Your 9/11

09/10/2008 | truthingod

[Cementjungle]

I was on a cruise in Alaska. We woke up hearing the ship’s captain on the PA system saying “Everyone turn on CNN, America has been attacked”.

[truthingod]

Thank you for sharing your personal memories. To hear the details of people looking missing loved ones, the sights and sounds of such an attack—makes me totally remember why we want a free America with strength and dignity.

[dfwgator]

Driving into work listening to The Ticket (the local Sports talk radio station) when they mentioned that the World Trade Center was on fire, then heard a second plane had hit, and then I knew “It’s on!”

Got to work, rumors flying all over the place, that 20 planes were unaccounted for, maybe even one headed for Dallas, so I was looking out the window.

We didn’t have access to TV, but a co-worker was on the phone with his wife, when she said the tower collapsed, and right at the same time the plane hit the Pentagon. Now during those several minutes, the imagination really was going as to just how big this thing was, how many more attacks would there be. People were seriously losing their you-know-what.

Work let out at 10:30 AM, headed straight for the Carter Blood Center to donate blood, a lot of other people had the same idea. Of course at the time we didn’t know how many casualties there were, we were thinking in the tens of thousands.

I just remembered on the drive home I drive right past DFW airport, and noticed how surreal it was to see no planes in the air.

[NewLand]

Huck, your story from that day is so telling of the real FR... how many people were both worried for you and rooting and praying for you to get out of there. I wasn't on FR for a while during and after 9/11, but when I finally got to read all the threads, it really struck me about one of our own being right there and all the 'not knowing'...

Huck in NYC on 9/11

Everyone who hasn't read them, follow the replies, eventually get to posts 206, 207, 208. 211 and 212 is Huck's first replies back.

Chilling.

[Christian4Bush]

I will add this: I am crying now. I NEVER cry.

(((piytar)))

God bless you.

[Lurker]

My brother was working about a mile from the Towers. He walked from there to the GW bridge, and from there across the river to his home in Ft. Lee.

My wife and I cried all day, and still do when we talk about it.

[MCOAvalanche]

Thank you

[Huck]

Huck, your story from that day is so telling of the real FR

So true. It's telling not only in terms of the sense of community we share, but also the fact that as soon as I got to work, first thing I did to find out what was happening was to log on to FR--not some "news" channel. FR is at its best at times like that. The concern and prayers were so heartwarming. I had no idea any of that was going on in my absence. It was a very nice good feeling that I have not forgotten. Thanks for finding that other thread.

[NewLand]

It is still surreal when I read a story like yours.

"We should shrink the cells in Guantanamo and find another one of their sh*t holes to invade."

I'm with you 110% on that!

[cammie]

Blessed be the name of The Lord. We don't always understand his purpose, but we know that all things He does are for good. Sometimes that's very hard for us to comprehend. 9/11/01 was one of those times. We may not understand His purpose, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say that the good He hoped would come out of 9/11 was that we would crush Satan's religion, Islam.

[NewLand]

The concern and prayers were so heartwarming. I had no idea any of that was going on in my absence. It was a very nice good feeling that I have not forgotten.

Amen to that my FRiend.

We're all just glad that you're still here to share your story with us.

[NewLand]

I was sitting and having breakfast in my 29th floor apartment looking out over Battery Park when the second plane flew right by my window, maybe a hundred or two hundred feet away.

Not sure how many others were that close, had actually seen that, and lived to tell.

How long, if ever, until you stopped dreaming about it or visualizing it? I've got scary chills up my spine just thinking about it...

[Huck]

Thank you FRiend. Here's my post #216 from the "as it happened 9-11" thread. The drinking heavily part gives me a smile. Sam Adams! A fitting beer for a trying day for America.

You folks are really nice. It warms my heart. I am drinking heavily. Sam Adams. We are a great nation. We'll be fine. I just feel so bad for the people who lost loved ones today. For me, it was an emotionally intense, insane day, fraught with danger, anxiety, and fear. But tonight I am home with my wife. I am so thankful for that I cannot tell you. Horrifying day. I watched the second tower crumble and fall to the sound of screams of horror. Just unbelievable. I am very thankful also for all the kind thoughts and prayers. I am truly touched by it. Thanks.

All holds true. Here's the thread...an amazing read...it's just like seeing it happen all over again.

[Christian4Bush]

I was living in El Segundo, California. Just south of LAX International Airport.

I had returned recently from a weekend trip near San Diego (Warner Springs Ranch) on Sunday the 9th.

I had dinner after a planning meeting on Monday night...didn’t get in until after midnight.

Woke up Tuesday morning, couldn’t find my alarm clock. Wasn’t wearing my watch. Had no idea of time. Went to the one place I knew I could find out the time - the morning talk shows.

Wished I hadn’t.

Thought I was watching a movie preview.

Wished I was.

First shock, then sadness, then anger, was ready for President Bush to send me after whoever did it, and I was 32 at the time.

Took my roommate to calm me down.

Stepped outside to check on my neighbors, to see if they were ok, if they knew anyone that might have been affected...and then I heard something that shocked me.

Nothing.

As in, no planes.

I always could hear planes taking off, and landing. I was that close to the airport. That day, and for the next couple of days, nothing.

I was working at a church then, and my schedule was such that I didn’t go in to work on Tuesday until later in the morning.

That drive, about 5 miles south on Sepulveda/PCH, was one of the most emotional drives of my life.

There was a McDonalds on the corner of El Segundo and Sepulveda, with a giant American flag. It was already at half staff.

I lost it.

There were still lots of flags on the streets, post Labor Day. I lost it every time I saw one.

I stopped at the Post Office near work. I saw that the flag was flying at full staff, and I went inside to ask the staff to lower it. A lady in line was crying, and it was all I could do to not join her in tears. The person behind the desk totally understood, and sent two workers outside, to lower the flag. I waited until they did it, trying not to lose it.

Much as I am doing now.

(I never have done anything like this, before or since.)

I stopped at one more place, a BMW dealership close to work, that also had a full staff flag...they too were understanding, and lowered the flag.

It was nonstop for us at the church. We didn’t have a regular service scheduled until three days later, but we set up the auditorium for full service capacity, and opened it up for people who wanted to come in and just pray, or cry, or talk to a pastor.

We had a service the next night, attended by members of the fire and police departments, some of whom were making plans to go to New York (maybe DC, too), to support their brothers and sisters.

Some of the local radio stations started playing the Star Spangled Banner at certain times, 6:00 am, 12 noon, and 5:00 pm.

Forgive me, but I don’t think I ever cried when I heard that song. Now, it’s rare that I DON’T cry when I hear it.

That’s my basic experience.

I call it one of the two things that made me politically conscious (the other was the 2000 recount). I didn’t find Free Republic, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or the like until 2003...but I can guarantee you that had I known about you, I would have been right here with you, TTT (Typing Through Tears)...

just like now.

Hugh Hewitt summed it up perfectly today, in a short message for Townhall: “As we prepare to mourn - again - we must resolve - again - that a horror like this will never happen again.”

God bless all who serve to keep us safe. May He bless the families of the departed, and all who mourn, and may God bless America.

[Huck]

Sorry, here’s the original FR 9-11 thread.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/520255/posts?q=1&;page=151

[Huck]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing the story. People benefit from hearing/reading these stories. Be well.

[Christian4Bush]

The people all swore they would never forget and damnit they have forgotten it and that makes me MADDD!!!!

I didn't forget.

And I never will.

(((MarineMom613)))

[VOA]

I think it is important to stop and remember your 9/11 experience.

Since you asked, I'll recount my story...at the risk of boring
some of the old-time hands at FR.

I put my head to the pillow a few minutes after midnight 9-11-01.
And remembered my promise to cut back on watching TV...I just
need to quit wasting so many hours on TV.

I lulled awake at just about 6:00AM (Pacific Time as I was in
West Los Angeles). Kicking on the radio, I got The Hugh Hewitt
Show on 870AM KRLA...and Hewitt is saying there are reports of
"a plane, probably a commuter" that had flown into one of the World
Trade Center Towers.

Cursing my lack of resolve, as well as bending to temptation
to see if this was a repeat of the B-25 Mitchell that flew into
The Empire State Building (soon after WWII?)...
I turned on the TV.

And there was TV news commentary with the smoking tower...
what looked like (and was) a large civilian airliner appeared and
"disappeared" behind the already smoking tower...with only a big
fire-ball emerging on the same path the airplane should have followed.

Maybe due to suprise, shock and amazement, I said "Wow...
that's some incredible special effects..."
Even though my rational mind knew it was for real.
I called my late-sleeping cousin in Dallas and left a message on
his answering machine:
"Cousin, if you are at home and haven't done it yet...
TURN ON YOUR TV!!! YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE YOUR EYES!!!"
(He said he looked at the answering machine and said "Why on
earth is my cousin calling when he knows I'm probably asleep?"
But he said he turned on the TV...and barely believed his eyes.)

I still managed to get my derriere into the lab I worked in,
but in any of the offices and the storeroom, every available
TV was tuned to coverage.
Even in Los Angeles at a liberal major research university,
people were in shock.
They'd not yet got around to wondering nutburger thoughts like
"Why do they hate us?".

But someone else was already taking that kind of cracked thought
process forward.
When I got home a little early that evening, I turned on the
local PBS "superstation", KCET, to catch The Evening Business
Report to see "what the h-ll does this mean to the financial
state of the USA and the rest of the civilized world?"

Leave it to PBS and Bill Moyers.
As far as I know The Nightly Business Report never aired that day.
Instead it was pre-empted by Bill Moyers interviewing some expatriate
Afghani basically pleading "Please don't assume we're all terrorists
in Afghanistan like The Taliban and bin Laden's crews".
In other words, it was a plea by a decent Afghani.
Exploited by an indecent Bill Moyers to try to blunt any sense
of urgency to let Dubya and Co. to get out there and execute justice.

However, I have to admit the next week to ten days were pretty amazing.
NO Commercials on any of the local LA stations (I didn't have
cable).
American flags everywhere.
Unfurled in windows of West LA apartments.
Old Glory (full-sized) flying in the back of every fire department
vehicle you'd see.

Somewhere I've got a stack of photos that I took to actually document
that Old Glory was just about everywhere in my area.

Too bad the good vibes couldn't last.
And sad that thousands of people died to bring people to their
senses.
If only for a short time.

[Manic_Episode]

We had just moved into a new home 3 days prior and a guy showed up to put some finishing touches on it. The first thing he said to me was "Are you watching the news?".
As soon as I heard this I knew something was up and asked what was going on. He told me and I was in shock for several minutes as we spoke before I realized that I had a TV. I invited him in and we watched the 2nd plane hit.
I was glued to the TV all day watching as it all unfolded, got about 4 hours sleep then worked the night shift where I listened to the radio all night, went home and watched TV again all the next day.

May God bless all of you who lost friends and loved ones.

[VOA]

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