[This is a re-publication of an article that we wrote one year ago. I think it captures the moment and our feelings very well. - Editor]
I know everyone is pretty busy, but I’d like to suggest that everyone, but for a moment, take pause from your busy day and remember those whom we lost on 9/11, that tragic day in 2001.
The selfless heroes who charged into the carnage to help people,
The terrified victims in the towers not knowing what, or why.
The selfless Search And Rescue folk who endured through what they found in the ensuing days.
I cannot conceive.
A few days later, I was on a flight to New England. Yes, I flew.
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The airports were an eerie kind of empty you’d only see in a Stephen King movie.
Though a week later, the newspaper racks held old papers from the 10th of September. What was important the day before, was no longer an issue this day.
My connecting flight flew over the smoking site. There were very few of us, but when someone mumbled something we couldn’t hear, we understood. Everyone got up and looked out upon the scene of tragedy.
Somberness ruled the moment.
Driving around the NE region, for the first time in my life I saw solidarity in our population.
Flags everywhere.
Written signs of condolences, frustration and revenge.
No matter where I went and who I spoke with, someone, somewhere had known someone involved. I lost several friends on the different airplanes, so I wasn’t alone.
So I’m asking for just a moment -Remember:
The victims.
Their families.
Their friends.
The nation.
In fact, I never want to forget those feelings I felt when I first saw the news broadcast that elicited my confusion and disbelief. Or what I saw in the ensuing days, or whom I spoke with. I was so moved, that the man who averages over 5,000 pictures a year forgot to take a single one.
The next time you start grumbling about that pesky airport security, take a moment to ponder. Is it really that much of an inconvenience to take an extra step to prevent additional mourning.
Just a moment is all I ask.
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31 Comments
Bruce, thanks so much for writing that. I thought about it first thing this morning…
And folks, be warned, I will be keeping a close eye on this comment thread. I do not want it spiraling down into any nastiness between Liberals/Conservatives, Republicans/Democrats or Radical Islam vs. Conspiracy theories.
Just be respectful to each other and towards the memories of those who died and their families.
Vic
I echo Vic’s request. This is about the people involved. Not us. Not today.
I’ll never forget the sense of disbelief I felt that day. I was off from work that day and when my alarm went off and the announcer on the radio was talking about the tower on fire, I thought it was a War of the Worlds type of thing. Needless to say, I was riveted to the TV the whole day and I will never forget watching the towers fall. I only hope that all the victims of that day can find peace.
Thanks, Bruce.
The events of 9/11 were tragic in their scope and with that tragedy, any thought of invincibility on our part as a nation was lost that day. It made me proud to be an American to watch as everyone around rallied to show their new-found patriotism in remembering the heroic deeds performed that day both by rescue personnel and the passengers of Flight 93. They will all be remembered for the true Americans they are and in some cases were.
God bless the USA.
Good post. All flags at government buildings are at half mast today.
Never forget.
@ Andy
My alarm was a clock radio and I had it on a rock station at the time, which I never take seriously. But that morning they were forwarding the broadcast from a news station and the guy was talking about how the tower has collapsed, and it’s completely gone. I honestly thought it was some stupid joke by that station, until I realized it was on every station… No words can describe the feeling after realizing that it was all real…
Don’t make me cry, Bruce…don’t make me cry.
That day will forever be etched in my memory. I was driving to work, listening to 630am talk radio when a news break said that a plane hit one of the towers. I remember thinking that it was a terrible accident. But then, just minutes later, another plane hit the other tower. I almost ran off the road and knew that we have been attacked by terrorists. I’m a defense contractor and on that day, they wouldn’t allow us to go anywhere, especially when the Pentagon got hit. Truly it was “a day that will live in infamy”.
@Kahless
Yes, I remember it well. The way the Twin Towers were hit was a brutal one-two punch. My wife and I turned on CNN that morning after she head about the first airplane on the radio, and I have no words to describe the feeling that washed over us when that second plane hit.
What we were watching was *literally* unbelievable.
Vic
There just aren’t words.
Rev
I was working in TV news and we saw it live. I literally fainted from the horror and was sent home. Days later, we learned half of the terrorists were living in South Florida, near where I lived. And the anthrax attacks at AMI (Enquirer, etc.), where my close friend worked.
May we never forget what happened that day, or what the day signifies: America coming together. God Bless!
heath
I was in college at the time. The phone rang and it woke me up. It was my roomate’s father calling. From his words, I felt like I tried to wake up again. That was the only time in my life I ever felt that. I worry what may be the next thing that tries to wake me up when I am already awake…
I certainly cannot imagine what the first responders or the search and rescuers felt. I’m sure my feeling pales in comparison.
I will NEVER forget .
it was morning and i was getting ready for school, and my mom had the tv news on same as always.. they were talking about how there was a major accident and how a plane hit the tower. Then the second plane hit and i remember the sudden wave of fear, anger, frustration and overall confusion that followed and carried over in the weeks after.
i feel like crying thinking of all those people who chose to run in, or flight 93 and that very sad ( i am crying now ) call to the guys wife.
THANK YOU
May the Lord bless the families and friends of the victims and those brave souls.
@Rich
This is a day when no man will get chastised for crying.
As a New York City Firefighter, I thank everyone for your sincerity. As a survivor, I thank everyone for never forgetting & taking this day for granted. As a movie buff, I thank everyone on Screen Rant for making movie watching, reading, and discussion enjoyable. Movies & you guys make dealing with this day a little easier. Thanks
God Bless America and the heroes that did their duties. Never forget 9/11 and never let anyone corrupt the memory of what the day signifies.
Heath
Your Welcome Jason. And thank you for the kind words.
And thank you, Jason, for your courage and selflessness. Men and women like you is what made this country great.
“And thank you, Jason, for your courage and selflessness. Men and women like you is what made this country great.”
x2
My thoughts go out to All who lost loved ones on this tragic day.
Jason, two of your brother firefighters died fighting a horrific fire here in California recently .
It is still raging though it is 71 percent contained .
You and your fellow Firefighters are the definition of the word Hero.
Thank You .
Thank you, Bruce.
Though they have yet to be avenged and a proper memorial has yet to be built, they are all remembered and carried in our hearts.
Heroes ALL.
Bruce, Kahless, Gary, Ink, and the Screen Rant community. Thank you. Every firefighter, Police officers, EMTs & I appreciate the support.
Now if we can only get the Memorials built before I die. That would be awesome!!!!
P.S. I’m in good health. They are just taking too long to build those memorials.
Well said sir. Not much for prayer myself, I always ask the big guy to watch over the families of those who were stolen from them on that day. We should all remember how quick life can change. Especially these days when we seem to be more vulnerable than we’ve been in a long time.
I remember standing in my classroom full of seventh graders, ready to begin a new day, when the PA system told everyone to turn on the recently-installed room TVs because something was happening. I remember how, once we realized what the news was showing, we stood there in stunned silence.
We got through that day of classes. Then, the discussions, arguments, wishes, and prayers began…
Re: Your remeberance of 9-11
I am very grateful that YOU have not forgotten the horrible acts of terror in America. Every year, fewer and fewer people do, much to my chagrin. Thank you for your article. You may be interested to know that I have produced my own small 9-11 remeberance card that was transmitted to friends and colleagues. Should you, or anybody else, be interested in receiving a no-charge copy, please contact me at whg007@gmail.com Some of us will NEVER forget. W.H.G.
I don’t know what to say. This is one of the topics that really gets to me. I first heard it on my alarm clock radio and thought it was a joke. I woke up to a reporter yelling hysterically “The whole building is gone! It came down! There’s just smoke where the building was! Oh my god!” And at the time I listened to this rock station and the DJ’s are a bunch of retarded a-holes so I thought it was some stupid joke they were doing so I just turned it off and drove to the University where I was attending at the time. And people all seemed pretty awkward, like people moved slower, more people were standing around talking, and not talking loudly and laughing like usual, just a lot of people grouped and talking, then I went to me class and the professor is like “You have all seen the news right? Terrorists have attacked the country.” And it was only then I realized what was going on…
You guys should watch this HBO special called “In Memoriam – New York City, 9/11/01″ I usually find HBO to teeter on the offensive side, but this was a very well made documentary made on 09/11/2001. A lot of footage you probably haven’t seen on tv, but the thing that makes this worth watching is all of the personal stories from a lot of people they interviewed for this. Very touching. I think the one that really got me was this woman that worked for Giuliani who had a husband that was a cop, and how he went UP tower 2 AFTER tower 1 had already collapsed to try to find more survivors to save. Of course he didn’t make it… But it is stories like this, photos they showed of cops, port authority, and firefighters climbing UP the stairs while everyone was going down that really gets to me. These people know the danger, I’m sure they don’t WANT to die, some of them have kids and a spouse waiting for them, but they do what they do anyway and made the ultimate sacrifice…
I’m not a religious person, but if there is a heaven and a hell, I would definitely go to hell for what I want to do if I were to ever get my hands on any of the terrorists that were involved in the planning of that, or of any terrorist attack for that matter. If I could get a few hours alone with any of them, I can’t even begin to describe what I want to do without having my post deleted for content…
And one of my friend’s boyfriend actually believes that 9/11 was an “inside job” and all of those ridiculous conspiracy theories THAT HAVE ALL BEEN PROVEN WRONG BTW! and I swear I want to strangle him…
Ah, anyway, I’m going to shut up now, I’m just looking more and more like some crazy angry person, but I guess when it comes to this, I can’t deny that…
I was in Saudi Arabia working in the emergency room when the first tower collapsed..they had it on a TV there and all the Jordanian/Palestinian male nurses started to applaud and cheer and I f^&*ing lost it! I started yelling and screaming and I got right in their faces. They stopped applauding to say the least (I’m a big guy and spit was flying..I must have looked carzy to them)..a couple of doctors from Canada had to come over and calm me down because I was gonna pound the little @$$holes!! They sent me home and two of the four guys got fired the next day after word got out what they did..The administration of the hospital responded swiftly and very appropriately for which I and alot of other Westerners were grateful..
May God bless all those who lost loved ones, bless all those who lost their lives, bless all the rescue workers who saved lives and gave their lives trying to save others!! You will always be remembered!!
@greenknight
Wow, that’s a hell of a story, bud.
Vic
It was either start screaming at them or cry Vic because of their heartlessness..I chose the former…That really disturbed me though that they could actually do that at the loss of life..
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