OT: 9/11 Remeberence

[DaBruinz]

I hope that people haven't forgotten. I haven't. Have you.. Not only 9/11/01, but 9/11/12.

Please take a moment to remember the fallen.

 

[signbabybrady]

 

[DaBruinz]

 

[DaBruinz]

On 9/11, 2001, at 8:46 am, I was at work in Salisbury, North Carolina. A fellow colleague of mine ran into the shop and was telling people that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. I can remember standing there in shock and then going into the main office, where there was a TV set up. They had the news on.. At that moment, 9:03 am, I stared in sheer terror as I watched the second plane ram into the WTC... 34 minutes later, still not having recovered from the shock of the first two planes, the news flashed that a plane had hit the Pentagon..
I was numb. I watched both towers come down... Tears streaming down my face as hundred of rescue workers lost their lives trying to save others.. I wondered about my dad, who traveled so much.. And had taken those flights on previous occasions.. Was he ok??
As many as 20000 people were thought to be in the WTC Buildings in NYC. Another 10000 or so in the Pentagon.. No one knew the exact number because the business day had just started..
I wanted to leave to go to NYC.. I wanted to help dig and try to find people.. But, I couldn't.. Rudy Guiliani came on the air and asked people from other states to stay home.
The news rocked us again. All flights were cancelled until further notice.. I looked outside and did not see any contrails.. The sky was clear.. Eerily clear.. I didn't sleep that night.. I was numb.. I cried.. I was scared... I had friends in NYC and in Washington DC.. I hadn't heard from them.. Were they safe??? I didn't know.. I'd heard from my dad.. He was shaken.. I'd only heard him shaken like that once before.. When there were bomb threats on the base when we lived in Germany.. I felt selfish and ashamed because I was relieved that my dad was safe..
It's 15 years later and I'm crying again.. The pain hasn't gone away. It hasn't subsided. I haven't forgotten. How could I? I could have been on one of those planes.. I could have had friends or family on them. Millions of people were directly affected.. Hundreds of millions indirectly.
I've not forgotten.. When I looked up a few days later to see the contrails in the sky, it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen,,.. But it wasn't the same..Life was different now... Machine Gun toting soldiers at the airports.. Flags flying across the country. We had been drawn together, hardened. So I thought... But now, others have forgotten. Too many have forgotten. People who were just babies or toddlers were never taught what happened. Too many think it won't happen again.. Too many have become complacent and forgotten the price of our freedom.
9/11/01 changed this country for a brief period of time. We saw the Patriotism and support for our military that we hadn't seen since WWII. And it made you proud to be an American. But, over time, there has been a bunch of crap added that is just for show and we've had several lesser attacks in our country that have left over 100 innocents dead and nearly 200 wounded.
Now, we have people telling us that the Patriotism we felt that day and years since is wrong. That showing our Patriotism is offensive to Muslims and that we shouldn't do it. That it's offensive to Muslims for our first responders to fly the American flag from their trucks. Some have gone so far as to say that we were at fault for the attacks and the terrorists were "justified". It's utterly disgusting. These people are the ones crapping on the memories of the 2,993 people who were murdered that day. Who are crapping on the memories of the 343 first responders who lost their lives that day. Who are crapping on the memories of the 7500 men and women who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Many of us have not forgotten. But we need to stand up and put a stop to those who would have us embrace the very way of life that has threatened to destroy us. If we falter, then those people who were murdered and the people who have died since will have died in vain..
The price. Paid by the innocent. By the heroes. By the soldiers who do their duty every day. But I won't forgot. Not now.. Not tomorrow.. Not ever. The guilt of forgetting would be too much to bear..
9/11/2001 and 12/7/1941. The days when Freedom was threatened. The days when the world refused to let a sleeping giant lie. The days that we all should remember lest we become our enemies... The days that our enemies should regret...

 

[DaBruinz]

Watch Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation | Fox Nation

Stream full episodes of Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation only on Fox Nation. Become a member today for exclusive content & more!

nation.foxnews.com

The Forgotten Miracle of the 9/11 Boat Evacuation | The Saturday Evening Post

On September 11, 2001, hundreds of boats came to the rescue of 500,000 people stranded in Manhattan – the largest sea evacuation in recorded history. One woman tells the story of what she witnessed that day.

www.saturdayeveningpost.com

 

[DaBruinz]

From @Patsfanin Philly Philly circa 2009. (corrected)

Recently, I was blessed with meeting the person who wrote the following poem. This person was someone who was affected directly by what happened that day 8 years ago.. 6 years ago, on the 2nd anniversary of this tragedy, he went to "Ground Zero". Upon looking at the Towers of Light tht night, he was touched so deeply, he wrote the following and has since shared it with me. I now share it with you, my friends and family, as the 8th anniversary draws near......

Memories of 9/11

Six years ago on the second anniversary in 2003 , I was in NYC and saw the Towers of Light...and put pen to paper......





I refuse to live in fear.

I am an American.

I will travel whenever I want in this great land of ours

undeterred by the threats of others.

I will take my children to our treasured landmarks and historical sites.

I will not retreat from an adventuresome journey

because of others with a disdain for our way of life.

It is the legacy of our forefathers, who shed their blood

on battlefields throughout the world, to protect

our democratic institutions.

I will show my children this country in all its majesty,

from the beauty of a Pacific sunset to the bright lights of Broadway

to the beacon held high by Lady Liberty.

I will show them Ellis Island,

the gateway to a new world with the hopes and dreams of millions.

This nation was forged by an amalgam of spirited people

who believed in self-determination.

I will not bow to those who challenge that notion.

It dishonors the memory of those who have gone before me.

I refuse to let the actions of a few destroy my will.

I will show my children the monuments to our presidents

who persevered in times of crisis and triumphed over evil.

I will show them Arlington National Cemetery

and the graves of those who fell in the defense of freedom.

I will show them a field in the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania

Where citizen soldiers fought back

and gave their lives in the latest struggle.

I have seen the horrors of that fateful day.

I have watched as flags ruffled in the breeze unbowed

as the smoke rose from the ashes.

Its pungent odor and acrid smell did not destroy our spirit.

I have heard the countless untold stories of heroism

that will stay with me forever.

To live timidly disgraces their honor.

I will keep that dream alive.

I refuse to live in fear.

I am an American.


@Patsfanin Philly - Couldn't have a 9/11 Remembrance thread without yours.

 

[Zuma]

 

[farn]

Sometimes “then everything changed” is thrown around recklessly. On that date, it was very very true.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

I was on a United flight, Newark to Logan that morning. Landed just as the 2nd tower was hit. Turned my cell on and saw a dozen missed calls from my wife. I couldn’t call her, all the circuits were busy. Finally, around noon I was able to get through. I was attending a sales meeting and people were frantic to just call home. Cell and land line service was overloaded. We didn’t get any work done. Dinner that evening was about 100 people singing God Bless America.

 

[ErniesPinkStripes]

I was a freshman in high school, sitting in Foods class (an elective about Nutrition but mainly a great way for my buddies and I to make calzones) and the announcement came over the speaker. For whatever reason, I didn't really understand the gravity of what happened. We didn't watch any news and didn't have smartphones so I pictured a smaller plane and didn't really know much about the WTC or how big the buildings were.

We left school and my buddy Pdub and I decided to smoke some green at my house before heading out for some Beef. Little did I expect my mom to come home from work early and in she walks. Busted. I got caught smoking weed by my mom on Sept 11th, 2001. Not fun.

RIP to all the lives lost and all of the families affected. Such an awful tragedy.

 

[grux]

My thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones on 9/11. I will never forget the pain and tragedy that occurred on that brutal day. We also need to continue to fight terrorism and fight for our freedom. God Bless America.

 

[n1997y]

I haven't forgotten. How could I? I could have been on one of those planes.. I could have had friends or family on them.

I remember.

I had friends on those planes and that did not make it out of the WTC.

Now, we have people telling us that the Patriotism we felt that day and years since is wrong. That showing our Patriotism is offensive to Muslims and that we shouldn't do it. That it's offensive to Muslims for our first responders to fly the American flag from their trucks. Some have gone so far as to say that we were at fault for the attacks and the terrorists were "justified". It's utterly disgusting. These people are the ones crapping on the memories of the 2,993 people who were murdered that day. Who are crapping on the memories of the 343 first responders who lost their lives that day. Who are crapping on the memories of the 7500 men and women who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Many of us have not forgotten. But we need to stand up and put a stop to those who would have us embrace the very way of life that has threatened to destroy us. If we falter, then those people who were murdered and the people who have died since will have died in vain..

What’s wrong is confusing partisan passion for patriotism.

What’s offensive is flying the American flag from pickup trucks while terrorizing political opponents.

Those who do are destroying our country as surely as those who flew planes into buildings on 9/11.

If we continue to embrace such behavior our nation will fall as surely as the Twin Towers fell.

I honor the memories of my friends who died on 9/11 by opposing domestic enemies who seek to subvert the Constitution just as I oppose foreign enemies who seek to use force and guile to destroy our great nation.

 

[Ring 6]

My daughters were 8 and 6 and they came home from school saying their teacher told them something happened today and they should ask their parents. One of the most difficult things Ive ever done was to explain that to them.
I had spent he entire day in line at the Red Cross to give blood because it was the only way I could think of to help.

 

[Brady Lady Jana]

I was only 2 years old so obviously have no memories of 9/11. It's uncomfortable to watch. I can't imagine what it was like to experience that day.