Ot: 9/11

[William]

Just taking a moment to remember all those that were taken that day, people who worked at the World Trade Centers, people on the hi-jacked flights, first responders, and all the families who lost loved ones in the aftermath.

RIP.



I won't forget.


I was at the Minneapolis Hilton getting ready for a training seminar with the news on in the background. When the first reports came on about a plane crashing into the first tower everyone thought is was an accident. The ensuing speculation on what had happened was put to rest when the second plane appeared in the live shot on the screen and crashed into the second tower. I spent the rest of the morning glued to the screen watching everything unfold, first responders trying to rescue people, talking heads speculating, then people jumping to their deaths, the first tower suddenly collapsing, then the second and the ensuing chaos.
I spent the next three days trying to get back to my family, multiple false reports of flights going again, three trips to the airport only to find out that the reports were wrong. Finally getting a rental car and driving twenty-six hours straight to get back to PDX and my family.

No, I won't forget. No one should.








William

[JPS123]

Thank you

[donevwil]

Reminded every year, I met the woman who would become my wife on 9/10 while on a bike tour in Eastern OR. Met her for breakfast the following morning to the sound of radios blaring all over camp. It was a good time to be in the middle of nowhere.

[Blue Jays]

Thank you for graciously posting.
A truly very somber day worldwide.

[bigbill]

I was stationed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt which was on Pier 14 in Norfolk. I had a normal routine of going up to the chaplain's office for a cup of coffee with the catholic priest. When I came in his office, he was sipping coffee and watching TV. He said "an airplane crashed into the World Trade Center". I sat down with my coffee just in time to see the second plane hit. Neither of us finished our coffee. Within 6 hours, both reactors were on line and we were ready to get underway. We kept the plants up but were told that there was no change in our schedule, we were due to deploy anyway in 8 days. We were locked down on base for 3 days, all of the machine gun mounts were manned, the flots for the phalanx guns were energized and searching for targets, and guided missile cruisers were holding position in the entrance to the Chesapeake ready to shoot down any aircraft. After the third day, we got to go home in shifts to get our stuff for deployment. I got to go home for 12 hours so we could have my son's 2nd birthday party early. When we deployed, we picked up our aircraft off Norfolk, Cherry Point in NC, and Beaufort, SC before heading east. I spent the next 159 continuous days working 18+ hours a day supporting airstrikes off the coast of Pakistan (Afghanistan is land locked).

My son joined his classmates this week for the placing of 3000 small American flags along the walkways at Annapolis. I know my son will be in harms way in a little over 3 years, I'm at peace with that, he knows what he's doing.

[572cv]

No, I won't forget either. Our country was attacked in a coordinated, physical assault. Others who wish to diminish the United States continue to attack us, physically and with cyber warfare. They are all attacks. They all demand our vigilance, and concern.

Of considerable current importance, 18 years later, is the health and well being of the selfless and disciplined people who actually went into the mayhem of the Trade Center for rescue and recovery : firemen, police, medical folks - I'm not catching everyone, I expect, within those groups. Many are experiencing health issues from what they did. Support for their care needs to be unequivocal, not arguable.

I hope this isn't perceived or responded to as political.

[FlashUNC]

Probably Tom Junod's finest story:

https://classic.esquire.com/article/2003/9/1/the-falling-man

[XXtwindad]

Probably Tom Junod's finest story:

https://classic.esquire.com/article/2003/9/1/the-falling-man

Absolutely. I agree with Flash. (yikes!) I clipped that article many years ago. It remains a hallmark of great writing for me.

[john903]

I will never forget, can't forget, and don't want to ever forget.
Wow, what a flood of emotions each year. It hurts but Thank You for reminding us William.

[joosttx]

My Dad was in a town car heading from mid town to one of the towers. I think God that he was being lazy that day.

[HenryA]

I was stationed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt which was on Pier 14 in Norfolk. I had a normal routine of going up to the chaplain's office for a cup of coffee with the catholic priest. When I came in his office, he was sipping coffee and watching TV. He said "an airplane crashed into the World Trade Center". I sat down with my coffee just in time to see the second plane hit. Neither of us finished our coffee. Within 6 hours, both reactors were on line and we were ready to get underway. We kept the plants up but were told that there was no change in our schedule, we were due to deploy anyway in 8 days. We were locked down on base for 3 days, all of the machine gun mounts were manned, the flots for the phalanx guns were energized and searching for targets, and guided missile cruisers were holding position in the entrance to the Chesapeake ready to shoot down any aircraft. After the third day, we got to go home in shifts to get our stuff for deployment. I got to go home for 12 hours so we could have my son's 2nd birthday party early. When we deployed, we picked up our aircraft off Norfolk, Cherry Point in NC, and Beaufort, SC before heading east. I spent the next 159 continuous days working 18+ hours a day supporting airstrikes off the coast of Pakistan (Afghanistan is land locked).

My son joined his classmates this week for the placing of 3000 small American flags along the walkways at Annapolis. I know my son will be in harms way in a little over 3 years, I'm at peace with that, he knows what he's doing.

God bless you, your son and all who protect our country.

[sharkboyrob]

I worked at 222 Broadway. Random memories after the 2nd plane hit:
Standing at the corner across from St Trinity's Church, the crowd gasping everytime debris fell out a window unsure if it was someone. Walking uptown towards my apt on West 57th St, seeing tourists buying up WTC postcards from racks outside stores on Broadway. Approaching Houston St and hearing the F16s overhead. A guy in a suit like me looking at each other and me saying to him, "I hope they're ours." Me thinking we are at war. Seeing two tourists with their arms on each other's shoulders as a third took their photo with the towers burning in the background. Suddenly hearing the crowd run behind me as the first tower collapsed. Turning back to see it crumble and stepping out of the way to avoid getting trampled. The crowd calming down as the cloud didn't rush towards us. Reaching Union Square and hearing on car radios that the second tower had collapsed. Walking up 8th Ave and seeing a Hallmark Channel billboard by the Port Authority bus terminal proclaim, "Story by story,. No we're not talking about the World Trade Center." Finally reaching my apartment exhausted. Years later, still having the shoes that got me home, but losing my brother to pancreatic cancer two years ago after he volunteered at Ground Zero.

RIP to all the Americans who perished, and would perish, because of that day.

[Irishgirl]

Thank you to all that have posted and shared and to those that may post later.

As the years pass on this date...connecting with people and hearing, or reading, or watching their memories of this day while experiencing all of the different emotions may be helpful. Each story shares the vulnerability experienced on that day...9/11/2001.

We were all affected.










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[54ny77]

Was about 45 min late for a meeting in 2 WTC that morning.

Had I been there on time, my life could have had a very different outcome.

Got caught in the dust plume racing uptown via 7WTC coming down later that morning.

Horrible horrible day. So sad for all who perished both then and since, the latter as consequence of first responder/cleanup.

Will never, ever forget.

[fiamme red]

I couldn't forget 9/11 even if I wanted to. I was on Liberty St, a few hundred feet from the South Tower when both planes hit the towers. I lost a commuter bike that was locked outside the PATH station, which of course was nothing compared to the loss of people that I knew who perished that day.

I remember watching in shock on TV later in the day as 7 WTC came down. I worked in that building until June 2001.

I lived downtown and breathed in the polluted air for weeks afterwards.

I'm still angry at the EPA (especially Christine Todd Whitman) who lied and said that the air was safe to breathe. People trusted the government, and as a result, the premature deaths of those who worked on the "Pile" continue to mount.

[stephenmarklay]

Thank you. I remember the day so well too. I was sitting in a room with navy officers ( I worked in defense) as the towers and pentagon were hit. I was in Boston and it was scary. I remember the military planes post and the airforce base I worked on was on red alert.

But my son was born 11 years ago today. Out from the ruins comes something positive. I am lucky to be able to think of this is a good day while many others never will be able to.

[Bruce K]

I was at work when my wife called and told me to turn on the radio.

Everything stopped.

The office was near Logan airport in Boston and the sounds of airplanes was a normal part of daily life. It was eerie walking out to go home to the virtual silence.

Later, we got a call that two close friends had been on the United plane that went down in PA.

We will never forget.

BK

[2LeftCleats]

I am surprised by the number of Paceliners who were present and have shared their stories. I sat at a safe distance watching in disbelief on TV. Your first hand accounts bring a somber perspective. Thanks for posting.

[kohagen]

My office was on the 14th floor of 2WTC. We had a telephone system that would forward your calls to your home, cell, whatever number you chose. That allowed us to work remotely or get calls while we were on the road. It was also the first day of school in NY, so the office manager was taking her child to school that day. There was nobody in our office at that time, so we were fortunate. My younger daughter saw me in shorts at home when she left for school, so she knew I wasn't going into the office that day. My older daughter was away at college, and didn't know where I was. Since the phone system was affected and overloaded, she couldn't get through. We finally got word to her through a third party.

My younger daughter was scheduled for some college admission interviews later that week. We were never so happy to get out of the area than we were then.

[climbgdh]

I remember it well too. I was working in St. John’s Newfoundland on a offshore oil mega project. I was in the office that week and we were in the midst of the morning call to the offshore platform in the main boardroom when one of the Admin Assistants poked her head in the door and told us about the first plane going into the WTC. Shortly after that the office basically shutdown and they told us to go home and naturally everyone followed the days events on TV for the rest of the day and into the evening. The small town of Gander (population ~9K) which is about a 3 hour drive from St. John’s had many dozen trans Atlantic flights that were destined for various airports in the US descended upon the town. By the end of the day there were roughly 7000 people being put up in school gyms, community centres, peoples homes etc until flights could continue. In St. John’s there were several dozen flights that landed there as well and if memory serves me correctly there were roughly 9000 people laid over in the city for several days. Definitely surreal and hard to forget...............

[XXtwindad]

I remember it well too. I was working in St. John’s Newfoundland on a offshore oil mega project. I was in the office that week and we were in the midst of the morning call to the offshore platform in the main boardroom when one of the Admin Assistants poked her head in the door and told us about the first plane going into the WTC. Shortly after that the office basically shutdown and they told us to go home and naturally everyone followed the days events on TV for the rest of the day and into the evening. The small town of Gander (population ~9K) which is about a 3 hour drive from St. John’s had many dozen trans Atlantic flights that were destined for various airports in the US descended upon the town. By the end of the day there were roughly 7000 people being put up in school gyms, community centres, peoples homes etc until flights could continue. In St. John’s there were several dozen flights that landed there as well and if memory serves me correctly there were roughly 9000 people laid over in the city for several days. Definitely surreal and hard to forget...............

That town's hospitality and kindness was turned into a Broadway musical...
https://comefromaway.com/

[54ny77]

one extraordinary aspect of that period of time was the gracious way in which people interacted, in what is a normally gruff town. things seemed slower. people were kind. or at least patient.

a month or so later my office building (rock center) was evacuated due to an anthrax scare. that was unnerving.

2001 was, as has been said, a year i'll never forget.

i still don't have the stomach to see the memorial, even after all these years. gleaming new towers now stand where i spent so much of my early work life, including 7WTC.

[oldpotatoe]

Was being driven to work by wife to bike shop..heard the stuff on the radio, thought it was a 'War of the Worlds' type spoof broadcast...early..about 7:15, CO time..saw people running on Pearl St....seemed strange..heard some guy yell.."US being attacked!"...walked down to local restaurant that had a TV to watch first tower come down...made me VERY angry, when realized we were being attacked....I had retired in 1993 but called the Commander Detailer in DC and asked to come back on active duty, be a staff weenie so some Aviator could go aviate, all I needed was a haircut..they said..'we'll call ya'..

Still makes me angry, 9/11, the political mistakes by our 'leaders' on the way to trying to make the homeland safe..work in progress, 18 years later.

[vav]

i still don't have the stomach to see the memorial, even after all these years. gleaming new towers now stand where i spent so much of my early work life, including 7WTC.


I haven't been back to the site either. Hard to stomach for me too. 9/11 was a Tuesday and I was at Windows on the World restaurant on the WTC 1 the Saturday before. I was stuck in NJ on I-280 East Bound right around Newark and could see from my car the smoke coming from the site.

Years later while living in Boston I met a guy that was working on one of the towers when it happened and narrowly escaped that day but a lot of his colleagues didn't make it. He moved to MA and told me ( 2007 ) that he had not been back to NYC at all in 6 years

[GregL]

I was in Frankfurt, Germany preparing a new airport radar system for a test. My German colleagues and I were installing the software and firmware under the review of their quality manager. As we drove between radar sites on the airport, the music playing on our car radio was interrupted by a news broadcast. My colleagues translated the news and let me know about the first plane hitting the north tower. We all thought it had to be a small plane hitting the tower by accident. I remembered the famous B-25 crash at the Empire State Building (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_Empire_State_Building_B-25_crash) and hoped the casualties would be few. We went to the next radar site and continued our work. When we got in the car to drive back to the airport computer center, we heard about the second crash into the south tower. We all knew immediately that this was not an accident. Once back at the computer center, we watched CNN on a wide screen TV and watched the tragedy unfold.

Memories of that day are still vivid in my mind. Our German hosts were incredibly kind and supportive. As we watched the towers fall, Thomas (the quality manager) handed me his GSM cell phone (I didn't have an international cell phone at the time) and said "I know you need to talk to someone." I called my wife, praying that this wasn't the last time I would hear her voice. I was comforted by her calm support and knowing that her parents were at our home that morning. I knew my father-in-law would take care of my wife and 2 year-old daughter if I were not destined to come home again. Within hours, we knew that I wouldn't be going home anytime soon. My wife was incredible, telling me that she knew I'd be home someday, even if it meant a ship to Canada and a bus from there.

The German people were amazing. Whenever someone overhead us speaking English, they offered their kind support. Since we planned on being in Germany through mid-September, we just continued working. The long work days helped keep us focused. Our hotel was soon filled with Air Force pilots as the build-up to operations in Afghanistan began. When we finally came home nearly two weeks later, security screening felt like entering Fort Knox. Two separate security screenings and police with military rifles and body armor everywhere. The planes going to the US were ringed by armored vehicles. When we finally got on the plane, I had an entire business class cabin to myself. I effectively had my own flight attendant for the entire trip! I told her that she didn't have to spend any time on me, I would just walk to the galley if I needed anything.

My final memory: seeing my daughter when I finally got home. As I walked out of the terminal at the Syracuse airport, my little girl ran to me and wrapped me in a hug. My wife told me that she knew I went away on an airplane and that airplanes had crashed into buildings. Until she saw me, she didn't know if I was coming home. My extended travel days ended right then.

Greg