9/11, 20 years later

[#UnleashSean]

Mu82, billy, the rest of you numb skulls... can yall stfu on one thread? Make something sacred and not about yourselves.

[Galway Eagle]

Mu82, billy, the rest of you numb skulls... can yall stfu on one thread? Make something sacred and not about yourselves.

Sorry 

[MU82]

Mu82, billy, the rest of you numb skulls... can yall stfu on one thread? Make something sacred and not about yourselves.

1/6/21 was not about me. But yes, I won’t bring it up again in this thread.

[JWags85]

Mu82, billy, the rest of you numb skulls... can yall stfu on one thread? Make something sacred and not about yourselves.

Same offenders playing the same old hits.  Meanwhile we have a thread that’s basically Scoop Hamsterdam, go get your takes off there. Be better y’all

[Babybluejeans]

Glow said it best when he said  "What we can all hope for is that men and women of good conscience make the best decisions possible given the facts at hand.  Sadly, I've lost a lot of faith in that over 20 years."

Yeah, I gotta agree.  I think we made a lot of bad decisions since then - both during blue and red administrations.  And its going to take us a long time to recover from that.

My understanding is that Americans' trust in institutions and government hit its nadir around the time of Watergate/Vietnam/Pentagon Papers, from which it never recovered. What's most regrettable is that 9/11 weirdly offered a re-set on that -- we had a united moment of horror and sadness, and a collective belief that we could be restored to a level of faith in institutions unseen in decades. (A U.S. president had a 92% approval rating for god's sake!) As we saw unfold, cynical decision-making sent it entirely the opposite way. And we are where we are now.

[tower912]

I missed the tragedy in real time.    I had a 9 am tee time that morning with 3 other firefighters.    I was on the practice tee when the other guys drove up and one said that a plane had flown into the WTC.    We traded profanities and went out and played.    By the time we made the turn, all of the buildings were down and the planes were being grounded.    We all called our wives.    Then we looked at each other and decided that we probably were not going to get another day off for a few weeks, so we should play the back.    And we did.     Discussing what it meant and speculating how our jobs and our lives were about to change.   
     Work changed in that we started focusing on mass casualty incidents.    Upped our Haz-mat game.   Dirty bombs.   

When war with Iraq came, we haz-mat gurus joked we were glad we weren't in Iraq because we probably knew enough about WMD's to get taken into custody.   
 

I found myself uncomfortable from the adulation that came from the sacrifice of others.  I still do, for that matter.    If I was the type who cheated on his wife, I would have had plenty of opportunities, as banging a firefighter suddenly appeared on a whole lot of ladies bucket lists.     That lasted for about a year.   

I don't want September 11 forgotten.    But I fear that we as a country failed to learn the lessons that needed learned.

[Goose]

9/11/2001 is a today that is to be remembered and those who lost their lives honored. All of the firemen, police, EMT's and everyday people that risked their lives deserve our deepest gratitude. Mention of 1/6 is completely out of line IMO and I am sad that anyone would even attempt to make the comparison.

As I said earlier in this thread, 9/11 is probably the one single moment in life that changed me forever. I won't bore anyone with my thoughts and scars from that day, but it is a day that will be honored and respected by me and my family forever.

[asdfasdf]

I was a Freshman at Marquette when 9/11 happened. If memory serves it was the second week of school, but the first week of lab for students in Chemistry 100. As a Freshman we often heard that Chemistry was extremely difficult and used as a way to weed out students who weren't cut out for the science/engineering field.

My chemistry lab was on Tuesdays from 8-12, so I was in the lab struggling to understand what I was supposed to be doing. About an hour in to the lab, a girl who was in a neighboring lab walked down the hall, sobbing, kind of hysterical, talking about how a huge plane had crashed in to the WTC. My lab partner and I both kind of looked at each other and joked that Chemistry really must be difficult because that girl had clearly lost it. I don't say that to make fun of her, but just to point out how unfathomable it was at the time to believe that a plane had crashed into the WTC.

It wasn't until we walked back to our dorm and saw signs on the entryway telling us that classes were cancelled for the day due to the tragic events of the day that we realized that girl hadn't lost it at all.

It's hard to imagine now how slowly information traveled back in 2001. If that happened in 2021, we would have been called by all of our parents, texted by our friends, and received emergency notifications from the school via phone/text/email/etc... But in 2001 there was a solid 2-3 hours where we had no idea that 9/11 happened, and all of the chaos unraveling in the world around us.

[Golden Avalanche]

1/6 has nothing to do with the 20th anniversary of 9/11, nor do riots in America.

I happen to think what occurred on January 6th and what occurred on September 11th have much more in common than people would acknowledge but due to the size and scope of each operation and the fact that we never actually reckoned with September 11th other than renaming french fries, french toast, and became bloodthirsty savages it seems obscene to think that way.

I also happen to think people are unable to discuss this in an appropriate and mature manner regardless of the forum so in the end this has no meaning.

[TallTitan34]

Was a sophomore in high-school in 2nd period when the Principal came on the PA and said planes had hit both towers and the Pentagon.  Some classes watched in on TV but none of mine did so I didn't see anything until I got home from school.

I was lucky to be the eagle mascot for 2006, 07, 08, and 09 Big East Tournaments and each year I made sure to visit the WTC site.  At that point reconstruction was just beginning so I would love to return sometime to see the memorial and museum.

 

[jsglow]

Was a sophomore in high-school in 2nd period when the Principal came on the PA and said planes had hit both towers and the Pentagon.  Some classes watched in on TV but none of mine did so I didn't see anything until I got home from school.

I was lucky to be the eagle mascot for 2006, 07, 08, and 09 Big East Tournaments and each year I made sure to visit the WTC site.  At that point reconstruction was just beginning so I would love to return sometime to see the memorial and museum.

Wait a minute... you're the furry chicken?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I was lucky to be the eagle mascot for 2006, 07, 08, and 09 Big East Tournaments and each year I made sure to visit the WTC site.  At that point reconstruction was just beginning so I would love to return sometime to see the memorial and museum.

Huh...I think you and I shared a plane more than once (pep band).

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I happen to think what occurred on January 6th and what occurred on September 11th have much more in common than people would acknowledge but due to the size and scope of each operation and the fact that we never actually reckoned with September 11th other than renaming french fries, french toast, and became bloodthirsty savages it seems obscene to think that way.

I also happen to think people are unable to discuss this in an appropriate and mature manner regardless of the forum so in the end this has no meaning.

Using meth will kill you.

[Warrior2008]

I was a Freshman at Marquette when 9/11 happened. If memory serves it was the second week of school, but the first week of lab for students in Chemistry 100. As a Freshman we often heard that Chemistry was extremely difficult and used as a way to weed out students who weren't cut out for the science/engineering field.

My chemistry lab was on Tuesdays from 8-12, so I was in the lab struggling to understand what I was supposed to be doing. About an hour in to the lab, a girl who was in a neighboring lab walked down the hall, sobbing, kind of hysterical, talking about how a huge plane had crashed in to the WTC. My lab partner and I both kind of looked at each other and joked that Chemistry really must be difficult because that girl had clearly lost it. I don't say that to make fun of her, but just to point out how unfathomable it was at the time to believe that a plane had crashed into the WTC.

It wasn't until we walked back to our dorm and saw signs on the entryway telling us that classes were cancelled for the day due to the tragic events of the day that we realized that girl hadn't lost it at all.

It's hard to imagine now how slowly information traveled back in 2001. If that happened in 2021, we would have been called by all of our parents, texted by our friends, and received emergency notifications from the school via phone/text/email/etc... But in 2001 there was a solid 2-3 hours where we had no idea that 9/11 happened, and all of the chaos unraveling in the world around us.

My experience was somewhat similar too.  I was a sophomore in high school in a free period hanging out in the lunchroom with some friends, pretty sure trying to cram for a quiz.  A friend/classmate came in saying something hit the WTC and was rather hysterical.  We just all assumed he was overreacting and it was some small plane or maybe a news helicopter that hit the building.  Everyone went about doing whatever it was we were doing as if nothing happened.  As an immature 15 year old in the world without cell phones your worldview is limited to school, sports, and the opposite sex, so something of this magnitude just never seemed possible.  By the time I went to my next class, my German teacher had a tv on and we watched as the North tower fell.  I remember feeling sadness and anger in the immediate aftermath, but something that I'll always carry with me is how much the country rallied to one another over the course of the next year or so.  People ignored petty, inconsequential differences and focused on what unites rather than what divides.

I've been fortunate enough to visit the memorial and the museum during a trip to the 2019 BE tournament.  Its very well done and something every American should see(ala Arlington National Cemetery, Pearl Harbor, etc.) if given the chance.

[Scoop Snoop]

I was conducting a meeting in DC with my local sales persons when a (planned) guest speaker called and explained why he had not shown up. The Pentagon had just been hit and with 3 planes already having been crashed, no one knew how many more there might be. My Richmond staff and I immediately headed back to Richmond and as usual, the traffic was backed up on I95. It suddenly occurred to me that a plane could easily be crashed onto I95, killing thousands of people in the long backup. Call it paranoia if you like, but that's what I thought. The next week I was driving into DC and saw the Pentagon with massive black tarps across one side and scorched earth around the building. It creeped me out Big Time. In 2019, my wife and I visited the site of the towers in NYC while in town for the BET. It was soooo quiet there in the middle of NYC. People spoke in whispers. The whole experience was very moving.

Going back to the days after the attacks....We had quite a number of Bosnian employees in our Richmond production shop among other immigrants whom we had hired. The Bosnians were Muslims but most, as one of them once joked, were "like Christians who go to church only on Easter and Christmas." They were stunned and afraid of being blamed by their American neighbors for the attacks. Some were accused loudly and publicly of being terrorists. I had planned on erecting a flagpole in front of our building but had not done so yet. I bought a large pole and a flag on 9/12-the very last ones at the hardware store- along with sakrete. As soon as the Bosnians saw what I had purchased, they smiled broadly, stopped work and insisted on immediately digging the hole, pouring the sakrete and raising the flag. Each one took part as the shovel was passed down.

[muwarrior69]

I was at work. One of our co-workers said a plane crashed into the WTC. When the 2nd plane hit we all knew this was no accident. The young woman in the cube behind me broke into tears. It was her first day with us and I asked what was wrong. She explained to all of us that her last day at her old job was yesterday (9/10) and it was on the very floor that the second plane hit in the second Tower. I never felt a shiver go up my back like that until the night I learned my son would not survive the injuries from a  car accident. We were told there was at least one if not more planes in the sky and were told to remain at work. No one could get through to their loved ones as both the cell phone towers and land lines were jammed. They let us go around 6pm and told us an email would be sent out when to return to work. It was 10 days later.

Over the next several days we learned what a toll it took on so many families here in New Jersey. In the Trenton paper there was a photo of over a 100 cars parked at one of the local train stations whose owners never returned from Manhattan. My parish lost 10 parishioners. In the months that followed our  new colleague sadly informed us that all her former co-workers perished.

This past June 3 children from our parish who lost a parent on 9/11 graduated from college. All 4 years (tuition, books, room and board) for each student was totally paid for by the parish. Indeed, there are silver linings.

Here 9/11 was not something we watched in horror on TV. We lived it and we will Never Forget.

[dgies9156]

While the attack on America was traqic, I actually found the aftermath uplifting.

As we learned about the people and their families who died, we learned something that has stuck with me ever since: "Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things." It's what our country is made of and it's what makes us great as a nation.

In my case, I was in my office at Amtrak in Chicago Union Station at the time. While several of my contemporaries left because of fears another plane was headed for Sears Tower in Chicago, I stuck it out and pitched in to deal with the swarm of people who descended on us after the airlines were grounded.

I was in a blue pinstripe suit -- and one of the few people at Amtrak who was dressed that way. I was given an Amtrak badge (which is still in my office in my home in Florida) and sent downstairs to deal with guest inquiries. I was swamped by hundreds of patient, caring people who all they wanted was to get home. I worked all afternoon and into the late evening answering questions and directing people who had never before ridden an intercity train. I took a great deal of satisfaction in working with an older couple who was trying to get to Rochester, MN for chemo at Mayo Clinic. I helped get them on a train to LaCrosse and rent a car to Rochester.

The other person who stuck with me was a young businesswoman who approached me about trying to get back to New York. She was scared about a lot of things, not the least of which was being in a fully loaded coach as a vulnerable young woman. I worked with her and got her on a standby list for a roomette. Amazingly, she got it  and rode home that night.

What I did was nothing, but it meant something to people who were trying to get home. I was a comforting sight and someone who was simply "there" for the people who needed it.

[real chili 83]

While the attack on America was traqic, I actually found the aftermath uplifting.

As we learned about the people and their families who died, we learned something that has stuck with me ever since: "Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things." It's what our country is made of and it's what makes us great as a nation.

In my case, I was in my office at Amtrak in Chicago Union Station at the time. While several of my contemporaries left because of fears another plane was headed for Sears Tower in Chicago, I stuck it out and pitched in to deal with the swarm of people who descended on us after the airlines were grounded.

I was in a blue pinstripe suit -- and one of the few people at Amtrak who was dressed that way. I was given an Amtrak badge (which is still in my office in my home in Florida) and sent downstairs to deal with guest inquiries. I was swamped by hundreds of patient, caring people who all they wanted was to get home. I worked all afternoon and into the late evening answering questions and directing people who had never before ridden an intercity train. I took a great deal of satisfaction in working with an older couple who was trying to get to Rochester, MN for chemo at Mayo Clinic. I helped get them on a train to LaCrosse and rent a car to Rochester.

The other person who stuck with me was a young businesswoman who approached me about trying to get back to New York. She was scared about a lot of things, not the least of which was being in a fully loaded coach as a vulnerable young woman. I worked with her and got her on a standby list for a roomette. Amazingly, she got it  and rode home that night.

What I did was nothing, but it meant something to people who were trying to get home. I was a comforting sight and someone who was simply "there" for the people who needed it.

There you go, talking like a racist, again. You forked tonged devil, you.

As your penance, I subject you to smoked meats and barrel aged manhattans.

[real chili 83]

I happen to think what occurred on January 6th and what occurred on September 11th have much more in common than people would acknowledge but due to the size and scope of each operation and the fact that we never actually reckoned with September 11th other than renaming french fries, french toast, and became bloodthirsty savages it seems obscene to think that way.

I also happen to think people are unable to discuss this in an appropriate and mature manner regardless of the forum so in the end this has no meaning.

Lunch time bongs, eh?

Looney toons white folks and Muslim terrorists on the same page?  I’m sure they hold weekly calls on TEAMS to discuss long term strategy.

Yes, both are nut bags.  But the similarities, including motivation ends there.

[tower912]

1/6 was the descendants of Timothy McVeigh, not 9/11.

[DegenerateDish]

A guy I worked with back in 2001, his mom was head of customer service for United and worked out of Willis Tower. I remember that morning he told us his mom had called him and said they had heard a hijacked plane was heading towards Chicago/Willis Tower. Obviously didn’t happen, but I was always curious where (or maybe how?) that information came to be.

[WarriorFan]

I was living in the UK at the time.  On 9/11 I was on a business trip in Palembang, Indonesia.  I remember turning on the TV totally on a whim (probably one of the 10 times in my life I've turned on a hotel TV) and seeing reports on the local Indonesian news about the planes flying into the towers.  I used a horrible internet connection to get more info from CNN and BBC and the scale of the tragedy was beyond comprehension.

My prevailing thought at the time was that I just wanted to be home.  As soon as possible.  I got to Jakarta on the next day (flights were not stopped in Indonesia at that point) and somehow got on one of the last flights to Hong Kong before it closed.

I remember landing at HKIA... I had never seen so many 747's before in my life.  All apron space and several taxiways were just full of parked airplanes.  It was only then that the global implications of this disaster became apparent. 

i remember having dinner alone that night in hong kong and everyone in the restaurant was talking with each other about their story, where they were, how they were going to get home, how this might change things, etc. 

I remember getting on one of the first flights out of HK to London.  What a somber mood. 

And as a frequent traveler one is reminded almost daily of how it changed our lives.  I'm not talking about the inconveniences and the TSA and the spare battery restrictions, I'm talking about the ever present understanding that there are people in the world so evil that they can do such a thing, and that these people are somehow among us.  How we balance our freedoms with the need to protect against such evil is forever changed.

[MU82]

A guy I worked with back in 2001, his mom was head of customer service for United and worked out of Willis Tower. I remember that morning he told us his mom had called him and said they had heard a hijacked plane was heading towards Chicago/Willis Tower. Obviously didn’t happen, but I was always curious where (or maybe how?) that information came to be.

I played golf about a week after 9/11 and the course had a hole with a perfect view of downtown Chicago. And one of my buddies said something like, "Can you imagine looking over there and not seeing the Hancock Building or Sears Tower because it was just pulverized by terrorists? I feel so bad for New York." None of us said anything for the next several holes.

[Mutaman]

Things have really changed in New York City. 20 years ago members of the NYPD were literally and correctly treated as heroes- I was constantly seeing people approach cops in the street and thanking them for their service.
Now in 2021 less than half of the members of the NYPD are vaccinated. Over 60% of the New York City Court officers are unvaccinated. Despite a masking requirement most police that I see on the street and (I’m told) in the subway do not wear a mask and do not enforce the mask requirement in the subway or on buses. The NYPD unions have been incredibly aggressive in pursuing anti-VAX policies. This is despite the fact that over 60 police officers have died as a result of Covid. The general excuse is that they don't trust the government. Really the height of irresponsibility and incompetence.
NYPD is an organization in serious need of reform and I hope Adams is up to the task

[tower912]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2021/09/10/detroit-lions-dean-marlowe-nypd-first-responders-9-11-nfl/5781467001/