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Where Were You 8 Years Ago?

PuroFreakPuroFreak Posts: 4,131 ✭✭
Where were you 8 years ago today?

I will never forget it. 8 Years ago today I was working on a small factory in Mt Vernon Texas building couches with my head phones on listening to the one crappy little radio station I could get inside that metal building when ABC News broke in saying a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

I listened to the events of that day unfold in horror. I don't remember a single thing I did that day at work but I remember every mental image I had of what was taking place. I didn't see any footage of the attacks or aftermath until around 6:00pm central time that evening after I got home from work. No matter how grim the descriptions were over the radio, I don't think anything could have prepared me to see what had happened.

Now looking back I have a whole different perspective on that day. I still have that pain in the pit of my stomach for every civilian victim that died that day, but because of my job, I have unmeasurable amounts of respect for the men and women of the NYFD and NYPD that responded that day. I can't imagine what they went through, and I hope and pray noone ever has to endure anything like that ever again.

I know we debate politics on here a lot, but all of that really doesn't matter in the end. No matter what your beliefs or how much we have argued in the past, I hope and pray for nothing but the best for all of you and all of your families. God Bless.

Comments

  • jpclotfelterjpclotfelter Posts: 294
    I live on the west coast so it all played out pretty early in the morning for me. I was in bed sleeping and my brother called and told me to turn on the TV. I stumbled out of bed with my phone in hand and asked him what channel to turn it to. He said it didn't matter, all the channels were showing the same thing. Sure enough I turned on the TV and ESPN was showing ABC News footage of the events.

    I got up and went to work later in the morning and was immediately sent home. I worked at a golf course and the tournament for the day had been cancelled because the Seattle ferry service had been suspended and nobody could get to the golf course. I drove to Seattle later that afternoon and there was an eery calm about the city. I don't know if people were not out and about because they were afraid to be in the city or what but I've never seen downtown Seattle that quiet before or since.

  • JdoraisJdorais Posts: 652
    8 years ago today I was sitting in my home office rejoicing that I finally took the leap and started my own business. I was thinking that the future couldn't be any brighter.

    Then I turned on the morning news to a whole new world.

    I was heart broken.

    Then the phone rang.

    My good friend Todd called and said that our close friend Mark Bingham had perished on flight 93.

    We miss him everyday and I am grateful everyday that I knew him, and that he got a chance to meet fiance .

    I will never forget all the souls who perished on that fateful day, especially Mark who's favorite phrase was "with you" and favorite cocktail was a cosmo. I will honor his life as well as all the others this evening with a stiff cosmo and the "A" mystery stick Joz3er sent to me.

    God bless america, my friends, my family and all of my BOTL.

    "With You"

  • clearlysuspectclearlysuspect Posts: 2,124 ✭✭✭✭
    I had just travelled back from to Pensacola, Florida to the Naval Air Technical Training Center where I was going to school with the Navy. I had received a Red Cross message on September 5, 2001 that my Grandfather had passed away and I took 5 days of leave to travel to Virginia to attend his funeral. My Grandfather was 82nd Airborne in WWII and received a military funeral. As I was in full parade dress, they asked me to lead the procession, which was very hard for me to do, but I tried my best to focus so I could honor him.

    Since my class had progressed past a week, they sent me back to the barracks to wait a week or two to be reclassed. I was a member of the performing units there and I was the most senior member in charge of over 100 other students, so my drill masters at the barracks didn't give me any tasks to attend to. I was sitting in our lounge watching television when the news hit every channel. I couldn't believe my eyes. I ran into my drillmasters office (which was way beyond the protocall of standing at the door, knocking, and asking "permission to enter"). I told him to come look at this immediately. After seeing the news, he picked up his jacket and ran out of the building.

    Over the course of the next 16 hours, I watched the entire base go into lock down. Armed guards were posted every 100 yards checking ID's. No one but the Commanding Officer was allowed on or off the base. I tried to console some of the students under my supervision who were from all over the country. Some had family members who were in the building, some had family members on the planes. When I found time, I tried my best to call my family and let them know I was alright and try to find out if they were alright as I have family in DC and friends in the Pentagon, but all the phone lines were locked up.

    I stood there in the middle of the base and watched it errupt into frenzy and the only thing that kept ringing through my mind, the mind of a 21 year old rookie sailor, was "We're going to war. We're going to war"
  • Matt MarvelMatt Marvel Posts: 930
    I was a sophomore in high school. Most of us had no idea what was going on, but by about 10:00am or so, we started hearing stuff around school about a plane crash. I got the full story once I got into my robotics class, and our teacher explained it all to us. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was the hot topic during lunch, and in english, we took the period to reflect and discuss the matter. It was our journal topic.

    I remember the feeling of the school day. It was so unlike any other day. There wasn't the usual high school bs going on, it was a lot more quiet. Even outside of school, everyone was so different. Everyone was so stunned, that nobody really knew exactly what to say or do.

    It's harder for me to see those images today, and to hear the stories. Being more mature and more aware of the world, it gets to me more now than ever. I've never been short of amazed at how everyone pulled together, if even for a couple of weeks.

    I have an uncle who has been a firefighter for as long as I can remember. There is nothing but respect for him and his fellow brethren. For someone to want to put their lives on the line everyday, I don't understand how you couldn't respect them.
  • rmccloudrmccloud Posts: 160 ✭✭
    I was a sophmore at Purdue and had class most of the morning. I had a class that started shortly after the first plane crashed into the tower. We turned on the TV in the room to watch the news coverage, we watched the second plane fly into the tower and saw both towers come crashing down.

    That is the single biggest moment from my life that I have engrained in my memory.
  • ejenne87ejenne87 Posts: 1,925 ✭✭
    Right now I am in Afghanistan because of what happend 8 years ago. Back then I was just in middle school and didnt know what was happening in the world. That day left it's mark on me, like it did with every one. I am just glad I have been given the chance to do something about it.
  • YankeeManYankeeMan Posts: 2,654 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I was a chief of police in a college town. I was in a department head meeting when I was told what happened. I left City Hall and had all my supervisors and detectives meet me in the headquarters classroom. When I got there, they had the TV on and one tower was gone and I watched the other one collapse live!

    I then started 5 days of all my people working 12 hours shifts with all days off cancelled. We met with all local law enforcement to try to figure out what we had to protect. No chief or sheriff in this country had ever faced anything like this and we were kind of flying by the seat of our pants.

    It was probably my most difficult day in law enforcement and my proudest. My people all had concerns about their own families, some had child care issues, etc., but I never received one complaint about the hours they had to work and be away from their families and eveyone just rallied together.
  • jihiggsjihiggs Posts: 469 ✭✭
    first, ejenne87, I thank you, and every one else fighting the good fight

    8 years ago today, I was living in sacramento CA, working for the state department of health services. I woke up to my dad waking up my mother telling her she would not believe what was happening. I turned on my radio, listend to some people talking about a terrorist attack for a few min. so I got up and to my horror I saw the twin towers, one missing, the other burning. none of the news stations knew what was happening. I watched for a moment then went to work. by the time I got there, they had shut down all state departments and sent every one home for fear of an attack. I dont remember what I thought about on my way home. when I got home I turned on the tv to find that the second tower had also fallen. I saw recap videos showing people at ground zero running away from the falling towers, I still get a chill in my spine when I remember the look of terror on those peoples faces, and the frantic screaming from the whole street. I also learned of what happened to the pentagon, and in pensylvania. I watched the news looking for answers for probly a good 13 hours that day, hoping for some explaination. that evening (was it that evening or the next day?) president bush gave a statement about what had happend. I could see the concern and the stress in his face as he began to make clear to this country that this attack would not go unpunished.

    today I read some articles about remembrance ceremony, then I saw a picture on the top of the drudge report of the two buildings burning and I got a couple tears in my eyes about that terrible day.
    to all the conspiracy theorists that say it was planned by this country, that osama had nothing to do with it, that the taliban is a tool of the governement, you can all eat **** and go fvck yourselves
  • ThewelderThewelder Posts: 682 ✭✭

    8 years ago I was sitting in German One class freshman year of high school. We didn't get the full details of it and me being stupid high school little s*it I was making fun of it. Thinking that it was a prop plane, not a giant airliner. They cancelled all sport practices that night except for football. I ended up skipping anyway. Though as big of an event as that day was it gets over shadowed because of my best friends older brother commited suicide two days later. I had known him since I was four and he was basicaly my older brother.

  • MAJORdorMoMAJORdorMo Posts: 356
    ***, when that happened I was in 3rd grade! I would usually go downstairs and watch cartoons for half an hour before school, but that morning my parents were glued to the events happening on the news. When I got to school, EVERYONE was talking about it! I think every classroom had the news on that day.
    Back then, I didn't fully realize what was going on, but now just thinking of the innocent victims brings a tear to my eye.
  • Renaissance_ManRenaissance_Man Posts: 973 ✭✭
    In Bulgaria - 8th-9th grade... I was in front of my block of flats. It started raining and me and my buddy went in his car. He started the radio and they announced the news. I wasn't very emotional then. I didn't have any idea what the Twin Towers were or why this thing had such a big impact. I was like "oh... ok... how about this motorcycle?" But later on I realized the intensity of everything that had happened. It's funny but I have never forgotten the day I heard about it - I dont remember anything else about that day, but this. I can almost feel the rain. I remember very well how it was falling down the front shield of the car... Who would know that 3 years after I will be in NY, visiting the place of the Twin Towers... I just saw a picture from space of it ...

    image
    From Cigars
  • rdnstnrdnstn Posts: 993 ✭✭
    I was in Colorado taking a week of leave and getting ready to go Elk hunting when I heard the news.
  • betasynnbetasynn Posts: 1,249
    This was the day before my big accident. The day after, I was hit by a car, and sustained a pretty good knock to the head (medically speaking, blunt trauma to the pre-frontal cortex as well as bilateral damage to the hypocampus regions) and as a result, I don't remember anything. In a way, I'm glad I don't remember, but my mom told me I'd been in school, and they'd sent us home. My friend, who came over that day, told me we were in the mall, which had been evacuated, and that the creepiest thing was how still the escalators were.
  • kingjk729kingjk729 Posts: 2,579 ✭✭✭
    8 years ago, i was working at the now defunct Circuit City .... selling car audio ..... i was actually showing a customer an in car video system when they broke the news ....... i left the customer and grabbed my boss from the shop as we stared in disbelief of what was happening, we saw it all the plane hit the 2nd tower and i have to say that was quite possibly the longest day of my life just hearing about it over and over from all the customers that came in i was 25 at the time ...... then about 5 years ago i was hunting in PA just a few miles from where united 93 went down in shanksville ..... I personally have my own views on what truly happened with that flight, but i'll stay mum on that. I'll never forget that day for the rest of my life and feel for anyone who lost friends or family to that or the fallout that has ensued from that day.
  • I was sitting in my 7th grade history class. never thought that 8 years later i would be chillin in afghanistan.
  • cabinetmakercabinetmaker Posts: 2,560 ✭✭
    I was watching the whole thing happen on my TV while sitting on my couch, with my bottom jaw on the floor in utter disbeleif.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    I was in my dorm room while attending Kent State University. I set my schedule that semester so that i would have no classes on Tuesday or Thursday. this would give me plenty of time to build my models for Architecture. This week, however, i made plans to see my girlfriend (at the time) who went to a different school.

    I was up early to get ready for a day out in the park. It was looking to be a great day for a hike and a picnic by the lake. After a shower, I flipped from the weather channel to CNN for some reason. I was not big into the news or politics at that time in my life. I guess i needed some background noise i suppose. this was about 8:50ish... maybe a moment after.

    they were showing the first views of a fire in the WTC. i distinctly remember that there was some speculation that a jet had crashed into the building. id stopped getting ready to go out to watch, because, its not every day you see a giant fire in one of the worlds tallest buildings.

    i saw the second hit live on TV. i remember seeing a black speck behind the towers. my TV sucked so i couldnt make out that it was a jet. i thought it was a news-copter or some rescue team. but then the massive explosion happened.

    I got that shot of adrenaline that is usually reserved for "fight or flight" responses.

    i called my girlfriend and started to fill her in

    when she got to my dorm (at maybe 9:30) we decided that we should go out but take a radio with. the drive to the park we wanted to go to was 20 minutes. we get to the park and just sit in the car listening to the radio.

    we decided we needed to each get back to campus/home when it was confirmed that the pentagon had been hit and that another plane was still missing (flight 93 as it turned out)

    on the way back we listened to the radio more, but decided that since Howard Stern (of all people), because he was IN New York, may have more info. the towers fell before we made it home.

    campus called all classes by Noon.



    i also remember the next day, going to classes and looking up.

    not a single airplane in the sky.

    never before, or since, have i seen that. it was creepy.
  • JdoraisJdorais Posts: 652
    Yeah Kuzi, sept 12 was a bit creepy. I live/work right by the San Francisco airport, and seeing the military parked on the freeway and offramps blocking access to the airport was really creepy for me. I mean, thank god for them, but seeing our men and women standing with their weapons at the ready just freaked me out a bit. Jeff
  • LasabarLasabar Posts: 4,472 ✭✭✭
    I was a freshman at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and I was in the men's bathroom when one of my friend's came in (shared bathroom in the dorms, we're not gay) and grabbed my ass while urinating and said "Turn on your TV Sweetcheeks!"

    Looking back that was in such distaste that I still cringe at his actions, but figuring on how early it was, he was probably still drunk.

    I turned on my 19" Emerson Tube Tv and saw the aftermath, I was watching just after the second plane hit... and sat on my crappy dorm bed and watched as the towers fell.

    Being a dumb, party school kid I didn't realize the impact or did not even THINK about other areas of concern for attacks or such.... I just sat there and watched in shock...


    It was surreal...
  • gmill880gmill880 Posts: 5,947
    Yeah I think the creepiest thing was not seeing any planes or noise in the sky ...and then thinking that was what the sky looked like in ancient times ...very bizarre and sureal ...
  • I was working for the same employer I do now, but two floors below. I was wearing khaki's and a black, Maxim Group logo'd polo. My buddy who sat one desk over was streaming MSNBC as usual when he made a comment, "A plane hit one of the NY trade towers. They think it was a Cesna or small jet."
    A few minutes later....
    "They're saying how it was a commercial plane....like a 757."
    "Oh, damn."
    "Tower is on flames!"

    Several of us gathered into the conference room where there was a big-screen TV. We sat in amazement at what we thought was an accident. Several minutes later, while watching live, the second plane hits tower two. I, like a few others there knew this was no accident. After watching tower 2 fell it came across the news that a plan crashed into the Pentagon. Shortly after, tower 1 fell. With the exception of some sniffling and sighs, there was total silence in the conference room which was now packed. News of the crash at Shanksville, PA, came next.

    A few in the conference room became frenzied and left work to pick up their children. A few others just left due to tension and disbelief. The rest of us commanded our frayed consciences back to our desks to resume work, which at that point was around lunch. No work was accomplished that day.

    I remember making the attempt to call a couple folks that morning, but all cellphone towers were swamped. "All circuits busy," the automated message would say.

    It's unfortunate because something like this was expected. I think I received 5 or 6 calls from old Marine Corps buddy's, most of them at that point were in law enforcement, asking me if I was "prepared." Of course.

    Eight years later, I still have friends over there fighting.....one employed by Xe Services, two employed by Triple Canopy. There are guys over there who were under my leadership, only now they are Gunnies, First Sergeants, Warrant Officers, and Zeros. Gunny Sigman lost his leg.....Captain Terhune was shotdown (53 pilot) in Afganistan and killed.....Major Zembiec (an O-2 over me when I served) was killed by small arms fire. I'm sure there are others with whom I served that are still in the ****. My time in Croatia and Mogadishu really doesn't hold a candle to some of the things our men and women face over there. For that I feel guilt, worry, sadness, and regret................yet thankful.

    Eight years later and we're still there for reasons that will be filtered to 99% of American tax payers. Looking back, some actions were valid, some were not, imo. Looking forward, it looks to be a long and painful journey to securing our ideologies from terrorism.

    Only eight years has passed and the American people elected a man named Barack Hussein Obama to its highest office. This shows the American public possesses tolerance, forgiveness, grace, and humility. Or it shows that they possess great near-sightedness, ignorance, and naivety. I'm not sure which.
  • JdoraisJdorais Posts: 652
    jlzimmerman:
    This shows the American public possesses tolerance, forgiveness, grace, and humility. Or it shows that they possess great near-sightedness, ignorance, and naivety. I'm not sure which.
    As an american citizen (please do not call me a consumer) I firmly believe that we possess an abundance of tolerance, forgiveness, grace and humilty. At least that has been my experience for the last 41 years.
  • betasynnbetasynn Posts: 1,249
    I think that all people have the same basic flaws, and I would say that, as a general rule, we fear what we don't understand, and we are quick to snap at things that hurt us. I think that because of these qualities, things like tolerance, forgiveness, etc are able to shine through. Do we use all of those things all of the time? Absolutely not. But I would say, as a society, we are no worse or better then any other.
  • Renaissance_ManRenaissance_Man Posts: 973 ✭✭
    Jdorais:
    jlzimmerman:
    This shows the American public possesses tolerance, forgiveness, grace, and humility. Or it shows that they possess great near-sightedness, ignorance, and naivety. I'm not sure which.
    As an american citizen (please do not call me a consumer) I firmly believe that we possess an abundance of tolerance, forgiveness, grace and humilty. At least that has been my experience for the last 41 years.
    As a not American citizen that has lived in this country for more than 5 years, I can say that Americans are not perfect like everyone else, but if I had the choice to whom to append these adjectives to any nation on Earth I'll say it for Americans... I love the ppl here. And the ones that don't are just nearsighted. People in Europe and especially in the Eastern Block are generally disgusting... Seriously ;)... haahahah... Can I get my visa now?
  • PuroFreakPuroFreak Posts: 4,131 ✭✭
    Renaissance_Man:
    Jdorais:
    jlzimmerman:
    This shows the American public possesses tolerance, forgiveness, grace, and humility. Or it shows that they possess great near-sightedness, ignorance, and naivety. I'm not sure which.
    As an american citizen (please do not call me a consumer) I firmly believe that we possess an abundance of tolerance, forgiveness, grace and humilty. At least that has been my experience for the last 41 years.
    As a not American citizen that has lived in this country for more than 5 years, I can say that Americans are not perfect like everyone else, but if I had the choice to whom to append these adjectives to any nation on Earth I'll say it for Americans... I love the ppl here. And the ones that don't are just nearsighted. People in Europe and especially in the Eastern Block are generally disgusting... Seriously ;)... haahahah... Can I get my visa now?
    Come on down to TX! We wil give ya a Visa... Or mastercard... Or we will just ship your ass on down to Mexico... lol Depends on how we feel that day. Haha kidding man. You would be welcome here any day!
  • ForMudForMud Posts: 2,336 ✭✭✭✭✭
    8 years later.  :)
  • First_WarriorFirst_Warrior Posts: 3,140 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I watched the second plane hit in real time. Spent the rest of the day holed up. The day after I loaded up my kayak and headed down the mountain to a Lake James. No traffic at all for the hour and a half drive. At the lake I unloaded my 17ft kevlar sea kayak and set out. No other boats, no planes, I was solo. I struck out for a dam that was 12 miles down the lake. I dug in and found my rhythm and turned into a machine. Five hours later I took out with 24 miles under my keel. Still no other boats, planes, or people. Headed back up the mountain. As I reflected on the day I thought we as a country suffered more than just a loss of life in the attacks we also suffered a loss of innocence.
  • 0patience0patience Posts: 10,665 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I was called first thing in the morning, cause West coast time difference. Told to come in right away. Then told one of the trade towers was hit by a plane. 
    Ok. And? Hit by a commercial airliner. Holy crap! How? What's going on? 
    The reply, they think it's an attack. 
    On the way in, we hear in the radio the second tower gets hit. 
    National Guard is calling, State patrol is calling. We're closing bridges or anything that can be a target.
    It became chaos. A long, tense day. 

    A friend who flies Lear jets was told to land immediately. One of the guys who works with me was in Newfound land and stuck there for a couple days. He was headed home and flights were grounded.
    Radios and TVs were only tuned to news. It was very surreal.
    In Fumo Pax
    Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.

    Wylaff said:
    Atmospheric pressure and crap.
  • ForMudForMud Posts: 2,336 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2018
    I heard everything on the radio while driving from job site to job site that morning..Surreal is the the only word I can come up with that describes that day.
    Tried call my brother who lived in Manhattan at the time with no luck. Latter that day I called my parents, they spoke with him earlier and he was fine.
    When I got home I watched it on the tv.......To this day, that was the one and only time I watched the planes hit....I can't bring myself to watch it again.
    As Rodger said perfectly....We lost our innocents that day.    
  • GaryThompsonGaryThompson Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I was at home getting ready for work at San Jose International Airport, (Airline fueling operations Supervisor) and was sick to my stomach watching events unfold on the news...
    First tower was on fire when I tuned in and then I saw the next tower get hit, and the horror that followed..
    I grew up downtown, only a few miles from the airport and directly under the flight path for SJC. The week that followed was the eeriest quiet I had ever heard.
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