A very somber moment. The world was forever changed.
9/11 Sometime lofty towers
- Thread starter ouch
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That's bravery in a way that I'll never know.Here's the Marriott hotel that member BSA stayed in the night before, as viewed by my then boss's brother, FDNY Assistant Chief Gerard Barbara, moments before entering a building he would never exit.
Feel free to share your reflections on this fifteenth anniversary.
Oy. Don't know why I thought this subject wouldn't come up here. Silly me. I was in the concourse of the WTC when the first plane hit. Escaped death there by about 50 feet, though I didn't realize it at the time. Took the last PATH train out (one of very few people on it - the station, six stories underground, with positive ventilation, smelled heavily of JP-5, but I had no clue what was going on til I came up on the far bank of the river and looked back. Watched all the rest from a 'safe' distance, though no one felt safe. After 27 years in lower Manhattan (at that time), it was a miracle (one of many) that I only lost one acquaintance (keynote speaker at Windows on the World that morning) to the attack, and a friend, later, to the emotional aftermath. Continued to commute by the site daily (once the 'Zone' was reopened) for 9 years. Don't get down that way much these days.
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Spike
PS - for the the record, I do not believe 'the world was forever changed.' The world is still the world, world without end. To quote the late, great Robert Stone, 'A man has nothing to fear who understands history.'
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Spike
PS - for the the record, I do not believe 'the world was forever changed.' The world is still the world, world without end. To quote the late, great Robert Stone, 'A man has nothing to fear who understands history.'
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Dr. Ouch:
Bravo...well said...well said my friend!
I remember that day like it was yesterday...I was on Active Duty (Army), training at Fort Polk, LA. I watched (along with many of the Brigade Staff), the whole telecast on one of many Jumbotrons at the SIMS (Systems Integration Modeling and Simulation), Center.
A horrific tragedy for the US. May the many loved ones Rest in Peace.
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To quote F.D.R "A day that will live in infamy", let's never forget.
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- #46
Bonus factoid- FDR originally wrote the words "a day that will live in world history," then crossed it out and replaced it with infamy. The original is on display at his museum in Hyde Park.
- Thread starter
- #47
The saddest yearly bump.
Never forget.
NEVER FORGET
Burned in my memory forever.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Many seem to have forgotten. None should.
A day of pain, and tears, and awakening for America...
Never forget!
A day of pain, and tears, and awakening for America...
Never forget!
I was in our Tribeca apartment 5 blocks away that morning and heard the plane pass above it, then slice into the building followed by the explosion. After going up on the roof and trying to take pictures, I went back downstairs to get fresh batteries and saw the second plane hit on the TV then went back upstairs to see for real what had happened. I saw seven people jump to their deaths wanting to reach out and grab them to save them but could do nothing. Eventually I arranged to meet my other half who worked uptown and we planned a route so that we would not miss each other and ended up meeting on the street in the West Village. We decided to walk back home since we didn't know what else might be coming out way and decided we'd rather be at home if it more things were going to happen and we'd be together and we made it back OK after seeing the towers fall on our way. We tried to see if we could help anyone in our area and when I heard some noise I ran to the end of the street only to find that the third building was falling and more debris was headed toward us. Fortunately, most of it didn't reach us! There was quite a mess left behind which became more dense, the closer you got toward the WTC and finding news of what was going on was difficult. Finding food over the next few days was difficult and it took quite a while before things became more normal again. We had to pass through checkpoints and show ID's for several weeks, streets were barricaded and many subway stops were closed. It wasn't until February that things became more normal but there were reminders everywhere and every day of what happened and what we went through! The event was one day before our 20th anniversary, which we were unable to celebrate, and as of today we are cerebrating our 36th! I have so many memories of these events being so close to it and I am grateful that we did not have to suffer as much as those who were closer or in it. They will always be remembered for their bravery and for what they went through!
