9/11 Remembered

[Don H]

Anyone like to share their thoughts?

[Fishbamboo]

I don't think that we inflicked enough pain on those responsible, those dancing in the streets at the aftermath, those who would dance again if they got the chance.

[Rocket Jones]

I drive past the Pentagon every workday and remember those who died on 9/11. The innocent who were murdered just for being who they were, the responders who entered those towers to help even though they knew it was a suicide effort, and the heroes on flight 93 who fought back and prevented even more devastation.

[Birc h]

I remember how we all pulled together. I remember all the tears. I remember how life stood still for awhile. I remeber the overwelming loss. I remember how everyone of us was proud to be an American.

I am not the person I was before 09/11/01.

I'm not as naive

[IronGutsTommy]

i think a little part of us died on that day. I remember it hitting people hard, stealing some of our trust, feeling of security.. I remember getting arrested three days later for beating up a guy who insisted there were no heroes on flight 93, that the pentagon had it shot down. Mostly i remember all those who gave their lives and time to put part of our nation onto their shoulders and carry us for awhile...

[tlap]

I remember hearing about the first NYC plane while I was on the subway downtown. And everyone who heard kept on going.

I remember exiting the subway just as the second plane hit. Falling glass sparkling in the sky. Instinct sent me running into the park, away from all buildings. I remember comforting a distressed woman for a while and then walking to my office.

We saw it all from our office windows, a tenth of a mile away. Some in the Towers joined hands and jumped. The debris clouds when the towers fell were like night. Fragments of singed memos plastered against our windows. we could read the words.

New Yorkers came together that day. We walked like a sea of refugees, heading uptown. Walking through the Bowery, the missions that usually serve the hungry and homeless were serving us, with chairs outside to rest. They wanted to feed us bowls of spaghetti, comfort food. They gave us water.

Some found strength in hatred, others in patriotism. I remain committed to peace.

[ridgewalker777]

Those who were viciously murdered on that day by criminal extremists have been honored by their families and by many others. Some of the ringleaders remain at large. Thousands of our fellow countrymen and women have been killed and tens of thousands have been maimed for life in Iraq and Afghanistan as a result of our campaign against terrorism. None of these have died nor have they been wounded in vain.

[Don H]

I remember what I was doing when I learned about the attacks. I was at the MD State Archives doing research. Someone came into the room and said thee had been an attach in NYC and maybe other places. I immediately left for the hour drive home thinking I might be called into work early (I'm a firefighter). Went to work and watched the news coverage between runs. My world at work changed that day forever that day. Now it's all about Homeland Security.
One month latter I was part of a group representing our department at a funeral for one of the 343 firefighters killed. Afterwards we were invited to tour Ground Zero. I can't even begin to describe some of the things we saw that day. One of the eeriest things I saw was walking into Engine 10 and Truck 10's quarters on Liberty St. right next to the towers. The place was just how the firefighters had left it, breakfast dishes on the table, pans on the stove, books and papers out. Everything covered with dust. Then there was the coats, helmets and boots hanging in place on their racks with the firefighters name over them, and several empty places, most of who would never return.

[Jack Tarlin]

I was hiking in a remote part of Maine that day.

We didn't find out about what had happened until after nine o'clock that night.

We debated what to do; we didn't have a whole lot of choices. We elected to go to sleep really early, get up in the dark, and hike to the the nearest road and nearest town ajnd find out what was happening.

Eventually, we got to a friend's house in Andover, Maine. I will always remember their kindness over the next few days.

It was nine years ago today and I remember everything.

Never forgive, never forget.

Thank you, Don, for starting this thread.

[Fishbamboo]

I was at work at BC/BS, I had a small TV in my shop area. I used it to watch fishing video's while I repaired computers. I heard someone say something was going on and used the rabbit ears to pick up a channel. I had a big shop and I can't even begin to count the number of people who were trying to get in and see the news. Some people just went on about their business without batting an eye. I will always remember what one woman said to me about that...." What is wrong with these people, don't they realize that we are at war."

[Grampie]

I was on my thru-hike. I had flipped and was hiking SOBO. I spent the night of 9/10 in the ski patrol building on top of Stratton mountain, with 3 other hikers. Woke to a drizzleing rain on 9/11 and was not eager to get out into the wet. I decided to listen to my small radio to get some music. All I could was talk. I don't remember what was on the radio but the thought went into my head that a A-bomb had been dropped on Ny city. I stopped and listened as they explained what had happened. I was alone with no one to share what was happening in the real world.
I decided that I had to get to a phone to call home and decided to head to Bennington, Vt. As I was hiking two couples day hiking approached me. I said "did you guys hear what happened in NY?" I told them what I had heard on the radio and their remark was: " What the F*** you been smokeing." They laughed between themselves and walked away.
I called home and talked to my wife. I decided to continue on to finish my thru. The next month was very lonely on the AT. I met very few hikers and at one point passed no one for three days.

[Mountain Wildman]

It is better that I don't post my thoughts, It would probably get deleted by a moderator.
Let's just say, I Remember!!!
All of my best wishes to those who lost loved ones in that cowardly attack.

[bummer72]

Some found strength in hatred, others in patriotism. I remain committed to peace.

I couldn't have said it any better. Thank you for putting my sentiments into words!!!

[Odd Man Out]

On 9/11 I was trying to do a week's worth of work in one day. I know I would be taking the rest of the week off because my wife had 13 hours of surgery on 9/13 to remove a a large stage three malignant tumor. For two days before the surgery and for the whole stay in the hospital, everyone was fixed on death and destruction. Who knows how this would affect her long term prognosis. I recall how a couple of days into her hospitalization we were uplifted by the live broadcast of the memorial service from the National Cathedral. Midway through the service the congregation sang the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God". I thought how appropriate and also unfortunate that the televised broadcast did not display the words to the hymn (the acoustics of the cathedral made it impossible to understand) so that everyone could appreciate the significance of they lyrics. There are many different English translations of the original 16th century German text. This is the one I am most familiar with:

"A mighty fortress is our God,a sword and shield victorious.He breaks the cruel oppressor's rodand wins salvation glorious. The old evil foe, sworn to work us woe,with dread craft and mighthe arms himself to fight. On earth he has no equal. No strength of ours can match his might. We would be lost, rejected. But now a champion comes to fight,whom God himself elected. Ask who this may be: Lord of hosts is he! Jesus Christ, our Lord,God's only Son, adored. He holds the field victorious. Though hordes of devils fill the land all threatening to devour us,we tremble not, unmoved we stand;they cannot overpower us. This world's prince may rage, in fierce war engage. He is doomed to fail. God's judgment must prevail!One little word subdues him. God's word forever shall abide,no thanks to foes, who fear it;for God himself fights by our sidewith weapons of the Spirit. If they take our house, goods, fame, child, or spouse,wrench our life away,they cannot win the day. The kingdom's ours forever!

Unfortunately, I have found that over the last eight years, Christians in the US have had the most un-Christian attitude toward the war on terrorism and have ignored the important lessons of the hymn. That is, we can not defeat evil with earthly weapons. It will not be possible to have a military victory over evil. The only way to defeat the devil is with weapons of the spirit. Our must be a moral victory. If you sew hate, anger, and violence, what will you reap? How much love and peace have we been sending out as part of our war on terrorism?

BTW, My wife came through fine and is cancer free, two days short of her 9th anneversary of her surgery.

[Mongoose2]

I watched the events unfold from my home north of Atlanta. I remember feeling very alone as my wife and children were travelling to see family; and then being concerned about their safety. As Jack said, never forget. Evil is real.

[double d]

I was in downtown Chicago, when the radio broke in with reports of the twin towers being attacked. The Chicago police sectioned off downtown Chicago and got all the cars-buses out of that location. Then there was a report of a "missing plane" that ended up being re-taken by brave Americans who forced it down in Shanksville, Pa., (but we in downtown Chicago didn't know that at the time). I also remember I kept looking up at the Sears Tower (116 floors) and wondering if we would be attacked. There was alot of panic, confusion and pissed off people. The U.S.Air Force began a patrol of F-16's around Chicago airspace, I remember that as well. I kept thinking of my grandmother, who always talked about the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor and WWII. Then later in the afternoon when I finally got home-I watched on tv all the events that took placed that morning and of the many brave men and women in NY who survived and died.

[Panzer1]

on 9/11/2001 I was on the AT at the silver hill camp site in Connecticut. I remembered the event by going back to that spot and camping there last night.

Panzer

[Franabelle]

I remember that it was my day off, I tried to sleep in, but my phone wouldn't stop ringing... and then the burning towers....I rushed to be with my grandmother who was at home alone and she suffered from mild Alzheimer's, I didn't want her to be afraid. I sat with her all day and we just cried.

Last night I watched a documentary about the people that were trapped in the Mariott hotel right next to the towers; I had to shut it off...I have much sympathy and empathy for those who perished in the tragedy, as well as those who lost loved ones. May we never forget that day, and may god bless our troops and the United States of America.