Never forget..... 9/11/2001

Submitted by Blue in PA on

9.11.gif

xtramelanin

September 11th, 2018 at 9:07 AM ^

and we all remember where we were when it happened.  saw the second plane hit on live TV.  had been watching the TV with the sound off, noticing the one tower on fire and thinking, 'gosh, that is one heck of a fire, i hope they get out of there'.    then the second plane hit.

 

DonAZ

September 11th, 2018 at 9:18 AM ^

I vividly recall the same moment.  I was watching a hall TV monitor at work.

9/11 will forever be one of those "where were you" moments.  

That was the day after I had put down my dog of 17 years.  It was a rough two days.

I left work at 5:00pm that night and drove on the D.C. beltway into Virginia.  Normally that's bumper to bumper, but that day I had the beltway to myself.  I saw fighter jets in the sky.  It was like something out of the Twilight Zone.  Really eerie; very memorable.

xtramelanin

September 11th, 2018 at 9:28 AM ^

we had just moved from the UP to san diego to take care of my inlaws. it was my second day at the DA's office.  i went to  work in a fog.  told my new boss, this is wrong, send everyone home, this is not a day to go by the routine.  they did send us all home about an hour later.  still remember that incredibly unsettling feeling.  would never, ever have left the UP if i'd had any idea 9/11 was coming two weeks later. 

FauxMo

September 11th, 2018 at 10:41 AM ^

For my grandparents, that moment was Pearl Harbor. Always talked about it. For my dad, it was the day JFK was shot. Told me the story 50 times; he was in the library studying for a college exam, totally cut off from the world, and came outside to crowds of people standing around crying. For me, I heard about the Towers on the radio on my way to work. I stopped and listened for 20 minutes, all alone parked on the street. Then I found a restaurant at lunch and watched Tower 2 (IIRC) fall, live on TV. The whole bar just stopped and said, "Oh my God," collectively. People were balling. It was an awful day... 

xtramelanin

September 11th, 2018 at 11:55 AM ^

my dad talked about playing cards with his buddies when the news came over the radio about pearl harbor.  he was only 17 but eventually joined when old enough. 

we played NYPD and FDNY in football on a yearly basis when 9/11 happened.  the next game with FDNY was full of more tears and hugs than you could imagine a bunch of grown, allegedly very macho, men having.  a number of the guys we'd played over the years had died in those towers that day.  tough to listen to amazing grace on bag pipes.  i won't ever forget that, either.  

ThePonyConquerer

September 11th, 2018 at 9:10 AM ^

Never forget.

 

Even though I hardly remember the day it happened (because I was really young) it's still a horrible tragedy.

Berger04

September 11th, 2018 at 9:14 AM ^

a0d87a0bd2cd44013949efb4c242a6f5.jpg

Still cant help but reflect on this day. It changed my life then and still to this day. It has sent me to war in Iraq for 18 months and gave me memories I can never erase. This day is also responsible for giving me a career in federal law enforcement. So this day marks a sad day for our nation, but also makes me pause, honor the fallen and remember a time when our country came together as one. (Wow have we fallen far from that!! We are more divisive now than ever before) 

I will never forget.

The Mad Hatter

September 11th, 2018 at 9:40 AM ^

I'm going to tread lightly here, but think of the state of the nation the day before.  People make really poor decisions when they're scared, and the entire nation was utterly terrified for the next several years.

There's one piece of legislation in particular that did more damage to our civil rights than any single event before or since.

GotBlueOnMyMind

September 11th, 2018 at 10:30 AM ^

May be a bit of hyperbole. Internment camps in WW2 and the outright suspension of habeas corpus in the Civil War were, at a minimum, more direct affronts to due process and civil liberties. While you may be correct, I think it is unwise to underestimate the strength of our constitution and our system of check and balances. As proof, the abuses that have become known have been deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. 

Sorry is overly political, just think that doomsayers are often misguided and overly negative (just as are people who think we’re headed to some sort of utopia, just in the other direction).

L'Carpetron Do…

September 11th, 2018 at 11:18 AM ^

I hear ya, it changed everything and our country has never been the same since and probably never will be.  And there is a serious crisis of leadership and poor decision-making in this country that has led us down a dangerous path.

But you gotta stay positive, my brother! We're Americans and we can take control of our democracy so the republic never falls!

SalvatoreQuattro

September 11th, 2018 at 1:00 PM ^

 Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus, Wilson went after anti-war activists and immigrants(my GG grandmother had to register as an enemy alien even though she had lived in the US since 1871), FDR interned 100,000 Americans because of race and used the FBI to spy on Americans.

The Patriot Act was just the latest act of curtailing civil rights in wartime.

ijohnb

September 11th, 2018 at 10:25 AM ^

I have no idea whether it will be recognized as the beginning of the end of anything, but I do know that the country was a far different place on September 10, 2001 than on September 12, 2001.  Americans began to assume the worst about other people, strangers instantly became suspect and cause for concern, kids who were riding their bike freely through their neighborhood at 8 PM the previous night were watched over closely by their parents, a new curfew in place. 

In a very real sense, this country lost its collective innocence, or its belief in the purity of other's motives on 9/11.  Possibly before that in April of 1999 with Columbine, and it was gone for good after 9/11. 

L'Carpetron Do…

September 11th, 2018 at 11:38 AM ^

There was a serious sense of innocence that was lost that day. That was a fascinating time to be alive and I was young and impressionable and coming of age during that time.  I was Class of 2000 so I was in my late high school years during the positive boom times of 1999, 2000 and Jan-Sept 2001.  I'm actually trying to write a short story that takes place during that time period and I'm trying to capture the mood. When I got to U of M it wasn't long before all those good feelings were gone. 

ijohnb

September 11th, 2018 at 12:04 PM ^

The mood had actually already began to sour, I believe, before 9/11.  Contentment was slowly giving way to a kind of angry boredom, a kind of fundamental lack of societal and family cohesion born out of self-satisfaction, emerging hedonism, and personal displacement from collective purpose.  It is particularly stark if you look at popular film in the years leading up to 9/11 (American Beauty, Fight Club, the Matrix etc.)  That is kind of why, in my mind, I kind of trace the bleakness of the post 9/11 perspective back a couple of years earlier. 

L'Carpetron Do…

September 11th, 2018 at 12:46 PM ^

True (American Beauty is one of my favorite movies). You also mentioned Columbine which was also a major shock to America's system and a sign that there were serious problems in our society and collective psyche.

I view everything from those years through the prism of a young, idealistic adolescent, which is what I was back then. And you might think its a little strange, but Woodstock '99 was a fascinating moment during that period and possibly a sign of things to come.

I think there will be a wave of nostalgia for that Y2K period, just before 9/11. In fact, Y2K was one of the best things about that time because so many people were freaked out about what would happen - and nothing did. 

Its an extremely interesting period in recent American history.

outsidethebox

September 11th, 2018 at 9:25 AM ^

Well, I remember the day...just another day at work...it remains a curious thing to me how this was never discussed-among my colleagues. It must be that our pediatric oncology unit faced "9-11" every day...along with our children and their families.  Must be all about perspective. 

outsidethebox

September 11th, 2018 at 1:57 PM ^

We are all gifted differently. Yours is the typical response...and understandable. Ironically, for those of us who worked in that setting it was quite the opposite. It was the consummate "All for one and one for all" place to be. Without exception, everyone I worked with had a great passion for the work to be done and were and were infatigably committed to excellence. We were a team like no other fighting for the lives of "our" children and the well-being of their families. To say it was an honor and a privilege is the understatement of my life. It was undoubtedly the best segment of my pediatric nursing career.  

1VaBlue1

September 11th, 2018 at 9:28 AM ^

Working in Newington, just 15 miles south of the Pentagon, we had no idea anything happening, just another normal workday.  Until I received a secure phone call (I work in the IC) from Europe asking me what the hell was going on.  That's when we opened up CNN's website and found out.  Went all battle mode after that - a surreal feeling.

volnedan

September 11th, 2018 at 10:08 AM ^

As a 20 year old, this was my first real "where were you moment".  I was driving on I-275 S merging to I-96 E to head to my morning class as UM-Dearborn, when I finally changed the radio from playing a CD to FM.  For a few seconds, I thought all the stations were playing commercials, until I realized it was a live broadcast of the events after the first plane hit.  The second plane hit a few minutes later, and that's when apparently all air travel was suspended.  

As I was getting off M-39 onto Ford Rd exit, I see a commercial plane pull a U-turn.  My immediate thought was "Oh shit oh shit oh shit its heading for the Ren Cen!"  But then I realized it was heading back to Metro airport.  First time in my life I almost shit my pants.  I was terrified.  

My first class was some World Literature, and the old hag said a few words and continued on with the 90 min lecture.  The next few classes were at the Engineering building, but thankfully the director cancelled classes the rest of the day.  We spend the rest of the afternoon at Chili's drinking at the bar watching the news coverage.  It was the strangest feeling.  In college, you already feel invincible.  But getting attacked on home soil was a whole new feeling for my generation.  Still gives me the creeps.

jamesjosephharbaugh

September 11th, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^

I was in undergrad (not UM). I left the dorm on my way to class and a buddy told me in passing that some planes had hit the Twin Towers. I went to class and then parked in the Student Center most of the rest of the day, where they had CNN playing on a big screen.  I watched the coverage as the buildings burned and then began to fall.

One of the feelings I remember now, and still feel, is the sense of awe or numbness as you watched it unfold.  You don't necessarily realize what you're experiencing right away. We didn't know it was terrorism at first, we didn't know if the attacks would continue, and we didn't know that the buildings would eventually fall and what the toll would be.  

Most of us in that student center were just watching, taking it in, trying to make sense of what happened.

The other thing I'll remember is the absolutely haggard, busted look on Dan Rather's face late that night after 12-14 hours of coverage.  It had begun to sink in by that point. He kept the coverage going, kept command of the audience, but man, that day wore him out - and probably all the others doing the same thing on other networks. 

God Bless America and God be with all those who are still affected to this day by the attacks.  Never forget - some people want to destroy our way of life. 

LSAClassOf2000

September 11th, 2018 at 10:12 AM ^

I had just gotten to work in Ann Arbor when the first plane hit, and already the news was on the break room, and since it was only the one plane at that point, several of us were thinking, "What a horrible accident....". Then, of course, on live TV, the second plane - clearly not an accident now, then the Pentagon, then Shanksville, and very quickly we were all making calls to people we knew - not only in DC and NYC - but in any building of moderate to significant height as no one really knew what the hell was going on fully. 

Remember_the_G…

September 11th, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^

A lot of heroes that day. No movie has made me cry more than United 93. Don’t forget there were four planes full of innocent people that crashed that day. Who knows what those heroes prevented. 

NowTameInThe603

September 11th, 2018 at 10:43 AM ^

I was in middle school when it happened. 6th grade to be exact. 

There was this girl at my school who always had a stuffed snake(beanie baby?) wrapped around her neck. Finally in 8th grade when we shared the same classes I had the nerve to ask why she always wore the snake. She didnt offer up an answer right away but I was persistent and she finally told me that it was the last gift she received from her Dad who died in one of the planes on 9/11. I froze up and couldnt say anything.

Every year I think of her and my other classmate who lost their father.

WindyCityBlue

September 11th, 2018 at 10:18 AM ^

One thing I'll add to this thread.  A lot of focus on the twin towers when it comes to 911.  The memorial and museum where the twin towers once stood is something everyone needs to experience.  The museum alone is probably the best museum I've ever been to.

With that said, the memorial site at Shanksville PA often gets overshadowed.  They did a great job with the memorial site.  Its well worth the visit.

jfoust81

September 11th, 2018 at 10:20 AM ^

I was a true freshman at OPSU, a small D2 (now NAIA) in the middle of the Oklahoma panhandle. My mom woke me up on my dorm room phone. Classes were cancelled almost immediately and I went in to the football field house to watch with my teammates. That week was a haze. We were one of the only schools that still played that weekend, and to this day I can't remember anything about the game we played that Saturday other than we played Arkansas-Monticello. 

hammermw

September 11th, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^

My grandfather died in Flint on September 10th, 2001 while my mom and grandmother were in Vegas. They were supposed to fly home on the 1tth. They ended up having to rent a car to drive cross country to have the funeral on Saturday. I will never forget for so many reasons.

Blue in PA

September 11th, 2018 at 11:03 AM ^

There were many who rose to the occasion and exhibited heroism, none more than the passengers on Flight 93.  

 

Recall the unified outpouring of patriotism in the days following 9/11.   The flag was displayed like I had not seen it before.... More homes than not displayed stars and stripes.  It saddens me to see how far our national patriotism has fallen since then.  In the days following 9/11 we were united as a nation, sadly that is no more.

For all her faults, we live in the greatest country in the world....   

God Bless all who were lost on that day and from the fallout of that day, God bless the USA.

ijohnb

September 11th, 2018 at 11:15 AM ^

Patriotism comes in a lot of different forms.  The definition of patriotism is "devotion to, and vigorous support for one's country."  What is patriotic in one time or place may not be so in another.  Nor is criticism of one's own country and its policies per se unpatriotic, it may be quite the opposite.  Patriotism and Nationalism are two different concepts.

I believe there was a level of covert politicization in your post that could unravel into bad territory.  And this is a quick touche', as if to say:

Let's all collectively agree not do that in this thread. 

jjelliso

September 11th, 2018 at 11:16 AM ^

I had been in Ann Arbor for about two weeks as a 1L.  I was just getting ready for my Civil Procedure class when I saw the news about the first plane on TV.  When I got to class everyone was very confused and our professor said "someone just blew up the world trade center or something?" but we went ahead with class.  They cancelled the rest of them for that day.

Michigantrumpet82

September 11th, 2018 at 11:22 AM ^

Just now left the reading of names and the flag ceremony here at the State House (Capitol Building) in Boston. While those in NYC suffered terribly, there are many from the Boston area who also lost their lives -- as you may recall the planes all left from Boston's Logan Airport. 

I remember getting a call from my husband about a plane hitting one of the towers. I assumed it must have been one of those sightseeing helicopters or small planes.  Went down the hall to watch on a work TV (small 19"er with a crap antenna) just as the second plane hit. Within a a short period of time, our Boston office high rise was ordered to evacuate. All of the buildings emptied at once, pouring people onto the streets and into the public transit stations.  The trains out of South Station ran continuously in and out of the city, ferrying people home. Cell service was crap as everyone was trying to call their loved ones at once. Hardly anyone had smart phones at the time, but a man on my train car had a newfangled Blackberry.  He kept us up to date with the news about the Pentagon and then a crash somewhere near Somerset PA. 

As it turns out, my aunt and uncle lived on Indian Lake, PA about 1.5 miles away from the Shanksville crash site. They were all concerned about me, when in fact they faced the far greater danger. 

Had just been to NYC the weekend before, and a BBQ across the Hudson. We had fun picking out and identifying the various big buildings -- little guessing that the NYC skyline would soon change forever.

Boston shut down for the rest of the week.with fighter planes periodically roaring overhead for no apparent reason. There was a massive police presence at all mass transit lines and at the MassPike tunnel under the Prudential Center. 

Scary times.