9/11/01 Never Forget

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Nine years ago four passenger planes were hijacked by Muslim extremist terrorists. Two were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. One hit the Pentagon. Another was brought down in a Pennsylvania field as the passengers and crew tried to retake it, determined not to allow their hijackers to complete their mission.

The WTC burned, at least 200 terrified people jumped from the windows (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Falling_Man), forced out by smoke and flames or blown out, while the world watched and prayed... the towers collapsed into dust. 2,996 human beings died, including citizens of over 70 countries.

Over 3,000 children lost one or both parents that day. Eleven people were pulled alive from the rubble of the collapsed towers. It cost an estimated $5 billion just to clear the debris of the WTC.

The whole "9/11 Never Forget" is made fun of by some people - please stay out of this thread. Remember the heroes of the NYPD and FDNY that rushed into those towers while everyone else was running out.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Threads from this forum on that day:

Am I Hearing This? (http://www.sw-fans.net/archive/forum/showthread.php?threadid=8129)

My Country has been attacked (http://www.sw-fans.net/archive/forum/showthread.php?threadid=6068)

Those in the New York Area (http://www.sw-fans.net/archive/forum/showthread.php?threadid=15744) (Yogs B&G)

The Numbers Begin to Come In (http://www.sw-fans.net/archive/forum/showthread.php?threadid=8125)

Updates: Attack at NYC and Washington (http://www.sw-fans.net/archive/forum/showthread.php?threadid=8115)

[Dee]

My uncle was supposed to be on American Airlines Flight 11, out of Logan Airport here in Boston, with his close friend and CEO of the company he worked for at the time. He was sent to London on a last minute trip instead, and left on Monday...otherwise, he would have been on the plane, and died when it crashed into the North Tower.

One of my best friends from college, Danny, had become a cop in NYC just a few months before 9/11. To this day he can't talk about what it was like being in NYC that day or the days and weeks that followed, but I still thank him every time I talk to him. Because he was one of those that went running in to help when everything was going to hell.

I'll also never forget being on my way in to Boston to work, with the music blaring and my windows open...and being dumbstruck when the music suddenly stopped and every stations' announcers broke in with what was happening. The traffic didn't just slow down, it came to a complete stop, with everyone getting out of their cars and looking at one another, horrified, some even in tears, and glancing up at the sky.

I've always loved flying and traveling, but a few months after 9/11, I went to Greece. I've never been so afraid in my life, staring at everyone around me and wondering if they were a terrorist just waiting to strike. Security in Boston was painfully tight, and would have been regardless, but given that AA11 had originated at Logan made everything worse. But you know, no one complained. People said thank you to the security guards and the cops and the national guardsmen that were stationed in the terminal.

[Anne Phoenix]

I was in my junior year in High School. I remember transferring between classes and being told over the loudspeaker to head to class immediatly. Upon arriving in my Science class, Mrs Storm, our teacher, turned on the TV to the CNN coverage just as the second plane hit the other WTC tower. I guess it's the shock, but I don't remember the rest of the day after that, apart from talking on the School Bus ride home about how the military would retaliate.

[Acacius Blade]

I was on my way home from school. We'd finished early - I can't remember why. I was with Droo in his dads car and he put int on the radio. There was just something about how the radio sounded - soemthing in the back of my head couldn't accept it as true, as it if was a hoax or a stupid joke by thw radio stations - like when War of the Worlds was first on the radio.

But then I saw it on the TV when I got home.

[Tell Cho]

I was in school at the time; I think it was my government class. One of the other teachers walked in and said we needed to see the news. There wasn't a television in the classroom, so we all went to a neighbouring room where we sat and watched it. It was pretty early, and so we all saw the second plane hit the other tower.

I remember especially how dark the room was. We stayed and watched the news for some time. It's odd now, because I can't remember if we were dismissed or if the school day continued.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I didn't do anything in particular that day - my sister woke me up telling me that the towers had been hit. It seemed like I wasn't awake yet, like she was actually saying something else. I was supposed to work that day, but I worked in an outlet mall and they closed all the malls down that day. I spent most of the day watching the news.

Went back to work the next day. No one went shopping. It was a waste of a day. We were also instructed not to use box knives at the front counter any more.

I didn't know anyone in the Towers or on the planes. Its easy to let the passing of time wear off the edges of the memory of this tragedy. In some ways that's good, but in other ways... not.

I found a 9/11 documentary on youtube, originally aired in 2002. Apparently some filmmakers were making a documentary about a rookie firefighter at FDNY Engine 1, right next to the WTC, and they went with them to the towers that day. I don't remember ever seeing this footage before, its pretty incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OUBRhRZSss&feature=related part 1... I'm not sure how many parts there are, I'm not all the way through...