Where Were You On 9/11/01?

[Anthony W.]

Originally Posted by Platapus

That Tuesday, I was a contractor at a TLA facility. I was supporting the wargaming and simulation division. Tuesday mornings I was on my way to the team staff meeting. I passed one of the monitors in the hallway and saw one of the towers on fire.

"Man, that must suck, I hope they can get the fire out" I thought to myself as I hurried to my meeting.

Shortly after the meeting started, we heard the "rumour" that an airplane had crashed in the first tower. Shortly after that, we got word that a second had crashed so this was no accident.

Now the weirdness started.

On 11 Sep 2001, the TLA facility was having an exercise. During such exercises, selected people are given scripts to use. For example at 10:05, a participant needs to call into the exercise desk that they "smell smoke in stairwell 14". That type of stuff. It helps the people running and evaluating the exercise.

It is only natural to involve the people who work exercises such as the exercise and simulations division. One such person was in our staff meeting. After the second plane hit he got real quiet. In his hand was an index card with his script. At 0945 he was supposed to report "seeing an airplane crash into one of the towers" of the TLA facility.

Needless to say, the staff meeting and the exercise was canceled.

Creepy to say the least. I think he still keeps that index card script.

Very creepy.

But there had been a private WTC security study (non official) done that demonstrated a suicide plane attack - and they had been planning and doing drills for them. They knew it could happen.

Still - extremely creepy.

Guys, do you all mind if I write an article for the school/local paper about your accounts? I never intended to write an article on this, but, your stuff is inspiring

Apart from the whole sight being, well, what it was, the most odd thing about all of it was some footage from inside one of the shops/cafe places on one of the streets leading away from the buildings - the camera showed people running in the street outside, driven before a huge cloud of dust, blown on the wind of the collapse, like the people outside were actually a part of the advancing cloud, like some human vanguard of the ruin... and the view through the window swiftly fading out to opaque darkness, with the occasional half realised object suspended in the dust rushing past the glass accompanied by the dumbfounded noises of those taking shelter behind the counter at the back of the shop over the grinding of concrete and steel.

I'll certainly remember it for that.

I don't feel any deeper connection with any of the people there that day - I guess I did not know any of them, and for that I'm kind of glad... who would not be glad, after all, to escape such a trial of loss?

I suppose it is difficult enough to fathom the intent behind such a thing from half a world away, let alone have to feel the events of that day on a more intimate and far reaching level.
I could say more, but I don' think it necessary.

I'll drink to that. After my twin died when I was 13, all I said for 3 years was, "well this kinda sucks."

As we say in Indiana - or at least my corner of it - amen.