September 11, 2001: A World Trade Center Survivor's Account

Hollywood Halfwits ^ | 09/11/03 | Tilly

[slomark]

This is when the explosion came.

It progressed down the building, breaking the windows as it went; the entire building was groaning, an unnatural, unearthly sound, much like a can squeezing, or cracking uncooked spaghetti. By the time it reached the lobby, the marble veneer was cracking and falling off the walls; the chandeliers shattered on the floors along with the plaster ceiling, and the force imploded in at about 50 mph, pulling metal, balled safety glass, and other material with it. The pipes were bursting over my head and dense materials were flying around me as if they were being pureed in a blender. In the next instant came a horrible noise and a flash of extreme heat and light blown directly over my head. I concluded later in the day that this was from the huge airplane fireball sent down the 78-110 elevator shaft that exploded out into the lobby, and blew around the walls and curled into the center vestibule where I was taking cover. The third and last explosion occurred when a huge chunk of burning wreckage fell to Liberty Street, which runs parallel along the south side of the South Tower, and crashed through the building into the lobby behind me, bringing metal, glass, marble and revolving doors with it. There had been four security men and some fleeing WTC workers behind me near those revolving doors; I realized that they were all taken out by either a huge chunk of the building exploding outwards or the tail end of the plane falling to the street. I now know that there were nine of us in the lobby that day when the plane hit, two NYPD officers on the 44-77 elevator side, and two others coming out of emergency stairwells on the 78-110 elevator side. The two officers and I were the only ones who made it out alive.

[slomark]

This article is the top story at Hollywood Halfwits today. It is written by one of their web site members and is a true account, in her own words, of her surviving the World Trade Center attacks.

I'm not sure I put it in the proper topic category here.

[spudsmaki]

This is probably the best post, ever, on FR.

I hope the moderators don't jerk it around so no one can find it. Actually, I hope they lock it at the top throughout the day.

The media are doing their best to ignore the anniversary. I call it the National Day of Media Ignore-ance. The local radio stations are just doing the normal Brittney Spaniel thing, no need to stir up the yokels.

[11th Earl of Mar]

This is probably the best post, ever, on FR.

You mean the best HALF post ever on FR.

Too bad the poster was too lazy to put the whole article in the forum.

[Sister_T]

Too bad the poster was too lazy to put the whole article in the forum.

Well, gee! How hard is it to click on the link below to get the rest of the post? Can't be too hard, can it?

[AppyPappy]

It just KILLS some people.

[slomark]

Uh, I thought it was against copyright rules to post full articles on here. People should post excerpts with links, right. Keeps Free Republic out of trouble and gives credit (and traffic) to the originator of the article).

[finnman69]

bump

unbelievable account.

[NonValueAdded]

Amazing first hand account bump.

[11th Earl of Mar]

How hard is it to click on the link below to get the rest of the post? Can't be too hard, can it?

How hard is it to post a whole article?

Why do you think we come to FR- so we don't have to visit every news site on the web to get the whole story.

[slomark]

Sorry, bud, it's against copyright laws and you'd just be getting the Free Republic in trouble. Did you notice they just pulled the post with the entire article?

No really fair to the news source anyway is it?

[11th Earl of Mar]

Sorry, bud, it's against copyright laws

The founders of FR have gone to court to defend our right to fair use.

One would have to assume that the entire article was pulled because of length, not copywrite laws since nine out of ten articles on FR are complete, except from posters who are too lazy to post it.

[dead]

Harrowing tale, with some geniunely funny moments. (Can you imagine having a run-in with the anti-smoking Nazis as bodies are falling all around you?!?)

[IncPen]

You must read this.

[spudsmaki]

Comment 5 was the entire article, properly formatted. It was not overly long. I've got an article about a Red Cross chapter that was closed due to employee embezzlement, I suppose that's not allowed either.

If this magazine is part of the chain that obtained the injunction against FR, it would be nice to know. Otherwise, I can learn just as much on the radio as being here.

[11th Earl of Mar]

I can learn just as much on the radio as being here.

Agreed. It's getting pretty bad lately with the abbreviated posts.

Click HERE for entire response.

[IncPen]

As Opuses (Opi?) go, your post #15 gets my vote as most succint.

Do let us all know when you return.

[BJungNan]

I can learn just as much on the radio as being here.

Stick with FR. You will be driving down the road listening to the radio and swear what you are hearing is old news. That's because you heard it first on FreeRepublic and often days earlier.

A million citizen reporters marching the globe - more than any other news source, anywhere. Go where the news gets its news - FreeRepublic

[BartMan1]

Sent it to Steve -- he is really seething right now; somehow I don't think it'll cheer him up right now, but worth a try.

[BartMan1]

Sent it to Steve -- he is really seething right now; somehow I don't think it'll cheer him up right now, but worth a try.