Eighteen years ago today America was changed forever

[Value Buy]

I started the day with two cups of coffee, kissed my wife goodbye, at 7 am and left for work as any other work day in the life of Mr. and Mrs. Value Buy.
The day at work started very normal, then it was not. It changed forever in  our hearts and minds across the country. Immediately we were all "Americans"-not Democrats nor Republicans, no White, Black, or Brown Americans of any other color
Never forget the victims.
In a way we were all victims that fateful day.
I never truly understood how December 7th changed America as much as it did that day until we had our fateful morning. 
Please try to take a moment this morning and just hug a family member, especially if you have young children, as I suspect they will never understand our grief and frustration that day, until they too have their fateful day........ 
Hopefully they never will experience that moment.

[billisonboard]

It did change us. But did it for the better or worse?

[Deleted]

I remember I was back in the office nursing a vicious hangover after being out all weekend celebrating my first weekend being 21. I remember being extremely busy that day as I was in the medical device field, in fact my company had product on one of the handful of flights allowed by the US gov on Sep 12th, product that eventually was sent elsewhere because it wasn’t needed due to so few survivors at ground zero.

I remember driving home from work and my path went right by O’hare where normally several planes land as I’m sitting in stop and go traffic, not that day, it was just eerie silence. I remember being in the tallest building in the Chi burbs that night for my 2nd week of grad school as my professor was the only one that didn’t cancel his class, a mistake he soon realized as he let us go an hour into it because everyone was freaked out. Prior to class I was in a hotel bar watching the coverage with a bunch of business people whose flights had been cancelled.

Those memories sure don’t seem 18 years ago.

[dondub]

Heard on the radio that a plane had crashed into one of the twin towers so hustled downstairs and turned on the tv. Donnadub was in the kitchen making the latte/espressos for us while I narrated.

Then the second plane came and it was clearly a WTF experience. Obviously no longer an accident.

The office was silent and somber all day.

[billisonboard]

I was on the West Coast.  I had just gotten out of bed and was headed to the shower. Passing by her, my wife told me apparently a plane had hit one of  theTrade Center Towers but no details yet.  I made some lightweight comment and proceeded to the shower. She came in and informed me in a shocked tone about the second plane. I had taken a Politics Sci course in Terrorism.  It included a serious look at the philosophy behind the use of terror as a political strategy.  I had always scoffed at what was called terrorism. I remember my response that day was,  "Damn, the attackers finally got it right. " I was teaching in a public school at the time. I was told later that my colleagues amongst themselves had set up a watch of me because they were concerned about the level of shock I was obviously in.

[thyme4change]

Sept 11, 2019 9:19:52 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

It did change us. But did it for the better or worse?

Were we changed forever? People who hated brown people still hate brown people. People who understood that all Muslims are not represented by the extremist that did this still understand that all Muslims are not represented by the extremists who did this. Everyone still hates Hillary and no one gets healthcare.

The only thing that has changed is I have to make sure my socks don't have any stains or holes when I am flying and I can't take my water bottle.

[OldCoyote]

On this date eighteen years ago, I had started to go to work, when the radio said an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center,

I made a u-turn back to the house, turned on the TV in time to see the second plane crash into the other building.

I was filled with anger, later showing the Muslims dancing in the street celebrating, did not help.

I have a lot of resentment about the Nation tragedy! even today!

Then when it is marginalized, by Ilhan Omar,  Some people did something.

www.foxnews.com/politics/new-york-post-ilhan-omar-911-attacks

[thyme4change]

Do we really have video of Muslim's celebrating? And do we have any way of verifying that they were actually celebrating the collapse of the WTC?

It seems like bullshit to me.

After all, none of the Muslims I know were celebrating, therefore no Muslims could possibly have celebrated.

[Value Buy]

Sept 11, 2019 12:15:56 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Do we really have video of Muslim's celebrating? And do we have any way of verifying that they were actually celebrating the collapse of the WTC?

It seems like bullshit to me.

After all, none of the Muslims I know were celebrating, therefore no Muslims could possibly have celebrated.

My memory might be faulty, but in the Middle East, I believe they did show them celebrating in a few countries.
In the states, no.

[Value Buy]

I hope this does not turn into a rant thread of us versus them. That was not my intent. 
I hope it is more of a thoughtful rememberance of the victims as well as a reality check for all of us.
TYIA

[NastyWoman]

[weltschmerz]

Sept 11, 2019 11:45:27 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

On this date eighteen years ago, I had started to go to work, when the radio said an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center,

I made a u-turn back to the house, turned on the TV in time to see the second plane crash into the other building.

I was filled with anger, later showing the Muslims dancing in the street celebrating, did not help.

I have a lot of resentment about the Nation tragedy! even today!

Then when it is marginalized, by Ilhan Omar,  Some people did something.

www.foxnews.com/politics/new-york-post-ilhan-omar-911-attacks

Trump said he "watched in Jersey City, N.J., where thousands and thousands of people were cheering" as the World Trade Center collapsed.



This defies basic logic. If thousands and thousands of people were celebrating the 9/11 attacks on American soil, many people beyond Trump would remember it. And in the 21st century, there would be video or visual evidence.



Instead, all we found were a couple of news articles that described rumors of celebrations that were either debunked or unproven.



Trump’s recollection of events in New Jersey in the hours after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks flies in the face of all the evidence we could find. We rate this statement Pants on Fire.

www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/nov/22/donald-trump/fact-checking-trumps-claim-thousands-new-jersey-ch/

[hurley1980]

I was super late to find out. I was 21, living in a crap apartment with no TV and working as a waitress in Sacramento. When I showed up for my shift at 11am, it was pretty clear something was not right, and I soon found out. I pretty much sat in the restaurant bar all day trying to process what happened. It took me a couple of days for it to really sink in.

I believe we have changed because of 9/11, but definitely not for the better.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I was sitting in psychology class when the next period started and people came in telling the teacher to turn on the TV that a plane had crashed into the world trade center.  She thought it was a hoax/movie plot and almost refused but they kept insisting.  Shortly after that the second tower was hit.

Air Force One landed at Offut Air Force base.  I remember the outrage that news people showed up and were broadcasting it, they got all their stuff confiscated by the SS.    We got to see it fly over our house (or at least one of the four versions of the plane).

[sesfw]

I was at work in the Detroit area and my work partner and I had just turned on the radio to listen to Dr Laura.  The first words I heard were 'Oh my God, another plane just went into the second tower'.  I let others know in the area and it was dis-belief. 

I called DH and told him what I heard, and he and co-workers went into conference room and watch on TV.

Total shock ........


I do remember one jacka$$ congressman in front of the  Pentagon berating Pres Bush for not being there ............ The he ran for his life when the Pentagon was hit.

[Tennesseer]

Sept 11, 2019 12:15:56 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Do we really have video of Muslim's celebrating? And do we have any way of verifying that they were actually celebrating the collapse of the WTC?

It seems like bullshit to me.

After all, none of the Muslims I know were celebrating, therefore no Muslims could possibly have celebrated.

Jersey City, New Jersey/East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank. Apples/artichokes. Same thing.

[dondub]

Sept 11, 2019 11:45:27 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

On this date eighteen years ago, I had started to go to work, when the radio said an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center,

I made a u-turn back to the house, turned on the TV in time to see the second plane crash into the other building.

I was filled with anger, later showing the Muslims dancing in the street celebrating, did not help.

I have a lot of resentment about the Nation tragedy! even today!

Then when it is marginalized, by Ilhan Omar,  Some people did something.

www.foxnews.com/politics/new-york-post-ilhan-omar-911-attacks

Some people did do something. That’s a fact. That CAIR sensed this as a possible reason for decking civil liberties is also a fact. The Patriot Act was ready to go. And now that the Muslim woman has been accused of “marginalizing” , for her simple and truthful statement, she is being marginalized too.

[dondub]

Sept 11, 2019 13:30:07 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Sept 11, 2019 12:15:56 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Do we really have video of Muslim's celebrating? And do we have any way of verifying that they were actually celebrating the collapse of the WTC?

It seems like bullshit to me.

After all, none of the Muslims I know were celebrating, therefore no Muslims could possibly have celebrated.

Jersey City, New Jersey/East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank. Apples/artichokes. Same thing.

I’ve always found the dancing was by Israelis over in Jersey.

[Tennesseer]

We were sitting around the office conference room watching the WTC events on TV when one of our office managers came in and said we would still have our weekly staff meeting.  She said there was nothing we could do to help those in trouble so let's have the staff meeting.  At that time both towers had been hit.

During the two hour staff meeting, the manager's admin assistant came into the conference room several times and whispered into the manager's ear.

Once the staff meeting was over, the manager advised us a plane had crashed into the Pentagon, both WTC towers had collapsed, and a plane had been flown into the ground in Pennsylvania.

We sat in the conference room a little while longer and watched TV and then everyone was sent home.  No work was going to be accomplished that day. 

[Tennesseer]

trump 9/11, 2013 Twitter message:

Donald J. Trump

‏Verified account

@realdonaldtrump

Follow Follow @realdonaldtrump

“@realdonaldtrump: I would like to extend my best wishes to all, even the haters and losers, on this special date, September 11th.”

5:12 PM - 11 Sep 2013

[ken a.k.a OMK]

I got an email at work that the Navy Auxiliary Radio Organization I belonged to was put on alert so I went home to monitor my equipment. We weren't needed to relay any messages. Some here my have heard of Navy-Marine Corps Mars.  

[tractor]

I was driving into the office when the first plane hit. I specifically remember talking to a client on the phone who was watching TV and was giving me a play by play, soon my boss brought in a tv from home. We spent the next couple of hours in silence as we watched the towers fall on live TV.

He sent us all home after lunch and we spent the afternoon with our families. We had a church service planned that evening, it was packed (as were many churches in the country). I will never forget, not out of rage or vengeance, but out of sorrow.

[chiver78]

I had just graduated college that spring, and wasn't doing a whole lot on the job just yet. I was also still coming in for an 830-5 workday, so I was still working on my coffee around the time the news first broke. I remember refreshing the website for the Boston Globe to see the first reports of the first plane. that turned to trying to find out more information, and figuring out where the key was for the projector TV in the big conference room. a few of us were gathered around as the Today Show broadcast live footage of the 2nd plane hitting, and don't remember much as far as timing after that. I know I was still in the conference room when the towers fell, and I know I spent the afternoon at my parents' house with my grandmother, glued to the tv.

we found out later that our dept director lost his sister-in-law on AA11, and that there was a company employee on the plane that hit the Pentagon. I recently read a book written by a former Globe "Spotlight" reporter, building on work he had done in the immediate aftermath to cover the whole incident. I highly recommend it to everyone. Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11

[Tennesseer]

Sept 11, 2019 15:44:18 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I had just graduated college that spring, and wasn't doing a whole lot on the job just yet. I was also still coming in for an 830-5 workday, so I was still working on my coffee around the time the news first broke. I remember refreshing the website for the Boston Globe to see the first reports of the first plane. that turned to trying to find out more information, and figuring out where the key was for the projector TV in the big conference room. a few of us were gathered around as the Today Show broadcast live footage of the 2nd plane hitting, and don't remember much as far as timing after that. I know I was still in the conference room when the towers fell, and I know I spent the afternoon at my parents' house with my grandmother, glued to the tv.

we found out later that our dept director lost his sister-in-law on AA11, and that there was a company employee on the plane that hit the Pentagon. I recently read a book written by a former Globe "Spotlight" reporter, building on work he had done in the immediate aftermath to cover the whole incident. I highly recommend it to everyone. Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11

It was a 'good' and well researched read. I have recommended the book to others and my own copy is on loan right now.

[chiver78]

mine, too. 

[Tennesseer]

Sept 11, 2019 15:54:18 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

mine, too. 

Chiver-I think it was the snippet from the Boston Globe you offered here this past spring which piqued my interest in the book. Thank you for that.

[Tennesseer]

[dondub]

Thanks T.

[thyme4change]

Memory is a funny thing. According to this no one has ever seen the video. Your brain is constructing something. You wish it to be true so badly, because it reinforces your belief system.


nypost.com/2015/12/03/the-video-of-revelers-cheering-911-that-no-one-got-to-see/

[weltschmerz]

You should watch this if you possibly can.



You Are Here - A Come From Away Story is an intimate feature documentary that goes deep into the community of Gander, Newfoundland where 38 airliners carrying over 6,500 passengers were forced to land after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. The film pulls back the emotional layers surrounding the five days during which the community housed, fed and cared for the dislocated passengers (or the "come from aways" in Newfoundland parlance). While their stories were the inspiration for the extraordinary Broadway hit musical, Come From Away, the documentary, You Are Here, reveals first-hand accounts of the great kindnesses and energetic resourcefulness the community showed their unexpected guests. Their emotional and sometimes humorous story of compassion and generosity, born of a long history of rescuing and welcoming shipwrecked sailors, resonates with a legacy of healing and reconciliation for the world - especially for the survivors of those murdered on 9/11, and for the first responders who lost their own lives saving others on that fateful day.


www.imdb.com/title/tt9205986/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl