Where were you, or have you forgotten?

[Sixx]

I was working in Summit Illinois rebuilding a Metra railroad commuter platform near Midway airport. My crew and I thought it was a small plane, a coworker plugged in his laptop. We watched it unfold. All train traffic had stopped & it was really scary not to have any planes overhead every few minutes as usual. My crew & I actually formed a circle and prayed. Still makes me sad to this day

[mikemodeler]

I was on my way to see a customer that morning and heard on the radio that "we have a report of a plane crashing into a building in NY City". Wow, I thought, must be a small one, never figuring it was a 757 hitting WTC. Got to my customer's NAPA store and he ushered me into the office to watch it on TV and we were both in shock over the scenes on TV. Watched for a while and then we went out to see some of his shop customers and everyone of them had thier eyes glued to the TV. As we went to the first couple of shops, it was apparent that we weren't there to sell them, it was to discuss the events as they happened. I remember a strong sense of anger that day towards our enemy and the pain they inflicted upon us.

I got home early afternoon to my wife and then 4 year old daughter. My wife and I watched the new and shed a few tears, knowing that innocent people died that day doing what most of do- showing up to work. It hit my wife hard as her father is a retired firefighter and how many of them died trying to save others at the towers. I thought of my cousins in New York, both of whom had worked at WTC but had changed jobs the month before and no longer worked there. I thought of how I had been in NY less than a month prior and seeing the twin towers in the skyline and how it must have felt to witness the attacks. Around 3 that afternoon, my son who was 8, got off the bus and we hugged him and went in the house. We asked if the school had mentioned the attacks and he said no. We went on to explain what happened and tried to paint a picture of what he would probably see on the TV in the coming days. It was alot for him to take in but he understood. We went out side and hung our American flag, something we have done everyday since.

In the days afterwards, it was a different world. People were more friendly, less impatient with one another, and seemed to genuinely care about one another. I remember looking up in the sky and wondering why it was so quiet, air traffic was so common where we lived, and then remembering that air travel had changed forever on 9/11.

I wish I could understand why the hatred towards America had to result in the deaths of innocent people that day but after 10 years, I cannot. If anything, I think the events of that day caused more harm to racism and bias towards people of the Muslim faith, right or wrong. I do not hold a faith or race responsible because like so many times before in history, it is a few radicals that holdup their faith or race in their justifying of their actions.

I remember talking with my Uncle in weeks after 9/11 that lived in suburbs of NYC in New Jersey. What hit home to me were his comments about how he was able to overcome several serious illnesses and 2 fights with cancer and yet some of his young neighbors did not come home from work that day and how life didn't seem fair. He said it was difficult to take his evening walk that day and in the days afterward, knowing full well that there were many families suffering a loss of a family member. It reminded him of his own grief over the loss of his son in 1968 and how terrible it felt then and how he could relate to his neighbors.

Today I got to see my 18 year old son be a part of his high school JROTC color guard honoring Patriot Day and some retired veterans and first responders at a nursing home. He will be joining the Marine Corp next year and while we have the fears most parents do, we understand that he has wanted to do this for quite some time and while he won't say it, I think 9/11 had something to do with it. He has a strong sense of patriotism and duty and we are very proud of him as a result.

May we never forget, may we never again experience the events of 9/11 and may we find some peace with those who are compelled to cause us harm.

[whale392]

Mike, I was working at MCO (Orlando International Airport) when this all happened. To hear a Class-X airport go silent is one of the eeriest non-sounds you'll ever hear. I lost my job due directly to 9-11, as all domestic and a few international flights stopped serving/catering in-flight meals (and I worked for LSG-SkyChefs).

[Rob Hall]

I was living in Colorado Springs at the time, was between gigs and had some downtime at home. Got up in the morning, turned on the TV to CNN, stayed glued to the TV for hours..

[bandit1]

I NEVER WILL FORGET AS LONG AS I STILL HAVE A BREATH!

(EMOTICON INDICATING TRYING TO HOLD MY COMPOSURE TOGETHER AND NOT BREAK DOWN AND CRY LIKE A BABY!) INSERTED HERE!

I was in high school at the time (Warren high school in Barlow ohio) and we where in history class... talk about a catch 22! and someone from the class next to us came running in and said a plane hit tower one so we quit what we were doing and went to the neighboring class and just as we got in there and started watching news about it that is when i saw the second plane hit tower two then i get home and my mother says we are waiting to see if a family member was in there or not (alot of family live in NY) and to this day im still waiting... and i pray to God every night that he wasn't there!... nuff' said!

DEDICATED TO ALL THE UNIFORMED PERSONAL OF THE PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE! GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Edited September 12, 2011 by bandit1

[bigphoto]

I caught part of the the first hit on TV while leaving for work thought it was a commercial for a movie then it was on the radio, when I got to work I asked one of the employees to go get his little tv that we watched sporting events on and stayed tuned all day.

It was one of the most horrible things to happen and we should never forget even justice is finally done!!

[1320wayne]

Where I was on this day isn't really relevant, especially to all of those men, women and children who were/are directly affected by this historically tragic event that changed so many lives. I can say that looking back on this time it was refreshing to see an entire nation finally come together with a sense of national pride, albeit due to such a dramatic chain of events. For weeks after you could see folks in so many communities caring more about their fellow man, showing their pride by flying the flag, posting american patriotic symbols outside their homes and in their cars. But to me it didn't seem to last. That's sad.

For me, I will never forget. No, I wasn't directly affected by this in regards to losing any loved ones but my religious faith has taught me to cherish life and to honor those in death, especially those who give of themselves for the betterment and survival of others. For the past ten years I have kept a coffee table style hard cover book, that documents the events of this day, on my coffee table so each and every day I can look down and see those faces staring back at me (the cover is a montage of faces of people that lost their lives on this day).

O.K., so maybe I'm overdramatizing just a bit, but the book is a constant reminder of what happened and to periodically say a prayer for anyone that was directly affected by this event. So the next time you are saying your prayers maybe you can remember to ask God to shine a little light on any of the families that lost a father, or a mother, or a brother or sister, or a husband or wife, or a child. Every little bit helps.

And while your at it, go pick up a flag and fly it with pride. After all, Red, White and Blue is the best color combination ever created.

[tabsscale1]

I was at work and the only way we could get anything about it was one guy had a radio and at every break he told us what was going on. The place i work at seemed like they didn't care and all we needed to do was work and get our numbers out. I listened to the radio on the way home and watched TV about it all the rest of the night.

[Nova-ss]

Forget!!! no way.I can't.it makes me very angery still today.I was preparing for a concert,get the equipment ready.I was told a plane had hit one of the towers.being I live here in UT...I never saw the towers.I didn't know what they were saying.I went in to see what everyone was doing and seen the second plane....I knew right then this was no accident...but a attack from a different country.it what I thought.I never heard of alcaida before.I still todate don't understand fighting about how many gods there are running this world.....it easy...one.there is not fifteen or twenty running this world.it the same one.we all just believe what way we want as to who it is.forget....no way...I;m still very angery about it and always will.I'm proud of our country and the miltary that works and gives up there lives for our way of living.our ememys are trying to take over and this is not done by along shot.I wished I could go back and stop the attacks....but we don't to.i think we should rebould the towers just to tell the ones that did that....you can't stop us.its been tryed many times in this countrys history and no one country will ever take us over...we are tough when we need to be.I had to be care with language because of the rule...which I believe in.but still..bad words discribe how I feel....For get...I can't.Rest in peace for all that has suffered from this terrible war.Thanks,Chris

[charlie8575]

I was up for most of the night doing something job-related; I was trying to get started with a real estate appraisal company and was working on getting my stuff organized. So I slept in a little.

About 8:30, I was just waking up, and my mother barges in the living room (I ended up sacking out on the couch,) and said "a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center." I was only semi-coherrent at that point, and turned on the TV. I grabbed a cup of coffee and returned, listening to what was happening on the Today Show. Although I hoped it was some kind of horrible accident, I had a nagging feeling something else was going on.

My thoughts were confirmed a few minutes later.

Over the next several hours, I logged onto AOL, read what I could, called a couple of friends living major target potential target, like Chicago. I contacted another friend doing her Master's degree at a big college in Florida. I was calling all my friends, and trying to find out what was going on with them. Panic doesn't even begin to describe it.

Later that afternoon, I had to go mail a couple of bills and a resume for another part-time job I was applying to for a little extra cash, and the streets were much-lighter trafficed than normal. I also had to run over to the grocery store for a moment, which was next to my regular hobby shop and barber shop. Watching people just standing there talking and discussing what was going on was just mind-blowing.

I was a bit worried, as was my mother, that my dad was a potential target, working at a large VA hospital. Fortunately, nothing happened.

The following day was somber, to say the least. I went to my appraisal office, the secretary, owner and I all talked. It was disturbing to all of us, and the TV was on constantly. I was listening to the radio, and then I heard....Copley Square in Boston was being evacuated. My mother was in there, visiting my grandmother, and my dad wasn't too far away at the quarterly meeting for the Grand Lodge of Masons.

I stopped at a friend's apartment, borrowed his phone, and called Grand Lodge, and asked them to relay a message to my dad about what was going on, as I couldn't get through to my grandmother. Fortunately, a false alarm.

That night, Sept. 12, I had my Odd Fellows lodge meeting. Most of the membership of the Odd Fellows is the World War II generation, and as I came in, watching these men, some of the most mentally-tough people I had ever met, with their expressions, said it all. I asked Bob Kincaid, who was in the Navy from 1933-'58, what he thought. All he could say "I never thought anyone would stoop lower than the Japanese did. This is horrible! Pear Harbor had nothing on this. I've never seen anything like this, and I'm thankful at my age, I probably never will again." Bob was a tough old sea-dog, and there he was, in tears. The other members of the lodge were in agreement.

This was a week that is pretty much imprinted in my mind. Like Challenger, President Regan being shot, Gulf War I, and so many other major events in the course of history during my lifetime.

I thought September 11 was best summed up by none other than Col. Qadaffi, who, in an address to the Libyan parilament said "there are some so inherently evil, that even enemies must set aside their differences and stand together," that being represented by Yassar Arafat and Ariel Sharon both giving blood within a few miles of each other at two of several Red Cross and Red Crescent blood banks set up throughout Israel, the Palestinian sector and Jordan.

I can only wish that some of the lingering feelings- patriotism, a real understanding of the importance of faith, family and friendship, hard work and the values that made America great, stayed. Instead, we returned to greed, ignorance, and sloth, all while decrying our nation and almost every faction of secular, spiritual and political life promoting some kind of xenophobia.

I hope the forces of good that guide this universe- however any of you shall call upon them, will guide us all back to those principles that make us strong and unite us into the great nation we can, and should be.

Charlie Larkin

[bigphoto]

Where I was on this day isn't really relevant, especially to all of those men, women and children who were/are directly affected by this historically tragic event that changed so many lives. I can say that looking back on this time it was refreshing to see an entire nation finally come together with a sense of national pride, albeit due to such a dramatic chain of events. For weeks after you could see folks in so many communities caring more about their fellow man, showing their pride by flying the flag, posting american patriotic symbols outside their homes and in their cars. But to me it didn't seem to last. That's sad.

For me, I will never forget. No, I wasn't directly affected by this in regards to losing any loved ones but my religious faith has taught me to cherish life and to honor those in death, especially those who give of themselves for the betterment and survival of others. For the past ten years I have kept a coffee table style hard cover book, that documents the events of this day, on my coffee table so each and every day I can look down and see those faces staring back at me (the cover is a montage of faces of people that lost their lives on this day).

O.K., so maybe I'm overdramatizing just a bit, but the book is a constant reminder of what happened and to periodically say a prayer for anyone that was directly affected by this event. So the next time you are saying your prayers maybe you can remember to ask God to shine a little light on any of the families that lost a father, or a mother, or a brother or sister, or a husband or wife, or a child. Every little bit helps.

And while your at it, go pick up a flag and fly it with pride. After all, Red, White and Blue is the best color combination ever created.

AMEN my friend!

[Art Anderson]

The Star Spangled Banner.....Old Red, White, and Blue: Past enemies had to learn that the US never backs down (at least not for long!). those who would attack us still have that lesson to learn: These colors we cherish, the Red, The White, The Blue--"Old Glory", the "Stars and Stripes"----these colors NEVER run!

Art