Reflections on September 11, 2001 and the Future World Trade Center

[luvmysuper]

Shame on you. Shame on you!

This is a day of mourning for the poor innocent souls who lost their lives that day in two buildings and several planes.

Regardless of the political innuendo before, or the political posturing afterwards never forget these poor innocent people who were just living their lives when it was abruptly snatched from them.

They deserve better than to be the source of another heated debate on an internet forum. Their families deserve more than for them to be the hot topic of the day.

Respect for the dead. Respect for the loss of thousands who won't be at birthday parties, family holidays, weddings. If you don't have a kind word for the memory of these people, don't post here at all.

Don't come in here and besmirch their memory with political crap. Any other day is fine.

BUT NOT TODAY.

 

[coyotewhisper]

In memory of those that were lost on that day. May God's grace shine on this nation once again. Let us never forget.

 

[miamimoe]

This is a sad day. My heart goes out to those that died on that horrible day, their families, friends, and loved ones.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

Never forget what religion this came from, either.

This is the worst thing I've ever read on this forum. Ever.

Shame on you. Shame on you!

This is a day of mourning for the poor innocent souls who lost their lives that day in two buildings and several planes.

Regardless of the political innuendo before, or the political posturing afterwards never forget these poor innocent people who were just living their lives when it was abruptly snatched from them.

They deserve better than to be the source of another heated debate on an internet forum. Their families deserve more than for them to be the hot topic of the day.

Respect for the dead. Respect for the loss of thousands who won't be at birthday parties, family holidays, weddings. If you don't have a kind word for the memory of these people, don't post here at all.

Don't come in here and besmirch their memory with political crap. Any other day is fine.

BUT NOT TODAY.

+ a million.

 

[PanchoVilla]

Shame on you. Shame on you!

This is a day of mourning for the poor innocent souls who lost their lives that day in two buildings and several planes.

Regardless of the political innuendo before, or the political posturing afterwards never forget these poor innocent people who were just living their lives when it was abruptly snatched from them.

They deserve better than to be the source of another heated debate on an internet forum. Their families deserve more than for them to be the hot topic of the day.

Respect for the dead. Respect for the loss of thousands who won't be at birthday parties, family holidays, weddings. If you don't have a kind word for the memory of these people, don't post here at all.

Don't come in here and besmirch their memory with political crap. Any other day is fine.

BUT NOT TODAY.

This^^^

 

[bamafan64]

Apologies to anyone I offended. I read an article where the head of the Chicago chapter of CAIR said that Americans need to move on from 9-11 and got mad. I guess all religions of the world were affected by 9-11 in one way or another and I shouldn't have generalized. Again, my apologies, gentlemen.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

 

[Antique Hoosier]

The ceremony today with the reading of the names of those whose lives were lost 10 years ago is a very touching event. Beautifully done in honor of those we lost that fateful day. Rest in Peace. God Bless America.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Give yourselves a break today. If you lost friends or loved ones ten years ago, mourn them. If you know someone who did, console them. If you are a person of faith, say a prayer for those who suffered then and continue to suffer. If you are charitably inclined, think about a way to make a donation to help those who lost something on that day or who have suffered in the intervening years.

If you were frightened or upset ten years ago, step outside and see that a decade has past and you are still alive. Take some time to appreciate the people who make your life worthwhile. Maybe spend a few minutes thinking of another 9/11. In ten years, it will be September 11. 2021. Why not think of something positive that you can do that will make you a better person, that will make this a better country, by then? They say it's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

 

[jakespoppy]

I didn't lose a family member or friend in the events of 9/11, but I did lose both of my parents in events unrelated within months of 9/11, and I know that you do not forget loved ones you lose, no matter the circumstances. I think the pain might be greater if that loss is a national newsworthy event, because of the frequent reminders. It is touching to see the televised memorial services, and I'm glad those who we lost on 9/11 are being remembered this way, but my heart aches for the families and loved ones who I am certain have felt the pain from the loss of their loved ones every day for the past 10 years, and will continue to feel pain from that loss for many years to come. Having been to memorial services for loved ones, I know them to be very stressful for those who are closest to the loved ones who were lost. My prayer today is for an extra measure of peace and comfort for those who feel the loss the most, and who are experiencing the mixture of pain and happiness in this day of memorializing those who were lost on this day 10 years ago.

 

[Topgumby]

In 1951, on December 7th, the tenth anniversary of Pearl Harbor was little noted in the media, in large part because the events of that terrible day had been concluded by victory in WWII, and there was another war going on, in Korea, that demanded attention. Japan, the perpetrators of the "Day of Infamy" had become a needed ally.

The anniversary today troubles my heart, but not only because the tragic events of 9-11-01 remain fresh in my mind. I lost no loved ones, and emerged from my military deployment unscathed, but there is no surrender at Tokyo bay to end the story.

It is a day to remember the loss of innocent lives, to reflect on those who only sought to live another normal day and were robbed of a future through the malice of others.

For me, it is remembrance and sorrow with no closure. I'm determined to remember, but I long to put it in the past. It is a difficult set of feelings to reconcile.

 

[jtb]

Having grown up in Brooklyn, worked in 7 WTC for some time and remembering an old school friend that was lost 10 years ago today (he was FDNY), my heart still sinks for all those lost.

 

[MoJoe]

Count mine among the families that lost someone and recovered no remains. That made losing my wife's sister somewhat surreal - we had a service without a casket or urn. The emotions were an odd mix. We lost, but so did so many others we knew. Our loss was no more or less significant and our sympathies were shared with the whole community.

While that beautiful day was spoiled with darkness, what I experienced in the following days was remarkable. My wife's family was broken. She had aunts , uncles and cousins she had never met. It turns out that on that tragic day she lost a cousin too. The two cousins died two floors apart. Any feud that had taken place ended that day.

On September 13, New York City was ready to take missing persons reports and release the names of the injured at local hospitals. The police and other relief agencies could not have been better to deal with that day. And the outpouring of support from the people left me speechless. We were there for hours and at first the put out what I called refugee sandwiches - a slice of ham on two pieces of thin white bread. Shortly, after that food arrived from all over the city to the point that it looklied the Armory was hosting a wedding. After that, each time we visited ground zero the visitors center was staffed by volunteers from around the country who took time out of their lives to be with the families. Saying thank you to all of the support we received were words that never seemed to carry the proper weight.

My wife is in New York today while I am at home with the kids. While I'm happy to finally see the memorial I still cannot believe that it has taken 10 years to get it done. It is embarrassing that a country with so much capability could not put aside politics to honor the dead sooner.

 

[PanchoVilla]

Count mine among the families that lost someone and recovered no remains. That made losing my wife's sister somewhat surreal - we had a service without a casket or urn. The emotions were an odd mix. We lost, but so did so many others we knew. Our loss was no more or less significant and our sympathies were shared with the whole community.

While that beautiful day was spoiled with darkness, what I experienced in the following days was remarkable. My wife's family was broken. She had aunts , uncles and cousins she had never met. It turns out that on that tragic day she lost a cousin too. The two cousins died two floors apart. Any feud that had taken place ended that day. .

I'm very sorry for your loss MoJoe. Please pay my condolences to your wife when you talk with her next.

 

[JoshuaNY]

I am praying for the families who have lost friends and loved ones. It was a sad day.

 

[Raedwulf]

My view as a Canuck in Calgary AB.
I can only think back to what I was doing on that day. I was going to work shortly after 7 my time. At that time, it was reported a plane had it one of the towers. I was thinking a small plane had gone out of control. Once I reached work, I was in time to hear a second plane had crashed in to the towers. Found out it wasn't a small plane.
Anger, Anger , Anger
It takes a true coward to target civilians

I was scheduled to fly the next day to Saskatoon. I remember being steaming mad the whole drive to and from, not that I had to drive, but to the senselessness.

 

[closer]

I had emerged from the subway on Wall Street as the first tower came down, and was enveloped in that cloud of dust, with people running away from the WTC site, looking behind them and above towards what was obscured by dust and smoke at that point. Once we realized what had happened, it was several hours of walk back home, with no transportation, and no communications. Local shops on Water Street provided water to everybody. I am thankful everyday that I came back home safely.

In the days afterward, everybody did what they could to help. My wife and I went to the local Red Cross center to donate blood. We were told they could not take anymore blood because so many people had already donated, they did not have any more storage available. It was great to see how people came together to help, and I remember thinking - why can't people in this country come together during normal times and get things accomplished.

While I don't know anybody personally who died on that day, my prayers are with the families who lost loved ones.

 

[Quietville]

I was in 7th grade history class when this happened. I live in a city that is 7 miles from school and the first attack had happened while we were in-transit to the school. When we arrived we were told to stay in our classrooms and watch the TV until further notice. I was watching live when the second plane hit and I about threw up. I didn't understand the implications at the time but I remember that all the air in the room was gone. I couldn't breathe and I'm pretty sure my jaw was on the floor the whole time. I remember that they estimated the death toll to be likely to exceed 2000. I remember thinking to myself... that's EVERYONE in my community. My hometown was 1,600 people and the city I went to school in was 650 at the time. I remember that I understood the pain, anger and grief but I just wondered... what do we do? What should we do about this? I remember that when Bush declared war I wanted to slap him. MORE bloodshed? More anger and pain? Then I remember thinking... we should go after the people who did this, but... they're already dead. Surely the people who masterminded this are already dead. When the third plane went down in Pennsylvania I remember I felt a little bit better. But they skewed that story on TV. They didn't really discuss that there were people on board that plane who were victims of terrorism. They were going on a flight not to fight terrorists and crash their plane into a field, but to do business in another town or to visit family members.

I still remember everything, and it's a shame that people who are 12 or 13 years old now and younger won't know how it felt. The same way that I don't know what Vietnam, Korea or WWII or WWI felt like.

My point of view in life has always been forgive but never forget. Now that we've done more human damage since 9/11/01 I'm ready to forgive since the #1 and #2 man of al-Qaeda are dead. The thing that still gets me is that society in some parts of the world is so messed up that organizations that focus on terror even exist. In honor of every person affected by this war I have and will continue to live my life in the fullest and as a peaceful person.