9 11
5 years.
How can it be 5 years already?
I watched several documentary/movies/specials over the weekend. Flight 93 was really good. I felt it was a realistic recreation of the events of that flight.
The Anatomy of 9/11 had me in awe of how they can figure out exactly what happened when the towers fell and why. I also learned about the inadequacy of the radio communications, which contributed to so many Firemen's deaths.
Last night I watched 9/11 and cried, almost through the entire movie. It aired on CBS, commercial free and unedited for language. If you haven't seen this yet - watch it. You won't be sorry, just have the kleenex ready.
On that day 5 years ago, our office gathered in the conference room and watched in horror as The Towers came down. That's when I left work and dismissed my son from school. Like the rest of the world, I spent the next few hours glued to the TV, numb from the reality of it all.
I remember "the look" on everyones face, numbness, and the eerie silence in the skies in the following days.
What angers me the most today, 5 years later?....Those responsible have still not been brought to justice as was promised to us, and we are involved in a war that we were led to believe was a necessary reaction to these attacks. Lies.
Where were you that day? What were you doing when you heard? How do you feel about it today?
8 comments:
Saw that documentary last night, also. Amazing film. I bawled like a little kid at the end when Ronin Tynan sang "Danny Boy" and they showed the montage of those firefighters who never returned.
Ditto Suldog. Ronan Tynan's, Danny Boy was played at my Grandfathers funeral too (Papa planned his own funeral well). I cannot hear that song without sobbing anymore.
I was on my way to a friends house-her father had just died and I took part of the day off from work to go hug her neck. It was a horrible day all around.
I simply cannot believe it's been five years-
My reaction to the newsbreak on the radio was "who in the hell would manage to hit a building with a plane?!"
When I learned the truth about was happening it was just in time to watch the second plane strike its tower from inside a pet store. That was my first day of university and I remember spending the day in a state of shock.
I can't believe it's been 5 years either...
The film "the path to 911" which aired on ABC was pretty good...
I was at a dr's appointment and did not find out until I was at the bank and everyone was just staring at the TV... I asked "what did someone blow up a building"... and the teller just stared at me and said "no someone just flew two planes into the world trade center in NY"... I felt so stupid and apologized and explained I had no idea since I wasn't able to listen tot he radio...
5 years... seems like a long time but yet it hasn't been really that long at all....
It was my day off from work. I was sound asleep and my friend, Dave called me. I grumbled and rolled over to answer my cell. Considering I was only half awake, I heard him mumble very quickly about planes hitting the pentagon and the WTC. He prompted me to turn on CNN. I sat up in bed and watched in this state of shock as I watched these building smoulder. My chest tightened when I saw the other plane strike the second tower. I was in disbelief of it all; this was the kind of thing you read about in a Tom Clancy novel, not reality.
I don't remember when I hung up on Dave. I was just transfixed. Then I watched in horror as the each tower collapsed. The words of the reporters swam in circles in my head because we all knew employees and emergency personnel were still in those buildings when they fell. I sprang out of my bed and covered the basement stairs in about 4 steps up to the living room where my mother was watching in silence. I immediately asked,
"Is Dad okay?? Have you heard anything from him at Ft. Detrick?"
She shook her head and we spent the afternoon, waiting for a call and holding our breath because we knew how important Ft. Detrick is so why wouldn't it be a target? Finally he called but, the base was under complete lockdown. Nobody was getting in and nobody was getting out.
The rest of the day was spent with 8 of my friends crammed into my bedroom or out on my patio as we simply contemplated on what had happened. We were still stunned. But when we were together, it was some sort of solace.
My 9/11 was one of awaiting a phone call or other reassuring message from my brother-in-law. He lives on Staten Island and at that time worked on Wall Street. We assumed he wasn't in the middle of the horror, but couldn't be sure. As it turned out, he had gone to his gym - also near Wall Street - early that morning, before work, and ended up pretty much confined there for the day. So, lucky for MY WIFE and me, a few anxious hours, but no bad news.
Here's what I posted in the comments of blogging.la:
I worked as an office manager for a paving company in Chino, commuting from Manhattan Beach. My job was to open the office and prep for the day. I opened as normal at about 5:00am. I turned on the tv to CNN, as per normal, and set about my morning chores.
As the events unfolded, I was caught between the mesmorizing spectacle and having to do my job, as the owner was dimly disinterested in "what was happening in New York City".
Three notable events/memories from that day/week:
My sister-in-law was driving past the Pentagon on her way to work at the exact moment the plane struck. Her car was hit with debris. There were some tense emails between my brother and our family, as he couldn't reach her on her cel and it took her hours to turn the car around and get home. Very tense.
My mother's birthday is September 11th. I had arranged, through a very good friend, to have a guitarist show up at my mom's house to play some Sinatra for her. I remember trying to phone my friend, trying to talk to him about stopping his friend (who was in traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway) from making the journey into Jersey. A very surreal conversation.
The next morning I was opening the office in Chino at 5am. I stopped and looked up and for the first time took in the reality that there was not a single plane in the air. Obviously I knew it, but this was the first time that I had stopped to take in the reality on a physical level. All the lights above Los Angeles were stars. Very spooky, very sad.
I grew three sizes that week. I matured in ways that might have been impossible the week before. Heck, 9/11 convinced me to get married.
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