September 11th, 2001--Memorial Thread
- Thread starter Nerys Ghemor
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^That is the image that stays with me the most as well, not the burning buildings, but the ghost town that Lower Manhattan became. I lived below the line at 14th street where they blocked off the city, and it was so surreal in those days following the attacks, to see it so empty, and to have it be so quiet. And the smell. That stays with me too.
It used to be that when people said "America will never be the same," it felt like hyperbole. But over the years I have slowly become to see just how easy it is to distinguish the attitudes of the nation before and after. It makes me terribly sad.
It used to be that when people said "America will never be the same," it felt like hyperbole. But over the years I have slowly become to see just how easy it is to distinguish the attitudes of the nation before and after. It makes me terribly sad.
It was my senior year in college, my first time around. It was a surreal feeling. I remember how since the news outlets all talked as if the pentagon was in DC itself, many of our families somehow had the idea that the campus was burning (four miles from Pentagon), calling and emailing us like crazy.
It's hard to believe it's been 9 years... But I remember exactly where I was that morning... My alarm went off at 5:45 Pacific Time. I rolled over, turned off my alarm and turned on my TV. It was about ten minutes to 6 when the local newscaster said that a small plane had apparently hit the North Tower. I went downstairs to turn on the cable TV to see what had happened. I went back upstairs in time to see the second plane hit the South Tower. I didn't really wake my parents up until about 7 when the South Tower fell.
I will never forget that day.
I will never forget that day.
I was at work when it happens. I called my grandmother to tell her what was happening and she watching it unfolding on tv. She actually saw the second plane hit the second tower while I was still on the phone with her. Then my supervisor told us to go home. It was so surreal.
I was standing in my kitchen, wondering what I'd gone in there for (something we all do on occasion 
). I was still half asleep, kinda, and I noticed my phone's caller ID lit up, and it was my dad. So I pulled out my earplugs and picked up the phone. My dad says "Turn on CNN." Then he immediately hangs up - which he almost NEVER does to me. That's how I found out...I think both of the buildings were already down by then.
Probably my clearest memory of the whole thing was, naturally, a baseball reference. In fact I have this game on DVD. It's ten days after the attacks and the first sports game played in NYC, that I'm aware of. Braves vs. Mets at Shea Stadium. Not only was it a great game, but it was a magical part of the healing process. Especially the bottom of the 8th, when Mike Piazza hit that home run. You'd see firefighters and police officers in the audience, smiling when that happened - and these were the same men who no doubt lost friends, maybe even relatives, just ten days previous. I truly believe that these games were a GREAT way for the city to begin healing again.
). I was still half asleep, kinda, and I noticed my phone's caller ID lit up, and it was my dad. So I pulled out my earplugs and picked up the phone. My dad says "Turn on CNN." Then he immediately hangs up - which he almost NEVER does to me. That's how I found out...I think both of the buildings were already down by then.Probably my clearest memory of the whole thing was, naturally, a baseball reference. In fact I have this game on DVD. It's ten days after the attacks and the first sports game played in NYC, that I'm aware of. Braves vs. Mets at Shea Stadium. Not only was it a great game, but it was a magical part of the healing process. Especially the bottom of the 8th, when Mike Piazza hit that home run. You'd see firefighters and police officers in the audience, smiling when that happened - and these were the same men who no doubt lost friends, maybe even relatives, just ten days previous. I truly believe that these games were a GREAT way for the city to begin healing again.
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My nephew was born on 9/11 2001, about the time the second tower fell. My bro says it's the best day in his life. The irony.
I remember that morning... I was sleeping in my bed, and my dad came into the room, saying that New York was under attack, as he turned the news on on my TV.
I couldn't believe it when I saw it... I knew then what the Americans of the time must have felt during Pearl Harbor, because that was what this was... my generation's Pearl Harbor.
I couldn't believe it when I saw it... I knew then what the Americans of the time must have felt during Pearl Harbor, because that was what this was... my generation's Pearl Harbor.
Yeah, it's my mother's birthday as well -- I just got home from her party. It feels odd to celebrate on a day of national mourning.
^Perhaps those celebrations are proof that life continues even in the face of tragedy. That's a bit cliche, I know, but the terrorists couldn't stop that baby from being born and he's joyful to you, Jarod, I'm sure.
I had just gotten off from work and was heading to a chiropractor's appointment when the attacks started. (I worked the night shift.) I remember sitting in the chiropractor's office just glued to the set. I think I spent the next few days glued to the tv and crying.
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
I'm in Taiwan and the events occurred during the night here, at about 9PM.
There was a typhoon that had passed by a few days before and some of the subway stations were closed so I decided why not walk home...it would take about an hour.
I walked past a tall building called The Shin Kong Mitsukoshi building and it made me think of King Kong, then I thought about how in the 1976 version he climbed the World Trade Center, and I then thought about how tall the WTC must be if one of them were next to the 47 storey Mitsukoshi weird, because at that point I didn't know what was happening at that very moment in NY.
When I got home my roommates asked me if I'd heard the news...I stood in the living room and could only see the dust cloud on CNN. By then both towers had already collapsed. They then told me what happened in about 20 seconds. I don't really recall what I was thinking as they related the terrible events to me like that, I mean I went from "What's that on TV?" to finding all of it out. It was very disturbing and surreal.
There was a typhoon that had passed by a few days before and some of the subway stations were closed so I decided why not walk home...it would take about an hour.
I walked past a tall building called The Shin Kong Mitsukoshi building and it made me think of King Kong, then I thought about how in the 1976 version he climbed the World Trade Center, and I then thought about how tall the WTC must be if one of them were next to the 47 storey Mitsukoshi weird, because at that point I didn't know what was happening at that very moment in NY.
When I got home my roommates asked me if I'd heard the news...I stood in the living room and could only see the dust cloud on CNN. By then both towers had already collapsed. They then told me what happened in about 20 seconds. I don't really recall what I was thinking as they related the terrible events to me like that, I mean I went from "What's that on TV?" to finding all of it out. It was very disturbing and surreal.
You said, it. It's another "day that will live in infamy".
It's interesting--there was a speaker in the memorial service today, who demanded that 9/11 not become an honest-to-goodness holiday--that it should not become a day of "celebration", but solemn rememberance.
To be honest...that's kinda what happened to Pearl Harbor Day (which, oddly enough, is my brother's birthday!). No one takes a day off for that--but we all know what the day's for.
Thats so very sad
Im sorry for your loss.My condolences, albeit they come bit late
Ive been watching lots of photos from around the web about the ceremonies:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11272386
I feel that even if time does heal wounds, sorrow will always remain among those who who lost a loved one on 9/11.
But I sincerely hope for them good and happier times on their lives
Im sorry, if that sounded too corny.
My mother-in-law's birthday is 9/11 and she says there is just no way she can cerebrate it anymore.
That's sad...I imagine I would have felt the same way. I hope she's at least found a different date that works?
I was just getting off work when I heard, then I popped off to the cinema to catch the last showing of Final Fantasy, the Spirits Within.
Aside from the wall to wall news coverage and the ridiculous pictures in the British tabloids (a cloud of smoke resembling the Devil and all that), nobody was that fussed.
Aside from the wall to wall news coverage and the ridiculous pictures in the British tabloids (a cloud of smoke resembling the Devil and all that), nobody was that fussed.
i remember getting home from school, turning on the tv and watching the live feed from new york. for the first five minutes i thought it was a movie. i remember watching the second plane crash into the tower and think: "damn, those are some really nice special effects. how did they do that?" it took me a few minutes to actually believe that it was live feed.
by the time the tower collapsed, i was pretty much in chock. now i'm not an american, truthfully i cant even begin to comprehend what it did to you guys. but it influenced me in an incredibly powerful way too.
it one day we'll never forget. our nationalities notwithstanding. 9/11 is a day when not only americans, but everyone else mourns too.
by the time the tower collapsed, i was pretty much in chock. now i'm not an american, truthfully i cant even begin to comprehend what it did to you guys. but it influenced me in an incredibly powerful way too.
it one day we'll never forget. our nationalities notwithstanding. 9/11 is a day when not only americans, but everyone else mourns too.
We have unofficially settled on 9/10.
I'm pretty sure I've told this same story for the past five or so years, but here goes again:
I've lived on the west coast my entire life, which puts me 3 time zones behind NYC. I was a college sophomore who had a late class the night before, so I was asleep when the attacks happened and was completely unaware of them until my sister came in my room around 10:45 am PT and told me to turn on the TV.
I asked why should I turn on the TV, and she said that planes had hit the World Trade Center. I said, "Like Cessnas?" Two small planes had collided over my town 4 years prior, with one of them crashing into my neighbors house, so it was always the first thing that came to mind when I heard of planes and buildings colliding. My sister said, "No, like passenger jets", and walked back out of my room.
So I turned on the TV, watched reruns of the towers falling over and over again until I couldn't take any more of it, then got in my car to run an errand to a Lowe's hardware in the next city over from mine. I'm not sure why I remember this detail, I just do.
I remember listening to KROQ on the way over, the usually obnoxious DJs on that station were uncharacteristically restrained, breaking between songs only to tell people to turn to the various news radio stations if they wanted more information on the WTC incident.
At my church meeting that night (I was still involved in religion at the time) the speaker at the pulpit opened with remarks on how the day's events were indicative of the Last Days and quoted scripture about people shouting 'peace and security' only to have destruction instantaneous upon them. I don't remember anything else from the sermon.
The next morning, in my history class, the professor set aside his notes and instead devoted 4 hours to tracing the socio-economic events of the past 500 years that he believed lead to the events of the day prior.
I've lived on the west coast my entire life, which puts me 3 time zones behind NYC. I was a college sophomore who had a late class the night before, so I was asleep when the attacks happened and was completely unaware of them until my sister came in my room around 10:45 am PT and told me to turn on the TV.
I asked why should I turn on the TV, and she said that planes had hit the World Trade Center. I said, "Like Cessnas?" Two small planes had collided over my town 4 years prior, with one of them crashing into my neighbors house, so it was always the first thing that came to mind when I heard of planes and buildings colliding. My sister said, "No, like passenger jets", and walked back out of my room.
So I turned on the TV, watched reruns of the towers falling over and over again until I couldn't take any more of it, then got in my car to run an errand to a Lowe's hardware in the next city over from mine. I'm not sure why I remember this detail, I just do.
I remember listening to KROQ on the way over, the usually obnoxious DJs on that station were uncharacteristically restrained, breaking between songs only to tell people to turn to the various news radio stations if they wanted more information on the WTC incident.
At my church meeting that night (I was still involved in religion at the time) the speaker at the pulpit opened with remarks on how the day's events were indicative of the Last Days and quoted scripture about people shouting 'peace and security' only to have destruction instantaneous upon them. I don't remember anything else from the sermon.
The next morning, in my history class, the professor set aside his notes and instead devoted 4 hours to tracing the socio-economic events of the past 500 years that he believed lead to the events of the day prior.
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