Do you remember? I sure do...who will ever forget this? I was on my way to work, a sales meeting, when it first came over the airwaves...a plane has hit the World Trade Center. I thought I had heard wrong...can this really be happening? Surely not...then the 2nd plane. I thought I was going to vomit. I was crying and shaking my head in disbelief. All those people, their families....I prayed and prayed, saying the Lord's prayer as fast as I could...over and over, I couldn't think of anything else...I was in shock, disbelief.
We watched the horror together that day, in the bank. It was so quiet, no rustling of papers, no phones ringing--just us, as we all cried silently, men & women, holding hands, hugging, trying to make sense of this horrific event. I wanted to leave so badly and get my little girl, 3 at the time, and just hug her, love her. Did I tell her I loved her this morning...did she hear me? I just cannot imagine anything more tragic to happen to innocent people. We watched in silence and horror as the Towers fell. Then I was angry...so angry that ANYONE would do something like this. I felt like a trapped animal...I remember shaking, wanting to hit something, then feeling so weak...I felt so helpless.
Today, on the radio while I was driving to work, the station had a moment of silence with a music montage of sound clips from that day. A 9-1-1 phone call...a woman named Melissa who had called begging for help and the dispatcher praying with her, trying to soothe her, knowing that her voice was the last Melissa would most likely hear...then there was silence--Melissa's voice was there no longer, no longer praying and begging for help...only the dispatcher calling her name, and praying to God.
I cried today...listening to that, remembering. It felt just as horrible today as it did that day. I cried for all those families, mommies and daddies, that are no longer here. I cried for the brave men & women firefighters, that risked their lives to save so few. I cried for the pain & sorrow of all those that lost a loved one. I cried for America, my beloved country.
Oh yes, I remember...I will never forget. May God Bless you all, that no one will ever have to experience anything this horrific again. Keep your family & friends close today, tell them you love them.
TIMELINE 9/11---REMEMBERING...
7:58 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 175 departs Boston for Los Angeles,
carrying 56 passengers, two pilots, and seven flight attendants. The
Boeing 767 is hijacked after takeoff and diverted to New York.
7:59 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 11 departs Boston for Los
Angeles, carrying 81 passengers, two pilots, and nine flight
attendants. This Boeing 767 is also hijacked and diverted to New York.
8:01 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757 carrying 38
passengers, two pilots, and five flight attendants, leaves Newark, N.J.,
for San Francisco.
8:10 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 77 departs Washington's
Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles, carrying 58 passengers,
two pilots, and four flight attendants. The Boeing 757 is hijacked
after takeoff.
8:46 a.m. - American Flight 11 from Boston crashes into the North
Tower at the World Trade Center.
9:03 a.m. - United Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the South
Tower at the World Trade Center.
- U.S. Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all New
York area airports.
9:21 a.m. - Bridges and tunnels leading into New York City
are closed.
9:25 a.m. - All domestic flights are grounded by U.S. Federal
Aviation Administration.
9:45 a.m. - American Flight 77 crashes into The Pentagon.
10:05 a.m. - The South Tower at the World Trade Center collapses.
10:05 a.m. - The White House is evacuated.
10:10 a.m. - A large section of one side of The Pentagon collapses.
10:10 a.m. - United Flight 93 crashes in a wooded area in
Pennsylvania, after passengers confront hijackers.
10:28 a.m. - The North Tower at the World Trade Center collapses.
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12 comments:
What a beautiful and truthful reflection. I think you expressed all of our thoughts and feelings from that day and today perfectly. I thank you for your brother's service and sacrifices for our country. I am glad to know he is home safe and able to be with his family now when the kids are older when being together really counts.
Thank you...I am very proud of my brother.
I remember....
You called me at work. I was on the phone with you when the 2nd plane hit. It was too much to take in. It couldn't believe what was happening. This was unimaginable. It had to be a horrible joke. Once I realized it was real all I could think was, Why? What kind of person could even think of such a horrendous act? Why do they hate us so much? And most of all--The families? Even though I didn't know them I cried for them. My heart ached for them.
The rest of my day at work was much like yours, everything stopped.
I hope that when people remember this tragedy, we also remember the solidarity our country felt over the following weeks and months. We truly became "one nation under God."
Thank you for the thoughtful rememberance on this day.
You are making me cry....I did call you, I was on the road and wanted someone to tell me it wasn't real. Of course you were the first I'd call....I just could not imagine a world without you, my sister!
Thank you for remembering this day with me, and you are right. The American people did unite...you put it perfectly.
BTW, ya know I luv ya!! Kiss Kiss!!
That was beautiful and so touching. I'm in tears. {{{hugs}}}
I don't think anyone can forget what they were doing on that day. I was helping a friend move and heard about it on the radio. Time pretty much just stood still the rest of the day and night. Nothing else mattered. I remember thinking, "what can I do to help?" I heard the same radio broadcast you did this morning and it made tears well up in my eyes still after 7 years. I don't know if that will ever go away....
Thank you all for remembering this day together. Ninners76...paired with that Nickelback song..OMG, I had tears all over the place.
A moving post...I think that reflecting upon today is something that brings us all together.
((hugs))
We were having Juvenile Law day when one of the bailiffs came in telling us a he had heard a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the Trade Center. We all sat around wondering how could a plane just crash into such a huge building when the news of the second tower being hit came in......we were still unaware of what the bigger picture of this horrific accident? was. Surely the news was getting it wrong, one tower's an accident, both towers????? We were trying to take up cases, as we had children and families in the rotunda of the Court House - then we heard about the Pentagon building - Court was put on hold while one of the Attorneys frantically tried to contact family as he had a brother in law that worked at the Pentagon. . . If I remember correctly, he hadn't gone into work that morning and was safe.
Still no answers yet as to who or what was attacking our Country, and what could be next???? We had a tv in the office and we tried to get reception with the rabbit ears. All we could get was sound and what we heard was too horrible to even imagine. I remember sitting in my office crying, then being numb, then crying again, as I wondered what would happen next. Then I began trying to reach my childhood pen-pal, Maria, who lived in Manhattan and worked for People Magazine, it was days before she got through to me, and when she did I cried again, tears of relief, then guilt, because I knew so many people never heard the voice of their loved ones again.
The following St. Patrick's Day I was in New York City with my mother and half of my home town to watch our Marching Indians, young, strong, talented high school kids who had earned the honor of representing Clark County Missouri as they proudly marched down Fifth Avenue in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. We weren't going to let anyone scare us into not going to New York for this once in a life time trip. Tears were in my eyes as I listed to their trademark song, "Patriots" that incorporates part of the beautiful song "Shenendoah", and I held onto my Mom as we sang together, "Cross the Wide Missouri", with tears once again pouring down our cheeks. Our lives were forever changed, but our hearts were stronger than ever.
Miles and miles of Police Officers and Fire Fighters marched in the parade, as their Irish Forefathers had, only this time, they held hand of small children whose Dad wasn't marching with them, some carried helmets or pictures to signify fallen brothers or sisters. Our hearts and eyes swelled with tears and pride, our ears with the sounds of bagpipes and marching bands, until finally, the sensory overload was more than a person could take in.
God Bless the men and women who lost their lives that horrific day, and their families. And thank you, to those serving our Country, and the families who continue living at home praying for their safe return.
There were some 'good' stories to come out of that dreadful day . . .
http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/fromdawntillrusk/2008/09/am-i-the-only-one-with-fond-me.html
The most memorable thoughts for me were videos of the dust filled air that you couldn't see through and hearing the fire fighters beepers going off. A fire fighters beeper only goes off if they are not moving. There were beepers going off everywhere. That is a very eerie memory of the day for me.
Thanks for your remembrance memorial to 9-11.
I was in my American Studies class in High School. Needless to say not much of anything got done that day.
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