I remember it like it was yesterday.
And I remember the reaction in my community - I lived in a very ‘mixed’ (in terms of race, ethnicity, citizenship, etc.) apartment complex. Almost everyone had an American flag hanging from their windows or balconies, and many had them on their cars. Someone brought in a big flag and hung it on the wall of the (very liberal) institution where I worked - that flag was still there when I left many years later.
Today, it seems like that was a different U.S., and a different world.
“This image struck me on a deep emotion level. In the midst of the chaos and destruction there were still people willing to show their selflessness and cover the remains of the victims.”
That picture is unreal. Its the first picture of remains on the street i’ve ever seen.
Every once in a while, there is something good on television. I have mentioned several times, the HBO limited series Chernobyl. The 6 episode “9/11: One Day In America” is a fantastic miniseries. While it will still make your blood boil, it has absolutely incredible, uplifting aspects.
It’s been coming up on 1/4 of a Century and the photos and memories still make my heart burn with a rage hotter than One Thousand Suns.
How ANYONE could still practice a religion of SO MUCH evil, is beyond me, but I know what dwells within their souls.
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There were several firemen just standing outside as we passed and we got to talking to them for a couple of minutes. They told us that their station lost 5 guys that day. I'll never forget it.
My mother worked about a few blocks away from the wtc. She always took the subway that ran under the towers to work.
That morning, the first plane hit before her train pulled in its usual stop. When she emerged from the station, she said there was a lot of smoke and debris. She walked to her place of employment. It was evacuated. I don’t know if it was evacuated before or after her arrival.
She obviously couldn’t go back to where she came from, the subway. So, she made the trek to the upper east side of Manhattan where her brother lived. I dont know how far she got when the buildings collapsed. She stayed at her brothers place until it was safe to come back home which wasn’t for days.
We didn’t learn this until years later, but one of the people who was trapped up in the tower that got hit by the second plane was our former landlord.
Evidently, after the first plane hit the other building, an announcement came over the PA system telling them to stay where they are. Some ignored the announcement and left. My landlord obeyed the message. It was his biggest mistake. He was on the phone with his family before and after the plane hit his building. His last words on earth to his family was to scream “OH GOD!!!” the second the building began to collapse from under him. His remains weren’t found for months.
He was a lousy, mean landlord. We lived in a 2 family apartment house. We lived in the second floor apartment and he and his wife lived below us in the first floor apartment.
He used to invade our privacy, barging in without notice and without so much as a knock on the door, he’d withhold and open our mail, he wouldn’t make repairs or improvements to our apartment, and worst of all, he froze us every fall and winter by giving us little to no heat. We were forced to complain to the housing authorities about him not making necessary repairs as well as for freezing us. For reporting them, after the authorities went away, his wife would angrily ring our doorbell for the longest time.
Mother said it was karma what happened to him.
On 9/11, and for 11 yeas afterwards, I worked about 100 yards from NSA’s first high-rise building off Fort Meade, just just a freeway overpass away from the campus.
I had just arrived at work when someone told me about the first plane. I thought it was just another lost aircraft, like in 1942(?)
When the second aircraft hit, everyone immediately said terrorism. When the 3rd aircraft hit the Pentagon, the NSA director ordered an immediate evacuation by all NSA contractors in the region. It took me 3 hours to get home, just 22 miles away.
There were more than 25,000 NSA employees on Fort Meade at that time.
As I recall the Palestinians (or rather, the West Bank Arab squatters) were celebrating on 9/11.
I ran a legal news wire business in Foley Square for 20+ years...
In NYC there was life before 911, and there was what happened after.
A friend with a GCN radio show knew that WTC was my professional environs & called to ask if I could be interviewed live that afternoon.
I agreed, because I felt it was my responsibility, but when I went on the air I actually realized how mentally, emotionally & spiritually shaken I was, in fact I was in a state of shock...
I did make one prediction though: I announced that America *probably* wouldn’t learn *anything* positive from the attack(s).
I really wish I had been proven wrong, but it seems like every bad political/.gov/.mil/cultural problem we had prior to 911 was magnified many-fold in response.
These days I try not to think of 911 anymore, never been able to watch any video connected to the “event”, it was just to horrific...
I could go into great detail concerning many aspects of the “tragedy”, but why bother?
Instead of pulling together, taking out the trash, returning to our “spiritual” roots, we became more egoistically self-centered, proud & entitled, when what was needed was an awakening of humility & soul searching from sea-to-shining-sea.
Never thought I’d live to see *absolute* tyranny in America like has devolved over the last 23 years...
For those with children you love, my condolences.
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They hate us for our freedom. S/
I wish I had not read this thread today.
A blind friend of mine was working in the South Tower that day, on the 86th floor. He made it out and as he and a co-worker were nearing a subway entrance east of the World Trade Center plaza, they could hear the North Tower collapsing. I met with his wife at their home in Westfield and we waited most of the day before we learned her husband was O.K. and on his way home.
I’ve seen most of them already…..
In the second week of April, 2001, my young family took a trip to visit my sister-in-law, who lived in New Jersey, but worked in New York city. Every day, Sue would catch the train, and commute into New York. She worked in the Grace Building, which was the corporate headquarters for Victoria’s Secret, her employer. We all got up very early each morning, and made the commute with Sue. On most of those mornings that week, she would go to work, and we would go site-seeing. New York is rich in culture and accomplishments, and is the center of many industries and businesses.
One of those days, Sue went site-seeing with us, and we visited the Twin Towers. Sue, having lived in New York many years, was a master tour guide, and took us to the Towers via train. Few people know that the Twin Towers had at least 4 levels beneath the ground, housing the train stations, and shopping malls and every type of store possible. You could buy your groceries, pick up your dry cleaning, and shop for a toy for your child…
We came up from the train station into the center court-yard of the Towers. There were connecting buildings between the towers that were eight stories tall, and a maze of walk-ways leading everywhere, in every direction. The complex was huge. Being Spring, there was an amazing Tulip garden encircling the courtyard fountain, and the tulips were in full bloom. In the middle of the fountain was a huge bronze and copper globe that water rained down from.
And then you looked up! The towers were huge at their bases, and very tall. They were 110 stories tall, not including the TV and radio towers perched on top.
We entered one of the towers and began our elevator ride to the top story. We needed to change elevators many times, as no elevator goes the entire distance. (Both towers combined had 198 different elevators.) Once at the top story, we realized the most amazing view, in every direction. It was a cool and very clear day, and we could see for many miles. That huge Statue Of Liberty seems so tiny from our vantage point. Sue slowly walk around the observation deck with the kids, and pointed out buildings, churches, rivers, bridges, parks, harbors, islands… She was a great tour guide, and we had a great view. We had lunch on that level, and interacted with many other visitors as well as workers in restaurants and shops. And then we realized that we could go onto the roof! Amazing clear day, with very little wind. The view and experience was stunning!
We realized we had been in the tower for nearly 4 hours. We took the elevator(s) ride down, and began our walk toward Battery Park, where we could take a boat ride to the Statue Of Liberty. As we talked among ourselves about which way to go, a gruff sounding gentleman (on his cigarette break) interjected, telling us exactly how to get to the river. We did visit the Statue Of Liberty, and walked many miles, and had a great dinner in a neighborhood restaurant, and then headed back to Sue’s place in New Jersey.
On September 11, 2001, a short 5 months after we had been in New York, we heard that the towers had been attacked.
Sue relayed that she had not gone into New York that day. Had she been there, she would have likely stayed with friends, as transportation was shut down.
Many weeks later, during the recovery, she met with a friend, Rudy, who was a Port Authority Police officer, and was on-site during the attacks. He evacuated hundreds of people before the towers fell, escaping through the train tunnels below. During the recovery, Rudy was in charge of the on-sight morgue. Each recovery had a very solemn procession. When Sue visited Ground-Zero, she witnessed many of these processions.
I often wonder about all of those people we met that day. What was their fate.
My husband and I went to get gas later in the afternoon, long lines. It was almost total silence in a usually busy area suburb of Columbus. All flights had been grounded, I looked high into the sky and there was one plane surrounded by four fighter jets, it was AF1 headed back to DC. Will never forget that surreal moment.
We should have nuked Mecca, Medina, and Riyadh on 9/12/2001.
L