SEPTEMBER 11: A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

It was ugly, believe me.  But my experiences with him were nothing but positive.  He was very charismatic and always friendly, but brooked absolutely no bs.  He truly cared about his officers -in NY, Baltimore and Maryland. 

He was a great connection for me, too, when I visited NYC!

Tia,

So beautifully written.  Thank you for making us pause to remember; although none of us will ever forget. 

On another note... I think you may have missed your calling as an author!

Wishing you a nice day.
~Ren

Thank you, Ren.  The words flowed easily and quickly this morning, although I started thinking earlier in the week about what I wanted to say.

I seriously think you may have hit on my secondary career after retirement.  Plans are in the works.

Hugs,

T

The weather seems to fit this day! I too remember where I was. I was in Pittsburgh attending a training course at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon Univ. Someone came in and interrupted our class to tell the instructor. We went down to the lobby and watched a TV at the guards desk. I remember that one classmate had a relative who worked in the restaurant at the top of one of the towers and was understandably worried. We were stranded. Many were making frantic calls to loved ones. Because the SEI does work with the Department of Defense, they decided to close the building down and we were sent back to our hotels. The mood was understandably somber. The entire city shut down.

I remember having a hard time getting a hold of my brother. For some reason I can't remember, he happened to be in PA that day, not too far from where the plane went down. He has a friend who was working in the Pentagon at that time who happened to have a dentist appointment that day. Otherwise he  most likely would have been lost.

Unlike many who took the training course, I had decided to drive to Pittsburgh and had my car. So many were stranded because air traffic was halted and even car rentals were hard to come by. We did finish the course, but at an accelerated rate. As I drove home that Friday, there was a church service on the radio. I had to pull over more than once because I was too emotional too drive. I think part of this was a delayed reaction and the rest was the enormity of the situation and the terrible loss.

Tia - very well said.... Venita - wow..... Thank God you're alive and here with us now.

I was here at work, hearing something about plane accident at the WTC and trying to get on cnn.com.  At first we all thought it had to be an accident, but not so.  Then I heard that my sister's BIL was at the Pentagon, and a friend's mother was at the WTC.... and we spent the day sending emails and praying.  I'm very thankful that my friend's business meeting got changed and that everyone me and my family knows was safe.

Bill and I had just moved into a new apartment the weekend prior. Bill was at home waiting for the cable guy.  When I heard the news I called home and he and the cable guy turned on the tv and both sat back on the couch, and watched, in disbelief, for a while.

I also started severe anxiety attacks at this time.  The airborne attacks were 'all around' me.... NY, PA, DC......what was next?  Also, 9/12/01 was Bill's first night of work wtih a company called System Integrators - he was going to be working in the Washington DC tunnel system!!!!!    Yep, felt like a fish flopping around in my chest.  I had a lot of panic attacks.  Ironically, this is the same company that Bill started with again about 6 weeks ago...

God bless this great country and it's people.

I still wish bin Laden were not walking around somewhere tho......

I hear you, Angie.  Eight years and we can't find this *******  I know it's not for lack of trying, but still.............and it scares me to think of the threats that are thwarted that we're not even aware of.

Thank you Tia!   This is a very hard day for me. I remember so clearly that day.  I was home in MD 7 months pregnant crying my eyes out because I was a first responder in NYC that responded to the first attack at the WTC in 93. My first instinct was to go and volunteer to help. It was killing me to know that my friends ex coworkers were there at that moment and I could do nothing to be there.  I was a mess watching what was going onTV. That was all I could do and pray for the everyone and their families.
Until this day my heart aches for every life that was lost that day and the pain and suffering that their families has and still is enduring....


Thanks for sharing and remembering!

Well, I was going to stay off the boards this morning because I have a report that is overdue and MUST be done this morning.  But....

Very, very well written and thoughtful post Tia!  I will agree that you seem to have missed your calling!

I will always remember that day.  My coworker and I were on a shuttle from Crystal City, VA to the Navy Yard for work.  We were just passing the Pentagon on 395 when a person in front of me got a call on their cell.  I couldn't help but overhear "a plane hit the WTC".  I wasn't all that concerned yet and just thought "wow, that's weird" and imagined it to be a small plane.  We had just gotten to the gates at the Navy Yard when that same person got another call saying a second plane had hit.  That is when I knew it was no coincidence and that there was an attack going on.

When we got to our building we went into the front office and watched some of the footage, incredulously.  We hadn't been in our workspace for more than 5 minutes when someone came through saying "they just hit the Pentagon".  Well, that was it, I wasn't staying on an American military facility one minute longer!  Of course, after riding around with another co-worker to all of the gates and finding them closed, we found out that the base was on lockdown.  When I asked one of the gate guards I was told that "everyone on the base at the time of the attack on the Pentagon is a suspect, because of the close proximity".  WTF?  Seriously?!  We spent the next several hours getting in touch with family and watching footage. 

It took me several hours to get home that afternoon/evening.  I had moved into my house on the Eastern Shore two days prior and it was my first day back at work.  Thankfully, there was still a lockbox on the house and my real estate agent was able to let me friend in to let my dogs out for me.  The feeling of relief when I got to the other side of the Bay Bridge (another potential target), was astronomical!  I spent the next two days in front of the television in shock, in tears, and in awe of all of the rescue workers.

God Bless the USA!!

Edited to add:  I think that this day should be a national holiday - national day of remembrance!

Heather....... you're right.. there were so many other potential targets...that's one other thing that scared the crap out of me!  I work in the finance industry, much of my family works at the space center... we had NO CLUE how far reaching this was going to be.

I remember how people weren't afraid to show their patriosm after 9/11 attacks.  Why did something like this need to happen to remind us how great it is to be American? 

Ya'll know Lee Greenwood's song "Proud to be an American?"  That is one of my all time favorite songs.  Never fail to tear up when it comes on.  If I have others in the car, I change the station...

I remember us talking about this.  I agree - it long ago should've become a national holiday.

LY,

T