911 Remembered

[Shifty]

Story Behind Haunting Sept. 11 Photo

It was around 2 p.m. on a bright Wednesday afternoon in mid-July, and Drew, a veteran Associated Press photographer with wire-rimmed glasses and a neatly cropped silver beard that betrays his 64 years, was standing near the northwest intersection of Vesey and West streets in Lower Manhattan, across from the noisy jungle gym of cranes and steel where a global business hub is currently being reconstructed.

Nine years and eight months earlier in this very spot -- now an austere pedestrian plaza in the shadow of the Goldman Sachs building -- Drew took a picture that became one of the most iconic images of one of the most catastrophic events in American history.

Story

 

[Henrik Larsson]

I was 12 i think when this happened so i didn't really know what was happening
However seeing that picture to this day still makes me feel a huge ammount of compassion towards all Americans but particularly for those, who lost anyone they knew.

 

[busenbust]

scary stuff .

 

[Ace Bandage]

I don't remember any other day as vividly as I remember 9/11. The whole day was like a walking nightmare that I couldn't wake up from. I remember watching in horror at the Purdue University Union with about fifty other people when the first tower fell. The images of people leaping from the towers rather than perish in the inferno is a haunting memory that I can still see when I close my eyes. I remember going to my sociolinguistics class and watching my Professor, a native New Yorker, break down and cry as she told us she had loved ones working in the tower. I remember going to my parents house to watch the coverage with my family. We sat in our living room in stunned silence. We were thankful to be together as a family, and no words needed to be spoken.

I remember showing up at work emotionally drained to find my girlfriend waiting on me. We hugged and cried together. Neither one of us was in any shape to work that night, so we just took the night off. We went over to campus and walked around together. I think we just held hands and talked about everything other than what had happened that day. Both of us just needed time away from the real world for a little while. You can only sit and watch news coverage for so long before you become numb. Eventually, I took her home and went back to my place. I remember staring at the ceiling for most of the night. It was impossible to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the towers falling. I kept trying to imagine what it would have been like to have been there.

What I'll remember most about that day is that it was the day I lost my faith in humanity and my faith in God. And it was also the point that my generation lost its innocence.

I'll always remember 9/11.

 

[meesterperfect]

I saw the second tower go down from across the river.
heavy day.

 

[DOA82]

Friendly piece of advice.

Any smart ass remarks in this thread will be deleted and earn an instant vacation from the board.

 

[Shifty]

Thanks DOA.

 

[tnafan4life]

A very sad day for Americans and the world in general! People talk about "Governement Conspiracy's", Plots etc, but all that should be remembered and respected is the people who tragically lost there lives in such sad circumstances.. My thoughts go out to the families who lost there loved ones and the American people in general!.

I have alot of friends from the states and they will never forget this tragic event!

 

[lurkingdirk]

I was teaching when the first tower went down. After class I went into the student commons, and the news was on the televisions. It was incredibly hard to grasp just how significant an event that was at the time. The way it would change the nation, the world, and even more significantly, individuals. Look at Andronicus' story. That was hard to read, but I appreciate his sharing it.

Whether you are American or not, this event had a huge impact on you. I hope everyone spends some time contemplating that in the coming couple of weeks.

 

[Shifty]

^^ Yes, the events that took place in the United States on that day immediately resonated all over the world.

I remember going out in the afternoon of September 11th to run some errands. One thing that stands out in my memory was how quiet it was ... people were rushing around, each doing their own thing. But no one spoke or looked at anyone else. People were distracted, preoccupied and otherwise out of sorts.

It felt as if life was on hold.

 

[Trident1]

Never Forget, Never Forgive.

To all the innocent victims, Rest in Eternal Peace.

 

[L3ggy]

It was a terrible day.

 

[squallumz]

It was a terrible day.

i remember that day. i had to work!

 

[BCT]

I was a senior in HS, I'll never forget being the first student to walk into 1st period class and see my teacher watching it, I saw the second plane hit on tv just a few minutes later, I remember thinking it was the end of the world for a second!

 

[L3ggy]

i remember that day. i had to work!

And I had to be in school...

 

[STDiva]

I was in school too. Grade 11 English, I think. They announced something over the P.A, but none of us really knew what was going on until lunch time.

 

[KillTheIndustry]

I remember waking up and walking out to the kitchen. (I was living with my parents at the time.) My mom and my sister were standing there, looking somber. I asked what was wrong, and my sister said something like, "we're under attack."

Both towers had been hit before I woke up. I don't remember if the first tower had fallen yet, but I remember watching as the second tower fell.

It was such a sad day. But for a very short while, Americans were all united. Too bad it didn't last.

 

[Mayhem]

I was teaching when the first tower went down. After class I went into the student commons, and the news was on the televisions. It was incredibly hard to grasp just how significant an event that was at the time. The way it would change the nation, the world, and even more significantly, individuals. Look at Andronicus' story. That was hard to read, but I appreciate his sharing it.

Whether you are American or not, this event had a huge impact on you. I hope everyone spends some time contemplating that in the coming couple of weeks.

Sorry, but that's the wrong thing to say in front of me (with all due respect). The country didn't change for shit. We stayed pissed for two weeks then changed the channel. And, seriously....WTF has changed?

When Pearl Harbor (a military target) was attacked, we had 15 year olds trying to con their recruiter. We mobilized the entire country. Hell, we had sewing machine manufacturers tooling up to build firearms. That's how pissed we were.

WTC (a civilian target) was hit......."hey did you see the latest episode of Survivor?"........"Ooooh, look! Janet Jackson flashed some tit at the Superbowl!"........."X-amount dead in Afganistan this week? I don't have time for that because I have a girl-crush on one of the guys on Deadliest Catch."

The country didn't change, Dirk. We were self-absorbed dicks before 9/11 and nothing that has happened since has led me to believe that we have changed one iota since.

And DOA, if you find anything "smart ass" in this post, please point it out to me, because I don't see it and sure as hell didn't mean it.

 

[Henrik Larsson]

I came home from High school, i think every other country calls it secondry school, as it was about 3 oclock where i lived when the planes hit

I was so young i didn't take much notice of it, and didn't really know what was happening
I came home to my child minders and saw the news was on and saw my childminders shocked face, but i didn't know the true extent of what had happened until a while afterwards.

However now a days when you see the various programmes about it now, it sends shivers down my spine. The images are horrible to see even to this day

 

[Rane1071]

It was after midnight here when it happened. I was working night shift and was called in to the break room where everyone was watching it unfold on T.V. Everyone was just stunned and couldn't believe it was happening.

Sad day.