Tuesday September 11, 2001 - Ten Years Later

[hiwaygal]

Everyone has a story about that day...and I admit all the media hype about the 10th anniversary (which seems like the wrong word 'cause an anniversary is something one should celebrate) I can't stop thinking about how it changed...well...everything.

What's your story and what are you thinking about ten years later?

I was at work when it happened. My friend and I had tickets to an Aerosmith concert that night. Another friend sent me an email that referenced something about us being attacked. I wasn't sure if she was serious or not. Then it seemed like everyone in the office was starting to react to something they had heard as well.

One guy had a tv in his cubicle and we all kinda watched it for a few minutes. We kept trying to get information from the internet...it was just so unreal. One of my coworkers was supposed to fly back from Utah that day, but ended up being stranded there for awhile.

Later I found out that my father was on a plane coming from Cali to Cleveland. The pilot announced they were landing immediately in Indianapolis. No one knew what was going on. My dad happened to get through to my mom on his cell phone and she told him what was going on as his plane was landing. He rented a car and drove the rest of the way home.

Just recently (i.e in the last two or three weeks) I found out my mother kinda lost her mind that day (literally - my father said she had some kind of nervous breakdown) that has since caused her to be not quite right.



I remember I couldn't wait to get home to KNOW what was going on rather than hearing only bits and pieces. And I remember crying as we held a national moment of silence that night - my heart was filled with sadness for the terror we all felt and pride in what a wonderful and majestic country we have.

Sometimes I wish we could go back to the days after that event when we seemed to be ONE nation, INDIVISABLE, with Liberty and Justice for all.

My thoughts are with anyone who lost a loved one that day.

God bless America.

[Greythan]

I was working in downtown Boston that day (was living in New England at the time). They evacuated Boston. I had just moved up from New York two years earlier. My former employer had recently relocated to building in the Wall Street district. Many of my former friends/associates watched it happen.

Horrible horrible stuff. I'll never forget it.

[Jax Dawg]

I was a Navy recruiter in Killeen, TX when it happened. I was on my way to pick up one of my chunky recruits to take him jogging to get him ready for boot camp when I saw long lines everwhere in Killeen of soldiers trying to get into the base at Fort Hood. I couldn't understand all the traffic and my first thought was we must be going to war!

When I finally got to my recruit's house I watched in horror as the TV was showing the second plane flying into the second tower and I was thinking how the hell is this happening. Turns out we were going to war that day - the war on terror.

[nickers]

I was working in the Maching Dept. at Meyer Products. Incidently on work break...I saw the plane in the sky that was going from cleveland to newark...the one that crashed in PA later that hour. It was swaying a bit funny but I thought nothing of it till a co-worker came up to Me and said "World War III just started" I was like "what?" and as the day wore on I got the details. I knew just looking at everything that day Our world had changed and nothing ever would be the same. God Bless America,And God Bless those we lost.

[Legacy Fan]

I was a senior in college. A guy I lived with had an older brother who worked for Deutsche Bank (North Tower). We watched the 2nd plane hit live up in his room. Cell phones werent as ubiquitous as they are now and obviously the land lines were down/loaded. It was 5pm before we found out he was alright. He was walking up the stairs out of the subway and saw one of the planes hit above him and hue just took off running.

Fortunately I didn't know anyone directly who was killed/ injured that day, but plenty who were affected by it. It was crazy. Our former college President came and spoke to us that night in our gymnasium to settle everyone down.

[Riffer X]

Never forget that day. I was running a high end landscaping company at the time and was actually at Dick Jacobs' sons's house putting in a whole new backyard that overlooked a cliff. It was very peaceful and I had only one laborer the with me, but he was hauling topsoil to me from the front, so I was mostly by myself. I had WKNR on my headset radio, just a normal day listening to sports talk and very little stress with the job. One of those days where you are thinking life is good, and it was not hot and humid either, plus most of this backyard was shaded.

The KNR guys were all over it when it happened, so they were my source. It was Brinda, Roda and Drennan. They first reported on the plane hitting but didn't know what was going on. It all just evolved from there and I just took it all in as I was working. I told my laborer about it when more facts came in, and I told him it was no joke, this was some bad shit.

The more they started talking and getting to the bottom of it, the more pissed I got. I was a Recon Cav guy in my day with some limited terrorist training, just enough to know I hated those bastards.

We kicked ass and finished up the day fairly early. I wanted to go home and did. Our country has a lot of issues anymore, but that brought us together again. It is a shame we let those bastards win that day, but as bad as it was, keep in mind the reality of some of our wars. WWII was bad, really bad, especially in the Pacific Theater. Our guys died by the thousands in vile elements, so people need to remember those guys who made this country safe and still do. Oh, and Bin Laden, you are dead motherfucker, and you ain't no martyr, you ain't shit.