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9/11/01 - Your Stories

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  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    I was in school. I was in the forth grade. Every TV was on and everyone was watching with their eyes glued to the tv. I didn't quite know what to make of it at the time I was only 10 at the time. I remember in 10th grade we had to rewatch all the footage again, I was sick to my stomach.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    Why'd you have to rewatch it? That seems weird to me.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    PropertyOfALady wrote: »
    Why'd you have to rewatch it? That seems weird to me.

    We were covering as a topic in history class that term.
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,526
    I was working that afternoon here in the UK at a Cinema in the midlands. I can remember it as clear now as I did then. The world changed forever that day.
  • JakeDisseltJakeDisselt
    Posts: 64
    I was ten years old and in elementary school here in the Bronx. I remember that our parents were coming into our class and taking us each home one by one. Just before lunch our teacher pulled the class to the side and told us that the nation was under attack and that the World Trade Center had been destroyed. When my mother picked me up she drove me home and where we live in the Bronx there was this view of the Manhattan skyline that we always had driving into the street and I remembered seeing just a big black cloud of smoking covering the whole island. A couple of the kids in my class lost parents that day.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    edited September 2018 Posts: 3,675
    Oh, my. I didn't expect anyone who actually lives near there to post here. I'm sorry for you.
  • JakeDisseltJakeDisselt
    Posts: 64
    PropertyOfALady wrote: »
    Oh, my. I didn't expect anyone who actually lives near there to post here. I'm sorry for you.

    Thank you. I actually am quite pleasantly surprised to find a website that shares my appreciation of my favorite spy but will also take the time to talk about serious topics.
  • patbpatb
    Posts: 4,615
    I was in the UK working in an office and my boss asked me to find a TV. I hooked up an old portable in a meeting room and the two of us just watched in silence for about an hour or so. She was on the verge of tears but did not want to be seen crying in the office.

  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    We all know it is the anniversary of this horrible,disgusting event tomorrow.
    Is the US having a minutes silence or anything,apart from the lights tomorrow night ?

  • BondStuBondStu Moonraker 6
    Posts: 373
    I was in my early twenties. I had a job at a petrol station. A customer told me a plane had crashed into one of the towers in New York. It didn't really register, I just thought it was like a small plane or something.
    Anyway I'm walking home after my shift and my then girlfriend phoned me. She was saying how World War 3 had just started and stuff. She wasn't making any sense, I was tired and I just wanted to get home. So I ended the phone call and told her I'd call her when I got in.
    Then a friend of mine text me with "Are you watching the news?"
    At this point I thought "Something bad is happening".
    When I got home my Dad was watching TV in the kitchen and I asked him what was going on. Then he and I both watched live as the second plane hit the second tower.
    Dad then brought me up to speed on what had been happening...
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,179
    I was a student, a mere nineteen years old. I had just watched an action movie on video that afternoon. When I took the tape out, the television auto-switched to regular television channels. First thing I saw was a building on fire. At first, I thought that there was simply another action film on. Then I noticed that this was serious. Not recognising the WTC, I figured the news must be coming from one of "those" countries at war, far away. Then, suddenly, it dawned on me. This was America.

    They were using words like "attacks", "terrorists", "dead people", ...

    Even here, on the other side of the Pond, we got scared. Someone had dared to upset our perfect Western status-quo. But surely we were untouchable, invulnerable to such barbarism! Then we got angry. This is an outrage! America must strike back! Should be easy enough: expose a few hideous criminals to the world's grandest army! Ha! How they would suffer, how they would weep and wish they hadn't done this!

    I was naive. I had so much to learn about terrorism. It took me a while before I could sleep well again at night. But the images remain locked up in my mind. Forever will I see those burning towers.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    edited September 2019 Posts: 3,675
    barryt007 wrote: »
    We all know it is the anniversary of this horrible,disgusting event tomorrow.
    Is the US having a minutes silence or anything,apart from the lights tomorrow night ?

    I'm sure they are going to. Probably one at each minute the planes hit, if I remember right from past years. There's a new TV special about what went on during the day for President Bush and Air Force One that looks pretty good.



    For those of you wondering, here's how the news unfolded on NBC's Today Show, which I mentioned a few posts back:

  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    Don't forget fellow UK members,there is a 2 minutes silence at 11am today !!
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,179
    Want to read something scary?

    I teach youngsters who weren't even born when 9/11 happened. They have seen the footage, for course, and they have learned about it in school, but they cannot fathom a world before 9/11. I guess it makes sense. 9/11 is to them what Munich is to me.

    But these kids are almost adults. That's how long it's been. And yet the wounds still feel like they were carved yesterday...
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    Amazing isn't it ?
    18 years ago,i was 31 years old -seems like yesterday.

    So horrible...bastards.
  • barryt007barryt007
    edited September 2019 Posts: 19,339
    Well that's the 2 minutes silence done.

    Shame only me and one other person in the office bothered.
    Doesn't surprise me though nowadays with these scumbags.

    RIP all who died (not the terrorist cowards) on that awful day,i hope you are all in a happier place.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,179
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Well that's the 2 minutes silence done.

    Shame only me and one other person in the office bothered.
    Doesn't surprise me though nowadays with these scumbags.

    RIP all who died (not the terrorist cowards) on that awful day,i hope you are all in a happier place.

    That's just sad. What about the other wankers? Me--Me--Me? It didn't happen to me so leave me alone? At least you were the better man this morning, Barry.
  • Risico007Risico007
    Posts: 9,846
    I was a kid when it happened a sophomore I. High school and while my thoughts on the day are I presume like a lot of others my story is not

    Three things stand out in my mind

    1. I thought it was the end times
    2. I remember comforting a crush I had Erica Cywar nothing came of it though
    3. 3. I remember being in my room in the dark because I couldn’t process the destruction anymore I just I couldn’t

    It still is terrifying how evil the world is and how in however many thousands of millions of years man kind has been on this earth we still haven’t solved where evil comes from and how to stop it
  • barryt007barryt007
    edited September 2019 Posts: 19,339
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Well that's the 2 minutes silence done.

    Shame only me and one other person in the office bothered.
    Doesn't surprise me though nowadays with these scumbags.

    RIP all who died (not the terrorist cowards) on that awful day,i hope you are all in a happier place.

    That's just sad. What about the other wankers? Me--Me--Me? It didn't happen to me so leave me alone? At least you were the better man this morning, Barry.

    That's exactly it DD.
    The mentality and attitude of so so many people now is deplorable.
    It's 2 minutes of your day over something so terrible.
    But this 'mobile phone and headphones' brigade seem to have the upper hand.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,179
    barryt007 wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Well that's the 2 minutes silence done.

    Shame only me and one other person in the office bothered.
    Doesn't surprise me though nowadays with these scumbags.

    RIP all who died (not the terrorist cowards) on that awful day,i hope you are all in a happier place.

    That's just sad. What about the other wankers? Me--Me--Me? It didn't happen to me so leave me alone? At least you were the better man this morning, Barry.

    That's exactly it DD.
    The mentality and attitude of so so many people now is deplorable.
    It's 2 minutes of your day over something so terrible.
    But this 'mobile phone and headphones' brigade seem to have the upper hand.

    Those are people who whatsapp through life, thinking facebook will put food on the table and twitter will educate them. As long as there's enough juice in their mobile, they're invulnerable; as long as they can post opinions about things... and stuff... and such... and whatever... somewhere, the world is a safe place.

    Two minutes. You hit the nail right on the head, @barryt007! Two minutes is the equivalent of a Justin Bieber song. Two minutes is the equivalent of posting pictures of them and their family at McDonalds because, yeah, that's what's the world's been waiting for all along. Two minutes means twenty "likes" because "likes" is today's social "monetary system".

    So why waste two minutes on empathy, regret and catharsis? Why waste two minutes trying to be human and--if it's not too much trouble--humane? Why, Barry? Droning through life, these people are worse than the MeToo's; these are the "Me's".
  • barryt007barryt007
    edited September 2019 Posts: 19,339
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Well that's the 2 minutes silence done.

    Shame only me and one other person in the office bothered.
    Doesn't surprise me though nowadays with these scumbags.

    RIP all who died (not the terrorist cowards) on that awful day,i hope you are all in a happier place.

    That's just sad. What about the other wankers? Me--Me--Me? It didn't happen to me so leave me alone? At least you were the better man this morning, Barry.

    That's exactly it DD.
    The mentality and attitude of so so many people now is deplorable.
    It's 2 minutes of your day over something so terrible.
    But this 'mobile phone and headphones' brigade seem to have the upper hand.

    Those are people who whatsapp through life, thinking facebook will put food on the table and twitter will educate them. As long as there's enough juice in their mobile, they're invulnerable; as long as they can post opinions about things... and stuff... and such... and whatever... somewhere, the world is a safe place.

    Two minutes. You hit the nail right on the head, @barryt007! Two minutes is the equivalent of a Justin Bieber song. Two minutes is the equivalent of posting pictures of them and their family at McDonalds because, yeah, that's what's the world's been waiting for all along. Two minutes means twenty "likes" because "likes" is today's social "monetary system".

    So why waste two minutes on empathy, regret and catharsis? Why waste two minutes trying to be human and--if it's not too much trouble--humane? Why, Barry? Droning through life, these people are worse than the MeToo's; these are the "Me's".

    Spot on DD.

    The same things happen regarding WWI & WW2 events here,nobody gives anything anymore.
    People now think 'Oh that happened ages ago,whats all the fuss about' and then put their stupid headphones back on.

    They don't stop to think of the sacrifices and how close this country was to having its way of life changed forever.

    These men/women/animals gave their lives for the freedom that these arrogant arseholes blatantly abuse.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,162
    I remember waking up that morning early, and immediately turning on the television. I tuned in just after the first tower was hit and was pretty shocked. When the 2nd tower was hit it was pretty overwhelming to see it live on the news.

    I had work that day. A friend of mine owned a used record/ VHS/DVD shop and I'd been helping him Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer. This was scheduled to be my last shift for him as I was starting rehearsals on a play the very next day.

    I had showered, made myself some breakfast and headed to work. In hindsight, neither myself or my friend who owned the store should have showed that day.
    As I was heading downtown, the city looked like a ghost town. There was no one in the usually busy streets. His store was located in a touristy farmer's market with lots of shops. That day the place looked abandoned. Eerie and quiet. The weather was still quite warm and there just an overall silence on my walk.

    I get there and he's got the shop all opened up. Only a few other stores in the market opened that day. His business partner wasn't scheduled so it was me and him.

    Very few customers came in and when they did everyone was discussing what had just happened. Their overall vibe was light-hearted and I don't believe it had really sunk in. I remember one or two people even joking about it. I don't know why. Perhaps because it wasn't our city attacked and they didn't feel like it was relevant to them? My buddy thought it was just because they were a**holes.

    One of my memories of that day was alphabetizing LP's in their storage for a few hours. He had the coolest stuff in that storage room. Old records, old VHS tapes. He had a little turn table, so I remember listening to some Bond soundtracks while I worked.

    Most of that day was just me and him spending time talking. He was a bit older than my father, and loved all the old movies and television shows I liked. We really bonded, and his family eventually took me in for a couple months while I was saving for an apartment.
    He's gone now. Passed away in 2012. But when the 9/11 anniversary comes up I always think of him.
  • BT3366BT3366
    Posts: 1,917
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Well that's the 2 minutes silence done.

    Shame only me and one other person in the office bothered.
    Doesn't surprise me though nowadays with these scumbags.

    RIP all who died (not the terrorist cowards) on that awful day,i hope you are all in a happier place.

    That's just sad. What about the other wankers? Me--Me--Me? It didn't happen to me so leave me alone? At least you were the better man this morning, Barry.

    That's exactly it DD.
    The mentality and attitude of so so many people now is deplorable.
    It's 2 minutes of your day over something so terrible.
    But this 'mobile phone and headphones' brigade seem to have the upper hand.

    Those are people who whatsapp through life, thinking facebook will put food on the table and twitter will educate them. As long as there's enough juice in their mobile, they're invulnerable; as long as they can post opinions about things... and stuff... and such... and whatever... somewhere, the world is a safe place.

    Two minutes. You hit the nail right on the head, @barryt007! Two minutes is the equivalent of a Justin Bieber song. Two minutes is the equivalent of posting pictures of them and their family at McDonalds because, yeah, that's what's the world's been waiting for all along. Two minutes means twenty "likes" because "likes" is today's social "monetary system".

    So why waste two minutes on empathy, regret and catharsis? Why waste two minutes trying to be human and--if it's not too much trouble--humane? Why, Barry? Droning through life, these people are worse than the MeToo's; these are the "Me's".
    I work in schools here in the U.S. and no matter where I'm at during a day when the Pledge of Allegiance is recited I make sure I stand at attention and recite it no matter if I'm in a classroom or hallway or wherever and I do it to be an example. If a student saw me not taking the time to honor this then I'd hate to think they'd think it wasn't necessary for them.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    edited September 2019 Posts: 7,021
    I'm not from the US, and my own experience with this event was fairly inconsequential (watched it on TV, and that's about it), but just a couple of months ago I was reading several descriptions and accounts of it by a number of people who were in New York when it happened, and I can only imagine the fear, confusion and uncertainty they must've felt. I actually got quite a bit into reading about this and eventually had to leave it as I found it was getting me depressed. But it's the kind of thing that makes one be profoundly grateful for the simple things in life one tends to take for granted.

    Coincidentally, 9/11/73 was a crucial day in my country, as well, with the coup d'état in Chile.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    mattjoes wrote: »
    I'm not from the US, and my own experience with this event was fairly inconsequential (watched it on TV, and that's about it), but just a couple of months ago I was reading several descriptions and accounts of it by a number of people who were in New York when it happened, and I can only imagine the fear, confusion and uncertainty they must've felt. I actually got quite a bit into reading about this and eventually had to leave it as I found it was getting me depressed. But it's the kind of thing that makes one be profoundly grateful for the simple things in life one tends to take for granted.

    Coincidentally, 9/11/73 was a crucial day in my country, as well, with the coup d'état in Chile.

    You and me both. I wish I'd been in the WTC just once to experience what it was like. But that will never be. Every year on this day I put myself through a little bit of sadness, just to remember who all the people were. So that I will never forget them. All of them. Minus the terrorists. I hope the rot in hell. I've heard it said that 9/11 is my generation's JFK assassination. It's a totally spot on assessment.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    edited September 2019 Posts: 3,675
    I will say that I am definitely going to the memorial. Did you ever get a chance to eat at Windows on the World?
  • 007Blofeld007Blofeld In the freedom of the West.
    edited September 2019 Posts: 3,126
    This what I worry about open boarders that if we are too open it could happen again with Iran developing nukes terrorists could get a hold of them and smuggle it in. I'm glad they built a memorial and a new tower like a fist pump that we still stand.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    A couple of new books this year, both have gotten great reviews:

    https://www.amazon.com/Only-Plane-Sky-Oral-History/dp/150118220X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1O02DBR32D94C&keywords=the+only+plane+in+the+sky&qid=1568774654&sprefix=the+onl,aps,173&sr=8-1

    I just ordered the audiobook of that one and I'm already hooked. A 45 person cast!

    https://www.amazon.com/Fall-Rise-Story-9-11/dp/006227564X/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2/137-4267051-5351866?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=006227564X&pd_rd_r=6d1c3202-0271-4bc1-a3a9-73cdc3784a79&pd_rd_w=6ohCP&pd_rd_wg=zTzih&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=S36MHEC140ANCM4YTAAG&psc=1&refRID=S36MHEC140ANCM4YTAAG
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    A little late but I'm bumping this one for any new members who may not know of its existence and want to add their perspectives.
  • TracyTracy
    edited September 2020 Posts: 1,708
    I get chills when i see Kong '76 or the movie posters to that movie , its......disturbing :(

    Dont like to see footage filmed inside either , also heights make me uncomfy - how people can live in those huge NY high rises boggles me.....what if theres a fire and no way of getting out.

    After 9/11 i will NEVER go into a tall building like that (not that i ever did before due to fear of heights)
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