9/11: Seven Years On(Discussion Thread)

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It's just past midnight on the East Coast, so I thought I'd start a discussion thread for the seventh anniversary.

I thought, to start with, I'd post video clips of the opening monologues of the first Daily Show and first Letterman to air after. They are eloquent and honest and raw. Those of us who weren't directly affected by the attacks(i.e. weren't there, didn't lose anyone, etc) unfortunately sometimes sort of almost forget what the national feeling and mood was in those days and weeks following, and I think these are a good reminder. Those of you who were directly affected by it, of course, need no reminders.

Viacom raided youtube so the Daily Show clip isn't there, therefore I can't embed. Here is a link to the clip on the official site:

[size=+2]September 11, 2001 | The Daily Show | Comedy Central[/size]

And here is Letterman:

YouTube - David Letterman

Let's try to keep this a civil and respectful conversation. Anything in the way of actual politics should probably be said in any other thread here.
 
Hard to believe it's been seven years. And it's hard to imagine that there are kids growing up now who don't really know what 9/11 is, or weren't old enough to comprehend what was going on. My sister is 14, so she was only 7 when it happened, and I wonder sometimes how much she actually remembers.

I noticed both Flight 93 and United 93 (the made for tv movie and the theatrical movie) were on TV the other day. Those are tough to watch. I remember seeing United 93 in theaters, and it was the most unbelievable movie experience of my life. Usually when you walk out of a movie theater after a film ends, people are talking, laughing, playing with their phones, etc. There was none of that. When the credits starting rolling, almost everyone got up quietly and simply walked out of the theater. I didn't hear a single word spoken in the room. The only noise was the sniffles of people in tears.

And regarding the monologues of Jon Stewart and David Letterman, I think those are phenomenal. I actually just watched both of those a few nights ago. Though I don't care too much for either of them, you cannot knock their remarks.

I'll be proudly wearing my USA shirt tomorrow. :up:

ETA: Though I don't live anywhere near NYC or DC or Pennsylvania, and knew personally none of the victims, 9/11 changed my life. 9/11 made me realize what I want to do with my life in terms of my major and future job. I'm a Criminal Justice major, and hope to someday work in law enforcement as an officer, maybe FBI, DHS, something along those lines. It's a fact that 9/11 made me want to dedicate my life, or at least my career, to keeping this country and it's people safe. If 9/11 never happened, I'd probably have no clue as to what I'd want to do.
 
i knew people who died, and i know people who ran out of the buildings and i know people who walked home across the Brooklyn Bridge covered in ashes.

let it never happen again. to anyone. anywhere.

if it can happen in New York, it can happen to anyone. anywhere. in Cairo, Paris, Kabul, Baghdad, Bangkok, or Tokyo.

"new york's finest." forever, immortalized. they are who we have to thank. they are the heroes.

20th century go to sleep.
 
candle.jpg
 
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The Daily Show clip still makes me cry, mostly because it's Jon of all people really.

God, I can't believe it's been seven years
 
September 11, 2001 was definitely the worst day of my life. I saw the towers fall from the roof of my Brooklyn apartment. When I saw them fall in the distance, I knew my life would never be the same again. It changed the way I view and live life.

I am always amazed by the ordinary New Yorkers and the men and women of the NYPD and FDNY and how they dealt with the unthinkable tragedy. Sometimes I wish I had their strength.

I suppose I got what most people get, which is a life filled with heartbreak with or without closure. And whether that strengthens or weakens me will shape who I am.

You know, I wish they'd bring back the Twin Towers, and not erect that lame Freedom Tower. Regardless of whatever they put up, the Twin Towers will always be casting their shadows over me.

Best,
Jason
 
yeah, seven years huh?

wow, actually feels more like last year to me.

over the past week they have shown couple of 9/11 progs, next week is one about the 9/11 faker woman. I suppose, I ask, why are these being shown now, but maybe, I dunno, its like anything, could be another prog on JFK on, etc.

Still remember that day. very eerie day :(
 
Even though I live far from New York I still remember the full on panic of my aunt in Ireland calling me telling me she can't get in contact with he daughter in Manhattan. It made me relize how small war and tragedy make this world!

May we catch Bin Ladan dead or alive...
 
Even though I am from another country, I still remember that night vividly. I was at college and a whole group of us were returning from the movies when our mobiles were going off with messages about something happening in New York. We got back to college and went into the common room to see if there was anything on TV. As we were watching the coverage we saw the second plane fly into the tower and we all just screamed. It was terrifying. About 50 people from countries all over the world crowded into a common room to watch one of the most horrifying things i've ever witnessed. It changed a lot of things, for the whole world and even though i'm not an american, it cut deep in all of us. I may have a lot of opinions of how it was all handed afterwards but I'll never forget the fear I had that night, and the amazement and sadness I felt for the firefighters who went into those buildings and never came out. :(
 
'Tis my birthday so I can't forget about it even if I want to. I did not know anyone well who died. I went with some friends the next month to do some volunteer work for the Red Cross, sorting all the donations that were pouring in. We went down there one day. I don't know if I could ever go back to NYC and enjoy it, unfortunately. It was so quiet and everyone was wearing masks. The smell of burnt things was still very strong. There was constant traffic of officers and firemen going down the streets and back, no one was saying anything. Every surface was covered with fliers of missing people. I can't even fathom living there...

a few blocks from Ground Zero, a month out

2848422306_faafb68944.jpg


2848422288_fd372d9f12.jpg



I also have a special place in my heart for all the SAR and cad. dogs and their handlers that devoted weeks of their lives to the recovery efforts.
 
i woke up late, rushed out of my dorm room to go to class. got there about 10 minutes late and there was a note on the board that the class had moved across campus for the day. being late already, there was no way i'd get there in time. stopped to get breakfast, returned to my dorm and turned on the TV about a minute or so before the second plane hit.

my dorm room was on the first floor right by the entrance, and we had two tv's set up, mostly for video game use. but today we had the various news reports on... a crowd gathered outside the windows watching.. some teammates, my coach, other people from the hall. all the while i can remember franticly trying to call friends and family on my cell phone, but being able to get no where because cell's into new york weren't working... partialy due to overload, partialy due to one of the biggest cell towers in the region being on top of building 2.

it really was a complete feeling of just absolute helplessness... knowing that people i've known my entire life would be running into that fire, or worked in the buildings, and i'm stuck in a dorm room in new hampshire unable to get in touch with anyone.

there were some frantic moments... most people i could finally get in touch with. some i never did. some i never will again. i think the worst feelings came in the next days as i made preparations to go down to new york... when you think you've been able to keep track of everyone you knew who was in the buildings or a fireman or a police officer... and then you get a "remember so and so from this place?" call.

i hope we never have to go through anything like it again.

rip m.mcwilliams, g.stajk, n.marez, r.mastrocinque
 
It is now exactly 15:45pm on September 11th........7 years to the day of THE most horrific day of my life. I'm shuddering at the memory of it.

Here's what happened:


It was a beautiful Tuesday afternoon, the sun was shining over the water which I could see through my bosses window. I was at my desk at my previous place of employment at a multi-purpose function hall in the port of Tel-Aviv. We had a charity function that evening and there were last minute things to organize - catering, tables and chairs, guest lists, entertainment, PA & lights, etc. In short it was a perfectly normal day.

Nothing in this lifetime prepared me for what was about to happen and I had no idea that by the time the day ended I would be witness to the worst act of terror in history.

At 15:45 pm, my colleague came rushing into my room saying that she'd just heard on the radio that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York. My eyes went wide and I said: "Really??". I went into my bosses office and turned on CNN. The sight on my TV was surreal, one tower was burning and the news strip on the bottom said "Breaking News, plane hits WTC". I was thinking to myself - thank goodness it's only a small plane and only in one tower and that the building is more or less empty cos it was early morning.

I started to go back to my desk when suddenly I saw the second plane slam into the second tower. At that point I was literally paralyzed.....I was speechless and absolutely could not believe what had just happened. I realized at that second that I had just watched hundreds of people die on live TV.

From that point on I couldn't function, I stared at that TV like my life depended on it. At that point the reports came in about the planes at the Pentagon and Pennsylvania and that the White House was being evacuated. At that second the news strip read: "America under attack" and I turned to my colleague and said: "That's it....we are witnessing the start of World War III"....

As I watched the towers burn I kept thinking...well, they may be burning but at least they're still standing. I thought that because they were so tall the firefighters wouldn't be able to put out the fire and that the buildings wouldn't be usable for a few years, just like after the 1993 bombing when the building was closed for repairs. I figured that it would take a few months to repair....but at least they were standing.

I immediately phoned my two friends in NYC and asked if they were ok. They had no idea what I was talking about and we kind of laughed that I was 15,000 miles away in Israel telling them what was going on in their own back yard.....but soon the laughing stopped.

I kept my eyes glued to CNN (FOX news wasn't available in Israel yet) and watched Aaron Brown give the most chilling commentary from the rooftop overlooking the two towers.

Then came the moment that is burned in my brain forever.....the collapse of the first tower - my mouth dropped and I started palpitating and hyperventilating. I started crying hysterically and couldn't calm down.

When the second tower came down I screamed. My boss got up from his chair and closed the TV......which was the proper thing to do.

Needless to say, I couldn't function that day. I kept looking at the blank TV screen and I sat at my desk numb with pain.....and ANGER.

I saved the newspaper from that day and I look at it every once in a while....not to remind me of the evil in the world, but to remind me of the heroes of that day - the firefighters and policemen, the people of NYC and Mayor Guilianni, the brave passengers of United 93 and Donald Rumsfeld (among others) helping to evacuate the wounded from the Pentagon.

It was a day of extraordinary cruelty that turned into a day of bravery, patriotism and triumph of the spirit - New Yorkers didn't break, they mobilized to help their fellow citizens in trouble and comfort those who have lost loved ones in the towers, as did the citizens of Washington DC and Shanksville, PA.

The symbol of this day for me is the sight of the Liberty torch lifted high against the black smokey background of the collapsed towers. This to me represents the eventual triumph of good over evil, and it strengthens my belief that liberty and democracy will always win over tyranny.

My thoughts are with the American people today, people who I don't know but feel a bonding with. People who went to bed Monday night Sept.10th in one world and woke up Tuesday morning in a different one........

G-d bless America and may the brave souls of 9/11 rest in peace in the eternal blessed light of G-d's grace.
 
I was only twelve when it happened, but I remember all of it. Dad ran into the room in the morning urging me to get out of bed, that the World Trade Centre and Pentagon had been hit by planes, or he might have said they exploded or something. I don't know, we may not have known the facts straight off the bat, it happened on the other side of the world and we were in a daze. We sat in the lounge room and watched the footage over and over again. I probably arrived at school a bit late. I may have been in another country, but the eeriness of the situation was as alive that day in Australia as it would have been in America. Not least of all from the reactions of some of my peers. Sure, I look back and think, twelve year olds? Can't think shit. But I understood the seriousness of the situation. And some others did too - but the main thing I heard from other Australians was that America "deserved it".

Now, I've never exactly been too much of a Yankee, but nobody, not a single country in the world, deserves anything like that. What were these people thinking? Some of them were adults. These were people I'd known since I was even younger. The class kept on hearing updates about the death toll as the day progressed. At lunchtime we talked about how World War III was going to start. It truly did feel like the end of the world, the sky was dim, there was no atmosphere, and I had a new-found scepticism towards some of my friends. It was the strangest and bleakest day I had ever experienced.
 
My brother was one of the people who walked home across the bridge.

I remember spending the entire day trying to reach him but I could not. I didn't have internet in my house back then so I eventually went to the library but the computers were full, as you can imagine. One of the staff members approached a patron and told her my brother was in the city and I was desperate to hear from him. She got up immediately to let me use her computer. It was already late afternoon. There was an email from him. Three words, "I am safe."
 
I still want to cry when I see the images of the awful day. Seeing the family members who lost loved ones reading names, it still very emotional. I remember in the days and weeks to follow, all of the American flags on cars and such. I think this made many of us stop and realized how wonderful this country is. In such a dark and depressing time, it somehow brought out the best in the American people. We were not divided by political party, religion, race or age. We were all simply Americans united.
 
I woke up this morning more callous than I have ever been on 9-11 over the last 7 years. I will say no more for fear of being disrespectful to this day and its victims, may they rest in peace.
 
When I take the bus to work, the bus goes through New Jersey, and you get a good glimpse of the Manhattan skyline from one side of the bus. I can't imagine what it was like seven years ago for the riders to see the smoke from the towers.

Today I sat opposite the skyline so I wouldn't have to see the skyline. Its just so empty looking, seven years on...
 
I pretty much remember it clearly.. the first crash was around 3pm here, I was off school early so I went fishing with a friend, we just returned a MINUTE before the 2nd hit.. My dad opened the door and said that a plane just crashed in the WTC in NYC, we went in the living room, I looked at the tv, and wham, there goes plane no. 2..
I'll never forget that... all afternoon all we could do was watch CNN and see what was going on..
 
I was in my 2nd hour 8th grade Social Studies class when my teacher told us a plane had hit one of the WTC towers. At first we thought it was an accident. Then, about half an hour later when I was in my math class, my Social Studies teacher came running into the room and said another plane had hit the 2nd tower and the Pentagon, and they thought one was heading for the White House (I'm guessing that was the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania). A lot of kids left school early because their parents pulled them out, but those of us that stayed ended up down in the library or in classrooms watching TV coverage for the rest of the day. I remember a lot of us were scared something was going to happen to us because we live in a suburb of Detroit. That night I remember just lying in the grass with my friends looking up in the sky and talking about what had happened. I just remember everything was so still. It's a day we have to never forget but learn to move on from. That's the biggest challenge. And yes, that Jon Stewart monologue makes me cry every time I see it. It was better than anything I heard some politician or preacher or anyone else say because it was so raw and real.
 
What an insane day that was in DC.

I was in an early morning class at Georgetown when around ten minutes to 9, someone's cell phone went off in class. A few minutes later, it went off again. They didn't pick up, and class ended a few minutes later, so I started walking home. On the walk, all 6 people I saw walking past were talking on their cellphones. It seemed really odd. I ran into a friend, and she told me that planes had crashed into the WTC, that there was a bomb at the Pentagon, and that there was a bomb at the State Dept. I jogged the rest of the way home. The sky was eerily quiet---Georgetown is usually awash in noise of airtraffic from Reagan Airport. As I got to my front door, I heard the sound of 3 jet fighters flying overhead....it scared the shit out of me. I went in and turned the tv on. On of the towers had already fallen. I stared at it...I just couldn't believe my eyes. I ran to the back room and woke up one of my roommates, and we watched the tv in shock.

My girlfriend worked in Dupont Circle and immediately started walking to Georgetown to my place. Afraid to take the Metro, people crowded the streets. Cars were everywhere, people going to pick their kids up from school to bring them safely home.

Later, we went to the rooftop of one of the dorms and stared across the Potomac to see the smoke billowing out of the Pentagon. Unreal.

Vigils were held on campus through the night and over the next several days. All of Georgetown remained eerily silent, except at night---when helicopters would fly over the area, low and slow, shining spotlights on the street as if it was unsafe to be outside of our own front door.

I later learned that jets from a local base were sent out to intercept the plane that ended up crashing in PA when it was thought it would go for the White House. I personally believe that the jets actually did intercept the plane and shot it down, not that the plane crashed because the passengers took it over (though I don't doubt that they took it over or at least fought back). Those are the jets that I heard as I walked home. I shudder when I think about that.




It's strange to fully bring up all the feelings that we personally and collectively felt in those days. It's even stranger still to think about all of the things that have happened in our country since then--because of that day. I have to wonder: How much of what has happened was justified? How much wasn't? How much was proper, and how much was an abuse of power? Are we better off now than we were? Is the idea of America better off now than it was?
 
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