9/11/2001

[Herman Cain]

My bride had a breakfast scheduled on 9/11 at Windows on The World .Her meeting for breakfast was postponed.

I was traveling that day and did not know about the cancellation. I could not get through till evening to find out because all the circuits were busy.

Enjoy each day for the blessing that it is.

[tower912]

This year, I choose to focus on tales of heroism.   The passengers on Flight 93.   99% of the people in the World Trade Center who were below the impact floors got out before the collapses.   Air traffic controllers getting all of those planes down.   Civilians sprinting toward the Pentagon. FDNY.  NYPD.  The port authority.   

I had the opportunity this past year to see the play 'Come From Away.'    Heroism on a smaller, personal scale.   

So many people choosing to love their neighbor in the most harrowing of circumstances.

Orio

343

[Jay Bee]

I had the opportunity this past year to see the play 'Come From Away.'    Heroism on a smaller, personal scale.   

Saw it while in NYC for the ‘22 BEast tourney. Very good.

Still remember the company-wide voicemail that got sent out the morning of 9/11, telling everyone to go home. Surreal, still.

[The Lens]

I was working at the Ameritech Yellow Pages.

My coworkers first reaction was go and donate blood.

While the world was at its worst, Americans were at their best. 

[Goose]

22 years later and I am still haunted by 9/11. The attacks changed my life and twelve days later I lost my Mom. My Mom and Dad meant everything to me for a lot of reasons, but their story of being first generation to the USA always meant the most to me. Their parents came to the USA with nothing from Eastern Europe and Russia and their love of the USA was off the charts.

I miss my folks and every person that was impacted on that horrible day.

[Scoop Snoop]

I was in a meeting with my Richmond and DC staff in DC that morning when we heard about the attack. The Pentagon had been hit and later that week I drove past the blackened side of it. I will never forget that sight, nor will I forget hearing that the daughter of one of our customers was killed in the Pentagon attack.

Almost all of my Richmond production employees were Bosnian Muslim refugees and were shocked by the attack. Al Queda fighters had joined the war against Serbia, even though the Bosnians did not want them there. They were afraid of them. One of my employees told me about Al Queda about a year earlier and how scared he was of them, and his facial expressions and head shaking helped to emphasize his fear. Now I understood his fear.

I had planned on installing a flagpole in front of our building but had not gotten around to it. I went to a large hardware store and bought a pole and flag along with sacks of Quickcrete. I asked a couple of the Bosnians to install the flagpole. When I looked outside later, I saw ALL of them outside, each taking a turn with the shovel and pouring the concrete, then hoisting the flag. Another sight I will never forget.

[MU82]

22 years later and I am still haunted by 9/11. The attacks changed my life and twelve days later I lost my Mom. My Mom and Dad meant everything to me for a lot of reasons, but their story of being first generation to the USA always meant the most to me. Their parents came to the USA with nothing from Eastern Europe and Russia and their love of the USA was off the charts.

I miss my folks and every person that was impacted on that horrible day.

Thanks for sharing that heartfelt remembrance, Goose. My best to you and your family.

[Scoop Snoop]

My bride had a breakfast scheduled on 9/11 at Windows on The World .Her meeting for breakfast was postponed.

I was traveling that day and did not know about the cancellation. I could not get through till evening to find out because all the circuits were busy.

Enjoy each day for the blessing that it is.

I remember your posting this before and am glad you posted it again. I honestly cannot imagine your anxiety. I remember all those innumerable photos posted in NYC of people desperately hoping that somehow their loved ones survived.

[Goose]

82

I agree with Snoop. Herman's experience from 9/11 and the anxiety involved is simply amazing. It was day that all of us experienced a full range of emotions, and they are still felt today. I like that Herman's story from 9/11 had a very happy ending.

[dgies9156]

The one thing that touched me in a way I'll never forget was reading the stories about the folks killed in the 9/11 attacks. Over and over again, one read of ordinary people doing extraordinary things! Adoiption. Community activism, caring for the needy, doing what we are all called to do.

That, to me, is the United States of America!

On that day, I was working as a Director at Amtrak/Chicago. I knew our system inside and out and was sent down to the floor at Chicago Union Station to act as a Customer Service Representative. I still have my Amtrak name tag from that day and it's proudly on my desk in my office in Florida. I was wearing a blue, pin-stripe suit with tie that day and I received a very unusually high amount of inquiries.

The best story of the day was about 11:00 a.m., when a desperate couple came to me for help. They were in their late 60s and had been headed for chemo at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. They were seeking assistance when their flight was cancelled. In desperation, they came to us. The wife caught me and begged for help. She was incredibly nice but was a desperate lady who cared deeply for her husband. I remember telling her we didn't serve Rochester but she should catch a train to LaCrosse and rent a car to Rochester. I took her directly to an agent who had her cared for and we are confident we got her and her husband to Rochester for his treatment.

We didn't do it because she and her husband were "profitable." We did it because, well, we had an obligation to our fellow Americans. I started on the floor at about 9:30 a.m., and went home about 9:00 p.m. It was the least those of us who worked in Chicago could do.

Also notable that day was a Canadian newspaper column. It spoke of how whenever there was a disaster or human suffering anywhere in the world, the first people who jumped on a plane, rounded up resources and tried to alleviate suffering were Americans. And now, they said, it was time for the rest of the world to pay us back, which, of course, nobody had to do.

 

 

[Warriors4ever]

I had driven to work but the Cook County court system got closed down, I spent part of the morning and early afternoon at a co-workers house watching TV. Like many others, I went to donate blood at the nearby Lifesource, and ended up grabbing a clipboard staying on until 9 pm helping the staff wrangle the people showing up to donate. Others who donated came back with food and drink for the staff.
Co-worker lost a couple cousins, and someone else I knew lost a niece who had just graduated college and started a new job.