OT: 9/11

Tomorrow marks 9/11 5 year annivesary. Were any of you involved/related or know anyone that was effected? I live about 20 minutes from DC and this day has saddend me greatly for the past 5 years. Not only has it saddend me - but it scares the living daylights out of me as well. God Bless our Troops and their families.

I was not directly affected by 9/11....well, I guess I was. The stress sent me into labor 3 weeks early on 9/15 & I had my daughter the next morning. However, I met a nice couple on vacation from New Jersey. She worked on Wall Street & her husband worked for the Port Authority. Her sister-in-law was running late for work & worked on the 92nd (I think) floor of tower 2. She said there were so many people they knew that were not at work that day for strange reasons & they are so thankful & yet saddened too. She still refuses to fly. Her husband designed the artwork for the Port Authority memorial with 2 towers & a flag in the middle & they sent the stickers over to Iraq & put them on bombs that were dropped in Baghdad & his emblem was used in the new 9/11 movie with his permission. Anyhow, I too am saddened by such a great tragedy. I have been watching the documentaries on tv. It just amazes me that nothing else has happened here in the last 5 years. I am so thankful for the sacrifice of our troops. There was a plot with links to Al Queda to blow up a mall here in Columbus, OH a couple of years ago, but it was discovered by the feds. I'm rambling from lack of sleep...good night all! Dar

nothing more affected than my travels on the airline, now I can not pack 100 lb boxes of 'stuff' with me. that sucks. ;) I seriously have made a point of not letting the terrorism affect me, then THEY win and I refuse to let them WIN. Kat [Photographer & Mom of 5] [[ Some people are like slinkies, they don't really have a purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.]] 275/247/190/150 -- just OVERWEIGHT!!!

I had no personal connections to 9/11, but I remember that morning well. I was driving into work and hearing the whole thing unfold on the radio. When I drove home that evening, my route takes me past the MPLS airport and I recall being amazed that there were no flights taking off or landing; which is usually a very busy time of day. Very scary and sad day. ~kelle

Megan, I had no personal connections to 9/11, but I clearly remember that day and the many, many tragedies that occurred during and afterwards. I remember that morning so well - I was just leaving the parking garage after having taken my son to a dentist's appointment early that morning. While I was paying the parking attendent, he asked me if I'd heard about the plane smashing into the Towers. All I could do was look at him like he was speaking a foreign language. I turned my radio on as I was taking my son back to school, and as soon as I got back to the office, all we could do was watch the televisions in the conference rooms. It was just as I was walking into the conference room that I saw the live coverage of the second plane going into the Towers. All I could do was start crying. There was terror and worry about those int he building, those on the plane, even my son at school - I wondered if I should leave and go pick him up and go home. But the schools were advising that the safest place for now was for the children to remain in the school. The pictures and interviews and accounts of that day are ones that I don't think I'll ever forget. And the families that were directly impacted - I can't even imagine their horror and pain that day, and every day since. Today is truly a sad day, and I think every American will at the VERY least pause in rememberance of what happened. I also say God bless all the troops and families.

I knew no one personally but it sure was upsetting! And it still is when you stop and think about it. Our press had lots of articles yesterday and I just finished reading them. How sad!! Has anyone read the books written by the wife of one of the pilots? We all need to stop and pray today for the families of the victims. Our lives went on but theirs were devestated!! God, please be with each one of them today and everyday! Love, Hugs and Prayers, Darlene

On 9/11 five years ago I was working at the Oklahoma Blood Institute (OBI) in OKC, setting up a chemistry instrument they had purchased from my company. When I walked into the lobby that morning, I noticed that there was a crowd gathered round the TV. When I got to the lab, it was a beehive of activity. The OBI supplies the country with needed blood for transfusions, etc. We soon realized that it was not a good time to set up a new instrument because obvioulsy all of our priorities had changed. So I called my hotel from the lab and asked if I could go ahead and check out early. In the meantime I called my husband in Texas and he was adamant about me "getting home". At this time we didn't know about the flight that eventually crashed in Penn. Everything was so scary and uncertain! The main thing I remember was when I walked out the door of the lab building, a line of blood volunteers had already formed. The line was as far as I could see. It made me cry. The spirit and generosity of the American people amazes me and makes me so proud to be an American!!