9/11 Stories

[Fish]

Originally Posted by The Avon Lady

Was at work in Jerusalem and someone said put on the TV. This was around 4PM local time.

When we saw the 2nd plane strike, everyone knew that Muslims were behind it.

It has made an emotional impact on my husband and myself to this day.

We personally know of no one who was lost. At most we know a good friend who had just stepped out of the subway station across the street and saw the world rushing northward.

I lost much sleep after that. I was traumatized by the footage and photos I had seen.

For the last 5 years, I've watched the world react, including people's writings on forums - Subsim's as well. Most of the world still doesn't seem to know what hit them, literally.

Never forget. Never forgive.

Can you explain: Never forgive, to me?
Sounds to me as a eye for a eye, outcome, endless sorrow.

[The Avon Lady]

Originally Posted by Fish

Can you explain: Never forgive, to me?
Sounds to me as a eye for a eye, outcome, endless sorrow.

Sounds to me how to potentially prevent it from happening again in the future.

[Perilscope]

At that time I was working for a company (self-employed now) on a third floor on Jean-Talon street here in Montreal, and I was a cigarette smoker (no more).

So that day, I was on the third floor of a building doing my data entries on the PC, when all of a sudden the boss runs towards us screaming out of is lungs "Les Etas-Unis sont sous attaque!" French for "The United-States is under attack!", he said that about tree of for times with a very nervous voice, very nervous since the person who told him about the attack via phone was two buildings away from the world trade center, supposedly that guy on the phone was crying screaming and so on...

Meanwhile some workers and the boss started to talk about the event, I asked him to go outside for a smoke! He answers with a slight stuttering "ok, ok va, va fumer", so permission granted I took the elevator down to go smoke the cigarette that I really needed.

While going down I was thinking what was happening down there, speaking of New York, since no images was available I could only imagine the so-called attack on the US. Anyway once down and out the front doors, I see my wife and two other girls smoking a cigarette as well (my wife worked in the same building).

So we started to smoke together and talk about the event and what possibly could be happening, while all of a sudden we see this freaking Jeep Cherokee with loud weird music passing by, it was unmistakably occupied by two Arabs, they were all cheering, laughing, clapping and so on... I was so mad because I knew they were pleased of the event...

So that day I will never forget 9/11, but also that dark blue Jeep Cherokee. I just wish I had a moment with those two scrawny little sh*ts...

[SkvyWvr]

I was working in Maine on an IT project when the CEO came in and told me of a small plane hitting the WTC. I thought the damage would be light because of the mild damage that WWII bomber did to the Empire State building in the late 40's. I tuned one of the servers to an internet site and realized what was happening when the 2nd plane hit. Shortly after that the CEO shutdown all 4 offices. He told me we should all be home with our families. By the time I got home both towers had fallen. I grew up in Brooklyn, near the harbor and watched those towers being built. Like the Empire State building I thought they would be around long after I, my kid and my grand kids were gone.

I agree with Avon; Never Forget, Never Forgive.

[Skybird]

I was at work that day. During a brake in the afternoon I walked in the city centre and saw the pictures on TV in other store's windows, the towers yet had not collapsed. Couldn't judge if it was accident or attack, but was assuming the latter. Later I heared the tone and what bystanders were saying. I felt calm, but knew that now the "better new world order" that had been expected and proclaimed after the end of the cold war, irreversible had gone down the drain. Telephoned my father and told him to keep my mother away from the TV for the next two days (she was suffering from reactive depressions). with a ticking brain, what consequences this would mean, I went back to work and told my colleagues who so far had not heared the news, then was sent home for that day for we had too little work only. They looked at me in disbelief and thought I was exaggerating, or plaiyng them some sick kind of joke.

Met a neighbour close by my house, an older, extroverted lady, who even became angry that I still was calm and accepted what had happened as a reality . She always said "I can'T believe it, it can't be real", and was almost hysteric, in a milder way, and when I told her it had happend for real, it messed up her day completely. Some people are strange people.

For the rest of the day and into the night I did the usual things I do at home, but the TV was constantly running in the background. When seeing the first time how the towers collapsed, I thought "Die werden jetzt ganz schön loslegen." ("This will get them really starting for sure"). That there would be an American reaction was clear to me. But different than many Germans who feared a amok-going shooting-from-the-hip-festival, I expected a planned, prepared, icy-cold, but very massive reaction with some delay, and that it would be a military response, and I hoped they would listen to their military leaders, not to Rumsfeld or Bush. Concerning the latter things, I stand corrected today, unfortunately.

[Oberon]

I was at school during my final year of A levels, I was sitting upstairs on one of the computers checking the BBC website when it mentioned about a plane crashing into the WTC, I dismissed it as a little Cessna or something and carried on the day. Later that afternoon on the way back from school, I switched on my walkman radio and started listening to the news with my mate...at one point during the broadcast they mentioned commercial airliner jets and I turned to my mate and said:
"Did they just say Commercial jets?!"
to which he replied
"Sounds like it."
And my stomach just turned to ice...it was at that point I realised that something bigger than one looney with a Cessna was going on, something much bigger. I walked back from the bus to my house, still listening to the broadcast, at this time news was just coming in about Flight 93, and my sense of horror just kept growing. I walked in through the door at home and went straight to the living room, Mum was on the phone and my stepdad was sitting across from her and I just said:
"Put on the telly...something big is happening."

[Fish]

Originally Posted by The Avon Lady

Sounds to me how to potentially prevent it from happening again in the future.

Ok, I can go with that.

I was in the Navy, stationed at Naval Station Norfolk. We all watched it happen on the TV as our jaws hit the floor. It was a truely horrific day! After that they put us at "Delta" and we weren't leavin the base. All ships in port prepared for the worst. They sent F-18s over from just down the road from the Oceana Naval Air Station to protect the fleet. I remember going outside and seeing all the fighter planes patrolling around. It was intense since everyone suspected that Norfolk was sure to be next or even Washington.

Then reports came in the Pentagon got hit and that nearly flipped me out. It was like we were getting our asses kicked by enemy ghosts or something. Where were they? I remember we all felt helpless and confused.

A total shame that all of this was conducted and masterminded by one of the sickest men the world has ever known, living on the other side of the world in a desert with camels. Simply amazing and incredible that our government was powerless to stop it that day and how it was all pulled off without being caught by airport security.

BTW, did they ever put together enough evidence that the people who crashed into a field in PA., had put up a fight with the terrorist onboard? If they did, then those Americans onboard that plane deserve the Congressional Medal of Honor, IMHO!!! They may have saved thousands of lives by losing their own if that was the case!

[Dowly]

At that time I still had my 486 PC and if I remember right, I was playing the Wolfpack or something like that. My parents were away atm so I didn´t have a clue about what had happened. Then I received a text message from a friend: "Can you believe this? World War III is coming.". I still didnt have clue on what he meant. It was when I was on my way for a smoke and walked past the living room I noticed the news broadcast on TV.

[scandium]

I had just gotten home from my first class of the semester, a 4th year sociology seminar on Globalization that had started at 9:30 but ended early, as most first classes of the semester do, and I remember - ironically - that I happened to be wearing a t-shirt with "Challenge Authority" on the front of it along with the Anarchist symbol (a souvenier from a trip to Berkley earlier that year). My phone rang and it was a friend of mine whose first words out of his mouth were "they're bombing NYC". I had no idea what he was talking about, who "they" were (since the US wasn't at war with anyone) and thought he was pulling my leg.

He was so persistent that I gave up and turned on the TV. As I am in a timezone farther east than NYC it must have only been around 9:30 AM there by that point; both towers were on fire but had not yet collapsed. The anchors were trying to puzzle out what was happening while continually rerunning the footage of the 2nd airliner striking one of the towers, and I watched both collapse live on CNN.

I skipped my other class I had that day, and spent the rest of the day glued to the TV the same as I suspect most others had. My gut reaction when flight 93 went down was that it was shot down.

If someone had told me that day that the whole thing had been masterminded by a guy in a cave in Afghanistan I would have thought them mental. I still don't know what to make of the whole thing, but reject any high level conspiracy theories because something of that magnitude could not be kept quiet for so long. Yet I remain skeptical of the official version of events, though there are no alternative versions that I've been sold on; yet the enormity of the intelligence and security failures involved, the slow and inept response, all combine to make me wonder just how so many people could have screwed up so spectacularly. And I really don't understand how Bush, whose watch this catastrophe occured on, managed to emerge as the hero figure that he did. Though I'll grant that he gave a very moving and stellar speech on the ruins of the WTC a few days later - the highpoint of his presidency.

[Iceman]

Still hard to talk about...

Wife woke me up...was my day off and told me about the crash to one of the trade center towers.....flipped on news...stayed glued....at first thought accident until second hit.Called good friend to verify I wasn't dreaming or something...nope.Cried and got down on my kness and prayed when saw the horror of them falling and knowing people had just perished...but Knew All victums were immediatly caught up to heaven.Pretty much sat in silence much of the day until the evening and was outside and it was a clear as crystal Arizona evening and not one plane in the sky except 2 Jet fighters patroling the night sky all night...doing circles around our whole valley.And the feeling of the calm before the storm...when we as Americans get our second wind and began to kick some ass! I am thankful for everything pres Bush has done with NO regrets...I feel 100% percent safer knowing he put those dirt bags on the run and anyone else who had the same ideas.We cannot be timid and must use our power to dis-arm ALL who would attempt such things in the future...what will cost be if we don't?Bin Laden may not be dead or caught but at least he is not as comfortable as he used to be ....and you know...his day will come for this Evil deed he has done.

P.S. Piss Off Scandlous.

[Eichenlaub]

I remember being at the university of Nijmegen for the day, although I cannot remember whether I was there to study or to follow a class.

Somwhere in the afternoon, probably around 15:00 hours, I was sitting in the computer room when a group of fellow historians-to-be entered and babbled about a plane in the WTC. We all crowded (about 4-5 of us) around a single computer and tried to find reels of the events in New york. We saw it, were awed and dismayed. We spoke about it loudly (which is not allowed), making rough guesstimates of the maximum possible number of casualties. Other people looked up at us but apparently we were amongst the few who really knew of the attack. Some must have been annoyed at our callous noise-making, but they learned our reasons when they got home later on. As we sat there, our eyes wide open, I was the first to mention Osama Ben Laden as a suspect, but we really weren't occupied with the perpetrators yet. The misery overwhelmed us all.
Didn't grasp it at first, but then I heard from the staff of the computer room that another plane was being monitored and possibly to be shot down by fighter jets. That's when I left the university and went home. I tried to do the normal routines and succeeded rather well since I had not been able to learn everything yet. That evening, at the karatedo training, my instructor spent a few moments on the attacks, asking the youngest participants (10-11 years) whether they had understood what was going on and whether they had heard of it at school. I remember everybody having their versions of the possible casualty rates, and what this would do to the world. All agreed that it would no longer be the same and I knew back then that I would always have some sharp memories of that day.

The strongest memories I have though, are really of the 12th. I woke up and turned the tv on. Eventually I got out to buy a newspaper (which I almost never do). The day was spent completely engrossed in watching tv and reading that paper. I was completely lost, unable to function properly. I distinctly remember shedding lots of tears back then, and whenever I invoke those memories, I find that a few well up in my eyes even now.

Having spent a day in solitude and sympathy, I got back into a normal routine the next day. When extraordinary disasters hit me, I usually grieve for a full day, as I for instance did when Dutch public figures Pim Fortuyn (06-05-02) and Theo van Gogh (02-11-04) were assassinated.
People were somewhat embarrassed to go back to work and tend to their own lives from 12 September onwards, but really, what else were we to do?

It's already been five years now and how everything has -or hasn't- changed since 11-9-01. It's just unfathomable at times.

Nowadays I cannot fully believe the official story, though I've not been reeled in by any specific conspiracy theory yet. 'Loose Change' was aired here last Sunday and I saw most of it. As a historian I know how evidence can so easily be tempered with, especially eyewitness testimonies, therefore I hesitate to accept any of all those theories without further evidence. Checking it for myself is impossible though.

Kind regards,

Eichenlaub

[Rose]

These stories are all great. Thanks for sharing guys (and girl). Were there any other New Yorkers there that day besides me? I seem to remember another New Yorker here at Subsim... Where is he?

[AG124]

It seems like ages ago, but I too can remember that day. I was still in my last year of high school and was just getting home for lunch (I think my last class had been Advanced Placement European History). When I came in through the door, my parents were in the living room watching the television and dinner was sitting uncooked in the kitchen (I don't even remember what it was). My dad told me that the World Trade Centre had been hit by aircraft and that thousands of people has been killed - I was stunned beyond belief and thought at first it had been only one plane and was an acident. Dad then told me that no, it had ben two planes and that it was terrorists. I couldn't even eat any dinner - I just sat in the living room and watched the TV throughout my entire lunch break. I don't remember either of the towers actually collapsing - I think that happened after Iwent back to school. I could see the bodies falling or jumping occasionally from the towers, although not very often - that was the worst part and it visibly upset other members of my family as well. I myself was completely stunned throughout the whole thing - not only by the scale of the death and destruction which was unfolding before my eyes but also because I was sure that society would change dramatically and not for the better. Luckly, western society has not become a police state or anything, and I don't think that it will now but such thoughts are understandable in a moment of crises. This is not the thread for such talk, however.

Anyway, I still had to go back to school that afternoon - I had never wanted to stay home from school so badly in my life but off I went. At school, there a nervous atmosphere amongst the student who had heard, but there were many who hadn't. I told some of my classmates - some looked shocked, some of the stupider ones seemed to think it was all a big joke. I don't think any of them really grasped what they heard. I still remember the reaction from my home-room teacher Mr. Greenland. I forget exactly what I told him, but it was something along the lines of "Terrorists just crashed four planes into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon and killed thousands of people." He looked at me very calmly and said "Oh Yeah?" He was never one to get excited about anything though. Not like my AP History teacher. He was more excited then I had ever seen him, although it wasn't a joyful excitement. He actually came and found me (I was his best student at the time) and said something along the lines of that we were living through a very important time in history, and that my generation was going to see huge changes - then he ran off to get back to the teacher's lounge which had a big-screen TV to which students like me had no access. The next day, he spoke in sombre tones aboutthe tradgedy that had happened, as well as discussing the historical significance - he also believed that George Bush was going to handle the situation very well and be remembered as one of the USA's greatest presidents although hehad never liked Bush.

That night I watched the events continuously without end until into the night - I remember Tower 7 collapsing earlier in the evening but it wasn't a good shot. What I also remember were the many shots of cheering muslm crowds burning US flags and celebrating all those deaths - I won't post what I thought (and think) of them because it wouldn't be politically correct to say the least. I heard many other vicious anti-muslim comments that day as well, although I won't go into further detail. Although we were Canadians, there was a sense of injustice, outrage, and sorrow anyway - I don't think that many civilized people could not feel that way over something such as this. No one I knew heard anything about al Quada or Osama bin Laden but it seems that there were rumours that they were muslims from Pakistan. I don't recall anyone locally celebrating the events, although one or two people at school said that the US had deserved it. I strongly disagree. I do recall hoping that the United states would find out which country had done this (in my mind at the time, some government somewhere was at least partially responsible) and crush them into rubble. I do think a little more rationally now, but I definitely agreed with (and still agree with) the war in Afghanistan.

After that time, people seemed to feel more sympathy for the US, even after the invasion of Iraq which not everyone agreed with (although actually, my home province of Newfoundland at least intially had an unusually high support rate for the war - 82% I think). Even to this day I can see many US flags flying alongside Canadian, Newfoundland, and [rare] British ones - they can now be bought at many stores, unlike before 9/11. "United We Stand" stickers became popular on car windows as well - they depicted a US flag and and Canadian one together. I have not seen as many of those since the Iraq war, but I think most people in this province and across Canada still would look down upon this cowardly and cruel act.

Anyway, I'll shut up now and let someone else post.

[Rose]

Originally Posted by AG124

I remember Tower 7 collapsing earlier in the evening but it wasn't a good shot.

My mom is the one who did produced that shot.