remembering the day

[ranchhand]

No details, but I will never forget.

 

[sfw2]

I remember.

Prayers for all those who lost a loved one.

Thanks to all those who serve, at home and abroad.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I think 9-11 would be hard for any American to forget....

That morning my DH and I were on our way to the Conecuh National Forest for a release and to go for a hike in the woods. There were 2 fighter jets flying around 'dog fighting', it appeared. They were causing the ground to shake and I was getting nervous because I haven't ever seen that kind of flying even in the Blue Angels Air Shows. We saw them right around the time it happened. We didn't find out until we were on our way home later and stopped at a store for some drinks and saw it on their news TV. We were shocked and saddened by it all.

I am sure the families of the lost could use another round of prayers on this day.

 

[Bluemoon420]

I lost my friend since second grade. My other friend couldn't find her husband who was working in the city that day, she finally found her husband, but lost many of her uncles, cousins, etc when the building collapsed. They worked for the fire department.
My BIL was hospitalized due to exposure to anthrax. His dog was also hospitalized with severe throat problems.

I also lost another friend on one of the airplanes that crashed. She was a flight attendant that had left Logan Airport.

I know I won't personally forget, and neither will any of those I knew whose families had to provide DNA samples for identification. I had to help the mother of one of my friends with that. It was very painful experience, and still is. We were looking for the hat Mrs. Fera made for all of us in second grade. He always wore it during the winter, years, and years later. He probably had it with him. It was navy blue.

I remember every single detail from that morning. The time, who I spoke to, and the panic. I hope it never happens again, but if it does...I know what to do.

Bluemoon

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I was home with my 3 boys, the oldest 7.5, the youngest just 12 days old. I felt very alone & vulnerable. I tried to shield my boys from seeing the TV. At the time I told the oldest it was just a horrible accident, I didn't want him to know there were people who would do that on purpose.

He knows the truth now, as do the other boys. We took time this morning to talk again about what happened & why. And we took time to pray for all the many many folks hurting & grieving still due to events that happened 8 years ago.

I remember afterwards how there was much discussion on how best to memorialize that day, if there should be a shrine built on the site, if it should be kept as a national sort of holiday with schools & businesses closed.

The best idea I heard was a suggestion to keep it as Family & Loved Ones Day. On 9/11/2001 most people's attention & concern was for their family & special loved ones. Whether or not they were in a doomed airplane or building, in a threatened city or not, most everyone's thoughts were on the ones who meant the most to them. Not on their property or plans, but on other especially special people. So the suggestion was to signify the Day by focusing on the especially special people in your life, to reach out to them, to spend special time with them if you could.

I pray for those hurt by the events of that day, I pray for protection & peace for our country, I pray for wisdom for our country's leaders. And I especially thank God for my precious family and my special friends. I include all you here on BYC in my gratitude.

 

[debilorrah]

I was just getting out of bed. Saw the whole thing on TV. I went to work that day, along with everyone else, and we were all in a daze. My boss asked me what was wrong. For the first time in my life I yelled at a superior. She could have cared less.

Then at about 9 am our time, I heard on the radio that there were pipe bombs at my son's Jr. high school. Needless to say, I left immediately and did NOT go back to work.

 

[newhope]

Equus 50
Not boring, poignant.
Thank you.
We will never forget.

 

[yodercountrygirl]

I was in college outside of Chigao. I don't remember going to classes that day, I just remember being in a daze about what happened. And then night came and there was not a plane in the sky. It was so eery. You always see planes, the moving lights in the night sky. There was none of that. It just was quiet for days.
I remember.

I hope and pray that our adminstration does.

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

I was a a junior in high school. I was in typing class- with two tv's in the room. We were working on an assignment when another teacher came in and said, "I apologize fot the interruption, but..." then reached up and turned on the TV... The first plane had just hit the first tower. We were glued to the TV, and watched in horror as the second plane struck the second tower.


I will never forget. It especially gets to me- I work as an ER tech- when I think of the policemen, firemen, and medics that ran into those buildings to save others, not knowing that they too would loose their lives. I think how any one of "my medics", my coworkers and friends, would do the same thing. It is in their blood and it is what they are trained to do.
IMHO, a true hero is someone who thinks of others before themselves. Not only the rescue personell, but the citizens of flight 92, who took their own plane down so the terrorists could not kill 1000+ other innocent people.
I pray for those families, and hope they realize how thankful many of us are for what their loved ones did on that day. I pray for the families of the innocent victims, the business men and women, all of the people in the towers who went to work to support themselves and their families, and never came home. May God bless them- and God Bless America.

 

[Cetawin]

I remember it vividly to this day. I was newly married (March 2001) and my husband had come home the night before, having been gone since the first of April. He was an active duty Green Beret at that time. He had gone to post for PT, Cheyenne was off to school and I was waiting for him to come in to change uniforms. I was in a happy mood, I had just spoke to my favorite cousin, who was at work in the pentagon. I went to the kitchen to get coffee, I had CNN on and I heard about the first plane hitting the towers and went to watch.

I remember seeing the smoke rolling from the tower and tears came to my eyes as I spoke my prayer aloud "Creator have mercy for those people who are injured and welcome those who perished as they come home to you". I watched trying to figure out what had happened, who, where, why and I saw the second plane flying low and banking and I literally screamed "NO Creator NO" and it hit the second tower. I broke into uncontrollable sobs and I heard my husband's truck pull into the driveway. I heard the front door open and I heard him speaking to me as if he were at the end of a tunnel. I remember hearing him say "Honey what is it?" I remembering looking at him and saying "They are killing us".

No more than 3 minutes later our phone rang and it was his unit...I answered and a frantic voice said "Mrs. Smith?" I responded. the voice said "Maam all operators are recalled to Post immediately, he has 20 minutes to be here with his gear" I said "yes" and hung up.

My husband had no clue when he walked in the door that morning, that we would not speak to or see each other again for several weeks...

I was still watching when they announced the plane had hit the pentagon and my heart stopped. I waited for images of the pentagon and when they came across the screen I think I stopped breathing...when they said where the plane had hit I began crying...the plane hit the building just 4 windows from my cousin's office. My mind was wanting to call him, to call his mother or to call my mother. Was he in his office? Had his meeting already began putting him in another part of the building? It was hours before we knew that he had been in his office and that he had probably been killed. His twin brother called me to tell me. It was days before they found any part of him and weeks before DNA knew for sure that he had.

So, there I sat, states away from my family, my husband gone for who knew how long and I was trying deperately to come to grips with everything, to get in touch with my aunt, to find out answers.

My husband came home almost three weeks later and when he walked in the door I knew when he left this time that it would be months before I saw him again. It was over a year and the wounds still had not healed.

No, I do not think it has been forgotten. It is fading like every other tragedy in the past but we heal and we move forward, finding a private place within ourselves to put this event.