9/11

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   Writer Foxposted 10 years ago

   Today, America remembers the 12th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and four passenger airplanes that claimed the lives of almost 3,000 people. Did anyone on HubPages witness the attacks or have something to say about them?
   

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      Hikapoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I remember watching it on TV. It was a heart breaking sight.
      
      
      
      

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         Brenda Durhamposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Amen to that.

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   suzettenaplesposted 10 years ago

   It is so good of you to remember that day in infamy.  I didn't witness any of those places, but I do have friends that lost a husband and son-in-law in the twin towers in New York.  I am remembering them today with tears in my eyes.  Such senseless deaths, but the sacrifice of their lives is heartbreaking.  I also have a friend in DC who's husband worked at the Pentagon, but fortunately that day he was running late that morning, taking the kids to school etc. and wasn't at the Pentagon when it was hit. He turned around and got the kids out of school when he heard what had happened and then the family watched the Pentagon burn from their patio in Arlington.  Sad, sad day.  By the grace of God he was not at the Pentagon when it happened.  Life is so fragile.  It is good to remember all that gave their lives that day.  They are the true American heroes.

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   suzettenaplesposted 10 years ago

   It is so good of you to remember that day in infamy.  I didn't witness any of those places, but I do have friends that lost a husband and son-in-law in the twin towers in New York.  I am remembering them today with tears in my eyes.  Such senseless deaths, but the sacrifice of their lives is heartbreaking.  I also have a friend in DC who's husband worked at the Pentagon, but fortunately that day he was running late that morning, taking the kids to school etc. and wasn't at the Pentagon when it was hit. He turned around and got the kids out of school when he heard what had happened and then the family watched the Pentagon burn from their patio in Arlington.  Sad, sad day.  By the grace of God he was not at the Pentagon when it happened.  Life is so fragile.  It is good to remember all that gave their lives that day.  They are the true American heroes.

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      Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Your friend in D.C. was indeed fortunate.  I can't imagine what they were feeling as they witnessed the attack on the Pentagon, especially knowing many people who were working there when it happened.

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   FatFreddysCatposted 10 years ago

   I live in northern New Jersey only a few miles from Manhattan so 9/11 was very close to home for me.
   
   On that particular morning it was my day off from work, so after my wife left for her job I spent part of the morning running around town doing errands ... and I never listen to the radio in my vehicle so at first I had no idea what was going on right across the river. When I got home, I found numerous messages on the answering machine from my wife saying to call her back immediately. When I returned her call, she told me that an airplane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers, so I quickly turned on the TV - just in time to see the plane hit the second tower, live. The rest of the day, naturally, is a bit of a blur. Thankfully I didn't lose anyone close to me that day but I know several people who did.
   
   Present day: my sons' school bus stop is at the firehouse around the corner from my home. This morning while we waited for the bus, we saw the firemen arriving in their dress uniforms to take part in today's 9/11 memorial service in front of our town hall. My sons were both born after 9/11 so naturally they had a lot of questions about today, which I tried to answer as best I could. It still feels strange trying to describe that day to someone who wasn't there.
   
   Sometimes I feel sad that my sons didn't get to experience the world "before."

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      Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I can't imagine how you explain 9/11 to your children.  It was a watershed event in America and forever changed airline travel throughout the world. This day is a reminder of what just a few terrorists can do.  Now, they have nuclear bombs that can fit into a briefcase – food for thought as Iran goes nuclear.

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      Will Apseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The majority of the world is still living in the world before.

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   Angie Martinposted 10 years ago

   Wow, what stories there are of loss and survival! I lived in Kansas at the time, so I didn't see it, but I worked for a nursing agency that sent nurses out all over the country. I had just dropped my son off for school (1st grade) and when I turned on the radio after getting back in the car, I heard that a plane hit the second tower. At that time, I had no idea what was going on but soon learned.
   
   When I got to work, our phones rang off the hook with nurses wanting to go there to help. We worked with hospital staffing only, so we had to direct all the nurses to the Red Cross to offer assistance, but it was really heartwarming to hear the voices of so many nurses ready to drop everything and go help.
   
   My son's teacher told them all about what happened, which was pretty upsetting as a parent. I wanted my son to learn from me, not from their teacher. He still remembers his teacher telling him about it (he's now 18). Five years ago, I went to New York for the first time and stared out over the site. It was truly astonishing and overwhelming to see the site where it all started.

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   tillsontitanposted 10 years ago

   This is a day everyone in this country will remember forever as it so changed the fabric of our national blanket.  We need to keep the blanket tight covering all possible places and people.
   I lost friends in the attack and fortunately my family was spared.  My son did duty at the bombing site for some time after it happened and witnessed sights we never dreamed would appear in our country.
   No one should ever forget just as no one should ever forget any of the wars we have been in, it is what makes America - America.  Our history forms us and influences our future and hopefully we learn from our mistakes and improve on the good things we've learned.
   Each year on this date I pray for all the families so horribly affected by this day.

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   MissMelissaKposted 10 years ago

   I witnessed the attack from two blocks away.  I was working close to the top of the Chase Manhattan building.  I remember that day quite vividly.  The sky was a deep blue when I got off the subway.  I remember walking off the elevator and one of the Partners asking "Are you okay?"  Not knowing what was going on I said "Yes, are you okay?"  Little did I know that the first tower had been hit.  I went directly to the conference room where everybody was crowded into and watched as millions of papers were flying about and you could see smoke coming from the World Trace Center windows and the chatter at the moment was about a small plane hitting the tower from the back.  I went back to my desk shortly thereafter to call my mom to tell her what happened.  As I was talking to her, I heard a large rumbling noise and turned around and parallel with my window was a jet wooshing right by.  It was unreal to say the least!  After a short pause, I heard screams coming from the conference room as you heard the explosion from the second tower as it reverberated against our building.  Boom! Boom! Boom!  At that point, one of the partners yelled "Everybody out!!!"  We all headed for the exit and walked about 50 flights of stairs and then made our way across the Brooklyn Bridge.   I watched the second tower collapse as we walked across the bridge.  The whole day felt like a nightmare.  I will never forget it as long as I live.  The weird thing about that day was the plane that I saw wooshing by my window was not the same plane as mapped out by the media.

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   Writer Foxposted 10 years ago

   The moderators moved this thread from the other forum, and I just found it again.
   
   I'm really touched by the personal stories here.  This is one of those events that you remember exactly where you were when you heard the news.

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