Remembering 9/11

[Abigail4476]

I also had a friend, more like a brother to me whose birthday just happend to be 9/11. He's dead and gone but 9/11 has 2 meanings for me.

I'm sorry, DougE.

 

[Abigail4476]

I was 2' away from boarding a plane at SFO, with me was my girlfriend.

In my right front pocket was an engagement ring, we were heading to Vancouver Island for a few days, then onto an Alaskan cruise, where I was going to purpose to my gal. Everything was going great, we had just been upgraded to first class for $40 more each seat.
(We were super excited, as neither of us had ever flown first class).

We are 4 to 5 steps away from boarding, and they close the plane door and tell us there has been a slight delay. Well, the delay ends up being over an hour, so I decide to go grab us a few bloody Marys.

That is when I saw the news on the bar TV and the first plane flying into the trade center, then seconds later they break away from the footage they were showing and show the second plane fly into the second building.

I say we need to get the F out of here, as our plane isn't going anywhere today.

We had been dropped off at the airport, and this is before I had a cell phone.
So I break out my AT&T calling card and start calling friends to see if they can pick us up. I made 3 calls, then for no reason my calling card stops working.

The heavily armed military and bomb dogs were evac'ing the airport, so there were thousands of people scrambling frantically to catch buses and cabs.
Then a hotel shuttle for a city south of SFO pulls up going the opposite direction we needed to go. I tell my girlfriend, too, just follow my lead. We step onto the shuttle the driver asks our reservation name, I tell him, he says that we aren't in their system, I say we better be we've had reservations for months. The driver says no problem, get in, and we will sort it out at the hotel.

We get to the hotel, I hand the driver $100 bill and ask him to call us a cab, he says no problem sir. We take a $150 cab ride home.

As soon as I get home to the phone I call AT&T and ask why my calling card stopped working in an emergency situation, the operator asks if I made 2 calls to Pakistan and 2 calls to Peru? I say not funny, she says she's not joking.
I tell her no that I did not make those calls, she says well someone did using your calling card number which is why they shut it down.

All I can think is someone sniped my number from over my shoulder.

As time goes by, and they start talking about where the hijackers were from.
Which made me question, who in the "F" was standing behind me while I was making calls, it was a weird gut wrenching feeling.

I didn't ask my girlfriend to marry me, I figured it was God's way of telling me to give it some time to make sure she was the one. A year goes by, and I ask her to marry me on a Caribbean cruise, she says yes, and we are still happily married.

Next month I'm taking her to DC, Phily, then Manhattan to see the 911 memorial because of our history together on 911.

God bless the victims & first responders, we will never forget you!!!

They found 3 box cutters stashed under seats on the plane we were supposed to fly on 911, which is not just a coincidence.

I'm going to leave our original plane tickets at the 911 wall, as my way of thanking the good Lord for watching over us that day.

We will never forget where we were on 911.

Dan.

wow, what a story! I'm glad you and girl ended up together, and your trip sounds like it will be amazing.

 

[DougE]

I'm sorry, DougE.

Thankyou. It's all good. He's been gone a few years now. Still am in regular contact with his little brother.

Back when their momma and daddy were still alive, I sorta became part of their family, and an older brother to the boys.

 

[JLinza]

Just me, but I kinda wish they would have built back 3 buildings on that footprint. The middle building the tallest in the land in the middle and the other two either side about half as tall.

Totally agree

 

[Ishi]

Ya I remember everything I did that day after hearing about it! Crazy how vivid the memory is is my brain.
Definitely a sad day for many reasons

 

[jcam222]

I remember sitting at my desk along with a consultant watching on the PC. Ill never forget how horrified I was. We shut down the plant and sent folks home.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

I was working for the FBI at the time and had the TV on as I was getting ready for work. The first plane had crashed and as I was watching the coverage the second one hit on live TV.

I called my boss and they were already setting up a staging area in case something would happen on the west coast.

When I got there he said the first tower had fallen. I did not believe it was possible until I saw if for myself.

I will never forget that day.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I was at work. My heart feel to my feet when heard it. I still listen to a song my friend wrote after heard what happened to remind me.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I was on duty at a fire department south of Boston that day. I was the medic, and we transported someone to the hospital that morning. On our way back to the fire house, we stopped at the coffee shop. They had a TV on in the corner, and everyone was watching. The first tower had been hit. While we were standing there, the second plane hit. We rushed back to the house, where the rest of the crew was in front of the tv. Being on the flight path to Logan Airport, once all planes were out of the air, it was eerily quiet. The only aircraft that we heard were fighter jets.

 

[mneeley490]

I saw this on a sign the other day.

"When you remember what happened on 9/11, also remember who we became on 9/12."

 

[02ebz06]

I was at work when I heard.
We were scheduled to fly to Kentucky the next day to pick up our new corvette (avatar).
All flights cancelled, so tried to get a one way car rental, no luck.
We both left work right then, went home, packed, and hit the road in wife's car.
In light of what happened, the Corvette Museum wasn't ready for us to take delivery.
Part of the Museum delivery package, we were supposed to get a tour of the corvette factory as well.
It was closed due to the incident.
Museum was nice enough to handle having my wife's care shipped back to Denver.
Got the personal guided tour of the museum (including what the back rooms where many more cars are), then went on with vacation.
Got to see the only 1983 corvette in existence.

Came back through on Monday and got to tour the factory. Was pretty cool.

F terrorists.

 

[mneeley490]

I was driving to a transit center to catch my commuter bus, and listening on the radio to these 2 local shock-jocks talking about a plane hitting the WTC. These guys had a reputation for pulling stupid practical jokes, and I was thinking how dumb this was, and that it wasn't funny at all, so I switched the station to a news channel. Then I heard it was for real. The rest of the day seemed like living in a foggy dream.

 

[indaswamp]

 

[clifish]

Being from Long Island about 40 minutes away from NYC, I remember it well. Knew a bunch that did not survive and a bunch that did (FDNY). I also remember the eerie quiet of the sky's for a while except for the military copters flying around.

 

[DougE]

I will never forget that day.

Most of us who witnessed the live coverage of the attacks unfolding will never forget.