Sept. 11

[Terry57]

I just wanted to send out my heartfelt condolences to those who lost loved ones on this day, 13 years ago. Seems like yesterday.
They are not forgotten.

 

[SilverSage]

Still brings tears and makes me shake. I will never forget the terror and heartbreak, the shock of it all, the disbelief. A friend from childhood enlisted because of this attack. His service, including his life threatening injuries, inspired my baby brother to enlist. No home in America was untouched by that day. But we were not broken. United we stand, stubborn as ever, even when we disagree.

A hole in the skyline, a hole in our hearts. They will never be forgotten.

 

[Timothy]

I'm currently watching Zero Dark Thirty.

I was in 5th grade English. My teacher, Mrs. Irilli, got a phone call from home, turned on the TV and started sobbing, the first place to hit killed her husband. he was on one of the floors directly hit. She was relieved, and we watched. several other kids lost a parent that day. including 3 siblings who lost both parents and an uncle. Really messed up. I tried to enlist 3 times when i got older, but i have a medical condition (heart) preventing me from serving. Not even Lying got me in :/

 

[ruffledfeathers]

I am so saddened by the memory but today one of my friends posted on Facebook about those days and weeks following the attack on 9/11. Remember how we all seemed to go out of our way to be nice, to "waste time" for simple gestures of kindness? Such a terrible act brought out the goodness and humanity in all of us. I would like to remember THAT! I would like to revive that spirit.

 

[Colorguarder08]

My facebook was mostly filled with people wishing my childhood bestfriend's son a happy birthday. However there was one comment that I did not appreciate reguarding the attack. They wanted 9/11 to be a holiday. Now by definintion a holiday is something you celebrate and are joyous about. Why would somebody want that celebrated? I understand wanting to memorialized but not celebrated.

 

[Scott]

Memories of 9/11 are hard wired into my brain and the repercussions of that terrible event have permanently changed my workplace. This was the first 9/11 in a while that I wasn't at work and that made me more contemplative than past dates. Finally visited the 9/11 Memorial in NYC a few months ago and was awed by the sheer size and scope of the venue.

Was glad there were no "anniversary" attacks.

 

[Phlox]

My facebook was mostly filled with people wishing my childhood bestfriend's son a happy birthday. However there was one comment that I did not appreciate reguarding the attack. They wanted 9/11 to be a holiday. Now by definintion a holiday is something you celebrate and are joyous about. Why would somebody want that celebrated? I understand wanting to memorialized but not celebrated.

Holiday doesn't mean celebrate a bad thing. We have Memorial Day...and that's to honor all service members that died serving our country. Hardly a good thing, but still a "holiday."

I don't know that this should be however...

 

[SilverSage]

Agreed. A holiday is a day of remembering, it's just that typically we only want to remember things worth celebrating. We remember the friends we have lost and the friends of friends, and all the other men and women who have given their lives on Memorial Day. We are glad of our freedom, but we do not celebrate their loss.

 

[Ducatimom]

Still a very hard day and I get teary eyed every time I think of it. I was in my 7th Grade Math class when it happened. I didn't really understand what had happened until I got to History the next period. My History teacher was an AF vet and he made sure to tell us all what was going on in a way to try not to scare us but still impress the graveness of the events that happened. All we did the rest of that day in every class was watch the news. It still amazes me that kids my brother's age and younger (my youngest brother just graduated High school this past year) have no idea and some don't realize the importance of this day and why we take time to remember those who gave their lives and survived that horrible tragedy.

 

[Scott]

Quite a lot of media attention has focused on the 13th memorialization effects on young adults who were children with hazy memories of the event. 9/11 was one of the first global shocks to be captured and processed by our 24/7/365 news cycle, and it will be interesting to see how it will be recognized in the coming decade-style anniversaries.

 

[Selestine]

I was in basic training on 9/11, actually. It was so surreal. One of the drill sergeants practically spun his truck out pulling up to put it on the radio for us all the hear after the first plane hit.

We didn't even believe him.. we thought he was making it up. Just the week before they had gathered us all up and told us we had declared war on someone else and had us pack up to ship out. We thought they were doing the same thing again, trying to freak people out.

When we realized he was telling the truth it was just.. god, awful.

I've still never seen the footage. This usually surprises people, but I don't think I can stand seeing it.

 

[SilverSage]

Thank you for your service, and for choosing to serve even when there was no active war.

 

[PetoftheDay]

I will never forget that day, as I live in the Boston area. We watched on my boss's small TV as they were playing the first plane strike over, and saw the second, live. Not long after, we heard heart-wrenching screams from the business on the first floor; his partner was on one of those planes that hit the towers.

In the hours and days following, our skies were abnormally quiet, so the scream of fighter jets patrolling overhead from time to time stood out more starkly against the silence. It was the day of the wake of a lady I knew, too, Donna had succumbed to breast cancer after a long battle, and mourners there were doubly numbed.

My niece was 3 weeks old, and I called my brother at home t let him know, as he was in the Army Reserves at that point. I knew it would mean he would be called for duty, he ended up going back to full-time service a couple months later. So dear baby Marylin spent much of her infancy just hearing Daddy's voice on the phone, and my sister-in-law was suddenly in the role of a single mother with and infant and a 9-month-old puppy - and three cats who were still peeved at them bring the puppy home when they brought home that screaming pink thing! It is sad to think Marylin has not know a day without war in her life ever since, even though my brother is now retired from the military, it still is present in our lives.