the American flags too. But it saddens me that almost nothing has been done, and we still don't know the real deal. Still, I'll light a candle tonight.