Sept-11th where were you

[Bad Karma08]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

Had recently left West Point Prep because I wanted to remain enlisted, not commissioned. Was in my dorm room, still half drunk when one of my suite mats yelled for me "get out here and look at this". Hour later I was geared up, loaded, stopped to donate blood in the college student center (had a blood bank there for the past few days) and headed into the city.

Remember getting in touch with my Aunt and mother, found out my brother in law was forced to land his plane (was a pilot for united airways at the time and now a search and rescue chopper pilot for the NY state troopers), my father was on his way to the site (hes a mechanic for consolidated edison which supplied all the power and lights).

My father worked 20hrs a day down there for a few weeks straight, we never even ran into each other.

NEVER FORGET, NEVER FORGIVE!
Bless America, NYPD, FDNY, everyone involved and everyone who served or is currently serving.

 

[Switchblade]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

Aye, the amount of faces I have seen leave to never return has been far too many. I have known these men and women maybe not by name, but definately by face from seeing htem day in and day out on a run, maybe in the PX, maybe in line at the mess hall, but the day the realization hit that I had lost count, that was indeed a powerful feeling. I stood there for a moment, then walked promptly outside so none could see the clouds in my face nor the rain that poured. The anger loosened not to be sated by one last deployment, and that only a notion of what should have been. Would I be the next hippy, anti war, weakened stomach for that which I was trained in for life? Not hardly, but worn to be sure. Alas it is a younger man's game, and the glory felt by youth is not the same for one who knows the look on a man's face as he is feeling it through a sucking chest wound. A pour to the ground, and one to me to salute with

 

[SFC Carpentier jr]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

I was at work and someone came in and said they heard that a plane had hit the world trade center. I went to my computer to check and after about a minute of being on the internet they reported that another plane had hit the towers. There was also a report that a bomb had gone off at the pentagon. Of course later they reported that it had been hit by a plane.

 

[GSluzenski]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

I was standing with the CG of FORSCOM, GEN Hendrix at the HQ at Ft McPherson, GA and as we watched the events unfold he said, "SGM this is truly what it feels like to be impotent. I control 80% of the combat power of the United States Army and at the moment I can't do a thing, but that will change!"

 

[VJJPunisher]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

I was on a MOUNT live fire at Fort Hood texas, we got told to lock and clear and load up in LMTV's to go to the rear. The miles of convoys from every unit on post lined up coming off the ranges was a sight to see..............

 

[Chiller]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

Was working in my office and I remember having to call my dad to tell him to turn the TV on. Remember the web traffic grinding several of the news websites to a stop. Remember quietly thinking to myself that in one day my perspective of the world changed. Ten years later the memory is still vivid in my mind’s eye.

 

[The Mechanic]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Switchblade</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Aye, the amount of faces I have seen leave to never return has been far too many. I have known these men and women maybe not by name, but definately by face from seeing htem day in and day out on a run, maybe in the PX, maybe in line at the mess hall, but the day the realization hit that I had lost count, that was indeed a powerful feeling. I stood there for a moment, then walked promptly outside so none could see the clouds in my face nor the rain that poured. The anger loosened not to be sated by one last deployment, and that only a notion of what should have been. Would I be the next hippy, anti war, weakened stomach for that which I was trained in for life? Not hardly, but worn to be sure. Alas it is a younger man's game, and the glory felt by youth is not the same for one who knows the look on a man's face as he is feeling it through a sucking chest wound. A pour to the ground, and one to me to salute with</div></div>
^^^ That is like poetry Switchblade.

My wife and I were laying in bed. My wife's friend called when the first plane hit. When we first saw it on the TV we thought it was a Cessna or other small plane because we had no idea how big WTC 1 and 2 actually were.

The one thing that had the greatest effect on me personally was the people that fell, or jumped. It just hit me in a different way to try to understand what it would take for people who are not suicidal to make the choice to jump. Watching this weekend and seeing it over again made all those feeling come right back.

 

[dbransco]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Chiller</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ten years later the memory is still vivid in my mind&#146;s eye.</div></div>

Same here. I was at the gym and it probably took 10 minutes of glancing at the TV and seeing the tower smoking to realize it wasn't a movie.

 

[GardDog]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

On patrol that morning. The BS morning show that was on the good-time radio blew off the first caller who said that a plane had hit a building in NYC. Then the flood of callers with added info finally got their attention. Not being able to see what was going on was killing me. I went by an off-duty buddy's house and we watched in awe on TV. The number of flags displayed on cars within the next few days was stellar.

 

[silver78]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

Getting ready to leave for work. I live just north of DC. My old company had a sales office in the WTC. My dad had recently retired from his job at the Pentagon. Most of the folks I knew who were in the WTC made it out - but not all of them. I also know someone who lost a son on Flight 93.

Too many personal connections for me. I will never forget.

 

[JFComfort]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

I was a junior in high school, heard about the attack then saw the second plane impact while I was in 1st period math class @ Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park, CA.

 

[tacshooter223]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

2nd grade.....

 

[DWood]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

I have been in the fire service for 35 years; 4 with FDNY and 30+ with Miami Dade Fire Rescue. I was on duty here in Miami-Dade when the planes hit. I was in the head brushing my teeth when I heard angry yelling. I ran out expecting to break up a fight but the men were yelling at the TV.

Here is a good read of a first hand account of a friend of mine who survived. I worked with Steve Modica at 53 Engine in Spanish Harlem along with John Paolillo, Eddie Cachia, and Kevin McGovern.

Ironically, Paollilo died because he was a distance runner and was able to climb faster and higher higher up in tower 1 than Stevie. Stevie survived because he got out. Eddie and Kevin and the rest of E-53 survived because they got redirected by a Chief who knew what might happen and they were sent to move apparatus out from the collapse zone. That's just how it works sometimes.

I responded with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's USAR team and worked for 13 days at ground zero. It was the first time I had been back to NY since I left. I ran into many old friends at the WTC where we all had lost so many.

The words of Steve Modica:
http://www.firehouse.com/stateprovince/new-york/firefighter-steve-modica

Of all the memorial videos I have seen, this one still hits me the hardest:
http://www.frugalsites.net/911/sept11.html

 

[MikeeBooshay]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

I was getting ready to leave the office and go to the airport, my partner stuck his head in my office and said a plane just hit the WTC. We went by our advertising guys office on the way to the airport, and saw the second one hit. I told him " we are not flying anywhere the next few days." And did not.

two things struck me most - our office looked out over the Atlantic Ocean in south FL. I always could see a ship or boat offshore. Not for over a week... nothing past the jetties. Constant USCG patrols, more in a week than we'd seen all in a year. Nothing, very very quietly, disturbing.

Other thing, we had a handfull of vets working with us. Coconut telegraph in full on mode. Fast forward one year - all gone, working as contractors or consultants. One guys kids already deployed twice, one wounded. He's disappointed that he can't re-up... after being in almost 30 years.

Someone said something about warriors run to the sounds of guns, not away.
It's true.

Godspeed gentlemen.

 

[FX44]

Re: Sept-11th where were you

Ft. Bragg, HQ Special Operations Command. I had to interrupt my boss twice (he was in an important meeting) to let him know the world was changing right in front of our eyes. Life (especially in the military) was never the same after that day. We went in contingency planning mode and never stopped. I retired 2 years later (they almost wouldn't let me).