Posted on 09/11/2012 6:34:33 AM PDT by US Navy Vet
I had recently lost my wife. I sold my house in Chatham, MA, and was moving to FL. The movers came on 9/10, and on 9/11’ they came to load up the van. I was on the phone with Atlanta, canceling the cable service. I heard a guy in the background saying that a small plane had crashed into the Empire State Building. The crew chief of the movers called me down to the basement to sort out an issue. At that time my son called me from MO, telling me to get to the TV. I sat on a crate transfixed. At 1130, the crewchief said they had to take the TV and head to get back to RI. He was a Lt. In the RI NG and was called back to his unit. I left the area by car 9/14 and was heading to the DC area. I stayed that night in Garrison, NY, with my niece. The only bridge across the Hudson was at Bear Mountain.
I was getting ready for work and in the shower. I listen to the radio while I’m getting ready and I heard Mancow Muller say something about a plane accident where it flew into one of the world trade buildings. I got out of the shower and was getting dressed and turned on the TV. As I was watching the news about the plane crash I stood in horror as I watched a second plane fly into the other tower. I was just in shock.
After I dressed and left for work I was listening to the radio in my car and how this was not an accident (duh) and how we are at war.
Once I arrived at work I heard about the plane hitting the Pentagon. It was a little later that we heard about the flight that crashed in the field. I know we didn’t get much work done that day. Everyone was standing in the various break areas watching the updates on the TVs.
I remember how strange it was that not a single airplane, helicopter or anything was flying over head. The day was just surreal and I just felt numb.
I also remember that Bush did a great job at expressing his love of the country and dealing with the events that unfolded. I know there are many who blame him, as there are some fools who blame America for that day, but I felt he was the best man for the job. Much better than Gore would have been and a hell of a lot better than the current a-hole.
Was driving to work, listening to the radio. Morning show “free for all” chatter was on, when I noticed one participant voice disappear. Came back with the announcement of what happened. Pretty obvious from the blue-sky weather it was no accident (though the Empire State Building crash came to mind). Before arriving at work the second hit occurred.
Got a call about the collapse. Went to check a TV, saw the column of smoke, cognitive dissonance kicked in, and I suggested the building was merely obscured by smoke.
Went home at lunch to grab a “bug out bag” (painfully aware where it should have been), then went back. Guards were checking everything coming in (and, I noted, in a rather ineffective manner).
Sister-in-law left the TV on all day. Later realized that her young kids didn’t understand “video replay”, and thought planes & buildings were crashing all day long.
Good God what a tear-jerker.
Ya know, Lego has a program/webpage for submitting kit ideas. Some of them get turned into full-fleged products. Ah, here it is: http://lego.cuusoo.com/
Have him submit the design. Do it ASAP today and it could break records.
Utterly brilliant kid.
Re: The odor.
You’re right. My wife and I had to get something at her office on 100 Broadway on that Saturday. Blessedly she wasn’t in the office on the 11th. But the air was strong(I have a description, but it always seems unnecesarily callous when I say it) and dusty. And it was so surreal to look down the street to see the pile of smoldering buildings, just eerie.
We had returned the night before from vacation. When I got up, my husband said a plane had hit the World Trade Tower. We sat down to watch Fox and saw the 2nd plane hit live. Mr. MO guy looked at me and said, “We are at war”. He left for work and the rest on the morning I was in my bedroom, watching the horror and on the phone with my MIL. My son was only 3, and I couldn't let him know mommy was upset. Toward the end, I remember breaking into tears and begging for it to stop.
That evening, talking softly about how many may have been in the buildings, no air traffic, silence out of the sky. I'll never forget...
MOgirl
I was the (only) reporter for a small weekly newspaper in Massachusetts. I heard on the radio that a plane, possibly a small one, had hit the World Trade Center. How odd. Then I heard the SECOND plane hit the adjacent tower and it was serious, so I knew the airwaves would be full of this story for the rest of the day.
But it didn’t affect me. Tuesday was deadline day and all my stories were in, so I was covered. I thought about spinning up an editorial about the incident, but the time was very short. On a weekly newspaper, if you don’t get the story while it’s red hot, you can wait a week and at least get all the details right.
Then the guy on the radio said that the captain of Flight 11 was John Ogonowski from Dracut, Mass., and I went BOIIINNGGG!!! DRACUT!!! HEY, THAT’S ME!!!
Suffice to say the rest of the morning was spent scrambling like crazy to get all the details on the incident and learn anything I could about John, who was pretty well known in town. It was a classic “stop the presses” moment while I put together a story on the fly.
*************************
My strongest memory from 9/11 came afterward, however. For the first time in my life, the skies were dead. No tiny red lights on the horizon at night, no distant roar of jet passing by or the steady growl of a Cessna just beyond the trees, no silver speck drawing a white contrail across the sky. Nothing.
All my life, I knew I was never completely alone. Somewhere, somebody was able to see me from a passing aircraft, however unlikely it was that they could spot me. But at least there was another soul within sight.
After 9/11, for the first time in my life (and I’m old enough to remember sonic booms over the Continental U.S.), the sky was empty and I was alone. I found it sad and awful and at least a little frightening.
Early in the morning (Midwestern time) I heard that simply a plane had crash somewhere.
Then I heard a plane had crashed into the World Center in some sort of horrible accident.
Then around 10:00 word finally came down to us 8th Graders that we were under attack and the WTC had collapsed in.
My First thought was that the upper part had caved in but the towers were still standing.
It wasn't until about 11:00 that I went to History Class which had a TV (remember this was the days before smartphones and omnipresent internet).
Then we watched the 2nd tower go and that the Pentagon was attacked too.
That is amazing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.