121 replies to this topic

[whtwlf]

Adridos, on 11 September 2012 - 07:12 AM, said:

Military... while I have respect for all soldiers fighting for their country, in the basic of principles, they are the ones doing the same to someone else, killing their relatives, who will get to know about it in horror just as they did 11 years back.

Soldiers killing other soldiers in a war is absolutely nothing like zealots killing innocent civilians intentionally. It would be much appreciated if you stopped drawing such offensive comparisons to the men and women that defend my country and its people.

As for me? I was in middle school walking to the gym. Some students started throwing the word "kamakazi" around and saying we had been attacked. When I got to the weight room, rumors were spreading like wildfire. The radio broadcasts were all we had and listening was surreal.

I called my mom and told her I wasn't feeling well. She drove out about an hour to pick me up. It wasn't until I got home and turned the news on that I realized just how horrifying the attacks were. I watched in a state of shock, the hours blurring together as the footage replayed and the media speculated. I kept asking myself how many people would our nameless enemy kill next.

I still get goose bumps hearing about all these stories of where people where and especially those that knew people inside. It was a tragedy that I doubt will soon be forgotten.

Edited by whtwlf, 11 September 2012 - 01:11 PM.

[twistedcop]

I was living on Staten Island at the time watching the morning news waiting for my campus police academy to start in one week....once it did I rode the bus by ground zero every morning watching the efforts going on. That day my wife lost her Aunt Fran in the south tower I lost my first commanding officer Capt Jack Punches (USN Ret) in the Pentagon and 403 brothers and sisters in the emergency response field I attened close to 50 funerals in the coming months even to this day I shed a tear at the losses.

[z369]

Walking into work at the Museum of Natural History on the Upper West side of Manhatten. Saw the news online (The internet crawled, and I barely got CNN, with a picture of the second plane.)

Saw black helicopters heading down the Hudson from the roof of the Planterarium. Just before all the the employees were told to go home, we heard about the Pentagon hit, and it became clear. We were under attack, and I thought they must be targeting somewhere lese in Washington...little did we know about the 4th plane in PA.
Made it back home going over the 59th Street bridge, looking downtown and seeing the ash, and smoke of the fallen towers. People just walking home, everyone looked dazed, sad, anxious.

[GargoyleKDR]

I was in my office listening to the morning talk radio when the first "breaking news" bulletin was aired. After a minute of listening I went to the lunch room on the other side of the building. It has a TV. There were already a few of the other early morning folks gathered watching the news as it happened. Together we watched the second plane hit.

Shortly afterwards a plant wide announcement went out that all non-essential personnel were being sent home. You see, I work at what is classified as a "strategic target of national importance". We stepped up the plant security, and everyone except the plant operators were pushed out the gates.

Once I got home I spent the rest of the day watching the news coverage. I could hear the military jets overhead as they patrolled the region (I'm in the Pacific Northwest near the border with Canada). The following days were spent checking on friends that I had in the areas of the attacks. They were fortunate. Sadly, not everyone was that lucky.

The memories of that day still bring strong emotions to me. I feel sorrow for the loss of the innocent, admiration for the responders, and an anger at the radicals that use terrorism as weapon. That day unified the country like no other event in recent years. Together we remember and we mourn.

[Zapper9]

I was on a plane flying from Detroit to St. Louis. Fortunately I had already landed and was checking into a hotel for an IT conference. Conference was cancelled so I rented a car and drove back to Michigan. I remember how clear the skies were that morning, but it was surreal because there was not one aircraft or contrail to be seen. On my way out of town I drove by DFW and saw the planes on the tarmac nose to tail filling the airport. It was a long drive home.

[Jmb]

Was nearly 18 back then, just a couple weeks before my birthday. I was in my car when I first heard on the radio, and I believe what I was feeling was disbelief. I didn't understand what was going on as the radio didn't say how big of plane had hit the tower. I thought at first it was just some ***** in a small plane showing off that flew into the tower. Never thought it was a 747 till I got to school, my first period was a free one, and saw it on the television in the band hall. And then I saw the second plane hit the other tower. I think my brain was effectively numb at that time.
Then I had remembered something that terrified me: My mom, step-dad, and older brother were leaving on a plane that day and I had no idea if they were alright or not. Unlike many teens, I didn't live for my cell so I had left it in the car. Fortunately, for myself and family anyway, all flights were grounded after that happened to try to figure out what was happening.
Still a tragedy, but I have to give a salute to those that went in, whether civilian or emergency responders, to get others out. I know many didn't come out, but that has to be the bravest thing ever.
I have to admit I was kinda ticked when co-workers of the fallen police, firefighters, and any other such personal were banned from going to the dedication of the 9/11 Memorial. I wasn't expecting all to show, but a small number from each precinct, mainly those that worked with the fallen. Frankly, they had more right to be there than any of the dozens of politicians there for a photo op, and trying to get good press for themselves.

[BlueDog]

I was at work at the GW US factory that was then located at Glen Burnie, MD outside Baltimore, in the mold shop, making molds for WH, WH40K, and all the other GW games. It started out like any other day, we were getting molds pressed and cut for the casters, I was sipping coffee, and we had the radio tuned in to 98 Rock, as usual.

Then one of the DJs broke in and said that a passenger plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. I remember thinking, or rather hoping, that it was a mechanical failure or some freak accident, but a suspicion in the back of my mind told me it was something else. The news of the second plane a short time later confirmed it, the **** had hit the fan and we were going to war.

We kept working throughout the day, though production was far below normal. Some of our people had spouses and family members working in the DC/Northern Virginia/Pentagon area. They left early to make sure their loved ones were ok. The radios throughout the factory kept bringing the news of the towers falling, the attack on the Pentagon, and the lone plane that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, as well as wild, unconfirmed reports of planes crashing into the Capitol and other locations in DC and NYC.

I remember it was a very strange day, because when I'd step outside for a smoke break, the weather was so perfectly calm and serene, a cool breeze in the air, not a plane in the sky (because they had all been grounded). Then I'd walk back inside to the chaos on the radios.

[Hardin4188]

I was in class in the 8th grade. A teacher from another classroom came in and told us what happened then we went in watched in the weight room because it had cable. When I got home I remember playing Diablo 2 and just sitting in the battle.net lobby and just reading everything that people were typing. Before that day I never really watched the news, but since then my default channel is a 24 hour news channel.

Everyone at school was silent, I don't even remember the rest of that day until coming back home.

Edited by Hardin4188, 11 September 2012 - 02:17 PM.

[Grumm Esverian]

I was at work at a local factory that refurbishes freight-car wheel bearings. Part of the way through the shift someone came in shouting that we were under attack, that there were dozens of planes being used for suicide attacks... a lot of other such stuff. We were all told to go home, that we were shutting down for the day.

I listened to the news all the way home and spent the rest of the day glued to the tv, flipping back and forth between the news channels. I remember not even eating until later that night, not even realizing that so much time had passed. Funnily though, I can remember just about everything else about that day leading up to the attack; what I was wearing, what I had for breakfast, even that I had broken my alarm that morning because it went off half an hour earlier than it was set for.

Edited by Grumm Esverian, 11 September 2012 - 02:34 PM.

[Wocka Flocka]

I was in my 5th grade class. Mrs. Marks, our principal, ordered all classes to turn on the news. Everyone in our elementary school watched as the second plane hit the second tower. No one really understood what was happening or what it meant until a girl in my class started crying because her father was in one of the towers. We were all sent home soon after.
Never forget and never forgive.

Edit: All of these people going on and on about the ridiculous conspiracy theories have obviously not bothered researching their claims. Controlled Implosions look very different from what happened that day. I despise each and every one of you petty, disgusting people.

Edited by Wocka Flocka, 11 September 2012 - 02:54 PM.

[Myg]

Once you guys grow up, you will realise that letting go and forgiving are the only ways to truely be happy and enjoy whats left of your life.

[James296]

Just entered my homeroom in middle school when a follow classmate rushed in, saying a plane had just hit one of the World Trade Towers. Needless to say, every TV and Radio in the school was turned to some sort of News channel that day. No classroom work was done, hardly any homework was given out, and almost every room was pin-drop silent except the Tv and/or radio. it was a somber day for sure

[Fobok]

I was in class. That was my last year of college and I just had one class left to take, (a term-paper credit I'd failed the previous year... I've always sucked at essays). I left class and heard people in the hall talking about the US being under attack, and aircraft being grounded, and I honestly thought they were talking about some new TV show that I'd missed. Then I caught the taxi home and the driver told me about what was happening. I got home and turned on the TV just in time to see the north tower collapse.

I usually have a terrible memory, but that morning I still remember perfectly clearly.

[latdheretic]

I was commuting to my job as Electronics Department Manger at a Wal-Mart. On the way there I was listening to NPR, when it happened I heard about it there right away. Once I got into work, I turned on one of the TV's and tuned it to a local channel. I did that in time for the first building to collapse. Everybody just started congregating to the TV in shock. Then me and the store manager went up to the roof and set up an antenna and put it though to all the TV's, and left it there for most of the day.

The world learned a somber lesson about the extremes of the good and evil that humans are capable of that day.

[Mechwarrior Buddah]

Thx for cleaning up the thread vitterbi
Id greatly appreciate it if we could keep to the topic and not troll the tropic.

Edited by Mechwarrior Buddah, 11 September 2012 - 05:22 PM.

[Mechwarrior Buddah]

Evinthal, on 11 September 2012 - 11:19 AM, said:

Also Tyrone Dunkrik and DCM Zeus can we cut the unnecessary flaming and belittling of each other? Both of you have your own opinions but when you start attacking each other, in a thread dedicated to a sensitive subject such as this is, you derail it and deserve to be reported. Knock it off.

I appreciate the help Evinthal

[Mechwarrior Buddah]

Ahchi, on 11 September 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

I was at home watching the BBC news when the 2nd plane hit.

Kept thinking i was missing something, when the first tower started to pancake i remembered.
Was sick in the stomach.

( Ex sapper, 13 years Royal Engineers, 2 tours in 33 (EOD) Regt.
When part of 39 Sqn one of lads droped a reinforced concrete bridge by using a MK 7 AT mine.
The mine shatted the concrete in the bridge trust but did not cut the reinforcing bars,
Without the concrete to keep them stiff the bars bent under the weight of the road deck
and the bridge collapsed into the gap)

And imo it was miraculous (not strangely so, divinely so) that the towers DID fall straight down and DIDNT fall over and do even MORE horrifying damage

[Lord Baldric]

That morning I was out on the Long Island expressway heading toward queens to deliver some lighting equipment for the company i worked for (light and audio rental place). Traffic is rather backed up as is to be expected at that hour. Spot some smoke over the tops of the buildings but at my location couldn't see the NYC skyline just yet. Distance being hard to judge in that situation i just assumed as I am sure many people did it was an apartment fire or something similar.

I didn't listen to the news or the radio for that matter as I did deliveries. Always had my MD player with me for various audio reasons so usually had that running in the van. I suddenly get a call from the office saying to turn around and head back to the shop as the delivery was cancelled due to an accident at the towers. It was simply explained as a plane crash. I assumed some weekend pilot was out in a Sand Piper or something, got drunk or lost control and killed a load of people. I get back to the warehouse ab out 20 minutes later and everyone is glued to the TV.

At this point i find out it was a jumbo jet that hit the tower. As we are watching the live feed we see the second plane streak in and hit the other tower. It was like i was watching a bad movie within a bad movie. Didn't know what to think. Everything was more or less a blur after that. We closed up shop for the day. I sat at home cut off from friends and family outside of Long Island (many of which thought i might be dead as i worked in and around that area often enough) and having a friend who had apartment a block away from there and not being able to find out what happened (fortunately he was at school many miles away and his after was at work across town).

Shortly thereafter many close friends and family, many of which were Fire fighters or medical staff of some form hopped in their cars or on the trains that were still running and headed to Manhattan to see what assistance they could offer.

Certainly one of the more surreal moments of my existence. If it had simply been the day before i would have been 4 blocks away setting up lights and sound for a party.

[MDS Geist]

As CoFounder of the Unit known only as the MDS I an many of the unit were in the middle of a meeting about upcoming Mech4 battles when the news hit an we all stopped our discussion for the day. Following weeks we al learned of a few well known friends who had lost here lives trying to get other people out.

NEVER FORGOTEN

9-11-2001

[Typhon27]

I was at work on 7th Avenue & 40th street in Manhattan. Could see the burning towers from our offices. Eventually they sent everyone home. Was trying to get to Staten Island so I took a subway as far downtown as I could figuring I would try to walk the rest of the way to South Ferry. Found a bus going to Staten Island. It wasn't mine but it didn't matter. As the driver tried to find his way through the side streets of Brooklyn, it was very surreal to look back and see lower Manhattan enveloped in a massive cloud of smoke and ash. It felt like I was part of a retreating army. Once there, a train and another bus finally got me home. Tragic so many others could not say the same.