Remembering 9/11: Your Stories!

Originally posted by UM_Gazz

Write your account of how you first discovered the news that a plane or planes had crashed into the World Trade Center towers.

Your immediate reaction, thoughts, and emotions when you realized that it was not an accident.

Your account of the first news of an explosion at the Pentagon.

First thoughts, reaction to, and how or why the World Trade Center first tower collapsed.

Your interpretation of how the news media covered the events of that day.

Finally, your thoughts of how the events of that day impacted you on a personal level, those around you, and your thoughts, or theories, as they exist today. and anything you'd like to add in closing.

Please keep your replies as brief as possible, and stay within the topic.

Remember 9/11?

On that day I was delivering some stuff to my work, and heard people phoning others on the bus that "terrorists demolished the World Trade Center in America". Nothing unusual, I was among those who didn't know what the WTC looked like ,I thought it's a small building.

Afterwards, I have seen it on TV in a pool billiard pub, the only video from a news agency background liveshot, the 1st plane crashing into the first tower. It was seen from the front, the nose popping off, and the engines at their places while explosion. Only this vid could be seen, the Net and satelite systems were all overloaded.

For months, I didn't have a TV, I have only heard the News in radio, for as long as the War On Terrorism was heavily going on.

I downloaded the vids from the Net, including the Pentagon Crashes and several other events like the collapses, no other people may have altogether. Researching this whole event, I came to the conclusion that this attack was not an ordinary attack, and a lot more is behind it, we still do not even know.

As for conclusion, I am sorry for those people who lost their lives in these eevents. All victims were innocent, including the 2O (I repeat, twenty) suicide bombers, who were on the planes. But that's offtopic.

Yes, I remember that day all too well. But first I have to say that about 2 weeks before 9-11-01 I had gotten mad at my cable company...and had them shut my service off. Living way up in the mountains like I do... without cable, I have no t.v reception. So as of 9-12-01, my service was restored for fear of not knowing what was going on in our world.

The day of 9-11-01, for me started with a phone call at 6:30 from my sister in law. She was on her way to work, and said a plane had hit the tower... and to run to my neighbors and watch the news. I called my neighbor...and she was crying...and told me to come down as fast as I could....that it was horrible! So I threw my clothes on & went. I couldn't believe it, but I was in front of the t.v in time to see the second plane hit. I remember being really dazed almost, shocked.

My husband was in Kentucky on a business trip, and he called and told me to go to the store, and lay in a big supply of non parishable foods. He told me NOT to go into the big town, and do not leave the mountain! So I went to the stores within my reach. I ended up buying almost $700.00 worth of food that day...in case I needed to help my neighbors also- Not knowing what the future held at that point?

Meanwhile, all the planes had been grounded and my husband was stuck all the way in Kentucky...we live in Oregon. So he rented a car and drove non stop to Denver, Colorado. By the time he got to Colorado, they were putting planes back up in the air...it was a couple days later.

The day of 9-11 I remember flags going up every where, and my kids who were home schooled at that time...were in the house printing paper flag off the computer, and taking them out to their friends who were waiting to catch the school bus. They gave them all paper flags, and a safety pin to fasten the flags to their shirts. That makes me smile today....even little kids find a way to be patriotic...they are pretty good at improvising, really

I remember something about everybody going out side at night...I don't remember which night? Turning out all the house lights, and holding a lit candle. They were supose to take a satelite picture of all the lit candles lighting America. I don't know if I recall seeing that satelite picture? Maybe somone will dig it up?

That was quite a horrible day, and people were running around buying prophecy books to see if this was the end? I remember people being very united! That quickly went south, but it was nice to see even for a short time due to such a tragedy. People were praying! People were seeking God!

I thought the 9-11-01 silent video ATS played this morning was very nice At least I think it was silent? I didn't have my speakers on.

Jen


Edit** Since 9-11....I have to say it's hard to ever forget...when I look at the clock it will say 9-11....that happens all the time to me. It's a number that will forever be ingrained in our heads. Does this happen to you too?

[edit on 9/11/2006 by jensouth31]

I remember how beautiful, crisp and clear the morning was while I walked from the parking garage to work. I got my first cup of coffee from the office kitchen and sat down at my desk to begin the day’s task of churning out lawsuits for the attorney I work for.
Then, I did something I hardly ever do…..I shrugged off my high pile of work and decided to go next door to the courthouse and visit one of the judge’s that I think highly of….he’s an ex-Navy Seal and a fascinating man to talk to. He had a high-profile murder trial starting the following morning and I knew it was heavy on his mind since it involved children. I just wanted to shoot the breeze with him about it.
I went through security and up to his office. As I walked in, I noticed him and his staff (a, administrator and personal security officer) huddled around a small television. They filled me in that a plane had hit the WTC. As other posters have commented on in this thread, we were amazed at how a pilot could make such a grand miscalculation!
Then the second plane hit and we all gasped in horror. I can remember the EXACT thought that went through my head at that moment even though I could not tell you what I had for dinner two nights ago. I remember thinking….it all changes right now.
We sat glued to the small television while the judge’s courtroom filled up with litigants waiting to have their cases heard….he never came out that day. I watched this hard-as-nails man’s face become distraught and it scared me….he never put the coffee pot down he was holding when the first plane hit for about two hours.
I then thought of an old college friend who, after being recently divorced, moved to New York and worked at the WTC! I ran back to the office and tried to call her mother and ex-husband…..I could not reach either due to busy lines.

After a few days, I learned that she had taken that day off for personal reasons.

I was trying to annoy one of my best middle school english teachers, when I had reliazed that she was ignoring my attemp to annoy her, for once. What she would usually do is drag me out of the room and leave me there while she carried along with the class, but this day was different, she was watching CNN, just like anyother day, but she was acually paying attention to the tv this time...instead of me . I was about to make fun of the Breaking news announcement, when I reliazed that the news were not a joke....The rest of the day was a shock, people didn't know what was going on, some teachers decided to not teach that day, but let the student's watch history in the making on tv, while others just carried their lessons along like always. Some teachers tried to stop the student's from watching the news; just for the fear of them panicing in front of the class, which was kind of ridiculous. Back then, we were actually aware of our sorroundings so we had a pretty good idea what was going on, and we understood that panicking will get us nowhere. So as we watched in horror, I said to myself " where is our the army/ airforce when we need them, more than an hour has passed by and there's still no sign of the them anywhere"...when I stopped daydreaming... I was at home ....watching people fall out of the building, suffering of third degree burns, and suffocation. So sad..... I went outside and looked around...I saw one of my friends..."Luis" ....he said this..." what do you think will happen next man....the airforce can take them down, why didn't they"....my response was uncertain....and as we walked through the empty streets...that question still followed me for the rest of the day.......and it still does today.......

I was sitting at my desk when a coworker sitting next to me who was on the phone said, "My friend says a plane crashed into the World Trade Center."

I immediately went to the web but no one had anything, except CNN's red banner headline at the top. Not too long after that the web stopped working, I suppose from so many people trying to read the same webpage. However, I tapped into the San Francisco NBC station and watched the live streaming video.

Then, as time passed, people gathered in the main conference room where CNN was put on. I stood there watching the replays, watched the 2nd plane dive into the other tower, and watched them all collapse. Then the TV reporters turned to the Pentagon and the carnage unfolding there. Shortly after that, our CEO told us all to go home.

So, I drove out of the office and drove home. I turned on the radio and listened to the news station, and it was surreal. Outside, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, the air was warm, and everyone was seemingly driving along like nothing had happened. I clicked around the radio dial to find all of the music stations had gone off the air, as they turned themselves over to their news affiliates.

Driving home, I saw state policemen guarding Interstate overpasses, local cops sitting at intersections, and Air Force jets flying overhead. I got home and foudn my roommates sitting in the basement watching the news. I went to another TV and found that all of the cable TV stations had turned off, or switched over to Fox, CNN, CBS, NBC or ABC. I watched all of those and the BBC and the CBC. Even Telemundo and Univision had live coverage.

That night I sat out very depressed; we all did. Watching the footage play over and over again became too much to stand. I turned off the TV and refused to watch it. Later I would discover that no one I knew had died, but several friends did. I grieved with them, and felt bitter and angry. I still haven't quite put all that anger to rest yet. Today I was irritated, and refused to watch the remembrance TV coverage as it will just make me upset.

To make it short...

I had been up all night, wasn't going to school and didn't have a regular job. I walked out into the living room and my sister was getting ready for school, my parents ready to take her.

The news anchor from one of the local morning shows said that there was a gaping hole in the world trade center, and their program was ending.

They went to GMA and I saw the damage from the first plane. At that point everyone was already saying it had been a plane that had hit it but there was other speculation going on.

I had immediately began recording on my VCR and watched polarized (I was also awake when the Olympic Park Bombing took place and had recorded that as well).

I was flipping channels recording this and that (we get a lot of channels from mexico and I found their coverage to be fairly extensive as well).

The I saw the second plane come into view while I was watching the Today show. It was a weird feeling, knowing what was about to happen. Then it hit.

At that point I went into the living room and said "what's happening?" I remember my mom said to my sister "You are not going to school." It was funny to see my sister's pleased reaction in such a terrible moment.

Later the Pentagon happened and the collapse of the towers.

I called a few friends and told them to turn on the news... then I went to sleep with my VCR recording ABC.

My friends came over and kind of turned to me for comfort. I told them, "It's not the end of the world, but it's a start."

The biggest thing, the thing that resonated with me the most was the silence outside (I live near an airport). Just after the attacks I had gone into my backyard to get away from what I was seeing. There was a silence that I don't think could ever be duplicated... even the birds were quiet... It was such a strange feeling.

I knew there would be consequences. I knew the world would be different from that day forward, but I was never afraid.

B. Sage

Well been avoided this thread like a plague really. Didn't want to think about what all went on that day because it made me think of my ex husband mostly and all of those people who died that day..just takes alot out of me...But popping on the telly first thing this morning it really hit me. It forced me to remember a day I wished had not happened.

That day I was in Germany..my first visit was scheduled to return September 10th, with a lay over in Atlanta. But that day I was upstairs talking to my husband in his old room, cause we were visiting his parents, we were unpacking when his father yelled up the stairs for us to turn on the telly. I did, the whole time I was thinking 'ahh it's nothing', but boy did that change. I sat down and tried to understand what it was I was seeing exactly. The trade center building was in smoke, people running away, some standing in the street just as stunned as I was. Then it happened as I was watching, the second plane flew into it and my response was 'my god'.

I didn't cry, not at first, I was so very shocked. I remember telling my husband 'I hope they don't collaspe', with his stuffy logic he replied 'they were built to with stand this type of damage.' I decided I need to walk abit, and I went down stairs and right there on a huge flat screen tv with surround sound were the images. I sat beside his mother, who held my hand, and I watched some more. Then the first began to fall...some time after that the second.

Then all the reports of the pentagon being hit, I was thinking we are under attack by some one, I didn't need the news reports to tell me that. Then with the fourth plane 'crashing' in Penn. I knew the world had changed for the worse...

To me it felt like the media was just eating it up in bucket loads. Like they were ravenous little dogs or something cause they just kept repeating the images over and over again. Maybe they did it just in case somebody missed it and wanted to see it..I dunno...but it made me sick.

I don't remember feeling much after that really...I was stunned pratically into submission that I couldn't talk about it. Not untill today that is...thanks for giving me the time.

Gala

I was in the middle of a 6 week stay at a drug rehab. We were told about the incident from the front desk guy. The counselors & other employees started watching the events in the back & didn't allows us to see. I was really concerned about my wife & kids at that point. Here I am this selfish coke head an hour & half drive away from them without a vehicle at a time like this. By this time the second plane hit & we demanded to watch. We watched the relpays & I don't even remember if I saw Bld. 7 fall. I wasn't really thinking about the events. I was plotting how to get out of there & save my family. There was a naval ship building port & base in the costal Mississippi town I was in. I was concerned about an attack on this area. I planned to swipe the keys for the van they transported us around to NA meetings in & drive home & save my family. or atleast be with them if this was "the end of the world".
But, after a phone call to my wife (who was thinking much more rationally at the time & still to today for that matter) I decided to wait it out a bit. after a few days passed, I felt I should finish my rehab stay; which was a good move because I'm a much better person for it.
I guess I initially believed everything they were saying. then with my limited knoledge of the evil that is Bush I began to question some of it. I didnt give the subject much thought, but felt the Gov't probablly at least knew & didn't prevent it.
About 2004 I saw some video put together about the pentagon. Where's the plane???
that's when I changed my views . but it wasn't untill about 3 months ago that I was researching Masons on the internet (my brother joined) because I had heard stories from a friend about some crazy # going on. at that time I came across Loose Change & then Alex Jones & his NWO videos & Jordan Maxwells The Naked Truth & another vid called Orwell rolls in his grave.
all I can say is wow! I don't know what to believe, but I'm pretty sure what not believe: The Official Story!
I believe that finding the truth about 911 is critical to sustaining our way of life as we know it on this planet.

Write your account of how you first discovered the news that a plane or planes had crashed into the World Trade Center towers.

I woke up late that morning, and had JUST gotten onto the freeway to go to work. I turned on NPR and listened to a reporter talking about how a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. I thought it was a very odd accident. A one in a million chance. The FAA was calling for all planes to land for some reason.

I ran into work to let the secretaries know, since the CEO pretty much was in a private jet constantly, and they weren't in the habit of listening to the radio. I didn't need to tell them, everyone was staring at the TV screens. Apparently everyone around the country was, because no one's phone rang, despite it being the busiest time of a nomal morning.

As we watched, another plane slammed into the other tower.


Your immediate reaction, thoughts, and emotions when you realized that it was not an accident.


Immediately following the second plane's crash, I thought to myself "Wow!!! What are the odds? I mean, the first was one in a million... so technically that'd make it... and I started working the math, when a co-worker grunted and said "s'not right... this is an attack. Someone did this on purpose." The room got a lot colder then, and I was suddenly acutely aware that I worked in one of two identical towers, the tallest and largest financial centers in Fort Worth...

Your account of the first news of an explosion at the Pentagon.

I didn't hear about the Pentagon until after business had pretty much begun to resume. I had driven out to someone's house to install DSL for one of the brass hats, and they had the news on. It was then I saw the, talking about the attack on the Pentagon, and they began to speculate about OBL's involvment.

First thoughts, reaction to, and how or why the World Trade Center first tower collapsed.

First thoughts was that it was a one in a million chance. We've had plenty of airplane accidents in our history, but this was the first time I could ever remember anyone PURPOSELY slamming a plane into a building, so it didn't even occur to me as a possibility at first.

After it was determined that it was an actual attack, my reaction was to stock up on canned food, water, ammunition, and survival gear, and keep it in the trunk of my car in the event of a rapid "get the hell outta here" scenario.

Your interpretation of how the news media covered the events of that day.

(shrug). It's the media. What more can I say?

Finally, your thoughts of how the events of that day impacted you on a personal level, those around you, and your thoughts, or theories, as they exist today. and anything you'd like to add in closing.

This would require a whole new post on my part. I sat down and wrote several pages on this last question in my journal. In a nutshell, I have no idea what to believe anymore, and no one else does either. We may never know the truth behind 9/11, or we may already know it, but not know we can trust it...

[edit on 20-6-2007 by UM_Gazz]

I Love that version of the song "Heaven".

I had first heard it a few years ago, and just recently played it for my girlfriend to see how she would react. Well she cried for quite some time, then grew angry with me for playing something so sad. By posting that Um, I only hope that a few people hear it that otherwise would not of had the opportunity.

It pays tribute like nothing else, in my opinion.

The one thing that I found odd about some of the firefighters that were killed or escaped the hellish nightmare is that some of the rigs, i. e. engine companies, truck, and rescue companies, were basically untouched or mangled when the towers fell. The three particular stories, the first one is very tragic, is hearing about Rescue Co. #5 out of Staten Island. Even thought the truck went on to become HAZMAT 1 for the fire department, all members that were on the truck that day were lost.

As for this next one, you may have already heard about it these two companies in the Naudet Brothers documentary. Engine 7, Truck 1, and Battalion 1 were the first units to arrive at the Towers when the first plane and the first alarms were struck by multiple companies. It kinda goes hand in hand that the trucks from those particular comapnies were wipedout due to their proximty to the building when it came down. As for them members of the companies all survived the collapse of the buildings.

However there is the story of the Battalion Chief that threatened to suspend any firefighter that left his station and went down there. I read about this on www.firehouse.com some time ago. This chief had said to these guys that were at the firehouse, "Not to go down there because there were going to be a lot of men killed on the job." Needless to say, those guys went on down to the Twin Towers all except for the Battalion Chief and never made it back to the firehouse.

Which makes me ask this question ?

How many firehouses are now haunted by the firemen that died?

Originally posted by gimmefootball400
How many firehouses are now haunted by the firemen that died?

None.

Regardless, 9/11 was a very tragic day.

I was stationed in Germany, at a small US Army base just outside of Mannheim. I was working on a few desktop systems in our motorpool, while watching ESPN on the AFN network. This report flew across the screen, "planes attack WTC" and I thought "WTF is this, a movie?". It all seemed to "unreal", how could this happen? So I turned the channel to an AFN news station, and low and behold the first tower is smoking. "Holy #" I said out loud, "we are under fin attack!" By this time, I have every soldier in the area looking up at the screen...puzzled, frightened, some yelling " damn right, let's kick some ass" and some yelling "f this, I'm not going to war".

I thought to my self, this is why I'm here...and why I signed up.

2 weeks later, I'm searching mountains in Afghanistan with the 7th Special Forces group.

It has been a long time...

Since this thread was started, lets not now or ever forget that day, no matter what theories you have, no matter what political position, no matter where you are, or who you are, lets never forget the human tragedy of 9/11

Here's my story for that day. It's a bit rough, long and unfinished, but you'll get the point.

It's a bit long to post on here so here's a link to it. Link

With all that's been going on recently in this particular area of ATS lately, I thought I might revisit and remember that day and my memories of it. That song did it to me, I cried...not something I do easily.

Remembering those that perished that day, the one's who've died since as a direct concequence of the actions of that day.

Jesus, I'm still crying...

Here's my take on 9/11 the way I saw it. I had just returned from working out of town and I had the week off, so I was sleeping in. My wife was watching CNN and woke me up when the first image was being shown on the air. I saw the whole thing from soup to nuts.

Like many Americans, I watched the events of 9/11 unfold on CNN and FOX (then later NBC, ABC,CBS). During the crucial first moments when the news media broke what was to be the biggest story of the decade, there was no apparent cause for concern. I was intrigued at the notion of a Cessna hitting the World Trade Center. There was no reason to doubt the story, but this was certainly an unusual development. So I was drinking my coffee waiting for them to name this freak/stroke victim/obviously dead pilot.

I had watched enough news to know that usually when planes are involved, a few things are usually disclosed almost immediately. Airport of origin, time of departure, and intended destination are the norm, and usually some background information. CNN and FOX News were repeating the same sketchy account of this mystery Cessna. This my friends is where you should focus your attention. Instead of reporting the facts, which obviously would have been extremely alarming, the exact opposite occured.

Most of the free world has seen footage of the second WTC tower being impacted and the reaction from people on the ground. When the first jet impacted the WTC earlier that morning, don't you think it was equally if not more dramatic? Have you seen the footage where a fireman is giving an interview which is interrupted by a jet flying overhead and hitting a skyscraper? If you have, then that is the only known video footage of the first WTC tower being struck at 8:46AM on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001.

Inside the tower, many were probably killed instantly by the explosion. Others were probably less fortunate; trapped and/or clinging to life while burning to death and/or suffocating from the smoke and fumes.

New York City at 8:46AM was in the middle of RUSH HOUR. The area around the WTC was bustling with commuters. Buses, taxis, bicyclists, and mostly pedestrians were all going about their normal Tuesday morning routine. At street level, the usual sounds of the city were supposedly interrupted by the sound of approaching jet engines, attracting everyone's attention as they looked skyward for the source. Confusion was quickly replaced by panic at the alleged moment of impact as everyone scrambled to escape the falling projectiles. Many injuries ranging from minor to fatal are a fact of life when very big jets hit very tall buildings during rush hour in very big cities. Desperate calls for help to 911 probably jammed the lines. Husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandparents, and friends surely made/received tragic cell phone calls to/from loved ones. The calls for help likely jammed the cell phone circuits, which could only have made matters worse. Imagine the chaos and uncertainty that must have been spreading throughout New York City as the sounds of sirens filled the air.

Meanwhile, at 8:48AM (two minutes after the first plane hit) a CNN news break painted a completely different picture. The news anchors were stuttering and confused (interestingly one lady was new and 9/11 was her first day on the job). As they spoke, they were pressing on their ear-piece as if they were repeating these words verbatim as they heard them. There was no implied urgency in their voices, and none was invoked by the images that were shown. From their camera's perspective, which wasn't from the best angle, the story fit the picture. The situation did not appear to be serious. CNN went to commercial I flipped over to FOX News, only to find the same camera angle and similar explanation. Of course, had the TV cameras shown images from street level at the WTC, the seriousness of the crisis would not have required any commentary.

There apparently were not any field reporters dispatched to the WTC by CNN or FOX. No colorful eye witness accounts live at the scene that you would expect. Nope.. nothing like that. They must not have fielded any phone calls from good sources, or looked out the window, removed the ear muffs or their heads from their collective asses that morning. At this early juncture of 9/11, there was a clear and present danger. But niether CNN or FOX gave a hint of urgency to the situation. Why? Did it have anything to do with the stock market? Afterall, advising viewers of the situation could help prevent further loss of life and make it easier for EMT's to reach the scene. Instead, they reported that the buildings were safe and the minor damage was confined to a small area and actually encouraged people that worked in and around the WTC that it was business as usual! Is it fathomable that anyone witnessed a JUMBO JET fly over NYC before disappearing into a skyscraper but mistook it for a Cessna? How likely is it that all of the networks, many with offices in plain view of the WTC, could be so clueless? ABC, CBS, and NBC eventually broke from their regular programming to cover the WTC story, all exhibiting incompetent news gathering capabilities. Had I not seen this deception play out first hand, I would never have considered such an industry-wide curtain of propaganda to be a remote possibility.

Something was important enough for the networks to put more lives at risk while losing a little thing called CREDIBILITY. Bad news travels fast. Maybe it headed towards the Atlantic Ocean and had to circumnavigate the globe on 9/11. Imagine how different it might have been had they reported accurately. Imagine how many people in the news industry ditched all their stocks!

I'm sure the vast majority of American people would be interested to know the specific activity on the NYSE on and around 9/11. This, however, would require an investigation carried out by a branch of the government that is interested in uncovering facts, which is against current policy.

What caused the towers and WTC7 to collapse is trivial. The financial implications of 9/11 and what part the media played should be the issue. Many records were conveniently lost. It's time to get back to basics. I'm of the opinion that all peace loving Americans should band together and secede from the union. Such people, however, would have to reside far under the deepest ocean to protect against eminent attacks from the United States of America.

Was at work at oil refinery (now owned by Conoco, back then it was
Tosco) in Linden, NJ near Newark airport. Just after 9AM boss come
downstairs to our office (it was in basement) and said two planes had
hit World Trade Center. Me and my co-worker told him that was pretty
sick joke. He said it was true and that they had watched (several
dozen people) on upper floors as second plane ploughed into South Tower
Went upstairs and watched as buildings burned and South Tower collapsed
After that dust was too thick to see. Just after lunch business was closed
and locked down - cranes had placed huge blocks of concrete at entrances
as barriers to prevent car bombers from entering. Went home and turned
on scanner to listen to radio call from scene. Our fire chief had notified
county fire coordinator in case we were needed - were covering for
neighboring city as entire day shift was at WTC scene fighting fires in
World Financial Center. Heard radio calls around 3pm to stay clear of
WTC 7 as collapse was possible and collapse zone was being established
around it.

September 11 was my birthday...

I remember going into work that crisp, clear morning. You couldn't have asked for a more pefect day. I had the option of 730-5 or Noon-9, i chose the first so i could go out for my b-day that night. I probably sat there in my empty office for about 15 minutes, then figured "screw it. it's my birthday. I'm going home".
I laid down on the couch when I got home and called my girlfriend who'd just moved here from Long Island. We had a normal conversation, what we were doing that evening, etc. I do remember feeling a sort of "whooosh" at some point during the conversation, sort of like the feeling you get standing on the side of the road as a car drives by a little too closely. That "whooosh" I'd soon find to be a shockwave from the pentagon hit about 15 miles away.
A few minutes after hanging up with my girlfriend, my mom calls me telling me a plane had just hit the WTC. Then two planes. Terrorism didn't even cross my mind at first. I remember asking..."How does that happen, two planes?", that's when my mom said, "No, it's terrorism".

I immediately turned on the TV. The drama was unfolding...towers collapsing, pentagon being hit, plane down in PA, other missing planes headed towards DC...Creepy, scary, surreal, unbelievable...I don't know what else to say.

I won't go into painstaking details of all the days events, but a few do stand out...

After air traffic was shut down there were still planes in the sky. I remember the sinking feeling In my stomach each time one flew over.

The fighter jets ripping hrough the sky directly afterwards.

My dad came over for my b-day...when he was leaving I asked him what he wanted for his b-day. His reply; "Goddamn planes to stop falling out of the sky"...

I went out to dinner that night...basically the only place that was open. Driving around strip malls, seeing all the parking lots empty, the stores dark with signs in the windows reading something to the effect of "Due to the tragedy..." It was like the world had dissapeared. Night of the Comet.

I remember the weather of the day perfectly and it took a good 4 years to pass where i wouldn't get that uneasy feeling every time I woke up to a beautiful, clear, crisp morning...beautiful blue sky, just the right amount of sun...The kind of days that lets you know fall is coming, but summer isn't quite ready to give up yet.

That day should have been a wakeup call for all of us, regardless of the "who" or "why"...unfortunately, we only flew our american flags attached to our gas guzzling SUV's for a few weeks before the novelty wore off. We were good to eachother then...we were more patient, people were more willing to send a "hello" to a stranger in the days and weeks following 9/11. Now, we're right back to where we were pre-9/11. Our Priorities are way out of whack again...or hate has returned to us.

It's such a shame that it's going to take another tragedy to trump 9/11 before we'll get that same feeling of community or a common bond back....