9/11 - Lest we forget.

[fosterhere]

Not to post any political rant on a silly iPhone forum but 9/11 was a pretty big thing and I think ANY group of people and this forum is mostly comprised of Americans should take a moment this morning.

I was in Grand Central Station watching the news when the second plane hit. I was with about 500 people at the Hudson News Stand, and we all gasped, because we all KNEW what was happening. About 10 minutes later they evacuated Grand Central. I walked out to 42nd St and 5th and on that crystal clear day I watched in horror as I saw the first tower collapse in front of my eyes.

Walking down 5th towards 32nd St I saw a young well dressed woman amidst the swirl of panicked people talking into a cell phone. She said "Mom, you just don't understand he was in a breakfast meeting at Windows, he's gone my husband is gone, my LIFE is gone !!!!" She fell to the sidewalk in a sobbing mess. Me and another gentleman went up to her to try to console her but there was no consoling she just sobbed and sobbed. I walked around ameslesly for the next couple of hours.

Six years later, my life is totally different than that day. I don't know if my marriage would have survived, but 9/11 and its after effects definitely put a dent in it. I became a little distant and worrisome. I tried to recoup my company. Financial burdens became enormous, but then the guilt of not being one of the people that actually lost anything as horrific as a loved one that day and yet still feeling depressed and hurt by it was tuff.

In the six years since 9/11 I lost my business, my home, my wife, normal daily parenting with my child, and lot of my heart and wide eye optimism about the American Dream. I'm still recovering, evolving from the ashes so to speak.

Just thinking about this all over again F#*cks with my head. Never forget how can I.

[OC513]

So I have lurked here and taken many helpful iPhone hints and I thank you all for that. I have not posted until now.....when I saw this thread and knew I HAD to. I had just moved into a beautiful penthouse downtown, one that I specifically took because of the insane views of the Twin Towers just 3 blocks away. Needless to say only 9 days after moving in my life would forever change. I awoke on that fateful morning to a horrendous sound.....one that nobody downtown will ever forget. I dont have to go into details we all know the tragedy that occurred over the next few hours. I was separated at the time and I can say without question that this helped save my marriage........thank God, as my wife is the most wonderful person I have ever met. Thru the chaos, and what I saw NOBODY should ever have to see, I met many people that day......some scared, some angry, some devastated by loss......ALL very upset...........to this day some of those people are my best friends..........we have a bond that can never be broken........a tragic memory that will NEVER go away despite the passing of time. My life is different in so many ways because of that day.........in many ways I am a much better person.....more patient, more tolerant, more understanding and certainly much more appreciative of LIFE. Thru the pain, and sometimes it is overwhelming, I learned to slow down and smell the roses as they say. I will never forget that day and the tragic chaos of it but I am thankful for the lessons learned and the friendships made that I know will last forever. God bless America and its people. God bless all the incredibly brave fireman and first responders. God bless NYC, the GREATEST city on earth.....and PLEASE..............NEVER FORGET!!!!

[goblues38]

Originally Posted by OC513

PLEASE..............NEVER FORGET!!!!

I agree with the republican from New York.

[fosterhere]

Originally Posted by goblues38

I agree with the republican from New York.

Please there was no intent on making this a political thread. It may be hard not to do given the divisive nature of this political climate we live on.

But just like all political parties, religion, color, sex, race, national origin all different types of inocent people died in three attacks six years ago. This is to remember them and that day NOTHING MORE.

Thank you
Joe

[diesel]

I was working on wall street at that time and was with a crowd of onlookers on liberty street, between church and broadway..........when the first building started to come down and i was just transfixed and frozen until i realized i was way to close to the building and i finally began running as this huge dust cloud hit me. I was terrified about getting hit by debris and ran towards a building on the corner of broad and liberty and literally dove behind a little wall thingy and was thinking the whole time how some piece of flying debris or something was just going to be the end of me. I was terrified. I couldn't see anything, but there were a few other people who were around me and we started crawling towards the entrance of the building on the corner and felt our way there and crawled in and everyone ran down to the basement and took shelter there. People were bleeding, crying, and covered with dust, and I was numb.

The whole time i was huddled outside and exposed, I remembered that my mom had just called me about 30 minutes earlier, she got confused in her mind and thought that i still worked in the WTC (I used to work on the 73rd floor of 2 WTC a few years prior) and called me hysterical and crying. I told her i was fine......I didn't work in the building anymore and that wall street was far enough away to be safe. And while I was huddled a block or two away from the toppling building, I thought how stupid i was that i had just told my mom i was fine and how depending on the way the building toppled how I might not speak with her again.

the days after, I had friends who i lost touch with from college or some other point in the past track me down to see if i was okay. a friend was honeymooning in italy and said he saw me on cnn running, he called me to see if i was okay.

This was an experience that I will never forget..........

[OC513]

As already stated this is NOT meant to be political........and I am NOT a Republican. I am from NY.....and consider myself VERY lucky to be able to say that. This thread is about experiences from that fateful day.........to remember and help each other thru the pain we are feeling. Even tho we are now 6 years removed, for some of us this day will ALWAYS hurt.......ALWAYS cause pain and very sad memories.......sometimes it helps to know others feel the way you feel. This is a VERY sad day for AMERICANS not just New Yorkers. So to all that feel pain today just know that I and many others feel it too.........I write this with tears streaming down my face.......... God Bless America!!!!!!

[krossmusic]

I was actually visiting family in NJ that day. I live in NYC and Lived in NYC at the time. I'll never forget this, I was on the train on 9/10 looking at the twin towers thinking how awesome and amazing NYC is and how beautiful the night sky looked all lit up by the 2 big boys down there.

It was an odd feeling turning the T.V. on to see the today show showing them on fire, I had no idea what was going on, I literally though it was an office fire for the first min, untill the second plane hit literally 10 seconds later....

God bless the world not just america, I don't care where you live what you practice in faith, whatever...we are all people and clearly all messed up, we all need a hug sometimes I think.

Bless everyone.

Kross

[DRabbit]

I appreciate you starting this thread, and read your post with a tear in my eye. I am slightly annoyed this morning at the lack of national coverage the memorial service is getting. CNN is doing nothing. They can cover Paris Hilton 24/7 but they can't broadcast the memorial service for a few hours?

That said, 2001 was a difficult year for me. I lost my father and grandmother that year, and 9/11 happened in between. I was laid off from my job following because of a plummeting stock market. I live in New York (but not the city). My brother-in-law had a close friend in the WTC and lost him that day.

I worked from home at the time (telecommuter) and watched the day unfold in horror. I remember debating whether I should go pick up my daughter from school. I remember being REALLY scared not only watching what was happening in NYC, but when reports started to come out about the Pentagon being attacked. It was chaos. It was one of the first days I really and truly missed my father.

While I personally didn't lose anyone close to me on that day, I think it is so important not to forget. I have collected that good documentaries and photo essays about the day to keep on my shelves. I will always take the day off from work, or at least work from home to watch the memorial services. So many of us have gone on with our lives and don't want to remember, or just don't remember...

I urge you all to record MSNBC (they replay their news coverage from 9/11) or look online and watch the news coverage from that day in it's entirety... remember how you felt, and remember what was happening. Remember how many people died.

It's hard for my kids to even remember now what the WTC looked like. How bizarre...

And I agree -- it's not political. I am a very liberal democrat from New York... no matter WHAT you're political affiliation, it is inhuman NOT to remember what a horrible day in history 9/11 was for ALL of us - but especially for those directly impacted.

[Darkfox]

Just out of curiosity, shouldn't this be in the Off Topic thread as it really has nothing to do with the iPhone in general?

As for myself I really see no point in reminding folks about something that, by its very nature, can/will not be forgotten within any of our lifetimes. In fact I was kinda hoping I could go through the day without being reminded of such a depressing memory in the first place.

[fosterhere]

Originally Posted by Darkfox

Just out of curiosity, shouldn't this be in the Off Topic thread as it really has nothing to do with the iPhone in general?

As for myself I really see no point in reminding folks about something that, by its very nature, can/will not be forgotten within any of our lifetimes. In fact I was kinda hoping I could go through the day without being reminded of such a depressing memory in the first place.

For me it was necessary and cathartic, Im sorry if you are offended. I think it may be important to take a moment out of our hectic days to spend a small amount of time this morning in reflection. We are all human, sadness is a part of the human experience.