9/11 - Four Years

Tomorrow I'm sure all of you know is 9/11. One of those days we can recall everything we did. I remember my class was called out of history for "a plane crashing in New York." We were to leave school for traffic reasons. I went home, the kitchen was being cleaned with all the chairs on the table, I went outside briefly, a clear sunny day and when I went in I put on CNN and saw the towers fall. Although a little out of place in the big picture, a little fact few know is Anthony (Psycho) Perkins' widow died. She was on one of the planes that hit the WTC.

R.I.P. to the thousands of people

I remember that day vividly too. Just another regular day at school when the principal walked in and told my english teacher to turn the news on. Smoke coming out of one of the towers. It was alot to process, then when the first initial report came saying that the pentagon was hit too. Then another report said that the white house possibly got hit too. I remember my teachers expression as he looked back at another teacher in the room. It was crazy, I literally thought WW3 started.

I remember that day very well. We were at work and we never listen to radio or anything else there. A sales rep. told us what happend at 9:00am. My boss turned on the old TV in his room and everyone went in to see what's going on.

RIP to the victims.

I don't think anyone will ever forget that day. I still remember hearing the first reports on the way to school, not really realizing the significance, then we heard more in our classes, and we ended up going home early. For the rest of that day and the days that followed, as I heard more and more, I was just in shock.

It's been so long since it happened, yet the memories are still fresh in our minds, and my thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims who probably haven't gone a day since the tragedy without thinking about what happened to their loved ones.

May those who died rest in peace, and may God bless the family and friends, giving them strength and love at this time and always.

It was very strange how I came to know about the events that took place on that day.

I was in my computer class at the time, and we had some sort of assignment to do, and then our teacher told us that after we were done we should just go to CNN.com. When we finished we all tried to go on and it wouldn't work, going real slow. And my teacher said something to the effect of "The whole country is trying to look at that webpage right now." And i didn't really understand.

I asked her if something happened and she said "A plane crashed into the world trade center." And I was thinking, like a small, one man plane, which made me wonder why it was such a big deal. Only like an hour later, in my next class, when we looked on the TV and I heard the first tower fell over that I began to realize the true extent of what was going on.

Another sidenote, for all the Sopranos fans. I was just watching the one episode in the first season, when Jackie Aprile is dying of cancer, and he's sort of muttering things, and the conversation stops at one point and they cut to him and he says "I'm in the World Trade Center" or something like that.

Kind of odd considering it was set in New Jersey, so it doesn't seem like there's a real reason for him to be thinking this, and also the fact that it was filmed in 1999, 2 years before anything happened there. Just the way he says it makes you feel like he is referring to what happened on 9/11. I remember hearing about this shortly after the attacks, with all the controversey about the towers in the opening video for the show.

yea man it was real crazy stuff, my dad is really intense about it becuase he works as an EMT for the city and he had to work down there after they fell and he would tell me stories about what he saw like parts and crap. From where i live i could see the smoke from some 5 or more story buildings

Four Years Ago. My God. It only seems like yesterday. I will never ever forget that day as long as I live. And I will never forget the kind words, the concern and the outpouring of support that I recieved from the members of this board at the time. Many of you are still here and I cannot thank you all enough for the support you all showed for me in the weeks follwing that horrible day.

For those who may be new here, or for those who were here at the time, here are some links to the posts pertaining to what I went through, was going through, and the fantastic support that I recieved from you all that day :

http://www.gangsterbb.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000087

http://www.gangsterbb.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000126


May GOD bless the families this day and help them through what must be an extremely difficult time of year for them.


GOD Bless America


Don Cardi

This was one very sad day and maybe the most unhuman crime in recent memory! GOD bless the families of the victims, they will be remembered. 4 Years are gone but it is still a very deep wound.

Rest in Peace and may GOD bles their families...

I will never forget that day, the pain, the shock. Nor will I forget the months that followed. It was a sad time, and it seemed that there were funeral processions and bagpipes everywhere I went. And yet, it was a time of incredible unity in our country. Red, white and blue was everywhere, and we stood together in our pride. Although I hope and pray that we never see another day like September 11th, I do hope that we one day reawaken that spirit of togetherness.

God bless all those who are dealing with their losses, and God bless America.

I can't believe four years has passed.

I still can't bring myself to visit Ground Zero.

I hate those fuckers that did this.

God Bless America.

I can't really say too much, because it's just too painful. God bless the souls of all who perished as well as the survivors. I have visited ground zero, but couldn't bring myself to go up to the fence and look at it up close. To me it's a sacred burial ground.

Empty Sky
Bruce Springsteen

I woke up this morning
I could barely breathe
Just an empty impression
In the bed where you used to be
I want a kiss from your lips
I want an eye for an eye
I woke up this morning to an empty sky

Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky
Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky

Blood on the streets
Blood flowin' down
I hear the blood of my blood
Cryin' from the ground

Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky
Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky

On the plains of Jordan
I cut my bow from the wood
Of this tree of evil
Of this tree of good
I want a kiss from your lips
I want an eye for an eye
I woke up this morning to the empty sky

Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky
Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky

I woke up this morning to an empty sky

I'll never forget that day. I wasn't yet a member here, so unfortunately wasn't able to console my NY friends (not that anything I could have said would make a difference ).

My alarm clock had just gone off (it was around 6:00 a.m. or so here, don't remember exact time).Anyway, out of habit, I immediately turned on the tv in my room to listen to the news while I got ready for work. I turned it on right after the first plane hit, and like the newscasters, I was surprised but assumed it was a freak accident of a plane losing control or something. Then I saw the second plane hit, and again, like the media, I knew right away it was much more. I was in shock and in the state of disbelief. I couldn't believe it. The entire day at work was like a bad dream for everyone. TV was going all day, people shaking their heads, in tears, and wanting to do something.

To all my friends in NYC, especially our BB hero, DC, and all Americans, I may not have been there, but like every American, share your emotions of this dreadful day, and my thoughts & prayers are with all the families of those involved. God bless you all and God Bless American.

TIS

I'll always remember the exact moment that I found out this horrible news. I was at work, and someone walked by my office and said someone crashed a plane into the WTC. Of course, without knowing details my mind just thinks that someone in a small, two seater plane was trying to land and didn't make it. I just thought, "What a moron". Then a few minutes later someone ran past my office again and said a 2nd plane crashed into the other tower. That split second I just said, "OMG". I just knew. We have a small back room where our linen department is that fits about 4 people that had a small tv in it. Our whole department crammed back in there to watch. When I saw the first tower fall I got chills and there were grown men where I work with tears in their eyes. My daughter was in school and I just remember hoping all the kids who were in school were safe, and thinking how scared they all must be seeing this. To this day it still seems surreal.

I remember going to a funeral every other day for about 3 months. I remember saying to my wife " This is wearing me down, but I know that we need to go and show our support for our friends and their families." Then my wife said to me " You feel worn down? Imagine how someone like Rudy Giuliani is feeling these days, going to 3 or 4 funerals a day everyday and having to euligize each person?" Boy, how true. I'll never forget that sad time in all of our lives.
The Bagpipes? Oh boy! Ever since hearing those things being played at memorial service after memorial service, I no longer can listen to the bagpipes without them bringing me to tears and bringing me back to the days and months following 9/11.

I hope those responsible for the murder of all those people are rotting in the deepest pits of hell!


Don Cardi

I will always remember that horrible day. It was only my second or third day of high school, and I was in English class. We were waiting for our teacher to show up, and then finally like 10 minutes late, she comes in sobbing. She let us know what had happened. The rest of the day was like a nightmare for me. just two weeks prior to this day, my family and I had gone to the WTC during a day we spent in the city. It was the wierdest feeling ever.

In the cafeteria, the tv's played news coverage of what was happening at ground zero. I live relatively close to the city, so many of my friend's parents worked in the city; some at the WTC. In the auditorium, school counselors tried to console the students who were unsure about the condition of their parents or loved ones. A good friend of mine had an uncle who was working on the 82nd floor. This was a terrible time for my friend. Later, he would find that his uncle was indeed killed in the attack. When school dismissed, I went home and found my dad who left work early. He was watching the news and looked 10x more distraught then I was. The rest of the day was a blur, but I know for sure that I will never forget...

RIP to all those who were killed on 9/11.

of course I also remember it like it was yesterday for some reason I didn't go school that day and was watching right when the second plane crashed. it was like anything was about to happen, I even took a stereo turned on the radio news to the bathroom 'cause there was no TV there. it's sad to see that two even bigger tragedies happened in the past weeks (Catrina and Afghanistan) and they don't even impact us anymore. maybe the world is really coming to an end.

I was watching them read the names of the dead, and, as usual, it made me cry. How easily some have forgotten. One of the local towns is having their Septemberfest, a street fair run by their Chamber of Commerce. When people expressed anger about this, the chamber officials replied that they can understand people's sorrow, but that as time goes by, we need to move on. And then I see the brothers and sisters reading the names of their dead, and I'd like to know how it is possible, four short years later, it is time to "move on", as if this were some sort of flu you need to shake off. I understand that time passes, that future generations will not remember and feel what we do (I would give Pearl Harbor as an example), is it really "time to move on"? I'm not so sure.

I read an obituary a month ago for a young man. He was described as "an indirect victim of the September 11th terrorist attacks". As I read on, the implication in the obituary was that he had lost his wife in the World Trade Center, was never able to get over it, and drank himself to death. Was he supposed to "move on"?

I see the children of my brother's friend Joe, a member of the FDNY who died that day. His son was in high school when he died. He's now in college, and even spent a semester in England. Joe's daughter, who was just a little thing at the time of the attack, is now 13. They've missed having their father at their side for all those graduations and confirmations and other events. Are they supposed to "move on"?

Perhaps I'm clinging too tightly to the memories of that day, and I should move on. I don't know, but it just feels wrong.

Thanks for letting me vent.

I hate the terms "moving on" and "closure". Like people's lives are disposable or something. I can't imagine how I would be reacting, even 4 years later, if I or my loved ones were directly affected by this. The human spirit is a complex thing. I think it works differently in each individual. Even those who seem to handle this with ease, you don't know how they're dealing with it deep down, when no one is watching.

SB, you are NOT clinging too tightly. Your feelings are right.

Beth E, I'm with you, I hate that term closure, especially when we are talking about the tragic loss of lives.

As both of you have so brilliantly pointed out, how can these people find closure and move on? How can we ever find closure for this horrible attack on our country, a horrible attack that destroyed and took the lives of so many?

WE MUST NEVER FORGET! We must always keep the people who died that day in our minds, and we must always keep those who lost thier mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers in our hearts.

Don Cardi

We will never forget 9/11. That very day changed our lives for ever. It's a scar that won't heal.

God bless America.

I agree that those psychobabble terms like "closure" are a bunch of nonsense. How do you have "closure" on something as traumatic as 9/11?

Surely our perspecives change over the years, we are no longer in shock over it, and we have moved on with our lives, as we all must, but the grief of the immediaute families, and the sense it has givenall Americans of our vulnerability to acts of unspeakable terror should never be forgoten.