September 11th

rtm3039

rtm3039

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Good morning my brothers and sisters. Today is September 11th. Hard, almost impossible, to believe it has been 18 years since that morning. I remember it, like it was yesterday. I actually still have, and occasionally wear, the same boots that, 18 years ago, were soaked in jet fuel from me walking around the grassy area adjacent to the point of impact at the Pentagon. Let’s take a moment to remember the many that woke up to a new day that morning, but never made it home. As well, to those that are still dealing with the physical and emotional ills of that event.

God bless them, us, and all

Rtm3039
 
I went to Ground Zero 9 years ago and just went back to NY and visited the same spot in March. I toured the new 911 museum, it is spectacular. That entire area is full of awe when you walk around the area. I cannot image what that city or individuals went through at the time. I was in Texas when it happened and remember the fear I felt.
 
thenami said:
Being a native New Yorker I have mixed emotions today. I remember being sent home from work, my youngest being sent home from school, and sitting in my late finaces home (was here in NC; it burned down in 04'). The TV was on and we watched the horror. The worst part for me was the four days of waiting to be allowed to call into NY. All flights were cancelled. My brother was going to meet his closest female friend working at the towers that week for lunch. She didn't make it. My cousins wife was on floor ten of tower two. She still has nightmares. Another cousin was stuck on the subway for 27 hours. No one knew where she was for days. I refuse to go to the site. I remember when they were built, and writing about them when I was in the 6th grade for a class assignment.

I helped provided homecare to a friends sister (from a church I go to when home). I went to girl scout meetings there after school, when we moved to Long Island. Anyway they had a great group of friends, one of which was an engineer on the Ground Zero project. Even with her giving me free tickets, I could not visit the site. My mother, her siblings, her cousins, and my grandmother all attended the Greek Orthodox church that used to be right in that area. It was the first church they all came to as WW2 survivors. My Godmother (my grandmothers sister) was a member, and their sponsor to become Americans. I remember the first time I visited my mother after they were destroyed. She cried in my arms saying she never thought or dreamed she would ever see the wrath of war here in America.

I remember my brother talking with me when I was finally able to get through. The union wanted him to work at ground zero, but he couldn't handle being there with the death of his friend. He lasted one day.
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Very sorry to hear all that.
 
thenami said:
Being a native New Yorker I have mixed emotions today. I remember being sent home from work, my youngest being sent home from school, and sitting in my late finaces home (was here in NC; it burned down in 04'). The TV was on and we watched the horror. The worst part for me was the four days of waiting to be allowed to call into NY. All flights were cancelled. My brother was going to meet his closest female friend working at the towers that week for lunch. She didn't make it. My cousins wife was on floor ten of tower two. She still has nightmares. Another cousin was stuck on the subway for 27 hours. No one knew where she was for days. I refuse to go to the site. I remember when they were built, and writing about them when I was in the 6th grade for a class assignment.

I helped provided homecare to a friends sister (from a church I go to when home). I went to girl scout meetings there after school, when we moved to Long Island. Anyway they had a great group of friends, one of which was an engineer on the Ground Zero project. Even with her giving me free tickets, I could not visit the site. My mother, her siblings, her cousins, and my grandmother all attended the Greek Orthodox church that used to be right in that area. It was the first church they all came to as WW2 survivors. My Godmother (my grandmothers sister) was a member, and their sponsor to become Americans. I remember the first time I visited my mother after they were destroyed. She cried in my arms saying she never thought or dreamed she would ever see the wrath of war here in America.

I remember my brother talking with me when I was finally able to get through. The union wanted him to work at ground zero, but he couldn't handle being there with the death of his friend. He lasted one day.
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After 911, in Jan 2002, I was deployed to GITMO as the operations officer for the interrogation cell. The DoD decided to allow some people who lost family in 911 to take part in the task force. That was a bad call, because their emotions were greater than their ability to conduct themselves as impartial professionals. It was a great deal of pain for some.
 
Dear brothers and sisters;

I always appreciate hearing your experiences from the east coast, or closest to.

Here in the Bay Area I was running my small business that day on September 11, 2001, and after learning of the attacks, we closed and went home to be with our families, most of who also went home in lieu of the attacks. While driving home the talk radios were flooded with calls, having no idea of the destructive reality that was going on, because we're all on the west coast.

When I got home around noon, California time, we contacted the church and while our church family prayed, we felt this darkness hover over us, of our country being attacked. Though America is compromised of 50 "independent" states, suddenly we could feel a sense of 50 "united" states coming together after the attacks.

Still, the aftermath and immediately hearing our fellow Americans from the east coast helped us on the west coast to get better information but only further break our hearts.

God bless you and your families.
 
bobinfaith said:
Dear brothers and sisters;

I always appreciate hearing your experiences from the east coast, or closest to.

Here in the Bay Area I was running my small business that day on September 11, 2001, and after learning of the attacks, we closed and went home to be with our families, most of who also went home in lieu of the attacks. While driving home the talk radios were flooded with calls, having no idea of the destructive reality that was going on, because we're all on the west coast.

When I got home around noon, California time, we contacted the church and while our church family prayed, we felt this darkness hover over us, of our country being attacked. Though America is compromised of 50 "independent" states, suddenly we could feel a sense of 50 "united" states coming together after the attacks.

Still, the aftermath and immediately hearing our fellow Americans from the east coast helped us on the west coast to get better information but only further break our hearts.

God bless you and your families.
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It was something. I was stationed at Fort Belvoir, VA (14 miles away), but my agency worked protection for the Sec of Defense and we had about 75 guys there. Up until we deployed to the Pentagon ourselves, it was something else. I remember being in the courtyard having a smoke with one of the other guys. By then, the FAA had ordered all planes to land. Fort Belvour is fairly close to Reagan International and I recall seeing so many planes running laps waiting for their turn to land.

We gathered our gear and left for the Pentagon around 12ish. Everyone that was on the main highways had left their cars on the road. To get to the Pentagon, we had to drive into MD, drive through Arlington Cemetery, and get to the Pentagon via Fort Lee.

Quite a day it was, followed my a total change to who we were.

rtm3039
 
thenami said:
Thanks to all veterans, soldiers, and public servants for serving our nation. My father was national guard during WW2, his brother Navy, and the father of my children was a drafted Nam vet. I have many friends and family members whom either serve, or have.

Thank you rtm for serving our great nation in the Army.
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Thank you. It was my honor.

Have a blessed day

rtm3039
 
I had a cousin in NYC, he still lives there. He rang the day to say he was safe. It was about 4 in the morning he rang. When I woke up it was all in the news on tv. It was surreal most of us couldnt believe what we were watching some kind of disaster movie as events unfolded.

I remember seeing a movie called Towering Inferno it reminded me of that.

Years later I did get to visit NYC with mum but I think we avoided the ground zero site completely it was too sad to walk round there and think of all the people that died. My family had gone to visit another time years earlier when the twin towers were still standing and had their photos taken up there.

I cant imagine what it was like although we had similar tragedies happen in Christchurch, earthquakes and shootings, but people still live there and work there and only last month a couple of church sold their home and moved down there to be with their grandchildren. So life carries on. I think when stuff like that happens evryone needs to stop what they doing and respond.

Its harder to be away from the scene and not really be able to do anything to help. But I found we can always pray.
 
On Sept 11, I was working in Washington DC (a couple of blocks south of the mall) on a professional services contract, in this case supporting the FAA.

During this period many ground based RADAR installations were being decommissioned. I believe the planners re-evaluated some of this after the attack. My project was to put weather RADAR on enroute controllers screens as well as provide other weather data to Air Route Control Centers (ARTCCs). After the hijacked planes turned off their transponders, the controllers tried to use the weather RADAR to track the planes. Unfortunately, although planes have good RADAR returns, the software based filters on the weather RADAR work hard to remove non-weather related artifacts and limited their utility.

Our office was closed for emergency a little before noon, but I elected to stay until the evening after the buses had implemented their alternate plan.

It was eerie walking around the mall at this time. Cell phone networks were overloaded, Everyone went to and fro wondering what to do. One could smell the burning from the pentagon. There was a slight haze that may have been diluted smoke. Later in the day, rather than either normal congestion or a more massive traffic jam than usual, the mall was almost deserted. Every few minutes there were a couple of police escorting someone important to some place of safety. Other than that, most people were avoiding downtown DC, particularly Capitol Hill, where some thought another plane was heading.

About mid-afternoon I visited a christian friend in another building and fournd that his office had turned into a prayer meeting. We prayed and shared until early evening.
 
Siloam said:
On Sept 11, I was working in Washington DC (a couple of blocks south of the mall) on a professional services contract, in this case supporting the FAA.

During this period many ground based RADAR installations were being decommissioned. I believe the planners re-evaluated some of this after the attack. My project was to put weather RADAR on enroute controllers screens as well as provide other weather data to Air Route Control Centers (ARTCCs). After the hijacked planes turned off their transponders, the controllers tried to use the weather RADAR to track the planes. Unfortunately, although planes have good RADAR returns, the software based filters on the weather RADAR work hard to remove non-weather related artifacts and limited their utility.

Our office was closed for emergency a little before noon, but I elected to stay until the evening after the buses had implemented their alternate plan.

It was eerie walking around the mall at this time. Cell phone networks were overloaded, Everyone went to and fro wondering what to do. One could smell the burning from the pentagon. There was a slight haze that may have been diluted smoke. Later in the day, rather than either normal congestion or a more massive traffic jam than usual, the mall was almost deserted. Every few minutes there were a couple of police escorting someone important to some place of safety. Other than that, most people were avoiding downtown DC, particularly Capitol Hill, where some thought another plane was heading.

About mid-afternoon I visited a christian friend in another building and fournd that his office had turned into a prayer meeting. We prayed and shared until early evening.
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Good point. Sometimes we forget about that flight. Thanks.

rtm3039
 
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