September 11, 10 years later

[sasvermont]

I am watching the regular TV coverage and boy are the tears a problem here in my home. James Taylor and Paul Simon singing just brings me to tears anyway.

So many lives were lost in such a horrific manner. It wasn't an act of God. So so very sad to have lost that many people - they will never be forgotten.

I was in my office at the firm where I worked in downtown Burlington, VT. We heard about the first tower and all gathered in the conference room and watched the coverage on TV. We saw the second hit happen. And when the Pentagon was reported to have happened, we were horrified. It did feel like war to me. I knew that Burlington was probably not a target, but figured all major cities were a possible target.

Everyone in my office was very quiet and pensive. We took the rest of the day off to recover and regroup. Most government (Federal especially) was shut down in Burlington, so that they could set up better security. It took our city a couple of days to get back to a halfway normal routine.

I went on a week's scheduled vacation that following weekend. I went to Stone Harbor, NJ. I bought two Tshirts with American flags on them. I still wear them to this day, and think about how horrible that week was for me.... and how safe I was - compared to those families having to deal with the death and missing of their family members.

My nephew is a police officer and a volunteer firefighter. So he is really into the thick of this anniversary big time. He is there at the site right now, for the day.

Bless the souls of all the folks who's lives were ended needlessly. Bless the families as well.

Time to take stock.

[Freedom]

We spent the past 3 hours watching the memorial services on TV. Dad and I didn't know anyone who died that day; yet it was a horrific time, and seeing this service, it seems like yesterday, so hard to believe it has been 10 years.

We've had lots of coverage here all week, and the newspaper did a story on a different aspect all week long. One interesting article (to me) was talking about trying to teach what 9-11 is to the new high school students - they are age 14, were too young to understand when it happened. Amazing to me that this is now "history" to many. How can you ever convey the carefree attitudes we had before, and the nervous, looking up at the sky every moment feelings we had for days afterwards? And it occurred to me, they've never known the freedom of running through an airport at the last minute to catch a plane (OK they are still too young to do this, unless w/ family). How many times I'd done that for business trips. Now with all the security, you best arrive an hour early and 2 hours early would be better.

Dad and I were staying up at his house, we had 4 cats then (no dogs!). That Tuesday, he had a doctor's appointment. (Dad refused to change doctors for the first year he lived with me, as he was "just visiting!") We were running late, and hadn't put on the TV as we normally did. So we get to the doctor's office and it is empty - no one at the reception desk, no one in the waiting room. ??? So I called out. Someone hollered to come down the hall and turn left. They were all in the break room watching a small 13 inch TV. They told us a plane had hit one of the towers, and like most people, we couldn't get out heads around that, just replied, "what?" kind of dumb like. As they were repeating this, the second plane hit. As soon as we had the appt., we went back, packed up and drove back down here to my apartment (where we were living at the time). The roads were empty at that point.

Then we had 4 days with NO air traffic anywhere in our country. It was very quiet; you get used to normal background noises, and instead of being bothered by them, you notice their absence.

Surreal, that is what life was like, for days, a few weeks even.

[davidpizzica]

I can remember. I was working on the golf course and I had to come into the shop for something and a guy in there said an airplane flew into one of the Towers. We kept working and and received more news reports and I remembered it was very weird not hearing any aircraft flying overhead as by then President Bush grounded all air flights. Also since they tightened security in the larger cities just after, my brother, since he worked in downtown Pittsburgh, had a tough time trying to get home that evening.

[Alysser]

I was 8 years old when it happened, which to me at least seems crazy now. I was sitting in my 3rd grade classroom and I remember people kept leaving. My teacher was just as confused as all of us. No one knew what the hell was going on. Finally, me and my sister went home (she was in 5th grade in the same school) and we finally saw what happened. My mom still hadn't heard from my dad, who had flown over the city that day.

Finally, he called, he was in Boston totally oblivious to what had happened. Him and his Boss were on a business trip, which was cancelled, so they drove home that night. They had to go all around NYC and everything. It took them 2 days to get home. His building was right across from the WTC and he would always go to the shops underneath the towers to get coffee in the morning. I guess he was pretty damn lucky to be on that plane. He is volunteering at the memorial service in the city right now.

I can't even imagine what those poor families went through. May everyone who died rest in peace

[CountryWolf07]

I'll never forget either. I was in high school. Sophomore year, 3rd period, Government class. I was walking into the classroom and everyone was dead quiet. They were all watching the tv and I thought it was a movie. As soon my eyes landed on the tv, the second tower was hit.

I paid my respects at the local fire station where they received a beam of the WTC center - it's just very surreal and emotional. 10 years later, the skies are blue with no clouds in sight and I have noticed this. Every year on 9/11, it is always 'the same'..

[ILoveMyAbbyGirl]

I was in 8th grade choir. Most of us were crying, and it was a very solemn few days. I still get goosebumps just thinking about it.

I say thanks every day for the troops that have made our country safe.

[Taz_Zoee]

Being on the West Coast it was very early for us. I was getting ready for work and had my stereo on as I always did. They were reporting it so I turned on the TV to see what was going on. I didn't tune in until after the second tower was hit. My mom was watching when the second plane hit.
I worked at a day care at the time. We had to discuss how to handle everything with the children. I worked in the baby room so it wasn't as bad for me. Although, my co-teacher was from Afghanastan and we didn't get along so well to begin with. But she was very remorseful of what had happened. I think she didn't really know how to act either, but she was also sad.
It doesn't even matter that it has been 10 years since this happened.....every time I see the footage of the towers being hit and collapsing I get tears in my eyes. We recorded a show that interviewed people that got out of the building and what they went through. I just can't imagine it.
Every single person affected by this tragedy is in my thoughts today.....and every day.

[Kirsten]

I was at work in Kassel at that time, it was already afternoon in Germany. A friend sent an email, telling me that two airplanes hit the World Trade Center and another one the Pentagon, and that one of the twin towers has already collapsed. War is near, that's what she wrote... Suddenly everyone at work seemed to know, and my boss set up a tv in the social room so we could watch. As it's been already closing time, I decided to drive home, and I listened to the radio while driving, hearing all these horrible news. At that time, they were working on the main road home, so I took a detour through the forest, and there it was that I heard the second tower collapsing, I heard the people crying and screaming, and it all felt simply unreal. I remember covering my mouth in shock and horror with one hand while I was driving. Came home and flew up the stairs to my apartment, turned on the tv and the computer, and there, I saw the entire horror. Tried to call an American friend, but only spoke to her answering machine. I called another friend and we both cried on the phone, we barely knew what to say. It was a huge comfort to have Luna with me that night, who was only one year old at that time.

All these pictures of that day seem to be burnt in my memory forever, and though 10 years have passed now, I can still feel the same horror and disbelief when I look at them. And it still feels so near...

My those who lost their lives R.I.P.