September 11th - 5 Years After

[FlamesAllTheWay]

Was awake and eating breakfast before I was to go to my Chem 20 class. Turned on the news and there were the World Trade Centers. At first I thought it was just a terrible accident but then the second plane hit and I knew it wasn't that. The eeriest part was that they had a news corespondent doing a voice over while they had a shot of the towers on screen. The guy was doing it from the Pentagon and all of the sudden an explosion is heard in the background and the guy wonders aloud what's just happened and has to cut himself off. Of course that was when the third plane hit the Pentagon. Certainly made it feel like we were right in the middle of a full-on war and any place could be next.

My condolonces to all those affected...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSCoF7yEC9E

[underGRADFlame]

I was living in Whitehorse in '01, My father and Grandma had come up to visit me for a few days and were suppose to be flying out that morning. I got a call from my dad that morning at something like 6:30 am and he said "I don't think we're leaving today, turn on the TV". I watched in disbelief as the towers crumbled.
Then was the call that all air traffic to the US was being grounded and rerounted to the nearist airport. And as they were trying to keep planes out of the US Whitehorse was the option for about 25 transPacific flights. I was working at the biggest hotel in Whitehorse then, and started to freak with the amount of people that would be packed into that town. So started phoning people to get then to the hotel to prep for the onslaught of stranded people. I jumped into my truck to get to work, only to fine out that the highway(alaska highway), which ran by the airport and was the only way to get into downtown whitehorse, was shut down due to a "suspected hijacked" korean jet landing. So I parked my truck and started to walk the to work which took me by the airport. I watched as a 747 landed at the small Whitehorse airport being escorted by a US f-15 and canadian f-18. Then watched as the pilot exited the jet with 4 snipers and who knows how many guns were drawn on him, all while 2 fighter jets circled overhead.
So after finally making it to work, I found out due to the "hijacked" plane only 3 jets landed in Whitehorse, so we were not overwelmed. Turned out to be a mistake on the pilots part there was some kind of glich on the low fuel warning system and it signaled as a hijacked warning instead.

That day was just sureal, I ended up spending the rest of the day glued to the TV like the rest of the world. I can not imagine what the familys of the people that were lost that day still go through.

[Azure]

I remember walking into high school that way, and one of my classmates was 'laughing' how the US got attacked. I still remember my social teacher got about burst with anger because of it.

we all went into the art room where we proceded to watch for almost 2 hours.

Very, very sad day.

[Buff]

I was working at Canadian Tire and I was merchandising so we started at 6:00am. Sometime after 7:00am I was in the office getting some modules or something and I walked by the service department on my way back to the area I was working on. They were trying to watch CBC on peasant vision and I asked what was going on and the service guy said "Some plane ran into a building in New York.... do you know how to turn on the satellite?". I did so I went and did so and found CNN.....

I was shocked to see what was happening. I phoned up to the office to tell my co-workers what was happening. "The USA is under attack". Well I was reknowned for being a practical joker on those early morning shifts and he figured it was some weird attempt to get him to come down to the tv to fall for another joke. He didn't believe me and he shrugged it off. I watched tv for a bit then I decided to turn on all the tvs in the tv aisle. As I was doing so, the guy who thought I was pulling his leg came around the corner with a stunned look on his face. He saw the tvs and couldn't believe it either. I don't remember working much that day.

I have a big picture of the New York City skyline (at night) taken before 9/11 hanging up in my living room. My wife and I actually saw that picture nearly a year before 9/11 and thought it would be good to buy when we get married. We got lucky in 2002 and found it for sale again. It was sold at Ikea, and for obvious reasons it was a hot commodity after 9/11.

[troutman]

You can watch it all "as it happened" on CNN.com right now. Sickening to see it again.

9/11 is my wife's birthday, and it has never been the same since 2001.

[HelloHockeyFans]

I was living in Vancouver then, and was driving to BCIT in the morning. I listen to the radio en route every morning, but for some reason, that morning, I listened to nothing.

I remember getting out of the car and running into a friend.

"Have you been listening to the radio?"

We went inside campus and found that all classes had been cancelled, as everyone from professors, to students, to the workers in the cafeteria were fixated on the pictures and videos on numerous TVs, screens and projectors which were wheeled out to various places around campus.

I arrived just in time to see the second plane hit.

[Eastern Girl]

I was living in residence so I didn't have a tv in my room. I just got dressed and went to get something to eat from the cafeteria. On my way down, I passed the tv room and I could see on the tv the anchor talking, and the headline was "America Under Attack." Since I just saw the anchor talking, I assumed it meant under attack, like violence is on the rise or something like that so I kept walking. Went got some food to eat, came back and this time when I walked past the tv room, I saw the shot of the second plane going into the tower. So I went in and started watching all the coverage. Then finding out about the pentagon and Flight 93, it was just overwhelming.

Within minutes there were tons of students in there watching the coverage. There were some people crying. It was unbelievable. No matter how many times I see the plane go into the building, every time, I think that it couldn't have really happened. It just seemed so unreal. I can't believe it's been five years.

[Robbob]

I remember that day vididly. My father called and woke me up and the first he said was that the united states was under attack. I turned the TV on and the first thing I saw was the first tower falling. As it fell for what seemed like eterenity my stomach turned. Having been to the towers it seemed so sureal and I could not believe that it was happening and all the damage that was done.

Me and my future wife were suspose to go for a day trip to the mountians, needless to say we stayed home and watched the tube all day.

[Azure]

Just watching the replay on CNN and Fox.

Wow, brings back a lot of emotion.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Buff

I was working at Canadian Tire and I was merchandising so we started at 6:00am. Sometime after 7:00am I was in the office getting some modules or something and I walked by the service department on my way back to the area I was working on. They were trying to watch CBC on peasant vision and I asked what was going on and the service guy said "Some plane ran into a building in New York.... do you know how to turn on the satellite?". I did so I went and did so and found CNN.....

I was working at Crappy at that time too. (which one BUFF) I woke up to CJay and heard them talking about the time that wwii bomber hit the Empire State building and I flipped on a cd. I didn't know what had happened until I got close to work and I stood in the TV aisle for about 2 hours and then was just told to go home.

That night we went to a bar and everyone was just watching and drinking.

[Eagle Eye]

It is strange for my wife and I. Every big anniversary of ours will be the big anniversary of 9-11. We were married the week before and had just come home from our honeymoon when it happened.

Funny thing (ok not funny but wierd) is that while on our honeymoon in Mexico, I told my wife something 'big' was going to happen in the US soon, I just had this wierd feeling (like an earthquake or something)

[Flames_Gimp]

I remember watching it with my friends who were laughing and thought it was awesome.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

I remember watching it with my friends who were laughing and thought it was awesome.

Nice friends.

[Sylvanfan]

Yeah, I remember I was working on an airport of all things at the time. The company I was working for was set up in a house accross the street from where I lived in Sylvan Lake at 8:30 we all went over to my place to watch CNN. Hard to belive this much time has ellapsed since that incident, and how many other tragic incidents have happened in the world since that, be it natural or a result of the actions of man.

[Superflyer]

I worked evenings then and I got home at 2 AM. That morning my doughter woke up early so I got out of bed to get her, my wife was already at work. As I was walking to the living room I just had this weird feeling to turn on the TV as I never did until I got my doughter something to eat and drink.
I turned it on between the 1st and 2nd plane. They were talking about the first one and I thought wow that is weird how that would happen and then a couple of minutes later they said that the second one was hit. I had no Idea what to do, I just sat there shocked as I watched it over and over. I called my wife and told her to find a TV and check it out.

I will never ever forget that day. It is etched in my memory forever.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

I remember watching it with my friends who were laughing and thought it was awesome.

Where were you? Gaza?

The interesting thing about those next few days was zero jet traffic in the skies overhead. Nothing. Everywhere.

A rare moment for scientific study:

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/TECH/sci...ate/index.html

Cowperson

[pepper24]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Anybody feel safer?


I sure don't

:-(

Living in Calgary I feel the same in terms of safety as Sep 10, 2001 which I feel no threat. The only difference now is inconveniences at the airport and higher fare prices due to the security tax.

If I was living in a major city in the United States I might feel a bit different but at the same time if you live afraid you're playing into these cowards hands.

[Josh]

My Girlfriend and I were talking about 9-11 while getting ready for work. I told her how my great grandfather saved the newspaper the day after JFK was shot because this is when the world changed for him.

I saved the paper from 9-12-01 because that was the day after the world changed for me. It was a sad and shocking day and one I'll never forget.

[Lanny_MacDonald]

I rmember hearing of the first attack on the way to work at SAIT. My wife and I both worked there and it was a very strange way to start the day. I was in a management conference that was supposed to run the whole day but the events kept us running into the lounge to see the events unfold. I was finally pulled out to take my distraught wife home. He step father was vice president for a bank and conducted a ton of business in the towers and her brother was a New Jersey fire fighter responding to the situation. She could not get through to anybody and was expecting the worst. It was a scary 36 hours waiting to hear from family.

In the days that followed I experienced all the anger and hate and pain that so many did. I was all for the "nuke 'm" school of thought, as I didn't know any better. I took what was reported at face value. My wife, who had all the reason in the world to be hateful, encouraged me to think otherwise and consider the source. She encouraged me to do my homework and make an informed decision on where to stand and what was right and what was wrong. She made me read my first book on the history of terrorism and the build up to 9/11. I'm thankful it did as it made me change my views on the subject greatly. That day changed a lot, and a lot of it changed me.

I still think back to that day and all the things that have changed. If someone were off planet for the past 5 years they would not recognize America. It is not the same country. We are not the same people. The changes have not been for the better IMO and that is a sad thing. The changes that have been made are exactly the changes that the perpetrators had hoped for. Our freedoms have been curtailed and we live each day in fear. Those that had power, have more. Are we safer? Not by a far shot. We had a chance for things to be different. We blew that chance. September 11th was a terrible day, but the months that followed were worse IMO.

[Josh]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

I remember watching it with my friends who were laughing and thought it was awesome.

I would find some new friends after that.