I was @ work, it's my Birthday on 9/11 and we were laughing and joking around I went to my boss's office he had the TV on but not looking at it and the sound was down, I Saw on TV something was going on,, I turned the TV up and all laughter stopped, We all gathered in his office and watched the second plane go into the towers . We all held each others hands and bowed our heads in Prayer.. My Birthday from that day forward took on a whole different meaning for me :(

Blooms, Happy Birthday.

I am an electrician and back then I was just an apprentice. We were working on a Waste water treatment facility in Jay Oklahoma. The work was pretty dirty so none of us had our phones or watches on to tell the time. The only way we knew the time was to go to our truck and turn the AM radio on to the local news. In construction you kind of have a knack for knowing when its break time and that morning was no different. I went to the truck to see, or hear what time it was only to hear the news of the attack. At first I thought it was odd but not alarming. Right after is when all the trades caught the news of the second attack. The whole job site shut down and we all gathered around the radio and listened.

Mike

This post was edited by mksmth on Wed, Sep 11, 13 at 10:22

I was watching GMA and getting ready to get my nails done. I will never forget that, saw it all. From first plane on

Blooms... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! it will always be a special day for you and others... Please always have a wonderful day... It is a day to celebrate!!! ;-)

I was not flying that day, by chance it was my day off...

Many of my friends were flying that day and I still get chills thinking of that horrific day. I was stunned as i watched from home... Wondering what was happening in this world... My daughter kept asking me about the little lady in the restroom who passed out towels in the restaurant ( Windows On The World). My daughter was young, but knew about the little lady in the restaurant who sat in the restroom . The only answer I could give her was that she probably was still getting ready for work and that she usually worked the lunch shift... I would take my kids every year to the towers to view the beautiful city skyline of Manhattan and New Jersey. This was our annual trip to NewYork... Now it will be to see the new Freedom Tower. ( I still have not gone, but I will someday.. )

That day ( tuesday ) was a crisp clear day with beautiful puff clouds in the blue sky..

.I was called by my airline on Friday to see if i was alright to fly on that day , I was taken back by them calling.. But I said. " of course..." We flew points south of Norfolk , Virginia since the north east corridor was still closed to air traffic. We flew to many cities bringing home crews that were stranded . many flights just empty. No one was flying and I won't forget seeing Charlotte with planes just parked along the terminal . It was a chilling time.

October was the first time I landed in LGA and we could still see the glow of the towers still burning from underground .. Smoke still filled the air. I visited the Trinity Church that trip where this tiny little church was untouched by the tremendous aftermath of the fallen towers that day. The first reported fatality was the Chaplin from the fire department. He was brought there and listed as the first death of 9-11. If you ever visit New York, please visit this little miracle church... It will take your breath away.

This is a difficult day for me because the airline industry has changed , the country has changed... People have changed...

There were pictures of the main terrorist, which I won't even mention his name, being seen here in Virginia Beach. He flew lots of times from Norfolk to DC and was seen in my own bank. We think he was checking out areas here in Norfolk... Still can't believe it..

The quiet air, the silence from aircraft. The wonderful job that air traffic control did that day to land all aircraft in a manner of hours is still unbelievable. We here about controllers and hear stories about all who did wonderful jobs that day, but those ATC guys and gals did one hell of a job to land all the aircraft that day and get them safely on the ground. Many wonderful stories have risen from this horrible day.

I choose to remember in my own way and I will watch a little of the specials tonight. It still hurts deeply since my brother was one of the firefighters that went up there to help clear debris and many other things from the mess of the fallen towers. What still haunts me is the sound of the locator beacons that firefighters Would have on their uniforms. These are used to help in the search and rescue if needed. Many were still going off for days in the ashes. If you are not aware of the sound of the beeping alarms when you see any special.. You will now know it was a firefighter that was there. Only his alarm is still signaling for others to find him or her. But, nothing is there....

One of our Captains wives was a flight attendant on the AA flight.

Today I will play in my garden with the memory still fresh. It will always be..

I'm proud of all who helped, saddened by all who were lost.. and I hope all will continue to remember that terrible day that will never be forgotten.

Thank you for this thread.. It is a nice way to reflect and to help me and others share our memories . It helps...

God bless

Laura

This post was edited by loveplants2 on Wed, Sep 11, 13 at 11:44

I was getting ready to take my baby girl in for her finally shot of L-asparaginase for her Leukemia treatment. She was on month 9th of the 24 months treatment. But the Jimmy Fund Clinic in Boston called to say the Clinic was on shut down and not to come in that day.

Shortly after that my best friend called to say they shut down the Financial District and Downtown Boston so he had to leave by train and asked if I could pick him up.

In the mean time we were all frantically calling friends and family in NY and thanks God everyone was alright. I grew up in the East Coast with family members in Boston, CT and NY so this really hit home for me.

My sister was at work at TJ Maxx as an Assistant Buyer working her way up to become a Buyer. A few members of her team had left that morning for CA. While in the meeting they received a call from one of the husbands frantically screaming if his wife was on that plane. She was. And she didn't make it.

They lost 7 co-workers that day. It was devastating to say the least.

So while it's nice to reflect I am wondering if it's a good idea to stir up pain for those who were PERSONAL touched by this tragedy? I sobbed all over again when I read this post... :(

This post was edited by No-Clue on Wed, Sep 11, 13 at 12:05

Lynn... I feel your pain..

I choose to not watch the day long tv specials because it takes me to that low place. It won't get me.. I won't let it.

Heading outside right now... ;-).

Life is good. Enjoy!!

Laura

I was at work when we heard the news. We gathered in the break area in disbelief at what we were seeing on the TV. Even now it seems surreal. I worried about you Laura and hoped you weren't flying that day. Kinda funny what you think about when something like this happens. But even though I have never met you Laura, knowing you on this forum makes you a friend!!!

Nicole - when you talked about bring this up and the pain it brings back - I think something like this needs to be remembered because the pain will get less but we need to be reminded of all the evil that is in the world and keep our guard up. I feel that is the only way we can keep the evil out and hopefully triumph over it one day.

And blooms4me2 - I hope you have a wonderful birthday today.

May we all be blessed today,
Joan

I'm sorry if this post has brought back the pain suffered by many. It wasn't intended to be a bad item, just that we never need to forget the attack on our soil and the many people that lost something that day.

blooms4me2 -- happy birthday.
Mine is Friday.

Lonnie

This post is sobering. I'll echo the sentiments of others in that there is much to be grateful for but I like so many still feel the loss and tragedy of 9/11.

I happened to be attending a huge conference in San Diego, when the news started filtering in. Because of my profession, I ended up on a crisis team that was put together to help deal with family that were faced with the fact that they had lost loved ones, and the panic of those waiting to hear if their loved ones were safe. I'll never forget the gut-wrenching, primal pain that people experienced. It was a chaotic, heartwrenching scene to be a witness to.

I am still shocked today as I hear about those who only by grace weren't lost to 9/11-those who due to some circumstance changed their flight, those who had an ill child and called off sick. I've heard so many of these stories and I'm still amazed. I get chills all this time later thinking about it.

Blooms-I hope you have a wonderful birthday filled with happy and postive things :)

Lonnie...

You have a wonderful day..

This is a thread to reflect and to let others see the hurt that all of us shared that day.

I agree. This should never be forgotten .

Thank you for this thread. It is good to remember... Even thought it is painful.

It makes me remember that all,things that seem unnerving are really just little things. Life is to short.

Get out and live....

Laura

Happy birthday blooms!! Hope you have a good one!

I was at school. I believe is was in the 4th or 5th grade. Can't remember. We had just been in class for about an hour working on our lesson for the day. All of a sudden the intercom goes of and the principal is saying there has been an attack in New York and that we could turn on the tv to watch the news. So my teacher turned on the tv and we all just watched it happen. We couldn't believe something like that could ever. We didn't even know what to say or do. We just sat in silence. I think we watched the news for half the day and tried to do class work for the rest.

Mark

I was in 7th grade band when our teacher told us planes crashed an I thought nothing of it as I though "oh planes crash everyday" -- yet I didn't know the full detail of how they crashed in the the twin towers, pentagon, in a pa field, and how many perished that day. I didn't know more about it until I got home that day I believe. I don't remember if our teachers turned on the tv's in the classrooms and let us watch the footage or not.

Was in high school and sitting in class when our teacher came in and turned on the tv. Really didn't know what was going on until the other plane crashed. Was shocked and stunned... I agree it is a day we all need to remember and each of us cope with it in a different way.

Happy b day blooms!

Thanks all for your sweet BD Wishes. It was a wonderful day at work my co-workers were very generous with a cake, took me to lunch and pinned dollars on me, I made $57 just cuz they love me :D
However,,
Today will always be a day of reflection, thankfulness, tears, hopes,and Bravery and Proud to be an American, knowing when tragedy strikes we all pull together red, yellow, black and White we stand as ONE , Hand in Hand, to help any that needs it,

Happy birthday, Blooms!

I was working for a travel distribution company out of an office in the financial district in Boston. We watched everything on the projector in our conference room, until the financial district was evacuated. I remember the chaos and frantic phone calls (when the phones would even work!) and emails both to and from loved ones. I lived directly across the water from Logan Airport, and I also remember the silence of those days following. I distinctly remember walking to work a couple days later, and hearing a military jet go overhead (they were the only planes we saw at the time), and watching people on the ground flinch/duck and look up in fear.

I had friends who both did and did not make it, I think of them often.

The one slighty silver lining was how nice everyone was to each other (even perfect strangers) afterward - I really remember that.

I also remember that there was hurricane swell surf that day (a big deal in New England!). I couldn't watch the news any more, so we went out. There were a lot of people out in the water, and it was the quietest, kindest, most reflective day that I've experienced in the line-up. It was healing to be in touch with mother nature. I heard stories later about surfers who had skipped work in the towers that morning to take advantage of the waves (we'd had a pretty long flat spell previously).

My heart goes out to those who lost friends and family that day.