usvi-on-line
9/11
It snuck up on me this year.
Driving to work this morning, I remembered the guy in my office who first broke the news.
I can picture him sitting at his desk, the shirt and tonal tie he was wearing (maroon) and how I didn't believe him.
I walked into my office to check the internet but I couldn't get on because it had crashed due to the volume of employees trying to get news.
Driving to work this morning, I remembered the guy in my office who first broke the news.
I can picture him sitting at his desk, the shirt and tonal tie he was wearing (maroon) and how I didn't believe him.
I walked into my office to check the internet but I couldn't get on because it had crashed due to the volume of employees trying to get news.
I always remember. It had an enormous impact on my job; Emergency Medical Services (and many others no doubt). It began a huge evolution of change in Emergency Services, and all of us at the company I worked for had many sleepless hours that turned into days before we even realized it.
"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea." -Isak Dinesen
I also remember the day very clearly. I was working on my computer, when Hubby came home earlier than expected. He told me that something awful has happened in USA, and we at once switched the TV on. We couldn’t believe what we saw. It was like an unrealistic movie. So terrible!
I cannot understand and never will that people can be so full of hate to a country or a system that they want to kill innocent people, they don’t know - and are ready to offer their lives for that.
Linne
I cannot understand and never will that people can be so full of hate to a country or a system that they want to kill innocent people, they don’t know - and are ready to offer their lives for that.
Linne
-
California Girl
I'll never forget it either. I was at work, 6 a.m. MST and my boss called and said that a small plane had hit one of the towers. I walked down to the press room and turned on the T.V. and saw the replay and then saw the live feed of the 2nd plane hitting the 2nd tower. As more folks poured into the office, it was clear who had heard and who hadn't heard. We were pretty much addicted to the T.V. all morning with blank faces. It's like when JFK was killed, only worse. Our generation has memories of both.
On Thursday night 9/11 about 7:35 we hear a really loud jet fly real low over the house and I bolt out onto the deck just in time to see a big ass jet disappear beyond the tree line in the general direction of NYC, maybe 1000 ft off the ground.
I literally blurted out loud "holy sh*t - that's not right" and came right back inside. I didnt get a good look at it, but it was big multi-engine jet.
I had the ESPN game on and noticed that they were doing the national anthem over at Rutgers and it dawned on me maybe they were doing a military jet flyover and sure enough, less than 20 seconds later, you heard it on TV and saw folks in the stands look up and turn their heads to follow the jet over the stadium (the ESPN cameras missed the shot). We are about 10 miles from RU.
My heart was still pounding a bit because it brought back memories of the F-15s criss crossing the sky that day 7 yrs ago. I still think of that day every time I look at the Manhattan skyline - it will never look the same from the Jersey side.
By the way, construction in "the pit" - of the memorial and of the "Freedom Towers" - is finally making some discernable progress from what I can see from the PATH train that circumnavigates the site. Steel should be poking up above street level any day now.
Its a shame its taking this long, but there is a toxic stew of competing interests between the developers, the Port Authority, and various other players, not to mention how it took some time for the office real estate market to recover in downtown NYC. Cant build office towers that will stay vacant. I guess Lehman Brothers and Merril Lynch wont be needing more office space...
I literally blurted out loud "holy sh*t - that's not right" and came right back inside. I didnt get a good look at it, but it was big multi-engine jet.
I had the ESPN game on and noticed that they were doing the national anthem over at Rutgers and it dawned on me maybe they were doing a military jet flyover and sure enough, less than 20 seconds later, you heard it on TV and saw folks in the stands look up and turn their heads to follow the jet over the stadium (the ESPN cameras missed the shot). We are about 10 miles from RU.
My heart was still pounding a bit because it brought back memories of the F-15s criss crossing the sky that day 7 yrs ago. I still think of that day every time I look at the Manhattan skyline - it will never look the same from the Jersey side.
By the way, construction in "the pit" - of the memorial and of the "Freedom Towers" - is finally making some discernable progress from what I can see from the PATH train that circumnavigates the site. Steel should be poking up above street level any day now.
Its a shame its taking this long, but there is a toxic stew of competing interests between the developers, the Port Authority, and various other players, not to mention how it took some time for the office real estate market to recover in downtown NYC. Cant build office towers that will stay vacant. I guess Lehman Brothers and Merril Lynch wont be needing more office space...
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
-
sailorgirl
- Posts: 1644
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:03 pm
What has always stuck with me was how silent it was that day. We live near Laguarida airport and it was silent for days, except for the fighter planes, scrambling overhead. The second strong memeory I have is returning to my office a week later when we were let back into the area and seeing the Army serving as security. When I had to pass a security checkpoint manned by a Humvee with a machine gun mounted ontop and soldiers in full battle gear I just started to cry realizing that nothiong would ever be the same again.
Can you imagine living in a country where lives are lost EVERDAY to terrorists, suicide bombers, car bombs, roadside bombs, etc etc?
I can't.
I couldn't even watch the TV on Thursday when a shot of the 1st tower came on tumbling into a cloud of dust.
9/11/01- I was in my small studio apartment in Salem Mass sitting on a wicker loveseat and chatting with my mom on the phone. I had just woken up- working the afternoon shift at the animal hospital, I had a few hours til I had to go in.
Good Morning America was on and they started playing video of the first plane hitting the 1st tower. I was watching but not paying attention to the audio and was very confused. Was this a movie? Was this a stunt gone wrong? Special effects?
I asked my mom "Are you watching the television?"
Confused & scared after watching more coverage, I got off the phone and started walking to the service station where my car was being inspected. I felt very vulnerable- physically- felt that I wasn't safe- on a beautiful September morning. Salem Mass is just north of Boston. The planes took off from Boston.
As I sat on a red plastic chair outside the service station office, the office radio blaring with coverage from NYC, they announced that towers were starting to tumble down. I couldn't help it- I started sobbing.
All those people dead. It was supposed to be just another Tuesday.
At work later that day, we dragged down an old 8 inch TV, antennas and all, and set it up on one of the exam tables. We watched it for days. We were looking for a reason.
Could we be that bad a people that someone wanted to kill civilians to teach us a lesson?
I can't.
I couldn't even watch the TV on Thursday when a shot of the 1st tower came on tumbling into a cloud of dust.
9/11/01- I was in my small studio apartment in Salem Mass sitting on a wicker loveseat and chatting with my mom on the phone. I had just woken up- working the afternoon shift at the animal hospital, I had a few hours til I had to go in.
Good Morning America was on and they started playing video of the first plane hitting the 1st tower. I was watching but not paying attention to the audio and was very confused. Was this a movie? Was this a stunt gone wrong? Special effects?
I asked my mom "Are you watching the television?"
Confused & scared after watching more coverage, I got off the phone and started walking to the service station where my car was being inspected. I felt very vulnerable- physically- felt that I wasn't safe- on a beautiful September morning. Salem Mass is just north of Boston. The planes took off from Boston.
As I sat on a red plastic chair outside the service station office, the office radio blaring with coverage from NYC, they announced that towers were starting to tumble down. I couldn't help it- I started sobbing.
All those people dead. It was supposed to be just another Tuesday.
At work later that day, we dragged down an old 8 inch TV, antennas and all, and set it up on one of the exam tables. We watched it for days. We were looking for a reason.
Could we be that bad a people that someone wanted to kill civilians to teach us a lesson?
I remember hearing about it at work. Trying to think if any of my friends still worked in the pentagon. We all being called in and told we were going to man our stations I drew our most important one I'd be there from 3 pm to 7 am it is located 30 miles from town sits on the side of lake Michigan. I went home to pack something to bring with me as I'm walking out the door my son hands me a M14 and a ammo can and tells me he does care what I have to do just make sure I come home in the morning. I,m sitting out there in the dark watching the fighter planes going back and forth because I'm just 10 miles from 2 nuke plants. We did this for a week but that first night was like none I have ever been thru.
Tom
Tom
My husband was on the train headed to Washington and he didn't even know right away that it happened.
I'm back in PA at work, not worried yet because the Pentagon had not been attacked. Once that happened, I panicked. I couldn't get ahold of him (he had no cell at the time). I didn't know where he was, they stopped train service, I knew renting a car was 50/50 and I started to go crazy.
Work closed down to let everyone go home and as I sat in front of that TV, I could only sit there and just cry. Where was my husband? As the afternoon wore on, I had these visions of him just stranded.
I was sitting out on my front porch when a car pulls up and out pops my husband. I asked him how he got home and he said a random stranger asked him if he needed a ride somewhere. This stranger was headed to Vermont. I know I'll never forget that act of kindness from someone we didn't even know.
There's alot of stories that day of people helping each other.
Good bless all those families who had to suffer and who continue to suffer.
I'm back in PA at work, not worried yet because the Pentagon had not been attacked. Once that happened, I panicked. I couldn't get ahold of him (he had no cell at the time). I didn't know where he was, they stopped train service, I knew renting a car was 50/50 and I started to go crazy.
Work closed down to let everyone go home and as I sat in front of that TV, I could only sit there and just cry. Where was my husband? As the afternoon wore on, I had these visions of him just stranded.
I was sitting out on my front porch when a car pulls up and out pops my husband. I asked him how he got home and he said a random stranger asked him if he needed a ride somewhere. This stranger was headed to Vermont. I know I'll never forget that act of kindness from someone we didn't even know.
There's alot of stories that day of people helping each other.
Good bless all those families who had to suffer and who continue to suffer.
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
Tom-your story really touched me and was just another example of how many people work to keep my world safe!
I was at home when saw on tv that the first tower had been hit and at that point they were thinking maybe it was a small, private plane. I decided to watch the news for a bit and be late to work because I knew my cousin, a model in NYC at the time, was living close to the towers. Obviously, just a bit later we saw the second plane hit. I called my mom to ask if she'd heard from my uncle and she didn't know what was happening. I remember driving downtown to work listening to the radio. The KC skyline was my view and although our buildings are huge, I still remember thinking that I didn't want to go downtown and not be safe and began to cry. I made it to the hospital to work and my department was gathered in our main office watching the tv that our director had brought in.
The funny, sort of crazy, part of that day. I was very worried about my cousin. She was able to call her dad and told him she was just fine. She was able to call because of Bruce Willis. The story goes that she met him that morning and he offered her his cell phone and then he ended up putting her and her roommate up in the hotel where he was staying until they could go back to their apt. I don't know if that's truly how she ended up with Bruce Willis during this crazy time for our country, but it gave us all a little something to think about during it all! We were just thankful she was safe!
I was at home when saw on tv that the first tower had been hit and at that point they were thinking maybe it was a small, private plane. I decided to watch the news for a bit and be late to work because I knew my cousin, a model in NYC at the time, was living close to the towers. Obviously, just a bit later we saw the second plane hit. I called my mom to ask if she'd heard from my uncle and she didn't know what was happening. I remember driving downtown to work listening to the radio. The KC skyline was my view and although our buildings are huge, I still remember thinking that I didn't want to go downtown and not be safe and began to cry. I made it to the hospital to work and my department was gathered in our main office watching the tv that our director had brought in.
The funny, sort of crazy, part of that day. I was very worried about my cousin. She was able to call her dad and told him she was just fine. She was able to call because of Bruce Willis. The story goes that she met him that morning and he offered her his cell phone and then he ended up putting her and her roommate up in the hotel where he was staying until they could go back to their apt. I don't know if that's truly how she ended up with Bruce Willis during this crazy time for our country, but it gave us all a little something to think about during it all! We were just thankful she was safe!
I was working in DC that day. All the traffic was going out of town.
All our lives we've lived through the Emergency Broadcast System telling us "This is a test. This is only a test. In the case of a real emergency, you will told where to tune".
Well, hell! I was about 2 1/2 miles from the Pentagon when it was attacked. Nobody on the freakin' radio told us where to tune. Was that not a "real emergency?"
All our lives we've lived through the Emergency Broadcast System telling us "This is a test. This is only a test. In the case of a real emergency, you will told where to tune".
Well, hell! I was about 2 1/2 miles from the Pentagon when it was attacked. Nobody on the freakin' radio told us where to tune. Was that not a "real emergency?"
When you find yourself in a hole.... quit digging.
-
California Girl
