Remember 9/11

[Kevin Klavetter]

Today is the 7th anniversary of the attacks. Please take a minute to remember and reflect in your own individual way.

I was staffing our satellite master control desk and had Fox News on when the first plane hit. I was amazed that a pilot could have that kind of "accident" on a perfectly clear day. Shortly after when the second plane hit I new we were going to war, so I called my son Chris who was on active duty with the 82nd Airborne at the time. We were suppose to be doing a live cardiology video conference via satellite that day with King Hussein Hospital in Amman Jordan. Needless to say it was cancelled.

[Brian_Worden]

Remember it like it was yesterday...
-Woke up just after the second tower was hit.
-Glued to the TV for 24 hours.
-Wondering if I should have gone home (I was two hours away at college) and gotten my guns... was this the final fight?
-Initial feeling of fear... then anger... then remorse for the fallen.
-From that moment on... almost everyone in the US daily thought process has been altered.
-Have trouble watching replays and reenactments.
-Still to this day... harbor resentment and anger towards Muslim extremists... no matter how much someone tells me that our military does the some thing abroad... I CAN NOT IN ANY SORT OF WAY... find a comparison between fighting in Iraq and accidentally killing innocent Iraqis (because Saddam hit a military bunker under a school), and what Al Qaeda did to us.

Must stop... getting worked up.

[JimPierce]

I remember the whole day and what was going through my mind because I had family that worked near the towers my cousin was one of the ones who for the first time in years missed his train to work or he would have been there he is now on NYPD

[dronga]

It seems like yesterday, I worked in Manhattan at the time, we heard on the radio that the first tower got hit, there was speculation of an "accident", we went to the roof of our building to see what had happened, thats when we saw the second plane hit! Enough said, very surreal, that will stick in my mind forever! Prayers go out to all of the familes who lost loved ones!

[RubenScheepers]

Even here in Holland I was watching tv (around midday) and saw the second plane hit the other tower on television.. I was shocked and felt an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach..

Every time I see the docu of NGC or Discovery i feel such remorse with the family of the victims..

[Scott Gonzalez]

I was playing basketball with a friend of mine when my mom came and told me. I ran to the house and remember spending the rest of the day in front of TV. I was split between sadness and hatred especially when TV showed live reports from Palestinians out in the streets celebrating the attacks like they won the World Cup.
I traveled to the WTC site a few years later and it was really moving.

[CHANTZWILSON]

I will never ever forget this day. I was in college in Calculus class, and I got word that the attack had happened. My first reaction was that I was going to go to war (I was in the Marine Reserve). Then I was listening to some stupid baseball players joke about how it would be cool if we got class cancelled because of it. I went off. I told them that it was the most selfish immature thing I had ever hear. I said there are people dying and giving risking their lives right now, and all you can think about is getting out of class.
They shut up and later they apologized after they saw me have to leave class because my beeper (I know ha ha a beeper) went off. I had to get in contact with my unit. I thought it was the real thing.
It definitely changed how everything military wise worked. Everything had beefed up security, and suddenly the work and training got very very serious.

Remember on this day those that have fallen.

--Chantz

[JimmyHerbst]

I remember this day perfectly. I was in the bathroom getting ready for school when my father had called me in to the tv room to show me what was going on. I hopped in my truck and made a bee line to the city with my cameras in hand hoping they'd let me help volunteer since I have a CPR/First Aid cert. I got turned back at the 59th st bridge and tried to to hop on the LIE but got stopped there too. The highway was lit up by all the emergency vehicles zooming to the city so I figured I should get out and start documenting at least. But as I climbed to the top of my truck the 1st tower fell and the city went silent. By that time every exit was closed so I parked my truck and said a prayer.

[Scott Markowitz]

I had just crawled out of bed after the first tower was hit and before the second. I was still somewhat in a daze when the second plane hit. For some reason my wife and I decided to go to class that day. She was in law school and I was working on a masters at OU at the time. I dropped her at class and went to the restroom, planning to hit the gym before class. As I came out, she was waiting in the hallway - her class was canceled (as was mine, and the gym (and most of the rest of campus) was closed). One of her classmates, from NYC, had just arrived and had no idea what was going on. We told him the towers were gone and he didn't understand. When he comprehended what we meant by "gone" he turned pale and had to sit down, then he called his family.

We stopped at an atm and got out as much cash as it would let us have and filled up all our vehicles with gas, just before the prices went nuts (as I recall, some places were selling gas for upwards of $9 a gallon later that afternoon, most places were over $5). I spent much of the next days in front of a tv, going through a whole range of emotions. (I must admit chuckling at the people in Ardmore who were convinced that after WTC went down, the Purina plant in their town was next on the terrorists' hit list.)

The weeks following the attacks were also interesting, but I'll save that for another setting.

[strongwoman]

Allways.........

[Jay Hagadorn]

To Kill an American!
You probably missed it in the rush of news , but there was a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a
reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let
everyone know what an American is . So they would know when they found one.
(Good one, mate!!!!)


"An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish,
Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican,
African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or
Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.


An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.


An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim.
In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan . The only
difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them
chooses.


An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer
only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.


An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.
The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.


An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other
nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.


When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!


As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan. Americans welcome the best of
everything...the best products, the best books, the best music, the best
food, the best services. But they also welcome the least.


The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired
and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless,
tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America .


Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World
Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures,
and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General
Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the
world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because
Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the
embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that
spirit, everywhere, is an American.

[strongwoman]

Thanks for posting that.

Hanne

[Rob Haan]

I was working in a youth correctional facility at the time, they canceled school for the day and everyone watched it on tv all day and than discussed what happened , and why somebody would do something like that. Some of them realized that the stupid stuff that they fought about all the time really was not that important. And like Scott M. added their were people that were saying that someone might crash a plane in to the dam in Fort Thompson SD.

[Barney Shannon]

I can still hear the sound of Army Helicopters flying over my house that day. It was so surreal.

God bless the USA!

[Barney Shannon]

BTW, our small town lost two good men that day. John J. Tobin (47) worked up high in one of the towers and Robert M. Kaulfers (49) was a Port Authority Police Officer.

[Alex.Truman]

This morning on the way to school a man was handing a small flag to every car that stopped at the first light in the city.

We will remember.

[Matt Brouse]

I believe I watched the second plane right after getting to my American History class. Seems somewhat ironic...

[Jay Hagadorn]

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[Benjamin Kieren]

I was 15 and a sophomore in high school. The teachers rushed all of us out of our classrooms and directed us to the cafeteria. We all watched in silence. They allowed students who were under stress to go home, but most of us stayed and watched. I remember later being at home with my family and watching people celebrate over the attack on t.v. I won't forget that day.

[Arnell Castillo]

To Kill an American!
You probably missed it in the rush of news , but there was a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a
reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let
everyone know what an American is . So they would know when they found one.
(Good one, mate!!!!)


"An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish,
Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican,
African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or
Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.


An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.


An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim.
In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan . The only
difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them
chooses.


An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer
only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.


An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.
The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.


An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other
nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.


When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!


As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan. Americans welcome the best of
everything...the best products, the best books, the best music, the best
food, the best services. But they also welcome the least.


The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired
and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless,
tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America .


Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World
Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures,
and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General
Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the
world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because
Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the
embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that
spirit, everywhere, is an American.
Great post Jay ! thank you for putting it up !!!!

[Kellee_Rassau]

I was asleep (imagine that) at about 10:30 a.m. when my husband woke me up to tell me the Twin Towers had been hit. I live in an Air Force town, and knew many of my friends and neighbors would be headed to the Middle East. Planes from our own 366th Fighter Wing, the "Gunfighters," were among the first bombers to drop greetings from the USA over Baghdad. My cousin is in the National Guard in Georgia, and was just deployed to train police forces in Afghanistan. The terrorist threat is real, and is still waiting for the first chance they get to take American lives. If it weren't for 9/11, I probably would've never gone into law enforcement.
God Bless our troops, police officers, firefighters and EMTs.

[chrisklavette]

I was doing field maintenance when our NCOIC got a phone call from his wife saying a plane struck the WTC. We all got real confused and figured it must have been some moron in a crop duster. A minute later another phone call. The NCOIC says, "Guys leave here, go report to the 1st SGT and try to say good bye to loved ones as quickly as possible. We are at war." He told us another plane struck the other tower and they collapsed. I didn't care who did it or why my only thought was "Hoooah, get some!"

When you watch the videos listen for a beeping sound. Every chirp and beep you hear is a fallen fireMAN.
Men who answered the call. Please take time to remember them.
http://nyfd.com/9_11_wtc.html

RIP 343.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/queenanne2005/Special%20Images/d884439b.jpg
RIP 343.

[ADAMBAUER]

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Thank you. Simple as that.

[Nikhil Rao]

I'd moved to Ithaca, New York, about three weeks before 9/11. I remember walking to Chem 101 lecturee, the shortest path to which lay through the student union. As I walked by the big screen TV, seeing half a plane sticking out of one half of the world trade center, I grinned. As I stood there a bit, I even started to giggle.

It was a modern Orwell reading War of the Worlds on the radio. Of course it as. How could it be anything else? I wanted to know who thought up the stunt, because it was brilliant. But what I needed to do was get to that stupid class with its mandatory attendance. Once I got to the chem building, I knew something was up. People were sitting, hugging, standing. In silence, in tears, in screams of anger. It hadn't been a young artist's stunt. It was real. Chastened, I could do nothing but stand there.

I remember shaking with rage. I remember consoling people I barely knew. But mostly I remember thinking 'not here too'.

I know we aren't supposed to wax political on a day like this, but it's hard for me not to. I was in London on 7/7 at the very epicenter of the explosions. My friend and collaborator Andrew was on the train behind the one that exploded. I hadn't taken the bus that day, it was too nice, I had to walk. As we sat there at the Bentham, the pub we claimed as our own, in silence and shock, all of us thought of just how narrowly (by minutes in many cases) we had escaped a fiery end. I got a phone call from a friend in the outskirts 'Nik, you want to stay up here until things die down?'. I remember walking to the cornerstore, where the fellow Hindu proprietor stood there staring at a broken window, a chunk of granite laying in a bed of breakfast cereal boxes. I remember the submachineguns pointed at me everytime I walked by a group of police. And I remember the monstrous crowd of people less than a mile north of my flat, cheering the bombers on, even as they took refuge in the country they so despised.

And a couple of weeks later I was in India, listening to news reports of terrorists in southern India, an area they did not belong to, threatening to behead Hindus who came to temple on one of our most holy days, simply because we prayed to god in a different way.

These people do not commit these despicable, cowardly acts because of any wrong we've done them, real or imagined. They do this because they hate everything we stand for, they hate us for who we are. They hate us because we're not them.

[Wayne Meyer]

Like many have said on here that day is a day I will never forget. I was in downtown Minneapolis going to work. For those of you who are firmilar with Minneapolis, I was at Washingtn and 7th avenue. I had just parked my car in a parking ramp, I was listening to KQRS 92.5 fm radio when the DJ Tom Bernard came on the radio and stated that a plane just struck the World Trade Center.

I assumed it was a small commuter plane. Once at work I was in the conference room with a group of people watching video footage of a commercial airliner striking the tower and then another plane striking the other tower, and then the collapse of the north tower, and then the south tower. And we know the rest of the story...

Looking back it's hard to beleive such a small group of religious fanaticics (19 total) were able to inflict so much damage with such a simple, crude plan. That day forever changed America, I beleive in time 9/11 will be viewed in a similar or the same capacity as Pearl Harbor.