11 years later...

_

Who Princess wrote:

An unforgettable day.

My heartfelt respect and honor to all who lost their lives that day and to all first responders who continue to carry out their missions.

_ wrote:

One thing I have been thinking about regarding this event, though, is how there are now actually people - some of them even adults - who don't really remember this, or who have a child's memory of it. It's interesting to talk to people who were children when this happened and hear their perspectives about that day or talk to children who weren't yet born at the time and find out what their understanding of it is.

This was brought home to me a year or so ago when I was checking out a book from the library. It had a photo of the WTC on the cover and the teenager who checked me out started talking about how she'd recently seen a TV program about 9/11. Her astonishment at all the things that occurred was a real jolt to me and made me think about the people who are younger than I am and how they perceive it. I have a better appreciation for older generations that lived through traumatic events that I can only see from the view of history.

Yes, it's amazing to me that some people don't remember it. Seems like just yesterday. Imagine what WWII era people have been feeling like all these years when most of us don't actually remember something as horrible and ongoing as the Holocaust. It guess it's this way with a lot of things in life though.

In related news, I just saw this headline from The Onion:
18-Year-Old Fighting In Afghanistan Has 9/11 Explained To Him By Older Soldier

BinauralJam

EdsonNascimento wrote:

Ironically (not even sure that's the right word for this), the weather is almost exactly as it was that day here in NY - bright, sunny, not too warm on a late summer day (And it is a Tuesday).

^^^, it's a little spooky being in Manhattan today.

xavier mcdaniel

BinauralJam wrote:

EdsonNascimento wrote:

Ironically (not even sure that's the right word for this), the weather is almost exactly as it was that day here in NY - bright, sunny, not too warm on a late summer day (And it is a Tuesday).

^^^, it's a little spooky being in Manhattan today.

Just like it was a little spooky working across the Hudson River in Jersey City, which I did at the time. Except I worked nights, which meant I worked the night before and was in the concourse at 2:30 AM on Sept. 11, making among the handful of people that were the last to be there in overnight hours switching from the PATH Train and the Subway.

To me, that was my first job after college and going through the World Trade Center concourse represented the start of good things and the feeling that you had somewhat made it for the time being.

dimitrispearljam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaVlSqTn ... e=youtu.be

5vs1wma

I can remember as a child (4th or 5th grade), my school planned a field trip to the twin towers (as I never called them anything else). Long and short, I couldn't go but knew I would get to go someday being that I lived 45 minutes east of the city. Like with everything else, life and time got in the way. I fell into the notion of "Ahhhh, it will always be there." Over the 21 1/2 years I did live in NY, I walked around the towers a handful of times but never entered either of them. I neglected Lady Liberty as well.

Just like everyone else, I remember the day and what I was doing leading up to the craziness that took place 11 years ago. I felt like I lost my children that I don't even have. I felt bad for everyone who had lost families in NY, Pentagon, and PA. I kept running it over in my mind what those poor innocent people must have been going through. I felt empty inside and helpless. I don't take anything for granted since that time which is why I took the time to write this. I THANK EVERYONE who makes this great nation what is today. My heart and prayers are with all who lost someone 11 years ago.

Not sure I ever wrote this much before in this forum or ever will. It took 11 years to finally say what had been latent.

bootlegger10

5vs1wma wrote:

I can remember as a child (4th or 5th grade), my school planned a field trip to the twin towers (as I never called them anything else). Long and short, I couldn't go but knew I would get to go someday being that I lived 45 minutes east of the city. Like with everything else, life and time got in the way. I fell into the notion of "Ahhhh, it will always be there." Over the 21 1/2 years I did live in NY, I walked around the towers a handful of times but never entered either of them. I neglected Lady Liberty as well.

I visited NYC for the first time in August 2001 and sort of had the same experience where I ignored the WTC thinking I would come back and go up to the observation deck the next visit. It is horrible to think that those two buildings could dissappear in a matter of hours.

A very sad day for all of those who lost friends and family.

musicismylife78

its often said that we as humans are so hurtful to one another, but in tragedies the good shines through. Sad we cant be the best in terms of human kindness and being helpful to another during the so called good times as well.

Anyways, yes the sacrifice and bravery of the FDNY is staggering to consider. They went into the fire, up the stairs as everyone else was going down the stairs.

I said it last year but i think 9/11 was so shocking, so HUGE that it took me an entire decade to really fully, or partly wrap my head around the enormity of it all. 11 years later, i still have a hard time grasping what transpired.

Such a bizaare time too. Never seen anything like the aftermath of it all either. Seemed like every single sport in the world took a break for a week. And that NY fundraiser thing was on every single channel on tv, that will likely never happen again, something being on all 200 plus channels. It was like the entire world stopped for a week or so.

As to where I was that day, i was looking on the internet prior to being driven to school, and AOL news had a bulletin that some wierd pilot crashed a plane into one of the towers. I told my mom and she looked surprised but we went on to school. I remember the principal making a school wide announcement that the towers both had been hit, and she advised us all to stay in school despite the events. I live on the west coast. In every single class that day, a tv was brought in, and we essentially watched the footage we all remember all day. It seemed like everyone in the world saw that footage for months and months. I remember pretty clearly being aware, even at 17, the immediate ramifications in terms of foreign policy this would have. And I remember all the American flags and buttons and stickers and signs that cropped up soon after. I remember how america and the world seemed to take notice of an entire people they previous hadnt noticed at all, muslims, islam, afghanistan, the taliban, bin laden.

musicismylife78

i know their was that restaurant, Windows on the World, near the top of one of the towers. I wonder how many people in the towers that died that day, were visitors on the observation deck, or at the restauraunt, as opposed to workers in the various firms. I remember that rumor that some guy rode the rubble on the way to the ground and survived, but sadly i think thats just a rumor. Would have been maybe the most miraculous survival story of all time though.

musicismylife78

_ wrote:

Who Princess wrote:

An unforgettable day.

My heartfelt respect and honor to all who lost their lives that day and to all first responders who continue to carry out their missions.

_ wrote:

One thing I have been thinking about regarding this event, though, is how there are now actually people - some of them even adults - who don't really remember this, or who have a child's memory of it. It's interesting to talk to people who were children when this happened and hear their perspectives about that day or talk to children who weren't yet born at the time and find out what their understanding of it is.

This was brought home to me a year or so ago when I was checking out a book from the library. It had a photo of the WTC on the cover and the teenager who checked me out started talking about how she'd recently seen a TV program about 9/11. Her astonishment at all the things that occurred was a real jolt to me and made me think about the people who are younger than I am and how they perceive it. I have a better appreciation for older generations that lived through traumatic events that I can only see from the view of history.

Yes, it's amazing to me that some people don't remember it. Seems like just yesterday. Imagine what WWII era people have been feeling like all these years when most of us don't actually remember something as horrible and ongoing as the Holocaust. It guess it's this way with a lot of things in life though.

In related news, I just saw this headline from The Onion:
18-Year-Old Fighting In Afghanistan Has 9/11 Explained To Him By Older Soldier

this has been occuring to me alot lately. You have teens now, 12 years old, 13 years old, who are probably too young to even remember it happening. Its such a HUGE event its hard to fathom anyone who doesnt remember it first hand, either in person or via tv and the internet. But I guess maybe thats how our parents feel about us and JFK/MLK/RFK etc...

As for the Onion, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 its a sad state of affairs when a satirical newspaper has the most poignant and powerful coverage of something like 9/11 but thats exactly what happened. The Onions coverage was amazing.

hedonist

musicismylife78 wrote:

this has been occuring to me alot lately. You have teens now, 12 years old, 13 years old, who are probably too young to even remember it happening. Its such a HUGE event its hard to fathom anyone who doesnt remember it first hand, either in person or via tv and the internet. But I guess maybe thats how our parents feel about us and JFK/MLK/RFK etc...

As for the Onion, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 its a sad state of affairs when a satirical newspaper has the most poignant and powerful coverage of something like 9/11 but thats exactly what happened. The Onions coverage was amazing.

You've been very well-spoken here in this thread. Thank you.

Dirtie_Frank

The weird thing for me is I have no memory of the visual that happened. I was stationed in Germany while in the Army and was setting up our living area for my first Army Training exercise. I worked in a secure area but did not have access yet, where the TVs were. I heard the tv news but did not see anything for over 10 days. I read items in the paper, but when I see it on TV it still shocks the hell out of me. I hope that no country ever has to go through a tragedy like this again.

RW81233

I have so many mixed feelings about 9/11. My best friend from High School ate lunch there everyday and lucked out, my brother-in-law is NYPD and sifted through the rubble, my roommate in college lost his childhood friend, and my student from last year lost his dad. It sucks, it was sad, but I (along with my student) hate what the memorialization of the event has become for many - a simplistic rejoice in being "American". Further, it's very telling that we take time to feel bad about 9/11 (rightly so - not arguing that), but we don't have similar responses to Katrina. And don't give me some bullshit about it being a natural disaster...the levies sucked but because we don't believe in taxes in this country they didn't get fixed. But the bodies that died in 9/11 were productive in the capitalist sense, whereas those that died in Katrina were disposable - so sick. Anyway, please take the time to remember 9/11, but let's not privilege it over other disasters that took as many if not more American bodies from this earth.

g under p

The odd thing about that day in DC was how it was such a perfect crisp sunny fall day with what seemed like ALL of the world's sadness dropped in our laps on that day.

Peace

hedonist

Dirtie_Frank wrote:

The weird thing for me is I have no memory of the visual that happened. I was stationed in Germany while in the Army and was setting up our living area for my first Army Training exercise. I worked in a secure area but did not have access yet, where the TVs were. I heard the tv news but did not see anything for over 10 days. I read items in the paper, but when I see it on TV it still shocks the hell out of me. I hope that no country ever has to go through a tragedy like this again.

Well hell.

I couldn't find words to adequately thank you for your service.

(so, "thank you"!)

drummerboy_73

RW81233 wrote:

I have so many mixed feelings about 9/11. My best friend from High School ate lunch there everyday and lucked out, my brother-in-law is NYPD and sifted through the rubble, my roommate in college lost his childhood friend, and my student from last year lost his dad. It sucks, it was sad, but I (along with my student) hate what the memorialization of the event has become for many - a simplistic rejoice in being "American". Further, it's very telling that we take time to feel bad about 9/11 (rightly so - not arguing that), but we don't have similar responses to Katrina. And don't give me some bullshit about it being a natural disaster...the levies sucked but because we don't believe in taxes in this country they didn't get fixed. But the bodies that died in 9/11 were productive in the capitalist sense, whereas those that died in Katrina were disposable - so sick. Anyway, please take the time to remember 9/11, but let's not privilege it over other disasters that took as many if not more American bodies from this earth.

I was hoping this thread would have remained a simple remembrance of the lives lost on THIS DAY and not become political. I don't think anyone who considers them self an American spent the day rejoicing.

The thought of the lives lost as a result of Katrina as "disposable" is pretty sick, and although devastating, hardly a result of "not believing in taxes". Look at the Tohoku, Japan earthquake of last year - Japan spends an ENORMOUS amount of money on earthquake and tsunami preparation and response - yet the power of that act of nature took over 15,000 lives.

musicismylife78

its also insane to read about the people who for some reason or another were scheduled to be on the flights or be in the towers that day and for whatever reason decided not to. Seth mcfarlane is the major one, scheduled to be on one of the flights, his agent told him the wrong time to board the plane and so he missed the plane. Gweneth Paltrow talks about driving that day and encountering a woman walking, and the woman and gweneth saw each other, and waved each other on. Gweneth waved the woman to go, the woman was polite and waved gweneth on. They did this for awhile. Evidently the woman worked at the towers, 77th floor and because of this interaction missed her bus or connection by seconds. Mark Wahlberg was to be on one of the flghts but changed his plans last minute to see a film festival.

Crazy to think how many of those things happened, little moments like that. The United 93 film shows the boarding doors almost closing and a last minute person boarding the plane. Wonder if that is true.

musicismylife78

RW81233 wrote:

I have so many mixed feelings about 9/11. My best friend from High School ate lunch there everyday and lucked out, my brother-in-law is NYPD and sifted through the rubble, my roommate in college lost his childhood friend, and my student from last year lost his dad. It sucks, it was sad, but I (along with my student) hate what the memorialization of the event has become for many - a simplistic rejoice in being "American". Further, it's very telling that we take time to feel bad about 9/11 (rightly so - not arguing that), but we don't have similar responses to Katrina. And don't give me some bullshit about it being a natural disaster...the levies sucked but because we don't believe in taxes in this country they didn't get fixed. But the bodies that died in 9/11 were productive in the capitalist sense, whereas those that died in Katrina were disposable - so sick. Anyway, please take the time to remember 9/11, but let's not privilege it over other disasters that took as many if not more American bodies from this earth.

i think part of the reason is, 9/11 fit into the powers that be's idea of global expansion and hegemony. Its pretty insane and sick how things worked out for people who advocated middle east occupation, which sadly wasnt just Bush and cronies. Katrina was seperate from that obviously. It couldnt be connected to another country, and the powers that be instead put in the enemy role: poor and black individuals. I dont think it was lack of taxes, I think it has to deal with racism and classist policies. Its like Kanye said, but I think its sadly all of America that feels that way about black people. Its clear the response to Katrina would have been vastly different had it happened in Beverly Hills or Newport Beach. 9/11 was new in the sense most americans hadnt given one thought to the taliban or Bin laden or Afghanistan or Islam in their lives. Katrina, though it shouldnt have been, was old hat, and something we see all the time and do nothing about: poverty stricken areas with primarily minority residents. Obviously the response to 9/11 was caked and smothered in racism as well. For example, I saw Bob Dylan for the first time ever on the same day we started bombing Afghanistan. His set list, included Blowin the Wind so it was pretty surreal. But outside the venue, a guy with a turban was in line behind me and someone can up behind him and said "oh look its osama bin laden".

musicismylife78

KnZiE94 wrote:

_ wrote:

Have any of you seen that movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close? It's about a kid whose dad dies in the attacks and his reaction, including his memory and understanding of that day and the many messages his dad left on the answering machine between when the first plane hit and when the tower he was in fell. Good movie.

I saw it, it was good! But sad at the same time.

the book is among my favorite of all time. And while i love tom hanks, and thought the movie was good, the emotional punch of the book was more intense.

hedonist

musicismylife78 wrote:

Its like Kanye said, but I think its sadly all of America that feels that way about black people.

No. Quite an unfair statement.

brianlux

Could the attach have been prevented?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/opini ... .html?_r=1