How many Freepers have been personally touched by this outrage?

Boston Globe (sort of)

[Maceman]

From today's BOSTON GLOBE:

Best friends Ruth Clifford McCourt of New London, Conn., and Paige Farley Hackel of Newton had planned to travel to Los Angeles together this week, but they couldn't get tickets on the same flight. So they spent Monday night at Hackel's home and drove to Logan Airport together. McCourt, 45, and her 4-year-old daughter, Juliana Valentine McCourt, boarded United Flight 175. Hackel, 46, boarded American Flight 11.

[tet68]

Just got an E this morning from my good friend in Florida,that his wife lost her daughter on the flight that crashed out side of Pittsburg.

Like ripples in still water.

[who knows what evil?]

My mother was on holiday in New York when this occured. I had a frantic time trying to get a hold of her - the phones simply would not work. She finally managed to get through to me via e-mail and told me she was all right.

Praise G-d! Glad she's okay!

[ReaganGirl]

My story is nothing compared to those who lost loved ones.

I was holding a press conference on the Capitol Grounds when the plane hit the Pentagon. People started streaming out of the buildings....it was chaos.

I couldn't even get in the building to get my purse. It took my roughly four hours to get from the Hill to my home in Alexandria, VA.

Mercifully, my husband was also in VA yesterday. Normally he is in lower Manhattan on Tuesdays with clients. He does a lot of business with Morgan Stanley Dean Whitter and was very shaken by the collapse of the WTC where they were the largest tenant.

I thank God that as of now all my friends and loved ones are accounted for and will continue to pray for the familes who have been personally touched by this tragedy.

God Bless

[hellinahandcart]

where the WTC...used to be. I wonder when the absurdity of that phrase will feel like reality: where the World Trade Center used to be.

I am experiencing the same feeling here.

Mr. hellinahandcart HAD a terrific view of the towers from his window in the photo district, so he had a terrific view of the destruction. He's really shaken up.

I am a painter, for those of you who don't know that. There was a big blizzard here last January and I went out into it with my camera to get pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge. The World Trade towers are in the distance on the lefthand side (they were practically invisible that day due to the snow, but gosh, what a presence anyway. They simply LOOMED over everything else).

I completed this painting in February. Today it's freaking me out that seven months ago, I sat here in my apartment painting something that isn't there anymore. And that the tops of the towers are obscured by clouds, as they were obscured yesterday by smoke.

When I take time out from being angry, I'm simply spooked. I don't know if I will ever get over seeing them fall yesterday.

[libbytarian]

Thanks for the info on the Dayton sonic boom. I can sure tell you that it scared the hell out of my kids who thought we were under attack because of WPAFB. The two school systems nearest the air force base are still closed. Libby

[peteram]

I grew up in New York. I remember when those towers were being built. I remember going to the city (from Long Island) and seeing the towers growing higher and higher with each trip. I remember going up to the observation deck on many trips to NY - including right after it opened in 1976. I remember seeing fireworks BELOW me from 110 stories up on the 4th of July several years ago.

Although I now live in Florida, I always have New York in my heart. That's where I lived the for the first 19 years of my life. I will miss seeing those two columns in the skyline. They were architectural marvels.

Most imortantly - my heart and prayers and sympathy and feelings go out to all those who were touched directly and their families. (My cousin used to work for Morgan Stanley in the WTC up until a few years ago.)

This has left more than a scar on the American landscape - it left a huge hole in our hearts. And I, for one desire swift and certain retribution for this cowardly act upon innocent people.

Thanks for allowing me to emote.

- Pete

[LurkedLongEnough]

My heart goes out to all affected, and I pray for God's grace for those personally touched by the tragedy.

My next-door neighbor was already in his office in Battery Park (downtown Manhattan) when the attacks came. He wisely started driving out of the city towards home, and when he got to a bridge, he was stopped by NYPD and asked to drive as many walkers home as possible, which he did.

My spouse's company had last month just moved from a Wall Street location (a few blocks from the towers) to another location outside the city. No one knows if the old office is still there, but their major customers were Morgan Stanley, CFSB and others who all had offices in the WTC. I think that the enormous economic effects of this terrorist incident will eventually affect just about everyone in the tri-state region.

[jimfree]

My wife Ann was doing research in the Adams Building of the Library of Congress (two blocks over from the Capitol Building believed by some to be the target of the aircraft bravely defended by several passengers). Ann today is quite safe.

Leslie Whittington, a college professor and former colleague of Ann's, was flying out of Dulles with her husband and 3 and 8 year old daughters on the first leg of what was to be a trip to Australia for a sabbatical and visiting professorship. These four innocents died as their aircraft was used in the attack on the Pentagon.

I cry again as I write this.

Jim

[hellinahandcart]

I don't know what happened; it showed up fine on preview but then it somehow disappeared from my online album. I had to upload it again.

[Fee]

Have a brother who is an Army Major working in the Pentagon on a six month stint with the Reserves. His tour ended on 31 Aug and he rested one week and started his 2 week annual training tour in the Pentagon on another assignment. When the plane hit, the section he worked in during his 6 month tour was destroyed. Our family was able to contact him 5:00PM in the evening after spending most of the day trying to contact his cell phone (he left it behind in his office during the evacuation). Two people he knew in that section were dead and many more were missing. He spent most of the night on stretcher bearer duty for the injured and dead. If the attack had occurred two weeks early, he may have been a casualty. THANK GOD BUT AT THE SAME TIME PRAYERS TO THE FAMILIES THAT WERE NOT SO FORTUNATE.

[Steven R. Schick]

"touched" just doesn't cut it in this case.

[grellis]

What an absolutely haunting image. Can something be portentous retrospectively? Eerie, eerie, eerie.