Take a moment to remember

[RadyLady]

All those who lost their lives 12 years ago today, and all those who have paid a dear price while fighting for the preservation of our continued safety and that of all Americans...

We will never forget

 

[bruinbball]

I can't say that I have always loved working in insurance, but there are times you can help a person or cause that means so much more than you can imagine. Luckily, I have been fortunate enough working with Mr. Hess and others first-responders associated with Project 9/11 Indianapolis. This is a lovely memorial in Indianapolis that was built for the 2011, 10 year anniversary of 9/11/01. I will never forget.

Photo courtesy of Channel 13 news in Indy.

 

[winlots]

All those who lost their lives 12 years ago today, and all those who have paid a dear price while fighting for the preservation of or continued safety and that of all Americans...

We will never forget

RL: with you on this one. Thank you for leading this, Winlots

 

[winlots]

I can't say that I have always loved working in insurance, but there are times you can help a person or cause that means so much more than you can imagine. Luckily, I have been fortunate enough working with Mr. Hess and others first-responders associated with Project 9/11 Indianapolis. This is a lovely memorial in Indianapolis that was built for the 2011, 10 year anniversary of 9/11/01. I will never forget.

Photo courtesy of Channel 13 news in Indy.

BRUIN: first time I've ever seen this. VERY moving. Thank you.

 

[ChicagoGG]

May the souls of all who departed us on that day, thru the mercy of God, rest in peace. May all of those who still mourn and suffer find a measure of peace. As one of many who was in NYC that day, I cannot and will not forget.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Vigilance in defense of liberty is no vice. Those who turn their backs on history are condemned to repeat it. Never forget.

 

[Icebear]

Let us remember those who bore the greatest price, the families of those who died,the first responders, and those who died in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Schenksville. God bless them all and may we remain ever vigilant for those who intend us harm.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I deleted my post about my families pain. Not the right thread.

 

[RadyLady]

Vigilance in defense of liberty is no vice. Those who turn their backs on history are condemned to repeat it. Never forget.

Well said

 

[DobbsRover2]

One of the best tributes on the 12th anniversary to all those who died and to the city and country they called their own is simply the presence and near completion of 1 World Trade Center and surrounding buildings, even if you are not a big fan of huge skyscrapers and all the competitions to build the biggest building. The fact that some things have sprouted back up from the death and destruction zone and that life pushes determinedly onward is a powerful token of hope and remembrance. And those of us who watched the buildings tumble in NYC on 9/11/01 and had to flee the city will always feel a huge debt to those who put their lives and health on the line on 9/11 and the following days and months.

 

[meyers7]

Thanks Rady. I always do remember on this day.

 

[RadyLady]

I deleted my post about my families pain. Not the right thread.

hi,
pls check your inbox

 

[MilfordHusky]

I was running by the San Diego Harbor yesterday and saw a nice tribute, so I stopped to take it in, remember, and reflect. I believe they had one of the fire engines that responded that day.

On that day 12 years ago, I was running late for work and took the Metro under the Pentagon about 15 minutes before the plane hit. At work, I saw the same horrific TV feed that we all saw. My younger son, then in Philly, called and begged me not to jog by the Capitol that day, as was my norm. He also asked me to call his older brother, who was scheduled to fly from the Bay Area to Washington, and tell him not to come.

We were dismissed from work mid-morning, throwing the city into gridlock. I walked home 8 miles, crossing the National Mall with black smoke from the Pentagon blowing toward me. Once I crossed the Potomac, I stood and stared at the damaged building, still billowing heavy smoke. I felt horrified, angered, and totally helpless. Seven weeks later, I ran part of the Marine Corps Marathon with a friend on a modified course. After one sharp turn, we found ourselves immediately in front of the side of the Pentagon with a gaping hole. That mental image is seared into my brain.

I feel for all those impacted on that horrific day, but none more than the brave guys from FDNY who bravely went into imperiled buildings to save others, despite having inadequate equipment for the task.

This is a day to reflect and remember those who lost their lives and their friends and families.

 

[latione2009]

I remember I was in elementary school on Fort Stewart sitting in Mrs. Combs' class when this happened.. Such a sad day I will never forget

 

[uconnell]

Would you please delete this so the thread can be what it was intended to be. I will remove this after that.

Icebear...... Yes it is a solemn time but let's not forget the people that gave their all and are living with consequences as a result.
I'm sorry you took offense as that was not my intention. I m erely wanted to point that there are fire and police that suffering the after effects without a help. I am glad to hear that they have health coverage. Was not intended to be a political statement.

 

[HuskyNan]

Sorry for the interruption. Please continue your thread undisturbed.

 

[RadyLady]

Sorry for the interruption. Please continue your thread undisturbed.

thank you Nan

 

[RadyLady]

One last entry and then that's enough for a while. This is an email from a friend who gives a first hand description of the unfolding events on the morning of 9/11, and what it was like to literally be in the thick of it all. I was not in NYC on September 11, my company had sent me to San Francisco to train my division in that office, and I had the misfortune of having to watch the whole thing unfold on television as I was jittery all the night before and could not sleep a wink. I sent panicked phone call after phone call to my office which was right by the towers (all unanswered), wanting to tell everyone to flee. I found out later that they were ignoring the phones because they were watching the attack from our westward facing windows. I was a mess, but that is a story for another time. This is J's account:

Sent 9/12/2001
SUBJECT: Still Here
Hi everybody,

I'm still here, and I'm fine. If you can believe it,
merely three weeks ago I began working at 2 World
Financial Center, the building adjoining the World
Trade Center. Yesterday, I was running a little
behind schedule. The time that the first airplane
impacted is the time that I'm usually walking across
the plaza below. My train bypassed my station, which
annoyed me because that meant I would have to walk two
blocks back to get to the World Trade Center. I had
no idea that anything had just transpired, except some
guy got on one stop back and was raving about
something that he said still had him shaking. I
thought he had witnessed a mugging or maybe he was
just crazy.

When I got out at the Wall Street station it was mere
seconds after the second plane had impacted and I was
in the middle of pandemonium. It looked like the
beginning of a ticker tape parade with paper and
debris raining down on the street. I turned a corner
and saw the twin towers aflame. I circled the area
trying to find out if my building was still intact.

It never occured to me that 110-storey skyscrapers
could collapse. Viewing the fire and smoke, I could
not even believe what I was seeing. As I circled the
area, the fires were becoming visibly larger and I
could see more deeply into the interior of the
building. It was dawning on me that this fire could
never be controlled. Then I heard the sound of the
tower collapsing. I didn't know that was what was
happening because I couldn't see it. I thought maybe
some of the facade had fallen away. Fortunately, I
was not hit by any debris, but a tide of ash rolled
over my area and engulfed all of us. It was like a
nuclear winter. I was right against the river by
Battery Park and just about ready to jump into the
water, but I realized there was no fire coming at me.
It was just ash and soot. I pulled my shirt up over
my nose and mouth and avoided breathing any of it. It
was akin to snowflakes, but thicker than any blizzard.
I could see 10-20 feet anead of me and that was it.
Day became night, and other people who were getting
that gunk in their throats were hacking and
expectorating.

I didn't know how much of the building had fallen, but
I believed there could be more collapses, so I
endeavored to walk south and east around the tip of
Manhattan before any more waves of ash could roll over
me. Shortly thereafter, I heard the same sound again
which turned out to be the other tower collapsing. By
this time, the first tidal wave of soot had thinned
out enough for me to see that now a second one was
rolling in my direction and would catch up in about 5
minutes. I kept walking briskly eastward, so when it
finally hit me it was considerably thinner than the
one that hit me when I was only a block away from the
area.

I finally got far enough north not to be downwind of
the conflagration. I was covered from head to toe
with white ash that I heard one firefighter speculate
consisted of pulverized concrete. It was as if
someone had emptied a sack of lime over me. I knew
from the time right after I exited the subway that it
was important for me to make phone calls to loved ones
to let them know I was okay. (That was before two
110-storey skyscrapers collapsed into oblivion
practically right next to me!) However, long lines
were to be found at every pay phone. I finally got my
bearings and walked uptown. In Chinatown, I finally
found a pay phone that had only a few people in line
in front of it. I called my folks who were mightily
relieved. (Incidentally, my calling card from Excel
wouldn't work, but 1-800-COLLECT did... this is an
unsolicited endorsement!)

I was starving, for I had eaten nothing at all yet.
Street vendors were in business, so I bought a
shishkebab in a pita. As I was standing there, I
coughed from the charcoal smoke from the grill. I
laughed ironically at myself standing there covered in
soot from America's worst terrorist attack yet too
oblivious to stand upwind of a street vendor's burning
charcoal!

The streets were choked with people because no
transportation services were functioning. You could
easily discern who had been near the attack and who
had not. The throngs of people headed uptown and
covered in soot were the ones who'd been in it. The
throngs of people headed downtown were the ones who
hadn't been there and were trying to get a closer
look. I made my way to the west side 20's where my
brother works. I didn't know if my parents had
succeeded in getting through to him by phone since
phone service was spotty. He had heard nothing about
me, and said over and over again that he had hoped I
would have the sense just to come to his office.

It was there that I first saw the footage of the
collapsing towers. I was dumbfounded. I hadn't
realized that this was what caused the sound I had
first heard from the next block. The area where the
rubble fell was the side where I had been standing
approximately 15 minutes earlier.

I continued my walk uptown. I bought an NYC tee-shirt
from a tourist shop along the way to replace the soot-
and mucous-encrusted shirt I was wearing and that had
saved me from breathing any appreciable amounts of an
incinerated World Trade Center. I also bought contact
lens solution to clean my contacts and flush out my
eyes. I stopped at a friend's apartment to wash off
the soot, change into my clean tee-shirt and flush my
eyes.

I still don't know if the building my company is in (2
World Financial Center) still exists. I don't know
the status of my job nor that of the other guys on my
team, who often arrive about the same time as I do. I
might not get annoyed at slow trains anymore. Had I
left for work 10 minutes earlier and not been on a
delayed train, I would have been right under the face
of the WTC when the first plane hit!

Every time I see clips of that blizzard of ash, I
could swear that I still smell it.

J

This account matches my work colleagues descriptions and the pictures we have seen in the news....I wonder about the karma of my NOT being in the city when this happened. As it was, even in San Francisco, my reaction was very strong and scary, I shudder to think of what it may have been had I actually been there in New York...then again, it may not have been so severe as I may have been able to act - and not sit there helpless - who knows?

anyway, I would have posted this yesterday, but I was waiting for J to give me permission to share this piece which he did during the overnight.

We all remember what we were doing on that day. And we will never forget.

 

[Icebear]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[ChicagoGG]

I was a few blocks north of where J was, and heard/saw/walked many of the same experiences. I remember what a beautiful, perfect fall morning it was before the attacks began. This brought it all back to me so clearly, particularly the sounds, the ash, the dust...the walk to Grand Central when the trains started running again and seeing the troops in the streets, and water stations at all the churches... Thank you to you and J for sharing so vividly what it was like.
Never forget!!

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

It was and is one of those "where were you" events, at least for those of us who were NYC oriented. Although my office was in NY (mid-town, far north of the towers), I more often worked in the field, and was supposed to work in southern NJ that day. Before I left home, my wife contacted me from her work to "put on the TV", she came home and we watched it together. Work was put off for a day.

Of course my co-workers were variously affected, but primarily by being inconvenienced. Surprisingly few folks in my office knew individuals that were lost, although one of the victims had been an assistant manager at one of our field locations. One of my nieces friends was a NYC fireman in the Bronx or Brooklyn, and lost most of his company - he arrived late from wherever he was, and so was not on the truck that was lost. He had a lot of issues afterward, as you would expect.

 

[Geno-ista]

Vigilance in defense of liberty is no vice. Those who turn their backs on history are condemned to repeat it. Never forget.

Touche!!!