Forgive me while I go off topic – A post about 9/11
September 11, 2007 by Deb
Filed under Freelance Writing
I’m not a person who brings things like politics or religion into my blogs. That’s not what they’re there for and I believe everyone is passionate in their views, no need to force my way of thinking on anyone else. While this post is off topic, and doesn’t really have anything to do with either, I do hope you’ll forgive me if I veer of course a bit.
Six years ago, September 11th was a Tuesday too. As I exited the subway in TriBeCa and walked to my job, I remember looking up at the
A few minutes later, I was sitting in my office chit chatting with the CEO and a couple of other co-workers when a screeching low flying plane cast a shadow over us. We remarked how planes aren’t allowed to fly that low over the city and then heard the crash. We all ran outside and looked at the towers. It was obvious the plane hit the towers. At the time we thought it was an accident. But after witnessing the second plane hit, we knew it wasn’t.
All the subways and bus lines were shut down and I had to make a four hour trek back to
I arrived home around one o’clock and alerted my family and my husband’s family that I was safe. I couldn’t find my husband at all, and couldn’t reach him on his cell phone. When he walked through the door at four o’clock covered in dust, I couldn’t stop crying.
Neither of us worked for the rest of the week, as lower
I’m not bringing this up to offer a moral or ask opinions, it’s more my way of dealing with what I witnessed. My way of remembering those whose lives were lost that day. Writing about it is therapy for me. Most American’s might look at the calendar and say to themselves, “Oh …today is the anniversary of 9/11” and go about their business. For me, it will never be that simple.
Deb,
This is a great reminder to all of us to connect to the real consequences of 9/11. Thank you for urging us to connect to our humanity.
Eun Jung
Deb, I can’t imagine what you went through, but I can share our story. My husband was scheduled to attend a meeting at the Pentagon six years ago today. He went to check out a government vehicle from the Ft. Meade motor pool and there were no cars available, so he got a late start. It saved his life. The plane hit right where the meeting took place, and two of my husband’s friends were among the Pentagon victims.
Today, my husband works in a Pentagon office space right next to that spot.
I don’t know anyone in my circle of American family and friends who didn’t lose a relative, friend or colleague in the terrorist attacks. Everyone I know lost someone.
We live in a DC-area airport landing pattern. Six years ago today, the skies fell silent. I remember so well how eerie it was, with no 737’s flying overhead for so many days. I cried when I heard the first planes land…how much courage it must have taken for the pilots and flight crews to fly after what had happened…I’m happy today to hear the airplanes flying.
Sept 11, 2001 was a special day in our family because it was the 10th birthday of one of my nephews.
That morning, I’d done an early interview for the newspaper i worked at. When I came back to the office and saw everyone with grave looks, huddled around the TV, I knew something BAD had happened. Normally, Tuesday’s the day we finalized our weekly paper, but that week’s edition the entire front page got redone.
I remembered being just stunned, shocked, saddened and angered.
I should add something wonderful also happened at that time.
My husband and I thought we’d never have children. During the week we were home from work, our son was conceived. He’s now considered what they call a “9/11 baby”.
Thank you for your story Nancy. We’ll never be able to remember 9/11 without remembering our lost loved ones.
My heart goes out to everyone who has lost someone on 9/11. I did not know anyone but feel a terrible mourning of all the lives lost and the pain suffered on today’s date.
Sending hugs.
I know this is one of those days (like the Kennedy assassination) where everyone remembers what they were doing and where they were when this tradegy happened. I was home with my sick daughter, watching cartoons, and wouldn’t have known what was going on for quite a while if my husband hadn’t called me from work.
My long-distance boyfriend is from New York City. He has told me first-hand what it was like. His ex-wife worked across from the twin towers when it all happened. Seeing it all caused so much emotional stuff, it eventually contributed to ending their marriage.
I have been to NYC twice this year, and I am sad I never had made it there when the towers were still standing.
Although not having personal losses that day, I will never forget what it was like to witness everything on TV and the emotions it brought up, as well as the feelings for everyone involved.
Peace
I know people who know people who died that day, but I didn’t loose anyone I know personally.
I was at the first MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting for the year when the planes hit. I remember sitting in the meeting when suddenly a lot of cell phones started ringing as the speaker began, and I thought it was very odd.
Then someone went up to say something to the speaker and she announced that a plane had just hit one of the towers. Horrible accident we all thought. Soon the news came in of the other tower, then another plane (don’t remember which one). I was terrified. I just pictured planes falling from the sky all day long. I couldn’t get ahold of my husband (he wasn’t in NYC but he was up in North Jersey across from the city).
Our meeting ended early that morning and we all grabbed our children, hugged them tight and took them home. There was a message from my husband on the answering maching saying he would be home as soon as he could.
What I didn’t know that day was that I was pregnant with my now five year old – just a few days pregnant. After 9/11 I told my husband I wasn’t sure if we should have any more kids. It seemed the world as we knew it was gone. When I found out I was pregnant I was sad and confused and I cried and cried. There were a couple of days when we thought I might be loosing the baby early on, and I’m horrified to admit that I thought it might be for the best. But, I didn’t, thank God. I can’t imagine our family without my youngest.
The terrorists took so much from so many people that day. From me, they took the joy that I should have had when I found out I was pregnant. Instead, I am ashamed of how I felt.
I know there are so many who lost so much more than I did. I have a strong faith in God, and I always imagine him up there saying, “Think you’re not going to have any more kids because of these jerks. Think again, baby. You’re already pregnant. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!”
I got on an airplane 6 weeks after 9/11 with my husband and my two year old, terrified, but unwilling to let THEM stop me.
It’s so heartening to read so many tales of remembrance and support, when the developers have mounted such a strong campaign saying our right to grieve has expired, calling it “moving on” when it’s really all about their profit.
I believe the impact will stay with those of us who lived it forever, and that the grief is slowly evolving into ways to do good — with volunteer days, outreach, etc. But it is so important to keep commemorating the day each year.
I remember watching the coverage on the news and thinking the first plane crash was a terrible accident. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. I was watching the coverage on live TV when the first tower came down. I still feel sick when I think of it. It was really difficult to take in what happened; it had an unreal quality about it but it was all too real…if that makes sense.
I also found out I was pregnant again just before 9/11. Like you, Robin, I had complications early on and I thought we had lost her…but she was a cling-on and was born healthy in May of 2002.
Deb, I had no idea you were so “close” to all this. Your story about your husband has really touched me. Best to you both.
What do I remember? My supervisor at the time said something about filling up on gas and “getting milk for the babies” before there was a run on everything. Somehow, every time I think of 9/11 I can’t get the phrase out of my head. Never in my life had I ever had to worry about having enough of everything, and I think that the realization that things might change was shocking to my 24 year old mind.
I don’t think I can contribute to this discussion much as I’m not even from the US. I would not want to intrude upon the feelings that swelled with the anniversary of 9/11.
Instead, I wish you all peace of heart and mind.
Dear Deb,
I can certainly understand your feelings of worry and relief at that time. As a Canadian I watched CNN with horror as those planes hit and the memory of watching people jump to their deaths has been burned into my psyche. I was in a medical clinic waiting to be seen by a doctor when I heard about the tragedy on the radio. I later rushed home to watch it unfold on the TV. It boggles the mind and grieves one to the depth of their soul how man can be so inhumane to his fellow man.
Later on at that time a graphic artist had created a little logo reminder of the towers and was offering it for free to anyone who wanted to post it on their web site. I had it downloaded and posted it and it’s been on my site ever since and will always remain there.
Later I had a chance to offer some tangible assistance by writing press releases for a relief agency that was offering free flights to family members and victims of the 9/11 tragedy.
It wasn’t much but it was a small way I could at least contribute some form of assistance, for free of course. I’ve always loved America and Americans and have worked for many US companies as a copywriter both paid and pro bono.
The tragedy also falls on my eldest sister’s birthday.
All I can say is I pray God helps those who’ve had to endure any hardships and heartaches this terrible crime has inflicted. It is something I will never forget. I don’t think any of us ever will. God bless America!
Larry Rieger
Thanks, Deb, for going off-topic. You inspired me to record my own memory on my blog. Heres’ my post:
We Should Have Been Watching Sesame Street
Instead, this is what we saw when we turned on the TV that morning. Over and over, remember that? My son was three and I had flipped on the television to sit him down in front of some PBS Kids so I could get my justo over one-year-old daughter fed and dressed. I remember the confusion, some tears, but mostly just standing there in my living room like huh? I stood there with my foot propped on a low table my son used to build Legos, the one that supported my daughter while she learned to walk. I watched the screen with a baby squirming besided me, my back aching under her weight.
But life goes on right? Because there I was in Texas and New York seemed a long way off. And besides, it was an accident right? I took my son to his preschool and carted my daughter off to the gym. I stood with mostly army wives in a musty Gold’s Gym and watched as the second tower fell. It wasn’t an accident. There was a lot of talk about blowing them off the face of the earth.
That day my son came home talking about the planes and the smoke and the bad guys. The fathers of his buddies were mostly fighter pilots training on F16s at the base in town. I hadn’t thought to tell him anything, but he was afraid so we learned about bad guys that day.
They’ll talk about it at school today. At seven and nine my kids don’t really understand what happened. Neither do I. Yet, it’s defined their lives, their generation. 9/11’s the day the towers fell, my daughter states.
I tell her they didn’t fall. It wasn’t an accident.
Thank you for this, Deb.
Sending my thoughts and prayers for two dear friends who lost their relatives on 9/11…may they always feel the love and compassion that still exists for their loved ones.
9/11…we’ll NEVER forget!
My husband and I were at my in-laws house with my brother-in-law because my husbands parents were in Las Vegas. I don’t normally watch tv in the morning, but we turned it on. I sat silient watching what was happening and seeing the horror, shock, and grief in the faces of those on the streets. My in-laws were supposed to fly home that day, and it took us several hours to get ahold of them only to find out that there was no way they could rent a car, they had called everywhere.
I was 8 months pregnant. My husband volunteered to go pick them up, but they refused and we were able to get someone else to go. I had my oldest two weeks later as were 41 other babies that day. One of the nurses mentioned she had never seen so many babies born in one day. Another said, it’s because the grief and stress finally caught up with them. I will never forget that.
Deb, never stop remembering and never stop writing about it. Thanks to you and to all the above commentors.
I lived in Spain 6 years ago. I remember the horrible shock I felt when hearing the news. As an American living abroad I felt frustrated to not be near fellow Americans to at least grieve with them. Thank you for sharing, Deb.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to blog about it today because it’s a very painful day for my family, but you’ve inspired me to indeed write a post in memory. God Bless or happy thoughts to everyone here.
Thanks for sharing these stories. I know it’s not much to add. I wasn’t even near anything except for maybe the fact the fourth plane that ended up crashing in PA supposedly flew over Ohio. I live in central Ohio and lived in Columbus Ohio at the time.
I remember hearing about it through the radio as I took my husband to work. We weren’t sure what was going on but we ended up listening to some music thinking only a plane had crashed. Then once I got my daughter on the school bus (she was in public schools at the time) I turned on the TV and found out what was going on. I turned it on about 15 minutes before the towers collapsed. I remember calling my daughter’s school to make sure everything was okay. Not sure why. I almost wanted to go get her. But I thought she was probably safe.
Then I called my husband to tell him I loved him and told him if he’d found out what was going on. He said they were watching it at work. I called my best friend and we both cried a little. It was really heart wrenching that whole week seeing everything, hearing the stories, seeing the images.
My brother got to go to Ground Zero (he’s in the Air national guard, he takes care of communcations and stuff). He said it was just horrifying.
It’s amazing that so many people tell their stories even if they were hundreds of miles away.
After losing a dear friend in the towers I was offended when a local paper (I live in California now) published an article that 9/11 was just “another day”. It will never EVER be just a normal day ever again. Thank you for taking time out to remember.
Thank-you so much for sharing your personal experience. I was beginning to think that I was the only one who was still affected by it.
Thank you so much for helping us all remember. Thinking about that day still makes me tear up. Unfortunately, a lot of people choose to forget — or blame it on an internal conspiracy
I was a sophomore in college, waiting for my psychology class to start, when one of the other students mentioned a plane hitting one of the towers. I was shocked and saddened. But class started, and I was obliged to listen.
Later that day, the young man I was having lunch with received a call from his mother. She’d seen the reports of all the planes going down and was worried there might be another one headed for the nuclear plant just a few miles from the campus. If something happened to the plant, there was no way we’d be able to get far enough away, and we both still had classes. So, we stayed.
Even though the brunt of it didn’t hit us until we were able to go home, I’m sure the news played a part in the young man and I deciding to become exclusive. He’s now my husband.
It’s an extremely bittersweet day for us. I remember feeling my heart drop to my feet as I watched footage of the crashes and people leaping from impossible heights in desperation. And I can still hear my mother sobbing beside me as I looked on, unable to tear my eyes away from the horrors on screen. But, I also remember setting out toward the life I have with my husband today.
Forgetting is dangerous. Thank you for the reminder, Deb.
Thank you so much for posting this discussion. While I live in upstate NY and didn’t lose anyone in the tragedy, I do remember that day very clearly… hearing someone in the cubicle next to me gasp as they read about the first plane crash online, then everyone in the office looking for more information (they even set up tv’s in the office for people). I left work that morning so that I could pick up my baby boy from daycare — just to hug him extra tight. I also remember watching news coverage in the hours, days… even weeks after to try and get my head around what had happened. It’s so important to never forget.
As writers it is our duty to communicate.
I ask you all to communicate the TRUE stories of September 11th.
As a journalist I pay attention to what others in communications are saying and writing.
Others have said that 911 was an ‘inside’ job.
If this is so, how could our own people do this to us???
If this is not so, let us all vow to search for the truth, wherever that may lead us.
If our own government, many of whom did not even want an official inquiry into 911, doesn’t seem to care…then this makes our jobs even more important! I read the entire book published by the 911 Commission (the inquiry they didn’t want to have–but thanks to the families of the victims we got it)and now I hear even that is either a) fraudulent and/or b) doesn’t tell the entire truth.
I even heard actor Ed Asner say on C-Span the other night that the terrorists who hijacked the planes on that fateful day aren’t dead!!!!
In other words, the people with those names are really alive and the hijackers were someone else. This gets more and more bizarre each day, week, month, year.
Wow!! LET’S GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS INCREDIBLE STORY ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, that stuff is all nuts. BBC reported an engineers report today which explains what happened and why the conspiracy folks thought there was something funny whereas it was all scientifically explainable.
We are at the bottom of what happened. It’s a terrible story, but much as I would believe many things of the Neocons, you can’t make me believe they did this.
Why would Ed Asner know anything you don’t? He’s an actor. Like Tom Cruise is an actor. I don’t take scientific advice from Asner nor psychological advice from Cruise.
In response to Judith in Umbria….I merely mentioned that Mr. Asner said something. I never admitted to agreeing or disagreeing with him. But…there is some truth to the fact that Bin Laden was connected to the CIA, at least during some of the time during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. What about Michael Moore’s movie Fahrenheit 911…in that film Moore asserts that G W Bush received money from the Bin Laden family when he needed to bail out his failure of a business venture (his oil company)? Like you I can’t believe our own people would do this to us. However, there are some connections. (And there are connections to Saddam as well. He was our dictator for a while, that is until he took things too far.)
Even though I live in a city on the Canadian Prairies, 9/11 changed me forever. I am married to an American from Brooklyn, and of course we were worried about his two sisters in NY all day until we heard from them at 11 at night. Everyone in Canada was in horror and shock. We watched it unfold on CNN early that morning and then the CBC top anchor stayed with us through the remaining days afterwards. I was on the road a lot back then; I will always remember the radio programs questioning and discussing 9/11…everyone was looking for answers.
I had lived in NY prior to 9/11 and I have been back many times since. Each time I go to NY I am gripped by the tremendous amount of sky that was once occupied by the towers. In Canada, so many people wanted to offer help right away (we did in Katrina, too, and in other times of need in the US).
Now this is the first time in my life that I see in Canada so many yellow ribbons to bring our soldiers home safely as we, too, have a huge amount of soldiers in Afghanistan. We are going through loss of young lives also.
For me personally, I took stock of my life and made life changes that will stay with me forever.
Perhaps the best way I can honor the lost lives is to live my life with the spirit of generosity and truth.
Best,
Sharlene McGowan
Deb reminds me of something.
I often tell people that if you saw something on teevee you didn’t actually “experience” it. This was brought home to me when a good friend survived the I-35W Bridge collapse last month.
Deb *did* experience 9/11. I hope we can understand the difference.
The morning of the 9/11 attacks, I was working at preschool teaching job I held part-time during college. When I got in to work, my co-teacher told me about the attacks.
I went to my parents’ house on my lunch break and cried while I watched the video footage of the towers falling, over and over and over.
To me, the anniversary of 9/11 is a reminder of how lucky we are to live in a country where an event like that is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
I’m not sure what to add. I was on the freeway in California on my way to work, listening to local station KFI in LA when the host started talking about attack #2. All I wanted to do was turn around and go to my son’s school to make sure he was safe.
I know we all have varying opinions on what has taken place since that horrific day, but I must commend the men and women in the armed forces for doing what they do, and for keeping our country safe. I do not say this to start a ‘back and forth’ but just to express my feelings on that subject.
Deb,
Thank you for sharing your memories; thank you for your eloquence and thank you for remembering.
Thanks for the reminder. I was distressed today to find that my kids’ schools had done nothing to mark the day, or educate the students about what had happened.It’s important to remember, to mourn, to heal. I think, even six years later, we’re all still trying to do just that.
I think what galls me is that politicians remember this day and then use it for their own agendas. There is nothing sacred in a memory that gets abused for public consumption. Mourning is too deep a matter to be a photo op which is why I never write about 9/11 on my other blog that has a political bent. Anne
Thanks for reminding me Deb. My heart goes out to the friends, families and loved ones who lost a life because of that tragedy.
Today, we still have those who worked at ground zero and were exposed to all those toxins. Real poisons that are killing them slowly today. Some have cancer and the “cough” with asthmatic symptoms and overall fatigue where they can barely walk a flight of stairs.
NY Rescue Workers Detoxification Project is saving lives eliminating those poisons from their bodies.
I have a good friend running that program, which is helping these brave New Yorkers. Please check out the site, if you know anyone who needs help, they will help. My friends main concern is that he will not be able to help all of them in time.
http://www.nydetox.org
I prayed for all the people who lost someone in 9/11 last night.
It didn’t happen to “me” directly as it did with Deb.
Since then I am afraid to fly on planes because of that day. I still do, but it’s in the back of mind when I do.
I worked for a aviation company who sold to private pilots and 9/11 sunk him financially since the owner was already on the edge. So many people were traumatized both directly and indirectly.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts & memories, Deb. As a New Jerseyan, I vividly remember the morning as well, although my story is nowhere as harrowing as yours. I still cannot view the skyline without remembering…and I hope I never get to the point at which I can.
Thank you for sharing, and yes, I believe we should all remember that day vividly. My son was slated to be on the first plane that hit the Towers, but at the last moment his boss took the flight instead. That, plus the horror of it all, changed me forever. I will never forget, nor should any one of us.
I don’t think it’s simple for anyone. I was in southern Illinois, far removed from New York. I had plane tickets for my then-one-year-old daughter to fly into La Guardia Sept. 25, to see an ex-boyfriend and good friend. I was home sick, watching the Today show, excited about whoever the guest was supposed to be. It’s funny, but I have tried and tried to remember who it was, but it just won’t come.
Suddenly, Matt Lauer broke in with the news of the plane hitting, saying it was probably just a small plane whose pilot had gotten lost. I called my friend and left a message on his machine that said, jokingly, “I don’t know if I want to come to New York now, since the pilots don’t know how to steer.”
As I was leaving that message, the second plane hit, and I said, over and over, “I’m so sorry.” His son worked for a company which had offices in the WTC, and his son, an intern, could have been in the building at the time.
Thankfully, the friend and his son were safe from harm, and I didn’t know anyone who died or was injured that day. I still took it very, very personally.
I had to cancel my trip and still haven’t made it back to NYC. My heart is there, and I ache to return.
I also had to go in to work, sick as I was. I was a writer at a newspaper. Usually, I wasn’t in much demand, being a religion writer, but that day, I had my chance to shine. I called the local Ministerial Alliance and organized a Day of Prayer on our courthouse steps. I took phone call after phone call from people who just needed to reach out to someone in that very sad time.
The thing I remember most is the fear. We as individuals had no idea what might happen next. People were getting plastic sheeting and duct tape and bottled water. They were preparing for some sort of Armageddon. No one knew what to expect, and that was an alien situation for Americans to be in. I didn’t sleep for about two weeks after the attacks, and I know I’m not alone.
I think we would all do well to remember that aspect of it, so that we can ensure it doesn’t happen again. Much of our emotion over what happened has cooled, and many people have begun sniping at one another over whether it was a conspiracy by the President and others, whether workers were compensated for the clean-up, etc. It has become a logistical issue instead of an emotional one. I’d rather leave the logistics to others. I am holding fast to my emotions.
On September 8th I had received the terrifying news that the 2 and 3 year old children I had fostered from birth were to be removed from my home because I was, as a single parent, not considered adoption material and my petition had been denied. For the days that followed, I was alternating between numbed and angered and sick in the pit of my stomach with fear. Then on Tuesday morning I was sitting in my easy chair eating breakfast when my best friend called. She asked if I saw what was on tv, and I told her we were watching Nick. I turned of Dora and turned on the news reports, and witnessed the second plane hitting the towers. The kids were playing and I felt I could not react, trying to shield them from the pain. I continued to watch, and when the first tower fell, I was in such denial that I believed the second tower would be left standing. Surely they couldn’t completely succeed. Then the news cut to the pentagon and to flight 93. And when the second tower did fall, I figured it was just the beginning, and I might as well kiss the kids goodbye, just in case.
Now, six years later, those children who share my last name are laying on the floor right now sleeping where they dropped after a long day of school. We celebrated our adoption anniversary on September 9th after five years as a legal family, even though we have been a family in our hearts since their beginnings. This year is the first time they have questioned what everyone was talking about when they mention 9/11 and all the sadness. I told them what happened, and what we were doing. They wanted to know why they did this to us. I told them that even though they claimed to have their reasons, there is no good answer for why anyone would devistate an entire nation of people.
Very bad things happen. But so do very good things. And if we don’t remember the bad, we won’t know how to measure the good. Thank you for telling us what it was like for you.
A day that, like that other, earlier attack on America, will live in infamy.
Thank you for sharing your close-up and personal point of view, and a continuing Bravo! to all you brave New Yorkers who just kept on keeping on and doing what needed to be done during that wrnching time.
Приветствую всех!
У меня такой вопрос,кто что интересное подскажет буду признателен.
Мы с друзьями собираемся поехать в круиз по просторам России и ближнего зарубежья месяца на два на своих машинах,но не как не можем согласовать маршрут,если у кого уже был опыт такого путешествия,может,что посоветуете.Девчонок с собой не берем,думаем,что во все городах России с этим не будет проблем,если у кого будут рекомендации и в вопросе отдыха с девушками тоже буду признателен.
С уважением Сеньчик
Hi
G’night
Deb – your story of your baby boy and the other stories of miracles are the things I wish we could tell more often when 9/11 comes up. The pain of that day was unimaginable. For a mom, with two small boys, watching on the T.V. – I was wracked with tears for the loss. The figures they were spouting were staggering but the ultimate price, although high, was no where near the ones predicted.
My children remember. They were only 4 and 6 at the time but they remember. I want them to remember. But I want to celebrate the miracles – new life, missed flights, delayed travel – that kept this day from being even more painful that it was.
Does that make sense?
I think every generation has its moment — that moment when it becomes obvious to everyone that the world is not a safe place, that terrible things can happen anywhere.
For my parents’ generation, it was Pearl Harbor. It’s a lifetime ago, but every December 7th, they remember. For my generation, it was the Kennedy assassination. I was a small child on the school playground when the news reached us, and yes, everything changed. For many, the moment was 9/11.
We are so sheltered, so secure, that these events are unimaginable — at least until the moment they happen. We are so fortunate.
Today, I choose to think of our good fortune. We are unimaginably blessed to live in a time and place where such events are rare and shattering horrors instead of everyday perils. I am so grateful to be here.
And on a lighter note . . . Deb, I’m so glad you and your husband have your wonderful son!! What an amazing and wonderful gift.