September 11th...Six Years Later

[bigtmac19]

I remember it so clearly as well. I heard it on the radio at work, then tried to get on CNN.com and couldn't so we all went to the boardroom and turned on the TV. We all sat in the boardroom all day and just watched TV, hardly anyone talked, we were all shocked and horrified and scared. The chill I got when that first tower collapsed, I will never forget that.

[habernac]

It was one of those rare days I drove to work. I was flipping through radio stations and Forbes on CJAY said that something horrible had happened, a plane just hit the WTC. Then a few minutes later, they reported another. We then knew it was no accident. So many awful things happened that day. I didn't get much work done. I stood outside our building downtown chain smoking and looked up at the sky. It was eerily quiet, as all air traffic was shut down. "Blow Up the Outside World" by Soundgarden was playing in my head all day. We watched the buildings fall in our boardroom. When I got home, I could see the runways at the airport were now a parking lot. Crazy.

But many good things happened, too. All of the people around the continent chipping in to help out. Gander, Newfoundland people giving standed travellers places to stay. Guys like Steve Buscemi, show up to help dig through the rubble, etc. People helped each other again.

[Top Shelf]

I remember I had just started the second year of college at Grant Macewan in Edmonton. We were all having coffee and a bagel right before classes started when someone came in and told us what was happening. We spent the rest of the day trying to get on MSNBC and CNN and if that wasn't working we watched a TV they setup for the students.

I remember going home that night and calling all the people I loved and telling them I loved them.

My heart goes out to all the friends and families of the victims, RIP.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

I'll never forget it because I was on a plane. Flying from Detroit to Las Vegas for my honeymoon. My wife and I ended up in Albequerque, New Mexico. We had no idea where we were or how we were going to get anywhere or even back home. When I finally got in touch with my parents, my mother was bawling. She said "rent a car and drive straight North and we'll come and get you. I don't care if you end up in Saskatchewan, just get back here." The panick in her voice was really overwhelming as my mom is very calm in horrible situations due to her nursing background.

When your plane was being re-routed and instructed to land immediately in Albequerque, what did the pilot say? Did he tell you why you were landing sooner and in a different place? Did he tell you what was really happening?

[llama64]

I was heading down to work with a bunch of friends and were listening to the radio. When the news person came on and announced that a plane had crashed into the side of the World Trade Center, I laughed. I thought it was a cessna or some other tiny little craft. When I got to work, I learned what really had happened.

I still feel awful for my initial laugh.

[Cowperson]

This story at the link below was written on the one year anniversary of 9/11, remembering the mood on Calgarypuck that day.

http://www.calgarypuck.com/Charlton_091102.htm

The assumption on the board that day was that Afghanistan would be first, with Iraq a close second, long before neocon was put forward as a general topic for discussion.

The mood was certainly different for a while . . . . here's a quote from a New York Giants season ticket holder, commenting two weeks after 9/11,

"I DON'T THINK THE TERRORISTS ARE DONE. They're going to make it a very public event. A Monday night football game, a big game everyone is watching and all of a sudden everyone will be dead. I have to keep working and I have to keep flying. I don't have to go to a Giants game."- John Stefanelli, NY Giants season ticket holder since 1975, talking to CNN.

Condo and apartment prices in downtown Manhattan took a dive as people tried to frantically sell . . . .

Stock markets reacted negatively with every statement or burp from Al Queda, real or imagined.

That kind of fear gradually died away.

Stadiums re-filled.

Manhattan real estate is pricier than ever.

A significant terrorist attack on Saudi Arabia in the spring of 2003 elicited barely a yawn in stock markets, the first of many future yawns in markets . . . . terrorism effectively ceased to be the economic weapon it was on 9/11.

9/11 was also the birth moment of that monumental, churning, time-waster known as the Off-Topic Board.

Cowperson

[Eagle Eye]

I remember it well and always will. My wife and I had just been married and got back from our honeymoon two days before. Our anniversary will always be 9-11's.

[Devils'Advocate]

I know I'm going to get called a d!ck for this, but why is this loss of 3,000 lives, tragic though it may be, more important than the 29,000 children that die each day from starvation/malnutrition. If a fraction of the money spent trying to avenge the deaths of these 3,000 were spent on building infrastructure and aide....

I'll shut up now.

[North East Goon]

I was sitting exactly where I am today. I had just sent an e-mail to Saku Koivu giving him best wishes on his battle with cancer. Remember that was announced just a few days before. In those days I didnt have a TV on my desk, so I had to walk out to the bullpen to see what's happening. I didnt put too much stock in it, when I first heard. Still I took the rare act of going to the TV to see the burning building from the first plane. There was a group of people gathered around the TV, and I will never forget what I saw and said next. I pointed to the back of the screen and yelled out, look there is another one coming, seconds later a huge fireball out of the next tower! Complete and udder shock is all I could think! Since I work in the investment field, all the markets were halted not long later. I had the rare occurance where I was taking the C-Train home in the middle of the morning, and I will never forget the site of hundreds of people standing in front of the A-Channel building just watching. I got an un-planned remainder of the week off, and was glued to the TV for day's. To those who lost their lives that day RIP, this will never be forgotten!

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I know I'm going to get called a d!ck for this, but why is this loss of 3,000 lives, tragic though it may be, more important than the 29,000 children that die each day from starvation/malnutrition. If a fraction of the money spent trying to avenge the deaths of these 3,000 were spent on building infrastructure and aide....

I'll shut up now.

It is a fair point though! Not enough compassion from us in the west!

[worth]

Just curious...does everyone like to tell their story about where they were at the time because it helps them deal with it or it makes them feel better? Whenever someone brings up something like 9/11 or the JFK shooting, everyone always automatically goes into the "I remember what I was doing when that happened."

[the_only_turek_fan]

This day is a good reminder that it is so important for our troops to remain in Afganistan and do whatever it takes to stop the Taliban.

We should remember and honor those that died that day, and we should support the troops so something like this does not happen again.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

When your plane was being re-routed and instructed to land immediately in Albequerque, what did the pilot say? Did he tell you why you were landing sooner and in a different place? Did he tell you what was really happening?

No, he didn't tell us what was going on. He just came on and said we had to make an unscheduled stop, just one of those things, the plane was fine, we just had to land. When we were almost on the ground, I could see dozens and dozens of planes, and the airport was small. I said to my wife, "something is REALLY wrong here". The pilot was standing at the end of the ramp as we were getting off, telling everyone what had happened.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I know I'm going to get called a d!ck for this, but why is this loss of 3,000 lives, tragic though it may be, more important than the 29,000 children that die each day from starvation/malnutrition. If a fraction of the money spent trying to avenge the deaths of these 3,000 were spent on building infrastructure and aide....

I'll shut up now.

I'm with you on this as well, as callous as it may sound. My heart goes out to the 3,000 9/11 victims, but it also goes out to the 100,000+ dead civilians in Iraq as well.

Hundreds, thousands of deaths occur every day for wrong reasons. 9/11 was just on our soil, which is the only thing that makes it different from the rest. But it doesn't make it any more important than the other war-related deaths that have occured because of those events on that day 6 years ago.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Muta

I'm with you on this as well, as callous as it may sound. My heart goes out to the 3,000 9/11 victims, but it also goes out to the 100,000+ dead civilians in Iraq as well.

Hundreds, thousands of deaths occur every day for wrong reasons. 9/11 was just on our soil, which is the only thing that makes it different from the rest. But it doesn't make it any more important than the other war-related deaths that have occured because of those events on that day 6 years ago.

Well, its a double-edged sword isn't it? I mean, it happened here, so of course it has more impact on our lives. Just like Europeans know more about and have more respect for WW2. My co-workers are both 25 years old and they know nothing about WW2. In Europe, school children are assigned a grave plot to look after and they keep it manicured and pristine. Its really touching, especially being the grandson of a WW2 vet. It happened there, so it means more to them.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by worth

Just curious...does everyone like to tell their story about where they were at the time because it helps them deal with it or it makes them feel better? Whenever someone brings up something like 9/11 or the JFK shooting, everyone always automatically goes into the "I remember what I was doing when that happened."

It's a good question. I think people somehow need to personalize something like this - not sure why.

I recall on 9/11 I saw the initial horrific events from home and then went into the office. A few things that happened during the course of that business day struck me as odd:
- My boss was American, having been born in raised in the US. Yet he was the only one in the office not glued to the TV. He sat at his desk working away like it was a normal day. Didn't seem distressed at all. Weird.
- That afternoon I got an email from a friend in Dallas Texas - they had sent a blanket email to everyone in their email address book saying "Just letting everyone know we are OK". Well why the hell wouldn't you be OK? You're in Dallas, Texas. Nothing has happened in Dallas, Texas - again odd. I think this similar to what I was saying above - people need to personalize stuff like this for whatever reason.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

- My boss was American, having been born in raised in the US. Yet he was the only one in the office not glued to the TV. He sat at his desk working away like it was a normal day. Didn't seem distressed at all. Weird..

Crazily enough, I have heard similar accounts of people actually in the towers. Many on the unaffected floors just kept working... even while bodies were falling right by their windows. The things people do for money...

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

Well, its a double-edged sword isn't it? I mean, it happened here, so of course it has more impact on our lives. Just like Europeans know more about and have more respect for WW2. My co-workers are both 25 years old and they know nothing about WW2. In Europe, school children are assigned a grave plot to look after and they keep it manicured and pristine. Its really touching, especially being the grandson of a WW2 vet. It happened there, so it means more to them.

They must not have paid much attention in school... I'm 22 and I know a lot of things about WW2.

[Dion]

My brother was flying from Minneapolis to Boston on business the day of the 9/11 attacks. When his flight was diverted to Detroit there was nothing said other than they had to stop in Detroit. As he entered the terminal he noticed that everyone was glued to the TV's in the terminal. Only then did he realise why they were diverted to Detroit.

The panic for rental cars was unreal. He ended up sharing a van with 4 other business type guys who also lived in Minneapolis. Those that didn't get vehicles were wandering the rental car lot looking for people who managed to get cars to see if they could share a ride.

When flights did resume later he commented on how quiet the planes were. Passengers were quite nervous with memories of 9/11 still fresh in their minds.

I did ask him if he himself had a fear of flying after 9/11. His response was to the effect that if he didn't get on that plane the terrorists would have won.

[Wookie]

Wow - 6 years...

Oddly enough I'm now in the basement of the same house, 6 years ago I was upstairs.

I'm eating my breakfast and drinking coffee (just finished) and skipping work.

6 years ago I was skipping school and eating my breakfast and drinking coffee upstairs.

I'm on the CP off topic forum, which is where I spent most of that day - between the TV and the PC.

I agree with the sentiment that there are other horrible things that we should pay attention to. Sadly, that's not how we work. It was on TV, we could watch it happen live, relate to it personally (how do I related to a starving kid? I just ate more protein with my eggs then those kids probably get all year), but I will go to work shortly and sit in my office a few floors up from the ground like I do every day, just like those people did.

I don't know... The longer it goes, the more I forget and think less about it. I read about Iraq and Afghanistan in the papers, it doesn't even occur to me that what's going on started from that day.

Pretty shizzy for anyone who lost their lives, or family members... But time tends to heal most things and hopefully you can move on. Life would be pretty lame if you couldn't.