No WRUW today please

[CHIP]

Twenty years ago today, a horrendous act of terrorism took place. It shook this country to the core, and briefly… we were all United. We were the best we ever were. We were all United, as one.

Instead of showing our watches today, let’s take a moment to reminisce and remember the tragedy that took place two decades ago, and remember those that perished on that day. When they didn’t have to.

May they all rest in peace, they are all heroes.
Never to be forgotten.

Instead of what are you wearing today, what were you doing that day? How did you hear about it? How did you react?

[Baco Noir]

I was driving to work when I heard about the first plane. I was supposed to be leading the first combined (govt, contractor, and labor union) safety assessment of nuclear operations at the plant. I got to the office and we turned on the TV in the conference room and the entire assessment team started watching the news. There was very little talking and a whole lot of disbelief. We watched the second plane go into the tower, and then heard the pentagon news, the grounding of all planes, and finally the crash of Flight 93. They made a public address announcement at the plant that they were closing, parents should go pick up their children, and to call into the site’s winter weather phone number for updates on when the plant would reopen. I went home listening to the news on National Public Radio on they and then stayed glued to the TV for days watching the replays and the rescue efforts.

I relived much of that when I visited the NY memorial site with Laurie a few years ago - they have photos, video clips, and artifacts from the site laid out in a timeline fashion as you go through the memorial. It was very vivid in my mind and replayed again in front of me as we proceeded through the exhibit.






I’ve also visited the pentagon memorial, which was very well done. Each row of the markers covers a birth year for the victims. If you are facing the pentagon when reading the name, they where inside the pentagon during the crash. If your back is to the pentagon when reading their name, they died in the plane crash. It was a very serene and solemn place. Each marker was a small water feature amongst the rows of trees they had planted.










Laurie visited the PA site on a genealogy trip back there with her father and sisters - also a very moving, yet solemn place.

[carl]

Just having breakfast at my favorite hole-in-the-wall 'Dockers Cafe'. Stunned silence. Same when I went to work that afternoon. Even at the print shop where I worked, there was such a deep sadness, at the same time a respect for one another and our own thoughts as we sort of went about our day. As well as the souls who were lost, so many people also became heroes on that day.

[lagunatic]

Let us never forget

[priamo]

It was a crystal clear sun filled day in NY. I was at the grocery store and a fella said a plane hit a skyskraper. I assumed it was a single engine and responded that the highly trained emergency crews will quickly resolve the accident. When I got home I was dumbfounded and glued to the tv. I went to work out and a friend stopped by the gym to let us know another plane hit the Pentagon.That spring we went on a bus trip to see the Rangers at MSG. Armed guards were guarding the Holland Tunnel and no traffic was allowed near the 9/11 site.

[rw16610]

I'll never forget that day, 20 years ago. I was in high school and they let us watch it all unfold on the news. Having family in New York and New Jersey who would be in Manhattan daily, particularly that area it was very scary. Unable to reach family members by phone due to the outages. I'll never forget.

May the rest in peace.

[muckymark]

I was in Toronto for Canadian dealer meetings and trade show. Most of the Freightliner employees as well as vendors were from the USA. We were on a break when someone mentioned a news story about a plane crashing into the towers on a TV in the lobby. Back then we didn't have instant updates on iPhone or Galaxy devices. At the next break the news was a lot more tragic and still unfolding. I remember the resolve of the Americans and how determined they were to finish their presentations. To this day I am still humbled by that, especially given the circumstances. After the days meetings were over we all gathered in the hotel bars and restaurants to watch the news and see what had actually happened. The next day the meetings were cut short as everyone was trying to find a way home. The airport was closed and airlines were not able to offer any updates. We were able to fly home on the Thursday after one of the guys wife's, who worked for the airlines, was able to secure us a ride home on a empty plane deadheading to Vancouver.