I'll never forget where I was when I heard about 9 11. Just like I'll never forget when JFK was assassinated, or MLK, or Bobby Kennedy, or when the Challenger exploded or Columbia disintegrated, or . . .
National tragedies are seared into our consciousness by mass media.
Yes, I remember 9/11 vividly. I was in the classroom. I was listening to streaming radio when the first tower was hit. The news came across and my brain couldn't figure out if it was a sick joke or if it was real.
ReplyDeleteI went to find a television for more news, and video of it was already being aired. One attack after another, just as you absorbed the one previous. My mind began to race. I fought the urge to go get my own children from their schools and keep them close and safe.
The thought continuously ran through my mind that Chicago or Milwaukee could be next as the target. It was frightening not knowing how much more was planned and what was already in action.
Kids were upset and crying. Everyone was on edge. We had to go into "adult mode" and calm the students under our control while inside, we questioned what was next.
Our country came together. There were those who acted like heroes. There were those who lost their lives doing just that....
Now we have a foolish rebel who wants to burn Korans. One man and his followers wants to incite those who act without regard for human lives. One small sector wants to begin a war that would have serious repercussions for all of us.
I was on my way to work ( I worked as a cleaner at a hair salon at the time) I walked past an athletic store that had a big screen TV right outside that usually shows the latest sporting event.( My MIL was traveling back to the US on a plane at that very moment) and I noticed a crowd outside the store. I looked at a picture of a burning building (or at least heavily smoking) took me awhile to actually get a story and all I heard was a plane crashed into a building. I of course started to freak out because my MIL was on a plane (a United flight) and I wanted to know all about the flight. I didn't have the time to stay and find out anything, had to get to work. I didn't find anything out until I was at the train station on my way home.
ReplyDeleteMy MIL was stopped in Canada, they locked down the borders and couldn't get home for quite some time.
It was a very scary time.
I was amazed on how the world mourned. I was standing in the middle of a pretty busy town and at 1p.m. I think it was they had the 3 minute silence. Everything shut down, no one moved, people were crying and this was in Sweden. Seems like there was such unity at that point.. but like that unity has dissipated. Seems like there is such hatred toward our fellow man. It's a shame we didn't learn more.
I was in our home in Sturtevant, getting this set to leave for Florida on the 15th...I was watching GMA and they broke into to show the picture of the first plane and the second plane was coming on the screen...Charlie Gibson said something like, 'boy, that plane is awfully close considering what just happened,' and the second plane hit and the screen went momentarily black. Then Peter Jennings came on...
ReplyDeleteMy stomach dropped...I thought for sure it was the end of the world...
We left for our Florida home on the 15th at about 4:30 in the morning...I wanted to get past Chicago before day-break...that trip was very scary for me until I cleared Atlanta...then I began to relax.
No, we can never forget where we were when the towers were hit and it was such a beautiful fall day...crystal clear skies....
We will always remember.....there is no way one could forget.
A friend and I drove to Chicago that day because he had a medical appointment there in the afternoon. We intended to visit a museum first. When we got there, the police waved us off and said everything was closing. The Loop was being evacuated. They said that a "bomb" had gone off in the WTC. It was eerie to see the mass exodus of workers and shoppers from the Loop.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got home that evening, I kept watching video clips of the towers being hit, burning, and collapsing. Over and over. Then, suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. I turned off the TV. I will not forget it.
I was walking down the aisle in the shop, and someone commented that they heard a plane hit one of the twin towers. I heard them, but figured It was probably a small plane gone astray. I got back in my office, and looked on Yahoo, and saw what happened and nearly had a heart attack. Being honest I didn't do a darn thing the rest of the day. At noon I went to the Catholic church in town, where an older gentleman was painting the railing and continued In to pray alone. When I left I commented to the painter that "the world has gone crazy" he didn't respond. I went to the nearest bar, and had two glasses of Vodka to calm my nerves. I honestly thought tens of thousands of people were killed, and had a hard time coping with It.
ReplyDeleteI was headed for the airport. It was probably the most gorgeous day for flying I had seen in a long time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got to the Batten terminal, they had the TV on and one of the guys said "A plane just hit the world trade center." I thought it was a small Cessna or Piper, the kind I fly. Then I saw the pictures. It was unbelievable. I watch for a while then was ready to head over to my plane. The manager came out of his office and said "You're not flying anywhere. The entire U.S. airspace is closed." Shortly after that, a few private and business planes that couldn't make their destinations started landing in Racine. The only thing I thought of was "We're going to war." And as a discharged reservist, the thought of getting called back was becoming reality. But the eeriest thing I can remember was the deafening silence of the sky. Living near Mitchell airport and normally hearing jets take off and land all day and evening, I looked up into a crystal blue sky for the next few day and heard nothing.
I was at work when this happened. I was in the scheduling office to pick up some paperwork when I overheard this on the radio. The first plane had struck the tower. My first thought was some plane gone array. The last thing on my mind was terrorism till after the second plane hit.
ReplyDeleteBecause of limited access to the outside world, rumors began to spread like wildfire of attacks all over the country. I was getting scared-not knowing what was really going on out there. It wasn't till I got home I saw what happened on TV. I was horrified!
I was at work. The company put a TV in the cafeteria for everyone to watch.
ReplyDeleteI left and went to a bar so I could watch what was happening. I remember distinctly with the towers started to collapse. If there is any good with the bad at least they went straight down and not topple over.
It was horrible watching people jump out windows; later in the day they block the people so you could not see how many there really was jumping.
That is a problem with the media, they want to “filter” everything verses let the people know the whole truth!! Bastards..........
I don't know, SER. I felt like the media were ghouls. Like orbs, I had to turn off the television for at least a week. I couldn't take the hour after hour repetition of it.
ReplyDeleteA few weeks or so after this occurred, I had to take a writing essay test. The topic was 9/11 and how it affected me. I felt the topic was totally inappropriate. It was still so raw, I could actually feel the lump in my throat.
It is amazing to read the comments here, now. Not too many people could even vocalize or sort out their thoughts when this happened. We all knew it was bad... and we knew we would be forever changed by it.
I was at home getting ready for work when they broke into the Today Show.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe it. Called my sister to tell her to turn on the tv. I think my exact words were "we are under attack".
Yesterday I turned on MSNBC while I was getting ready and instead of regular programming, they played the actual Today Show from the morning of the attacks. It's amazing how all the memories and emotions all came flooding back. Just as scary and sad as it was that day.
If you ever want to see a depiction of that day in a different perspective, CBS put out a 9-11 DVD. Two brothers were doing a documentary on the New York firefighters and instead it turned into a stark film of what they encountered that day. Truly an amazing DVD.
I've seen that documentary Mary, It was very well done and very emotional. Yesterday they were playing a documentary about the phone calls made on that day. I couldn't watch it. Even this long after I still get very emotional, such hopeless feelings.. The pictures of people jumping out of the building was way too much for me to handle.
ReplyDeleteI believe we watched some of that show Why Not on the History Channel. I (thankfully) got a call from a friend so I quit watching. It was heart wrenching. Especially the amateur video of the jumpers and the reactions of the people filming it. Sometimes you just have to walk away from it.
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