Tomorrow is 9/11/04

Annie

Diamond Member
Nov 22, 2003
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Good god, seems like a couple of months ago. I remember EXACTLY what I was doing that day.

I had only been back to school about a week and a half, full time. That summer preceding, I'd spent in Los Angeles, CA at a grad class for teaching the Constitution. The summer had been SO boring newswise. I'd planned that we were going to 'debate' the electoral college, considering the recent election results. We'd started, the Wednesday, before the Tuesday....

It was the summer of Gary Conduit and Monica's handbags. Also, maybe only of atttention to me, being in CA while my folks and kids were in Chicago area, of the 'deaths from heat' in Chicago. (the next year, France would far eclipse the Chicago problems.)

That particular Tuesday, I'd gotten to school about 6am. Turned on my 'puters and checked the news. Turned on the television, but wasn't 'really watching.' Around 7, went outside, a beautiful day! It was so wonderful, clear blue sky, that one couldn't help to appreciate. I thought it a beautiful day, good enough to 'ditch' school. I even thought to myself, IF I DIDN'T HAVE TO TEACH, I'D WANT TO GO TO THE ARBORETUM AND LOOK FOR SIGNS OF FALL...'

Around 7:30, went into classroom to get ready for the day. Students started filtering in, some for 'jobs', others for 'help.' About 7:50, there was a 'boiiiing' from the computer. (They knew, (meaning the kids,) we are friends, she'd been a teacher at this school, before me.) The kids called my attention to: "Hey, Mrs. R is calling you out." I responded to the IM, which was, "Turn your tv to CNN, something is going on at WTC." "Tell me what the F is going on..." Truth to tell, I didn't know what the WTC was...but I did as my friend asked, she didn't have access to tv, she'd heard the beginning on radio on her way to school. There I was, with 3, 8th graders and 2, 7th graders, watching the first tower burning, while CNN said a 'small plane' reportedly hit...I was im'ing my friend, when one of the kids screamed, Ms. D! look! We watched the 2nd plane hit. I said, "Oh, shit!"

Up to this point, I'd been 'reassuring' the kids, that we 'didn't know what was going on' perhaps it was a pilot that had 'gotten lost' or 'had a heart attack.' With this, no excuses, war! Attack! Told friend and why I was signing off. Turned off TV and went for principal. School hadn't started, the bulk of the kids were still outside, she told me to gather the middle schoolers and turn on tv, but close my doors. Take other middle school teachers with me, but I should lead. They were happy to defer. We watched the Pentagon, and Penn get 'hit.'

Some of the lower grade parents came and got their kids, the school is less than 2 miles from an O'Hare runway. The Middle schoolers watched the news til school was dismissed, at 2:40. The 4th grade teacher, against principal's directive, also kept tv on, many of those kids were seriously affected by what they saw. They were too young and the teacher could not reassure them adequately. The rest of the 'little teachers' 5th down to preschool, went about their regular day, I don't know how, but they did. I think they had the harder time, as some of the parents came to get their children and the teachers knew what had happened, though they knew nothing about what was going on from 8 am until lunch at 11:30. I knew, up to the minute what was going on.

At home, I had my parents, my Mom's 24 hour nurse, my older son and daughter in college and my youngest son in freshman year of HS. I'd called the high school, to make sure they were keeping the school opened, they were. I figured the kids were ok. Seems the colleges cancelled classes, advising the students to watch tv. The younger was brought into a hall, with other freshman and led by SS teachers and deans/advisors. They too, watched tv all day.

I figured my MOM, after several strokes, couldn't understand, but I was wrong. I came into my home, at 3pm, to find her holding her sobbing Ukrainania nurse, telling her, "Don't cry, we'll get those sons of bitches!" To see a 65 pound, sick, old lady tell a 30 year old woman that the US was strong enough to deal with the suckers that had attacked us, was a bit too much, but reassuring, I guess kinda like me with the middle schoolers, :rolleyes: . My dad, well he avoided all the news, my mom and her nurse's crying-typical male, he was fine, while avoiding the upset. When I got home, I got to hold my mom and her nurse. Not good, after comforting umpteenth teens. The three of us held each other as the news replayed the days events.

The next day at school, we went on...Instead of electoral college, we dealt with national ID's, a hot topic at the time in January 2002....
 
I remember what i was doing too. It was the one day i decided not to turn on any outside media source and just study all morning. so i was reading and it was until noon...about 2EST when i turned on my computer to check my email before class. Everyone kept messaging me and freaking out and i didnt believe it till i saw it for myself.

And you know I wasnt scared. I was praying and giving thanks that Al Gore was not president. seriously. I knew we needed President Bush as president during the whole election debacle though i didnt know why and i was just thinking im glad we have a strong leader.

I was thinking one thing...i think we will see things far worse than 911 before our lives are over.
 
I remember that day clearly as well. My son coincidentally was home sick that day even though it was beginning of school year. I was just sitting there watching Fox and Friends and they came in and said a plane hit the WTC. I thought "wow-that sounds bad". I hadn't even thought of terrorism at that point. The reporters started to insinuate and I started thinking that it couldn't be. I didn't think it counld really happen. All too soon the second plane hit and I was quickly on the phone with mom and my husband. I sat there and cried. I will never forget the cable co. called to thank me for my business and I talked to the guy for half an hour about what was going on. Oddly enough,he was the one that pointed out that the date was 9-11. When the Pentagon was hit,I started to get really scared,and then there was mention of one of the planes being over Ohio. I was literally looking out my window wondering if something was going to crash near me. My son who was 5 at the time,saw some of what was going on and questioned me on it. I was so fired up pissed and so sad at the same time. Needless to say,I couldn't wait for someone to pay for this horrible act and remember thinking I was glad that G.W. was my president.

I will never forget that day or the thoughts going through my head about those poor people.. I hope to God this country never forgets.
 
I was still in the Army at the time. I had my alarm set on the talk radio station out here. I let the radio go while I was waking up. About 5:45 my alarm went off and I was listening to some guy in NYC talk about a burning building (my alarm went off in the middle of the conversation). So I'm falling in and out of sleep and listening, so I start dreaming about this guy's conversation. All of a sudden he starts saying , "Oh my God, another plane hit! Oh this is terrible!" Well I thought it was a bit morose (still being half asleep) but I thought that if it was serious it would be on the news. So I turned on Fox and they were showing the two buildings burning.

Needless to say I missed PT that morning. I called my stepmom in Cleveland about 10 minutes later (it took me that long to figure it all out). She hadn't heard yet, so I told her to turn on the TV now. Her question was "Why, what's going on?" I told her just turn it on, you'll see. Her comment was "Jeff, you're scaring me." I told her that NYC was under attack and then we hung up.

NEVER FORGET!
 
gop_jeff said:
I was still in the Army at the time. I had my alarm set on the talk radio station out here. I let the radio go while I was waking up. About 5:45 my alarm went off and I was listening to some guy in NYC talk about a burning building (my alarm went off in the middle of the conversation). So I'm falling in and out of sleep and listening, so I start dreaming about this guy's conversation. All of a sudden he starts saying , "Oh my God, another plane hit! Oh this is terrible!" Well I thought it was a bit morose (still being half asleep) but I thought that if it was serious it would be on the news. So I turned on Fox and they were showing the two buildings burning.

Needless to say I missed PT that morning. I called my stepmom in Cleveland about 10 minutes later (it took me that long to figure it all out). She hadn't heard yet, so I told her to turn on the TV now. Her question was "Why, what's going on?" I told her just turn it on, you'll see. Her comment was "Jeff, you're scaring me." I told her that NYC was under attack and then we hung up.

NEVER FORGET!

"I called my stepmom in Cleveland about 10 minutes later", hey Jeff, you were over 30 minutes ahead of Kerry, minimum, by self reporting....(I'd vote for you before him for President.)
 
I don't think anyone of us will forget where we were on that day. I don't think we will EVER forget 9/11 PERIOD!!!! You try to forget, but how can you? All the protesting on War and this and that, well, here, here are 2 video's, some you might have seen, maybe not, but I know watching the both of them got me angry all over again. I can honestly say, they BOTH brought the tears out all over again.

http://www.auburn.edu/~peckrob/wtc_tribute.html


http://www.cantcryhardenough.com/

For all those lost and to all the families that lost loved ones!!!!!
 
janeeng said:
I don't think anyone of us will forget where we were on that day. I don't think we will EVER forget 9/11 PERIOD!!!! You try to forget, but how can you? All the protesting on War and this and that, well, here, here are 2 video's, some you might have seen, maybe not, but I know watching the both of them got me angry all over again. I can honestly say, they BOTH brought the tears out all over again.

http://www.auburn.edu/~peckrob/wtc_tribute.html


http://www.cantcryhardenough.com/

For all those lost and to all the families that lost loved ones!!!!!

Janeen, I just watched the first link. When I saw the Pope, with his head in his hand, I KNEW he saw the might, behind the victim. HE could SEE the Respose, which Osama was blind to.
 
Kathianne said:
Janeen, I just watched the first link. When I saw the Pope, with his head in his hand, I KNEW he saw the might, behind the victim. HE could SEE the Respose, which Osama was blind to.

OK, Janeen, never saw the second, you have reduced me to a crying mass of blubbering idiocy...
 
janeeng said:
I don't think anyone of us will forget where we were on that day. I don't think we will EVER forget 9/11 PERIOD!!!! You try to forget, but how can you? All the protesting on War and this and that, well, here, here are 2 video's, some you might have seen, maybe not, but I know watching the both of them got me angry all over again. I can honestly say, they BOTH brought the tears out all over again.

http://www.auburn.edu/~peckrob/wtc_tribute.html


http://www.cantcryhardenough.com/

For all those lost and to all the families that lost loved ones!!!!!


janeeng,those were very touching. The first one showing world support had me in tears-seeing people from around the world with us in every way. I believe we need to see those every so often so we don't forget how horrible this was.
 
Kathianne said:
OK, Janeen, never saw the second, you have reduced me to a crying mass of blubbering idiocy...


I told you!! Just the song alone had the tears coming, then everything else just made them run down the face! it sure had you relive it all over again. It's just so sad. Yet, it does make the anger come out again too!
 
I was being forcibly held in my school =P We were about 8 blocks from the WTC, and a good 10% of my school had at least one parent working in the WTC. They pulled down the big screen in the auditorium and played CNN so kids could watch the towers fell with their parents inside. Whoever made that decision deserves a big high five... :slap:
 
janeeng said:
I told you!! Just the song alone had the tears coming, then everything else just made them run down the face! it sure had you relive it all over again. It's just so sad. Yet, it does make the anger come out again too!


We Will Never Forget!
 
krisy said:
janeeng,those were very touching. The first one showing world support had me in tears-seeing people from around the world with us in every way. I believe we need to see those every so often so we don't forget how horrible this was.

I thought the same - I had never seen either video before and I have to agree with the different people from around the world, I had no idea they did this all over.
 
nakedemperor said:
I was being forcibly held in my school =P We were about 8 blocks from the WTC, and a good 10% of my school had at least one parent working in the WTC. They pulled down the big screen in the auditorium and played CNN so kids could watch the towers fell with their parents inside. Whoever made that decision deserves a big high five... :slap:


When you say school,are we talking high school? If so,that's horrible!!!! I can see them doing it in one sense,and then again,depending on how old you are,maybe that wasn't the right thing to do.
 
AequitasVeritas said:
Every video I see like these takes me back to that day, and every emotion I felt is just as strong if not stronger.
Thanks for the links!


Welcome AequitasVeritas!!! I have so many of them, I think everyone might have seen this one, a little more powerful- just right to the point!

http://www.fdnylodd.com/BloodofHeroes.html
 
AequitasVeritas said:
I wish they would play these tributes everyday on tv! So we don't allow anyone to forget! Ever!

I couldn't agree with you more - but I think I would need to buy out all the tissues in the store!!!

BTW - let us not forget about our other heroes on that day, the dogs! a tribute to them as well!


Canine Tribute!!!!!!!!
 

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