Remembering 9-11 (merged anniversary thread)

[blacktriangle]

Well I just spent the weekend watching all the 9/11 tribute programs. It made me think back to that day 10 years ago. 

I was in class when another teacher came in literally with tears in her eyes and started telling us what was going on.  When I got home, my mother (an American) had taken the rest of the day off from her government position. My whole family sat there drinking Tim Hortons (hot chocolate for me), and watching CNN coverage. This was repeated for about a week after the attacks. I remember on that day how my father told me that we would begin to take national security more seriously, even here in Canada.  Weeks later, I watched the missiles and bombs start finding targets in Afghanistan.

10 years later, I am in the CF and it's my job to contribute to the security of this nation. The hot chocolate I once drank has been replaced by coffee. There have been days where I question some decisions made in this "war on terror" but today is not one of them. I still find myself just as angry now as I was back then. I think it might actually be more infuriating.

Basically all I want to say is that we (the Western world) need to collectively keep it together socially and economically, lest the goals of the 9/11 terrorists eventually be realized.

RIP to the fallen of 9/11 and the years since, BZ to the heroes of that day and those that have followed, and may all terrorists look down the muzzle of a door kicker's weapon tonight as they dream...

:2c: 

 

[OldSolduer]

Well I just spent the weekend watching all the 9/11 tribute programs. It made me think back to that day 10 years ago. 

I was in class when another teacher came in literally with tears in her eyes and started telling us what was going on.  When I got home, my mother (an American) had taken the rest of the day off from her government position. My whole family sat there drinking Tim Hortons (hot chocolate for me), and watching CNN coverage. This was repeated for about a week after the attacks. I remember on that day how my father told me that we would begin to take national security more seriously, even here in Canada.  Weeks later, I watched the missiles and bombs start finding targets in Afghanistan.

10 years later, I am in the CF and it's my job to contribute to the security of this nation. The hot chocolate I once drank has been replaced by coffee. There have been days where I question some decisions made in this "war on terror" but today is not one of them. I still find myself just as angry now as I was back then. I think it might actually be more infuriating.

Basically all I want to say is that we (the Western world) need to collectively keep it together socially and economically, lest the goals of the 9/11 terrorists eventually be realized.

RIP to the fallen of 9/11 and the years since, BZ to the heroes of that day and those that have followed, and may all terrorists look down the muzzle of a door kicker's weapon tonight as they dream...

:2c: 

Very well said. Thank you.

 

[dimsum]

I was a Soph (live-in frosh week staff) at my 2nd year in university.  I had just finished NAVRES BOTC a few weeks before and was about to go to class when some of my frosh told me about it at in the hallway and asked if I'd be deploying; as a brand-new Naval Cadet, I had no idea.  It didn't even really click in that it happened until the NAVRES unit called and confirmed that I'd be available "just in case."

The ironic/funny thing was that in my degree program, most (if not all) of us were training to become airline pilots.  The night before, we had our first class of Airline Economics with an industry person as our prof, and his last words at 10pm were "you guys chose the best time to join the aviation industry.  The boomers are retiring, startup companies are popping up everywhere, and no one will have issues finding jobs."  Just under 24 hours later, he emails us something to the effect of:  "Sorry about what I said last night.  This changed everything."

 

[cupper]

My first thought when it became obvious that this was no accident was that Bush got it all wrong during the election - specifically his campaign platform to ramp up funding for ballistic missile defense systems.

As the day went on, listening to more and more news coming in, you had to wonder what kind of evil is responsible for this.

I had to drive past the airport in Halifax on my way home from work, and the number of planes on the tarmac and runways, and the heavy security presence at the exit to the airport made it even more surreal.

Little did I know that 3 months later I would be moving to the DC area. That was a whole other experience. Police and national guard on every corner in the downtown area. Security checkpoints, bag checks and metal detectors when entering any government building, including the museums and monuments.

 

[Scoobs]

I was at work at a Tac Hel unit on 9/11.  I just happened to be walking into the canteen to grab some coffee and saw the coverage on the TV.  The first plane had already flown into the first tower and was on fire.  There were other people in the canteen and no one was sure at that point if it was an accident or attack.  Then I watched in utter amazement and bewilderment when the second plane flew into the second tower.  The crowd started to get bigger and we all watched in silence as the second and then first tower fell down.  At that point we knew of the order for all aircraft to get to ground, with the exception of military aircraft.

That day didn't necessarily directly affect me then, but it certainly did later in my career when I found myself somewhere hot and dusty.  I will never forget 9/11 and I feel for all the people that lost their lives that day, yet, let us remember them as the brave firemen, police, and citizens (those that fought the terrorists and crashed into the field) that they were. 

Of course, the various ceremonies commemorating 9/11 brought my thoughts back to those that we lost in Afghanistan, especially those on my tour.  Never will I forget their names and faces.

 

[jeffb]

9/11 was a big day in my early adult life. I remember being riveted by the coverage and the outrage I felt over the attack.

9/11 + 10 was an even bigger day as I welcomed the birth of my daughter. Life goes on. Take that Al-Qaeda.  :nod:

 

[cupper]

9/11 + 10 was an even bigger day as I welcomed the birth of my daughter. Life goes on. Take that Al-Queda.  :nod:

Congrats, and lets hope the world becomes a much better place when she reaches adulthood.

 

[a_majoor]

We don't talk about the "why" too much anymore, if we ever really did. Here is a piece from Instapundit today which brings the issues home. Also implicit in the piece is the role of civic organization and the maintainence of "high trust" neighbourhoods as a means of staying safe and combatting the Enemy:

http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/

And here’s a passage from Lee Harris’s Civilization And Its Enemies.

Forgetfulness occurs when those who have been long inured to civilized order can no longer remember a time in which they had to wonder whether their crops would grow to maturity without being stolen or their children sold into slavery by a victorious foe.
…
They forget that in time of danger, in the face of the Enemy, they must trust and confide in each other, or perish.

They forget, in short, that there has ever been a category of human experience called the Enemy. And that, before 9/11, was what had happened to us. The very concept of the Enemy had been banished from our moral and political vocabulary. An enemy was just a friend we hadn’t done enough for — yet. Or perhaps there had been a misunderstanding, or an oversight on our part — something that we could correct. And this means that that our first task is that we must try to grasp what the concept of the Enemy really means.

The Enemy is someone who is willing to die in order to kill you. And while it is true that the Enemy always hates us for a reason — it is his reason, and not ours.

 

[tomahawk6]

For me anyway it was a day of mixed emotions.Anger.Profound sadness at the loss of life and the number of people missing.The collapse of the buildings was surreal.The immense effort to get commercial aircraft on the ground.NORAD did a super job that day.Thanks to our Canadian brothers for flying top cover over the NE.Its a day that I hope is never repeated - anywhere.

 

[cupper]

Found this tonight.

A time lapse video of the construction of the new World Trade Center.

http://youtu.be/Nn11DWH_LEA

A new time-lapse video, made by EarthCam in commemoration of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, shows the nine-year construction of the 1,776-foot One World Trade Center in New York.

EarthCam's network of high-definition cameras captured the incredible footage over the course of October 2004 to September 2013. According to an EarthCam statement, the company hand-edited hundreds of thousands of images that together reveal the striking assembly of the 104-story skyscraper, formerly known as the Freedom Tower.

The special video shows the construction of the One World Trade Center building from the ground up, including the installation of the massive 408-foot, 758-ton silver spire that tops the tower and serves as a broadcast antenna.

In the beginning of the time-lapse clip, the area to the left of the One World Trade Center briefly seen under construction is The National September 11 Memorial and Museum, which now contains rows of swamp white oak trees and acre-sized reflecting pools in the former spaces of the original World Trade Center North and South Towers. Developers plan to complete One World Trade Center in early 2014, while the nearby museum opens in Spring 2014.

 

[krustyrl]

For me anyway it was a day of mixed emotions.Anger.Profound sadness at the loss of life and the number of people missing.The collapse of the buildings was surreal.The immense effort to get commercial aircraft on the ground.NORAD did a super job that day.Thanks to our Canadian brothers for flying top cover over the NE.Its a day that I hope is never repeated - anywhere.

Not to forget the hundreds of families in that small Newfoundland town whom opened up their homes to the stranded travellers making them as comfortable as possible.

 

[tomahawk6]

Great point !!

 

[krustyrl]

I had seen a documentary on that and was moved on just how the town offered hospitality to those whom preferred to be home and  in their own beds. The way they all came together to help was phenominal to say the least. I'm sure it would have been the same way if the situation was reveresed.

 

[mariomike]

I hadn't yet seen it on TV, but I remember responding into the financial district from HQ with a spare Multi-Patient Unit and watching the people evacuate out of the skyscrapers, the court houses at Old City Hall,  Osgoode Hall, University Ave., the CN Tower, and the Eaton Centre. 

 

[cupper]

Found this photo of either Gander Airport on Wikipedia's page for Operation Yellow Ribbon.

 

[nn1988]

Not to forget the hundreds of families in that small Newfoundland town whom opened up their homes to the stranded travellers making them as comfortable as possible.

There's actually a movie based on such events - Diverted.

 

[cupper]

Here is a photo of the airport in Halifax.

 

[dapaterson]

The book "The Day The World Came To Town" is an excellent overview.


I remember being part of the guard on Parliament Hill on Friday the 14th.  One of those moments you wish had never had to happen, and that you'll never forget.

 

[JorgSlice]

Truly a shocking moment in my young life. Having just turned 13 I didn't really know what to think of it.

 

[a_majoor]

A long meditation on the power of imagry and memory, centered on a photograph of one of those who chose to jump rather than be suffocated or crushed by the burning building:

http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN