17 years later, 9/11/2018

[dans]

I work with a women who worked on one of the upper floors of the building that sad day. She was lucky enough to escape the building just before it collapsed. A box was sent to her containing a few items from her desk that were found in the rubble. I will never forget the fear and sickness I felt on that sad day for America.

[Liahona]

I will never forgot that tragic day like so many others.  I lost people I knew that day as well who had families they left behind. It was one of the saddest days of my life.  I also personally had specific plans to be in Battery Park that morning to meet a good friend of mine, but for some reason I overslept and missed my train. I was actually mad at myself for missing the train until I turned on the TV and witnessed this horrible tragedy unfold in front of my eyes.  

WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

[Tim K]

2 hours ago, xandandl said:

more audio solace:  Bluecoats 2013 and Star of Indiana 92

 

Other posters have already mentioned Madison 2011 which I too believe was a moving tribute. I would add three other shows as well. Boston Crusaders 2002 “You are my Star.” The history buff in me has to recommend Cadets 2014 “Promise: An American Portrait” which reminds us of our ideals and another Madison show, 2013 “Corps of Brothers” reminds us people are still in service to our country fighting for our freedoms.

[JimF-LowBari]

Work at a Navy Base. We all heard what happened and some folks went home to be with their families. Around noon they sent us home so higher security measures could be put in. While I’m in snail line heading to the gate I see a forklift carrying a concrete median going the other way. It hit me that was part of the higher physical security and things would never be the same again.

Also had a co-worker (later boss) who was at a meeting in the Pentagon that morning. We’re talking about the attack and the boss yells over from his desk “anyone hear from Andy yet?”. Oh ####! He was ok but we didn’t know until hours later

Edited September 11, 2018 by JimF-LowBari

[Tim K]

6 hours ago, Fran Haring said:

A friend with whom I had marched in DCA's Sunrisers worked at the Trade Center, in the second tower that was hit... he and several co-workers also were there in 1993 when the WTC's parking garage was bombed. 

This time, he and his co-workers ignored the calls to stay at their desks after the first plane hit... they all got up and got out. Like he said later... "We had seen this movie once before, and didn't want to stay for the ending." A decision that saved their lives.  

I know of a couple whose son worked at a business at the WTC, I don’t recall which building. He realized in the way to work he forgot something at home and had to go back to his apartment to get it. If this had not happened, he would most likely have perished. He did go to the towers to see if his coworkers survived (most did, a few did not) and was moved by the acts of heroism that day which made him re-evaluate his life. He entered the military, and after his service returned to college to get teaching credentials and has been teaching for ten years now.

[xandandl]

1 hour ago, JimF-LowBari said:

 

Also had a co-worker (later boss) who was at a meeting in the Pentagon that morning. We’re talking about the attack and the boss yells over from his desk “anyone hear from Andy yet?”. Oh ####! He was ok but we didn’t know until hours later

Similar to one of my sisters who had an office at One World Trade but was off campus that day to give an in-service elsewhere. She sent an aide back to the office to get more handouts or something. We didn't hear from him for four days as we prayed fervently for some word. Luckily he had exited the building fifteen minutes before the plane hit but still got hit by the dust and debris a half mile away. He walked home the 14 miles as all transportation was stopped. He collapsed, then hospitalized, for the exhaustion. Remember NYC went almost 3 days before real communications were restored to all. 

P.S. It's only a half hour drive from Shanksville field to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown campus where Cadets do ST and where BAC practiced for some time this summer season.

Edited September 11, 2018 by xandandl

[JimF-LowBari]

3 minutes ago, xandandl said:

Similar to one of my sisters who had an office at One World Trade but was off campus that day to give an in-service elsewhere. She sent an aide back to the office to get more handouts or something. We didn't hear from him for four days as we prayed fervently for some word. Luckily he had exited the building fifteen minutes before the plane hit but still got hit by the dust and debris a half mile away. He walked home the 14 miles as all transportation was stopped. He collapsed, then hospitalized, for the exhaustion. Remember NYC went almost 3 days before real communications were restored to all. 

Can understand lack of communication. My one cousins son worked for MTV and recalled him saying he had meetings in WTC about once a week. Wasn’t until late that night his immediate family heard he was ok. No meeting that day but when he left the subway station he could see the smoke that was not there when he got on.

[BigW]

At the time, A Sony exec sent out an all-hands message on their online game Everquest asking desperately if anyone knew the status of his son, who worked for some firm in one of the towers. I never found out what happened with his son, nothing was ever said afterwards, I just remember looking at what floor his son worked on in his message and realized the young man's chances were very slim.

 

At the UPS facility I worked with, a large pile of small packages built up over the next week where I was working. My one friend who sorted the packages looked at it, shook his head and told me they were all pieces going to the Towers that were destroyed, they were all being held specially to be returned. Other piles were from pieces that couldn't be flown out. The scale of it really hit home to us.

 

I met a Cab who worked as a dispatcher at the NYC 43rd street hub at DCA's and we talked about it this year. He told me to imagine those piles set aside for the Towers even bigger where he was working. You just wondered what happened to the people who were supposed to get those packages in the pile and hoped they got out, and knew many of them didn't. I still get a very sinking feeling inside and pray for everyone involved.

[xandandl]

Cadets recalled this today. 

Edited September 11, 2018 by xandandl

[Fran Haring]

51 minutes ago, Tim K said:

I know of a couple whose son worked at a business at the WTC, I don’t recall which building. He realized in the way to work he forgot something at home and had to go back to his apartment to get it. If this had not happened, he would most likely have perished.

All those little twists of fate that day. Amazing.