Special Editorial: America Remembers 911

[Dazzler]

                                           AMERICA REMEMBERS 911 


Like most American tragedies none of us will ever forget where we were when we received the shocking news of the attacks of 911.   I was sending my grandchildren off to school as I watched in horror the second plane hit the Twin Towers in New York City.  It was apparent then that America was under attack.  A thousand thoughts ran through my head, as I imagine most all of us felt…the poor people in those buildings, their families, where will they strike next, who is doing this and why? 

My grandsons were terrified to leave for school.  They asked me if a plane would hit their school.  I assured them it was safe to walk the two blocks to school and that they’d be safe there.   They relunctantly left for school with total fear on their little faces.  I called their school and spoke with the principal who wasn’t aware of the tragedy.  She promised to speak with all the children and attempt to calm them.  And then I realized that never will Americans be safe from this awful devastation again.  Anywhere. This is America...this can’t happen here.  But it did and the threat continues.

Like most of us, I was glued to the television, in tears…watching one horrible sight after another.  It was announced another airliner attacked the Pentagon and then reports of yet another plane that was headed for Washington D.C.  Reconsidering their safety, I sent my son to bring his kids home from school.   Selfishly, I suppose, I wanted my whole family around me.  It was my youngest son’s 30th birthday.  We had no celebration.  We huddled together all day and evening, our hearts so full of pain for the people in the burning Towers and all of New York City.

The little joy that could be salvaged after the crumbling of the Towers were the reports of the brave rescue efforts by the New York firefighters, police officers and ordinary citizens....Americans…that rushed to the scene to search for survivors.  They made us all so proud!  They made us proud to be Americans, to know that when tragedy  befalls America it affects us all and we all respond regardless of who or where it strikes.

We probably all experienced the same emotions that horrible day…shock, disbelief, fear, pain, helplessness and anger.   I had lots of anger.  I was angry that this could happen in America, angry at those that perpetrated the devastation and angry at those that didn’t love America the way I do. 

Yet, it’s for the same reason that we love this great country, freedom, that made it possible for the terrorists to accomplish their cowardly attack.   America will never be the same.  We have been changed forever by the images of the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the airliner crash - the foiled attack....stopped by even more courageous Americans.   

But we are stronger now, as a nation.  We have been forced to realize that we have irrational, vengeful enemies and we are more alert.  And we remember….we remember the innocent victims of those horrendous attacks and we won’t forget 9-11-01 or the spirit of the brave, selfless heroes that responded to this national tragedy.



Please share your own thoughts and remembrances of September 11, 2001. 

[Jims]

I remember that day as if it were yesterday. The fear and uncertainty. The anger and outrage. The horror.

I wanted to have all of my children at my side. I wanted to run, to flee. But to where? I had the feeling that nowhere was safe. I believed that the planes in the morning were just the beginning and that a bigger attack was in the works.

When you think about it, a bigger attack WAS in the works. All of our lives have changed drastically. We may now walk more confidently then we did during the months following 9/11. Some of the horror has gone from the forefront of our minds. But our lives have changed. We realize that we are as vulnerable as any country to attacks from any radical source who intends to hurt or kill our citizens. And actually, why should we ever have felt that we were immune to such attacks? For a long time, Americans felt invincible. After all, we have the most efficient and highly trained military in the world. How quickly we found out that having a military "best trained" in traditional warfare doesn't cut it against fanatic terrorist factions who have no ethics, no fear of death.

I don't feel safe to this day. I don't. I don't dwell on the possibilities. I just understand that I, my family, my collective American family, can at any time become the victim of a suicide bomber, a dirty bomb, a fullscale chemical attack against us. And then I go on with my day-to-day life.

After 9/11, the country came together in an unprecedented way. We were united in a cause. We were united in our grief. We were united in our gratitude to those selfless heroes who lost their lives trying to help the victims in the burning buildings. It is a shame that our leadership could not sustain that spirit of unity rather than driving our country into unprecedented polarization.

[EMERALD]

Over here in the UK it was in the afternoon and Mum and I were settling down to watch a sceduled movie when the news came in about the twin towers. It was just as shocking, just as unbelievable to us here.  To see America virtually brought to its knees was shocking indeed.  We watched as it unfolded and knew that the whole world would never be the same after that.  Yes, it seems like yesterday, It is still in our minds, and on behalf of my countrymen, we salute your emergency sevices for all they did that awful day. I wish us British were as proud of our country as the majority of you seem to be of yours. #&*(

[Dazzler]

Emerald - Americans are indeed proud of your country, too.   Whenever the going gets tough it's always our friends in England who stand at our side.  Americans are always grateful for your country's support.

[Dazzler]

                                                                     



                          2,749 lives were lost in this tragedy.

[Kamama]

This tragedy will always be one as being it was yesterday that it happened. I'll never forget the time and day, where I was at, watching the news on TV in a store and couldn't believe it, it was as if I was watching a terrible movie, my mind not being able to get this was reality. And not only for me, but for all the people in my country. It was the talk of the day, the talk of the week, getting confronted with the news about it on TV, in the newspapers over and over again.  We have all grieved with your country and will remember this day forever.  Maybe some of the ipt members will have lost  a loved or known one. In thoughts i'll be with all. To me it has been a shock, though I realize it must have been for you, living in America, even much more than a shock. May one day the World live in Peace.

[jewels]

Most of the World will remember this day. It was the day everything changed forever. Over here we are 'used' to dealing with bombings and terrorist attacks, but nothing on the scale your country encountered that day. I was busy in the kitchen at the time and my son called from France, telling me to put the tv on as there was something I should see. I argued I was busy, but he insisted. I remember I said to him,"Is this the latest film you are interested in?" Then the second tower got hit and I realized this was for real. It was on all the stations and dominated all the news and programmes for weeks. Now every year they bring out a few new programmes to do with it and I find myself drawn to watching them.Really there are NO words to describe this horrific attack on your country and people. Both the twin towers and those who lost their life in the Pentagon.

 Today is an awards day over here and I believe some awards have gone to some of your firemen.

[dancer]

I remember driving to our Tuesday staff meeting and hearing "second tower hit" on the radio.  I thought at first it was a "war of the worlds" type  program.  I didn't believe it at first.  My TV was in the kitchen because I was having my floors refinished.  I didn't have anyone to help me move the furniture back for awhile so I  missed seeing all the awful news on TV.  You wonder if more of those fireman could have been saved,  if there was any benefit into them entering the towers.  So many little children left without fathers! 
When I heard that the Pentagon was hit and another plane hijacked I thought maybe it would be all over the US that was being attacked

[Forevermah]

Has it been five years already since that horrible day when it seems our lives stood still? How could time have passed so quickly?  On that fatal morning my fears of what was happening to those hundreds of people who could not get get out of the centers and the agony all those families involved must be going through and what might be yet to come, who else was going to be hit and on and on,it just filled me with sadness as I sat switching from channel to channel, trying to get the latest updates. Then the Pentagon and the plane in Pennsylvania.   I also wondered, as I watched the footage of that horrible day, if we would ever be able to keep our flight  that month, to go to the East Coast to be with my oldest daughter for the birth of our first grandchild. The fear of something happening to stop that was paralyzing.  And to think all that were lost in this tragedy that will never be able to enjoy their children, grandchildren family... So so sad!

Will anyone of us ever forget where we were that fatal day and how it changed so many of our lives, I think not.   Everyone has a story, but those stories are not finished in the telling. Is your story one of fear, anger, hatred or have you moved on.  One thing I would have hoped is that the unity we all felt from this nation on 9/11 and the days to follow would have, could have endured.   I guess that was just too much to ask.

[DGsluv4ever]

 

I remember the day, sitting in my Chemistry class, an anouncement came over the PA to stay in the class you were in.  Next thing we knew TV's were being brought to everyroom.  Teachers, students, and other employees had no idea at first.  As we sat and waited for directions.  Then over the PA they told  us to tune into the news station.  And then we saw the second plane hit.  SHOCK, pure shock, confussion.  Then the other 2 planes.  Being only a sophomore in high school, we didn't understand much about why.  Over the next few weeks history and government classes attempted to explain who and why, still as young people we couldn't truely grasp the concepts.  Why would people want to die just to kill others?  Did they really think that would get them into heaven and if so, was it really a place we wanted to be?  What kind of government who ok these cowrdly acts?  These are a few of the questios we were asking, never to recieve answers. 

We had been offered at the start of the year a chance to go to Washington DC.  About 12 of us had signed up and paid.  Then 911 happened.  We talked over and over about if we should go.  We finally decided even though we couldn't tour the white house we should go.  The most powerful sight we saw was not the White House, not the president himself, not the capital building but rather the pentagon.  Still covered in tarps and flanked with scapholding.  They were still in the processing of repairing it.  And just being close to it, seeing where people died because they went to work to support their families, was numbing. It brought back all the sight from that morning/afternoon/day.

Slowly, America has went back to normal.  Well, ok so now it takes FORever at the airport and you have to jump through hoops for them.  But in reality not much had changed in the way we live our day to day lives.  As quickly as American united, we have fallen away.  Now, I am not saying we are not untied but not nearly like we were in the year following 911.  There were flags everywhere (cars, buses, building, houses, if you could put a flag on it most did) and yet today most of them have been removed. 

We have not forgetten 911 and never will, just like the spaceship crashing, elvis dying, and other defining moments in history.  But we have let it slip to the back of MOST of our minds.  MAybe thats how we cope and move on. 

 

[jewels]

I came across this article in a news magazine I have. It is entitled, Still dying, five years on: the fogotten victims of 9/11   

The 9/11 attacks may have taken place five years ago, but in and around New York, people are still dying as a result of them, These "forgotten" victims are among the 40,000 people - construction workers, fire-fighters and rescue volunteers - who helped clean up Ground Zero in the hours, days and weeks after the Twin towers collapsed. According to a report published last week, almost 70% of them suffered some form of lung damage as a result of
inhaling microscopic particles of asbestos, glass and other carcinogens at the site and at a landfill site where a million tonnes of debris ended up. The worker claim they were told that the dust was not harmfull. Such was the desparation to reopen Wall Street for business, they say, that they were not issued with the appropriate equipment. Five years on, many are still suffering from serious respiratory problems, persistent coughs and other complaints, from which they have been told they will never fully recover: others have died of cancer or are dying. "There is going to be a new generation of 9/11 widows" said lawyer Marc Bern" more than those created by the original attacks"

[Schrader42]

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Like many of you, my thoughts today are with the victims and their families, who still deal with the aftermath of the day that shook our nation.

However you choose to recall these events, I hope you’ll join me in reflecting on the liberties we enjoy and the sacrifices of those whose memories we honor.

 

[Dazzler]

It's been eight years since the attacks of 911.  This day is unforgettable for all of us.  I've been watching the 'live' broadcasts from that day on news shows this morning and it's just as horrific today as it was that day.  Like all national tragedies we all remember where we were and what we were doing at the moment the news broke. 

The events of that day have changed all our lives forever. 

Please take a few moments today to honor those that lost their lives that day.  The brave policemen and firefighters that put their own personal safety aside to respond are true American heroes.

[Favored23]

 

Never Ever!!!!  It was too close for comfort for my sister in law and the family.  The office the plane hit in NYC is the sister office to where she works here in downtown Chicago.  I will never forget the call from her 8 years ago. 

Everyday let's count our blessings!

[me]

 


 

[KSwife]

 

God Bless all the families who lost a loved one and all our heroes who responded to assist at these horrendous sites.

[codyandbecca]

    I wanted to post something to remind us to pray for the families of those that were lost in the 9/11 attacks. My prayers go out to them and I want to remember our fallen heros. Thanks to each and everyone that serves our country for our freedom. I am eternally grateful.

[cgs51]

 

9/11 is for this generation what the day President Kennedy was shot was for my generation and what Pearl Harbor was for the generation before mine

Forget?  No they never will, we never have, and our parents/grandparents won't forget either.  Each generation seems to have its own 9/11 but I pray my grandson never sees one.  Just as I pray for those that were lost that day and the loved ones that lost them.

 

[JDsMom]

  I remember watching tv , and when I seen that first plane hit, it was just surreal....seemed like a "movie".......then the second plane hit, and I knew we were under attack.    :wc23:I still to this day get chills when they replay the video from that day, it just doesnt seem real. But, they didnt bring us down, they only empowered us more. We will always stand together when our country is being attacked, we will not lie down for any terrorist thugs  GOD BLESS THE USA 

[jlnjy]

I remember 9/11 - distinctively. I had been in a car accident a few weeks before in which I had to be pulled out of the car - nothing broken, and the night of 9/10 I'd had a horrible night of barely any sleep crying my eyes out over a relationship that was over and it hurt me so much. (we had the marriage license but didn't get married) Anyway, things like that seem so small in comparison to a real tragedy.

The morning of 9/11 I didn't turn on the television. I barely got my daughter up and out to school and then got myself ready to walk to the bus. I had to catch several transfers. At one of the stops I had to wait a while before the next bus came and a woman approached me with her I love Jesus shirt on, bible in hand, talking about the end is near - Jesus is coming. I was not in the mood for all of that. I didn't know she was referencing the terrorist attacks. I got to my first class - the campus seemed to be buzzing, but I had a test in my class, I wasn't too concerned with others. My first class came and went - no mention about anything. I happened to walk through the cafeteria before going to another building where my next class was and the lounge area was packed full of students, faculty, and staff - completely quiet and huddled around the television. I couldn't believe my eyes - what was going on? It was so crowded, I couldn't see much of anything. I got to the next building and used the courtesy phone to call my mom - she tried explaining it to me and I seriously couldn't wrap my mind around it. I didn't go to my next class - I went into the auditorium in this building where the theater screen tv was and was shocked, glued to the news, crying my eyes out.

I worried about my daughter at school - I wondered if she has learned about this - how this information is being delivered. I didn't go to any of the rest of my classes that day, I wanted to get home, I wanted to talk to everyone I knew at that time. (well minus my ex - I wasn't interested in talking to him)

I think my daughter was the same age, maybe a few years older than I was when the big news was that Iran had taken Americans hostage.

My thoughts and prayers have remained with the victims, their families and other loved ones. I'm so proud of the way Americans came together to support one another after this tragedy. I visit many tribute web pages throughout the year.
 

[Amarie]

 





 

My heart goes out for all the families who lost someone. I was proud to be an American when I saw all the brave, selfless actions of the police, firemen and everyday people who aided in this traggedy.