9.11.01

[-kj]

I don't come to this board to debate politics.  Therefore, I won't, no matter how disgusted I am by all this USA-all-the-way bravado.  In any case, this was about sharing experiences, so here's mine.

I was pretty disconnected from the incident, really.  I was in the midst of a long roadtrip while unemployed.  I had pulled into Phoenix the night before to discover that my friend I was supposed to stay with overnight was in the hospital.  Thankfully, through the generosity of his neighbours, I had a place to stay.

So, they get their daughter off to school, then turned the TV on.  The phone rang, so we stopped flipping--it happened to be on CNN at the time, with the sound off.  And there's a smoldering skyline, not identified.  To my untrained eye it looked like New York City, and my mind asked, "If that's NYC, where're the towers?"  A few seconds later, they started recapping the events in text, then the sound was turned up.  I stared in disbelief.

So there I am, thousands of miles from home, and this has happened.  It was surreal--at 7:30am Pacific, everything had already happened, so it was all in replay.  The unthinkable, though not completely unbelievable, had happened.

I went with them to get their daughter out of school, get some money from an ATM before those possibly shut down, then went about contacting people online to find out if people were ok, etc.  At about 3pm, after consulting maps and other people, I decided to go ahead with the day's plan, and drove to Los Angeles.  The next day, I started a temp job in the Universal Studios tower, where people were understandably a bit nervous.

Coincidentally, I'd stayed in Oklahoma City two days before I got to Phoenix, and on Sunday morning, my friend there took me to see the memorial from the federal building bombing.  Little did I know that would be so poignant.

[Snowcap30]

I was in 8th grade, 2nd period math class. The principal of the school came over the PA and announced that the WTC was hit by 2 passenger planes and annoucned he will give further detail. 3 period came and we were able to turn the TV's on in each classroom to watch the news. It was exactly when the 1st tower fell. the basically cancelled all school work for the day and had discussions in class.

my dads work building is actually in perfect line of the WTC and the 1st plane was about 200 feet from his window. Freaky plop..

I will never forget that day to years ago...

God Bless You All

[oilfaninvan]

wow jqk, i envy your passion. you guys are really really blind. i'd hate to ask your ages. JQK, you have balls becuase you don't have a clue what you are talking about, but hey i'd take a punch from an american any day.

the world will NOT always hate you if your government stopped giving us all reasons to hate you. i'm sure your a nice person, arrogant as hell- yes, but i'm sure nice.

oh, and i'm a disrespectful man? no, no i'm really not. trust me on that. i am not. i care about this world and i take offence to the fact that you would say that to anyone without trying to understand my point. people don't actually hate you as much as you think, they just really hate your government's foriegn policies.

[Phil]

Somebody close this thread now please. Today is no day to be arguing this.

Would the bigger man please stand up and keep their trap shut? Find something better to do than to argue this.

Go home, hug your family, your parents, your kids, whatever, and be thankful that you can.

[yh]

This is supposed to be a thread about the REMEMBRANCES of 9/11, not a political exchange regarding America's standing in the world. I would hope that we can all agree that the beauty of this board is that people of all ages, walks of life and (most wonderful of all) nations can get together to discuss sports logos, uniforms and designs. The fact that we have diverse political beliefs is subordinate to the fact that despite these differences we all share a common interest. There are plenty of forums on the internet to discuss politics so let's not make this one of them.

So, in the spirit of the original nature of the thread, here are my remembrances of 9/11/01.

My day started around 4:30 a.m. It was remarkably cool for late summer in St. Louis and as I was taking my dog out for her morning walk and couldn't believe how nice it was outside. The sun obviously wasn't up yet and the stars were still twinkling in an incredibly cloudless sky. I got into the office on the 13th floor (yes, that's right) of one of the taller office buildings in the St. Louis area around quarter to six. The sun was starting to come up and it was just looking like it was going to be another beautiful day. I noticed that my voicemail light was on and when I checked the message it was a very hostile one left at 11 p.m. the prior night by and adverse party against whom I had recently placed a bank account levy. He was threatening to take me before the state bar because he felt the judgment I had gotten against him in court was improper. He promised to "track me down at home and harass me" until this supposed wrong was corrected. That immediately put me in a lousy mood. Granted, lawyers take their share of abuse, rightly and wrongly so, but this was a personal attack and it unnerved me a bit. Later that morning I was dictating a letter warning the guy about filing a false bar complaint and explaining just why the judgment was legal when I heard on the radio that a plane had crashed into one of the WTC towers. The reported stated that it was believed to be a small plane and that it was likely an accident. Then the second plane hit and suddenly more information started pouring in. Word spread around my office pretty quickly and of course the rumor mill went into full gear. At that time various news outlets were reporting up to 20 planes unaccounted for and they were also just confirming that the Pentagon had been hit and another plane was reported hijacked somewhere around Ohio (the diverted course of Flt 93 led them to that conclusion). Everyone in the office had heard something different. It was really ridiculous. Then, about 9 a.m. CDT our office manager came on the PA to announce that the office was closing for the remainder of the day. Naturally people assumed that because we were in a high-rise building we were at risk - but the senior partner came on to assure everyone that remained in the office that this wasn't the case and that he just felt in light of this emerging tragedy that people should go home to their families.

About this time the government had decided to ground all non-military planes. My office faced north and I had a clear vista of the landing and takeoff path for Lambert St. Louis International Airport. Because Lambert was the world HQ for the now-defunct TWA, I watched in amazement as dozens and dozens of planes landed one right after the other. Even at rush hour I had never seen that many arrivals in that short a period of time.

I left around 10 CDT and went home. I remember my house being unusually cool inside - I wasn't sure if it was the weather or the chill of the morning events. My wife, who is a high school teacher, called me later in the morning just to let me know how the kids were taking it. They kept schools open but most of the day was spent watching CNN. I was flipping channels all day. I remember the local NBC station's news department running a crawl at the bottom of the screen stating that the FBI has assured local officials that St. Louis is not a target. That left me to wonder, "if they know we're not a target, do they know who is, and if so, why wasn't more done to warn of or prevent the attacks?"

My wife and I were planning on going out to eat that night. She was 5 months pregnant at the time and was just getting back to the point of feeling good. Naturally we canceled our plans and ate in. While we were sitting in the family room trying to eat and watch the continuing coverage my wife told me to come over and feel her belly. At that moment, I felt my daughter kick for the very first time. It was such an amazingly poignant moment - a reminder of the miracle of life and the innocence of childhood among the grisly reality of death. I also recall the sadness I felt that my daughter was going to be brought into a world that was drastically different than the one that looked so beautiful before daybreak.

Oh, and about that guy who left the voicemail?  He called me two days later to apologize for his actions and that in the grand scheme of things it just really wasn't all that important.  He surrendered the money and paid the judgment voluntarily.

[JQK]

About this time the government had decided to ground all non-military planes.  My office faced north and I had a clear vista of the landing and takeoff path for Lambert St. Louis International Airport.  Because Lambert was the world HQ for the now-defunct TWA, I watched in amazement as dozens and dozens of planes landed one right after the other.  Even at rush hour I had never seen that many arrivals in that short a period of time.

I'll never forget hearing the fighter jets going around the NYC/Metro area... you were used to hearing jumbo jets.. but.. hearing f-16's and f-22's flying overhead.. it was... surreal....

[yh]

It was also quite eerie for those two days when civilian flights were grounded.  My house is about 5 miles from a corporate jetport and we get a lot of takeoff and landing noise, even with the noise abatement laws.  The absence of the subdued roar of overflights was unsettling.

[DEAD!]

This debate has become a battle between the US and the rest of the world. *shaking head* Just because it is September 11, does not mean we should just stop and NOT argue about this. (which may contradict what I said earlier, but I changed my mind) We should also be grateful for what we have not just today but EVERYDAY.

You know what? The US is built on bullies AND nerds! If it weren't for bullies, the US would not be the superpower it is. But if it weren't for nerds, the US would not have the technology to become bullies!

Remember America, you're not the only victims in the world on this day. Many people who live in poverty do not care about this day because they either don't know about the tragedy or have other things to worry about.

[JQK]

Quadival, it's over. Stop it. Share a memory or a rememberance or shut the hell up. Stay on the topic of the thread. Thank you.

[jlucas4092]

Had an 8 am class.  Was a sophomore in college.  Like every weekday, I woke up at 6:30, showered, watched some Much Music (God I wish we still got that station here) while I ate breakfast and then got on the road to go to class.  I got in my car and turned on the "shock jock DJ's" here in Denver -- The Locker Room.  I heard what sounded like President Bush saying that "Today we were attacked on American soil".  I thought, "this will be one hell of a prank they're pulling" and kept driving just casually listening.  About two minutes later, I realized Bush was still talking and this wasn't a joke.

I went to my first class in a daze.  Confused, I walked in.  Some people didn't know what was happening yet.  It was a philosophy class, so we discussed it for the first minute of class.  Then the professor said something along the lines of "This isn't important, let's discuss Plato".  Stunned, I was out of it for the rest of that class.  Unfortunately, the school of music (one of my majors) was the only one that didn't cancel classes that day.  One of my friends had a recital that day as well, so I didn't get home until around 6 that night.

Freaky stuff.

[budbowl77]

R.I.P Father Mychal Judge Chaplain New York City Fire Dept.

E.O.W 9-11-01

If there was someone that the lads needed to lead them into heaven it was Father Mychal.

He was one of the greatest men i have ever met in my life, and i will never ever forget him. His loss is still felt throughout the FDNY and New Yorks Irish Catholic Community.

I just want to add, to all of you who hate the United States are jealous of our wealth and our freedoms, hate the fact that we are the only SUPERPOWER. if you hate us so much, tell your government to stop accepting money and aid from us, stop complaining about the manner of protection we provide for you. Stop sending your refugees here, stop coming here cause you can't find work in your own country. It sickens me when non-americans bitch about our president bitch about our country how they hate it..but they'll be the first to accept an american dollar from an american.

[Saintsfan]

I just want to add, to all of you who hate the United States are jealous of our wealth and our freedoms, hate the fact that we are the only SUPERPOWER. if you hate us so much, tell your government to stop accepting money and aid from us, stop complaining about the manner of protection we provide for you. Stop sending your refugees here, stop coming here cause you can't find work in your own country. It sickens me when non-americans bitch about our president bitch about our country how they hate it..but they'll be the first to accept an american dollar from an american.

Okay let me start by saying as I have before that I have every sympathy with anyone killed by the actions of the terrorists on 9/11. Let me also apologise for raking over old coals if thats what you feel I am doing!

That said, I do not hate the US, America really can be a great country and has genuinely been a force for good in the world, however it has also been a force for bad, spreading fear and evil as well as love and understanding. IMO President Bush remains one of the most dangerous men in the world today, because he fails to understand the importance of international agreements and acting multilaterally. Two examples- failing to sign the Kyoto protocol, which has given not only the US but many other countries an excuse to continue to pollute our environment, and the war in Iraq, and its aftermath, throughout all of which Bush has failed to listen to wise counsel from overseas and continued to prosecute a war on shaky foundations. the world is not a safer place because of the war, certainly Iraq is not a safer place, and it might have been if Bush (and my Prime Minister, Tony Blair for that matter) stood back and asked if there was another way!

Sorry for starting this again, and I would have started a different thread for it, given the nature of this thread, however I wanted my post to follow from some of the comments I am trying to answer!

By the way I do not consider myself a 'liberal'. War is sometimes neccesary but it should ALWAYS be prosecuted having nbeen attacked not because somebody might attack you at some point in the future!