9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 years

Where were you when you heard about 9/11

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totalmotorcycle
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9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 years

#1 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 years later

This weekend and especially today, you will hear all sorts of stories about what happend on 9/11. The majority of them will most likely focus on who did it, why and how, and anger and outrage. While these stories are important, I would prefer to focus on the common person, regardless of what nationality he/she was, who risked their heath to help the injured, distressed and deceased. They may not have known the person they were helping and they may have been a different race, creed or religion but they helped them because of a common connection: we are all human. It is in the worst possible times like these that the very best in people shine through in their selfless actions and give hope to millions of others around the world.

Let us all take pause and remember those who not only lost their lives but also thank the common person for reaching a helping hand out to a stranger.

I encourage you to post a personal story of 9/11, including stories that you remember which still touch you today.



911 Background:

September 11th or 9/11 was a series of four coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners intentionally crashing two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City killing everyone on board and thousands of those working in the buildings. Within hours, World Trade Centre I, II and VII fell to become the only steel sky scrapers in the world to ever collapse due to fire. A third airliner was crashed into the Pentagon while the fourth plane crashed in a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people were killed in total and the attacks had a significant economic impact on United States and world markets.

Thousands of tons of toxic debris resulting from the collapse of the Twin Towers contained more than 2,500 contaminants which led to debilitating illnesses among rescue and recovery workers. The Department of Homeland Security was created to coordinate domestic anti-terrorism efforts. The Patriot Act was implemented giving the federal government greater powers including the authority to detain foreign terror suspects for a week without charge, the ability to monitor telephone communications, e-mail and internet use by terror suspects and to prosecute suspected terrorists without time restrictions. Conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks spawned a resurgence of interest in government affairs around the globe.
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Re: 9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 yea

#2 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

A few heroes of 9/11

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Photo Credit: http://www.anglonautes.com/hist_us_21_1 ... 192001.htm


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Re: 9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 yea

#3 Unread post by dr_bar »

I remember waking up and watching the news after hearing on the alarm radio that it had happened. I was facilitating a fund raising course for United Way volunteers that afternoon and my co-facilitator and I couldn't keep the tears in check, a whole lot of hugging and eye drying went on that day. Took several days to get over the anger, anguish and general feeling of helplessness that came with it all...
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Re: 9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 yea

#4 Unread post by dr_bar »

I think the biggest effect of the attacks of 9/11 was the loss of constitutional freedoms that Americans have taken for granted for many, many years.
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Re: 9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 yea

#5 Unread post by mogster »

My deepest sympathies go to all that are grieving today. I was at home & had switched on morning TV to catch the news (events unfolded 0900hrs GMT). I sat transfixed as the second plane hit.

My initial & ongoing fear was that there would be "biblical" revenge taken by the USA. Unfortunately I was right.

I have complete respect for all those brave firefighters. & police etc who gave their lives on that day, however it is only the scale of the tragedy that makes it remarkable.

There have (& still are) many acts of violence around the world, some we call terrorism & some we call regime change.

British & Irish citizens died in large numbers over many years in a conflict which was actively supported & financed by outside parties including the Irish American community,

Please do not think that I am being disrepectful, all I ask is that the USA when marking this anniversary reflect on the wider picture.
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Re: 9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 yea

#6 Unread post by sunshine229 »

I was at home getting ready for my second day of 4th year of university. It was at a time when Mike was really into watching CNN (at the time it was the only all news channel, I think?). He had it on in the mornings as we were getting ready for our day.

I can't remember exactly what I was doing at the time he turned on the TV (CNN) but I was not in the room (probably fixing my hair or makeup). He went HOLY SHEET you've got to come in here!

It was very difficult to focus on anything but I do remember my professors just getting on with class. Being the first Tuesday of the semester it was Day #1 for some of my classes and they had to at least get us in a room to introduce the course. I do remember that most of them did not keep us in the room very long and I spent lots of time in front of the TVs scattered all around the university. Everyone just sat silently in complete shock.

As a youngen I was not at all interested in the news or current affairs. Honestly, this was my first real introduction to the dark and sinister reality that exists. It was a "maturity point" for me to learn that the world is not all happy-dappy. So for me, it was definitely a monumental happening.
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Re: 9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 yea

#7 Unread post by sunshine229 »

And here's a story I received by email this morning, written by the CEO of www.meetup.com:

Fellow Meetuppers,

I don't write to our whole community often, but this week is special because it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and many people don't know that Meetup is a 9/11 baby.

Let me tell you the Meetup story. I was living a couple miles from the Twin Towers, and I was the kind of person who thought local community doesn't matter much if we've got the internet and tv. The only time I thought about my neighbors was when I hoped they wouldn't bother me.

When the towers fell, I found myself talking to more neighbors in the days after 9/11 than ever before. People said hello to neighbors (next-door and across the city) who they'd normally ignore. People were looking after each other, helping each other, and meeting up with each other. You know, being neighborly.

A lot of people were thinking that maybe 9/11 could bring people together in a lasting way. So the idea for Meetup was
born: Could we use the internet to get off the internet -- and grow local communities?

We didn't know if it would work. Most people thought it was a crazy idea -- especially because terrorism is designed to make people distrust one another.

A small team came together, and we launched Meetup 9 months after 9/11.

Today, almost 10 years and 10 million Meetuppers later, it's working. Every day, thousands of Meetups happen. Moms Meetups, Small Business Meetups, Fitness Meetups... a wild variety of 100,000 Meetup Groups with not much in common -- except one thing.

Every Meetup starts with people simply saying hello to neighbors. And what often happens next is still amazing to me.
They grow businesses and bands together, they teach and motivate each other, they babysit each other's kids and find other ways to work together. They have fun and find solace together. They make friends and form powerful community. It's powerful stuff.

It's a wonderful revolution in local community, and it's thanks to everyone who shows up.

Meetups aren't about 9/11, but they may not be happening if it weren't for 9/11.

9/11 didn't make us too scared to go outside or talk to strangers. 9/11 didn't rip us apart. No, we're building new community together!!!!

The towers fell, but we rise up. And we're just getting started with these Meetups.

Scott Heiferman (on behalf of 80 people at Meetup HQ) Co-Founder & CEO, Meetup New York City September 2011
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Re: 9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 yea

#8 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

I remember watching this on TV when the first plane hit and was in total shock when the 2nd one hit, then the pentagon. Although any losses are horrible, I was surprised to learn less than 3000 people were killed (the buildings I think hold on a work day 30,000), and with them being over 100 floors (just think how long it would take to go down that many stairs!) that's pretty amazing it wasn't much more.

So many people helping each other out on the streets and in the buildings. Amazing.

Mike
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Re: 9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 yea

#9 Unread post by QuietMonkey »

That was a bad day that extended out for a long time.. i stopped working for a few days.. i remember a friend in Victoria emailing me about the television footage... we were blown away... i wandered around the neighborhood thinking about big world politics culminating into this disaster.

The USA has changed a lot from this one single event and as was mentioned above, they lost a lot of friends, and freedoms, and gained a lot of pessimism and hatred, conspiratorial outlooks... the ugliness it all encompasses has been immense. hopefully the compassion and understanding flow out from it a lot further over time...

wierdly enough last night, very close to the threshold of Sep 11 (although i cant say for sure what time) I had a very bizarre experience myself which hopefully never happens again, and it also felt surreal only hours later, and even now. It definitely underscores this date for me 10 years later.
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Re: 9/11 - September 11th, 2001 - September 11, 2011: 10 yea

#10 Unread post by Wrider »

I definitely remember that day. I was walking into my 2nd hour English class in high school, and a kid who had been listening to the radio in his previous class told us about it. I remember my English teacher's face going pale and the look as he told us that he had just been there in those buildings that summer. At the time I thought the kid had meant like a Cessna or something had gone into the buildings. Then we turned on the news and I was shocked.

It definitely hit home for me as my dad is a firefighter, so all of the firefighters lost kind of sobered me up really quickly.

I also remember worrying about other potential attacks on my hometown. Within 20 miles of my house we have the Air Force Academy, Peterson AFB, Schriever AFB, Fort Carson Army Base, and NORAD.
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