9-11-20

[AngryScientist]

In place of "Positive Attitude Friday" - we should pause to remember the tragedy that occurred 19 years ago.


As a lifelong NYC metro area resident and worker - we all know multiple lives that were impacted by the day's terrible events.

Rode out to the local memorial here last night. dramatic skies over NYC. there will be a memorial service there this morning. An iconic skyline forever changed. I feel old saying it, but the current generation of young men and women will never know what it's like to stand high over NYC and look at the twin towers.

So sad.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RrBnW_x6854/X1tkSd5JXfI/AAAAAAAAERM/TbuL6gzngZAaQXEFOlPGUiGmPSvSntGzACLcBGAsYHQ/s1500/IMG_6323.jpg

[skiezo]

That was a very sad and devastating day indeed for our nation. I remember it well.
I will take a few out of my day to remember a few friends that were lost that day as well as all the others.

[oldpotatoe]

Didn't even realize it was the 19th anniversary of this tragedy until I asked my 2 sons their daily 'jeopardy' question. Tough times then and tough times now..BUT we will get through this, together, not apart, like back then..
I hope America can get back some sense of national unity again, the rest of the world is better off with a strong solid united USA.

Agree...like just after 9/11...

[joosttx]

I’ll never forget. My Dad was in a car going from midtown to the World Trade Center when the first plane hit. God Bless everyone that they may find peace.

[bigbill]

On 9-11, I was stationed on the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in Norfolk, VA. I was drinking coffee with the command chaplain with the TV on in the background with the sound muted. One plane had hit a tower and there was speculation that it was just a single tragic event. Then the second plane hit, we were at war. In the next 8 hours, we started both reactors, topped off all our tanks, and got ready to leave port. That night, we were still tied to the pier, but it was all very surreal, lots of guns, Marines everywhere, and a cruiser holding position in the channel ready to shoot down any unidentified aircraft.

We stayed in port until 9-19 and left for our scheduled deployment. As New York's Carrier, we carried the WTC Flag as we headed to the Mediterranean and Suez Canal. In the Gulf of Oman, we were the night carrier, and launched our first airstrikes over Afghanistan. The first airstrike was very somber, the American flag from the WTC was flying and hundreds of people were watching the aircraft launch. I was on the bridge standing near Ted Olsen who had come out with a group of dignitaries. He lost his wife Barbara on 9-11, I can't imagine how he felt.

[texbike]

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 20 years.

Texbike

[kiwisimon]

I was in NZ and got an email at about 2am from my now wife then g/f in Japan telling me the world was changing. I got up and turned on the radio. I listened but chose not to turn on the TV. I still haven't watched the attack. I haven't seen any footage of the tsunami that hit Japan on 3/11 either.

Got to work that morning where an American couple worked and they were shattered. I gave them shots of whisky and drove them home with the bottle and stayed with them. They couldn't get through to family in Colorado as phones were jammed and they were spinning out.

Such a sad day. RIP and I hope America can get back some sense of national unity again, the rest of the world is better off with a strong solid united USA.

[Germany_chris]

I was stationed at Ft. Drum at the time.

I was trying out for scout platoon and having breakfast with my PL and a couple other soldiers when the TV's in the DFAC started with the coverage. Post got locked down and everyone started checking the go to war gear and finally on 22 October I was on an airplane headed over.

[Red Tornado]

Most definitely a day I will never forget. Like most here, I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when it all went down. Sitting at work and the guy two cubicles down had his radio on listening to the morning program. Suddenly, he jumps up and goes to the conference room to turn on one of the TV's (one of them had an antenna attached). I think most everyone on our floor basically took the morning off and were glued to that TV. Also, remember radio DJ's (including the "shock jocks") describing what was going on and repeatedly saying "this is not a joke, this is real". A little after the second plane hit I called my wife, who was at home with our then 6, 4 & 2 year old children, and told her she needed to turn the TV on ASAP; this was history in the making. My daughter (the then 6 y/o) has a vague recollection, the boys only know what they learned about it in school.

I wish the unification our country experienced from that event would still be there today. Sadly it is not, and I pray it doesn't take something of this magnitude to bring us back together.

[stephenmarklay]

I was living in Boston at the time and it was a really strange time…

But now I celebrate 9/11. My son is 12 today. Something good to remember today.

[54ny77]

I was late for a meeting in tower 2 that morning. Late enough that I canceled and remained in midtown.

Fateful decision, that.

Much love to all who lost family & friends that horrific day, and all days thereafter thru related sickness, war, etc.

[Gphin]

Like most on this day, I was at work in the Bronx, NY. As news quickly spread me and a couple of my co-workers went to the roof of the Courthouse and saw the intense smoke billowing from lower Manhattan. Sadly we never heard from my brother in-law again. My heart goes out to all who lost someone that day, May we never forget all the first responders who bravely rushed to the rescue of others. Amen!

[cmg]

sitting in the office cubicle, someone mentions it. i think it's an accidental crash, they bring out a TV to watch the smoke coming from the tower, then the second plane hits. the room realizes it's not an accident, then the towers collapses. base goes into immediate shutdown. then the world view changes. Feel for those that lost someone that day.

[Steve in SLO]

My wife’s favorite cousin died in one of the planes. Wonderful woman. She still thinks of her often.

[lucieli]

I was in upstate NY at my fathers funeral that day and six days later, my son was born.

[Matthew]

As somber as the memorials are I always take a little time to watch them. Incredibly moving and humbling. I'll never forget that day the rest of my life. To all of those who were there or lost someone they loved or knew may you find peace. RIP to all who perished that day and who have passed since. I'll also never forget the way the entire country came together. We certainly could use that comradary today. God Bless the U.S.A.

[Blue Jays]

Truly a day of solemn memories etched into our minds.
We all know where we were and what we were doing. :-(

[NHAero]

A good friend was in the second tower and descended over 80 flights of stairs to get to safety. Sent him a "grateful you are still with us" note this morning

[happycampyer]

For several years up until 1999, I worked in One World Trade Center, on the 63rd floor. Fortunately, I had changed jobs and was working in midtown in 2001. On the morning of 9/11, live news coverage of the attacks on the WTC was almost immediate—we were all watching live as the second plane hit. The replays of the first plane strike on 1WTC before the second strike on 2WTC were deceptive. The buildings were so large that they made the plane looked small—it was inconceivable in those few minutes that the plane was a 767. I'm certain that the terrorists were hoping that the impact might topple the towers, or cause the top portions to topple. Instead, the planes just disappeared into the towers.

I started calling all of my former colleagues who I knew got into work early, leaving them messages to evacuate the building asap. Fortunately, they all got out safely.

The two towers were almost a small city unto themselves—over 50,000 people either worked in or visited the towers every day. It's no small miracle that so many people were able to get out, due in large part to the heroic efforts of first responders and corporate security managers. Here is a story of one of them:

https://americamatters.com/rick-rescorla-saved-2687-lives-on-september-11/

A solemn day.

[gasman]

I was late for a meeting in tower 2 that morning. Late enough that I canceled and remained in midtown.

Fateful decision, that.

Much love to all who lost family & friends that horrific day, and all days thereafter thru related sickness, war, etc.

Wow !!

[mdeth1313]

I was teaching in Tenafly, NJ (not too far from the GWB). I don't know how the hell we made it through that day. A lot of kids got pulled from school and many of them lost a parent that day.

[parris]

I was working transport and had just gotten to one of our local courts with my partner and several inmates. The judge we were going to was NEVER late... until that morning. She had several friends in the towers and was visibly upset on the bench.

We had another team that was on their way to Rikers and they had to be called back. The facility was locked down by the time we all got back. We then grabbed radios and helped in the jail/watched tv as we could like the rest of the world in disbelief.

[pdmtong]

For several years up until 1999, I worked in One World Trade Center, on the 63rd floor. Fortunately, I had changed jobs and was working in midtown in 2001. On the morning of 9/11, live news coverage of the attacks on the WTC was almost immediate—we were all watching live as the second plane hit. The replays of the first plane strike on 1WTC before the second strike on 2WTC were deceptive. The buildings were so large that they made the plane looked small—it was inconceivable in those few minutes that the plane was a 767. I'm certain that the terrorists were hoping that the impact might topple the towers, or cause the top portions to topple. Instead, the planes just disappeared into the towers.

A solemn day.
If you are old enough to remember the day, undoubtedly the entire day is seared into your mind.

I looked at CNN online that morning (west coast), saw "plane hits WTC)" and admittedly, I am thinking this is really bad but also I am imagining a cessna...not a 767. As Bill mentioned, the buildings are so large the impact looks deceptively small. I close my computer, do a few things drive into work. I arrived to a completely different world.

The office was on the other side of the tiny spit from the most used landing runway at SFO with my desk looked out the window straight at it. No planes for a week. A solemn day indeed.

[commonguy001]

A day late but...
Lived in the Minneapolis area when 9/11 happened and after they closed my office due to the proximity to the Mall of American, which was considered a target, drove to Michigan to pick up my wife whose flight was canceled that morning. Unbelievably surreal day and really worried about finding gas on our way back in the middle of the night.

Last night I just finished watching The Looming Tower and it makes me angry that had agencies just shared information we probably wouldn’t be mourning each September 11th. That series also reminded me that they were training for it just across the river from my house in Eagan and even had one of them detained as during his flight training had no interest in landing a plane.