In Honor of those who gave it all 5 years ago

Josette · September 11, 2006

Just wanted to honor the people that died 5 years ago today and the families that continue to struggle with living without them.

May God continue to watch over each and every one of us.

Mita · September 11, 2006

My Heart Goes out to all these Familes that continue to still struggle each and everyday. They are not forgotten!

Blessings to all out Servicemen and Women

HarleyNana · September 11, 2006

Heart felt wishes to the families and victims of 9/11.

I salute the men and women serving our country....thank you so much!

paula · September 11, 2006

God bless this country and I pray that we never experience anything like this again.

question: what were you guys doing when you heard this tragic news?

I was getting out of my car at Walmart (8am) going shopping for Anne's 1st birthday supplies (her Bday is the 14th). There was a Walmart employee in the car next to me that was sitting with her door open (in shock) listening to the radio... the announcements made on the radio were talking about "plane crash.. could be a terror attack" My immediate thought was this was in another country... so I continued on my shopping trip.

Hour later Mike called from work (He's a mailman and works in a Gov. building-they were under a high risk alert for terrorist attack) and asked if I knew what was going on. I didnt. I turned on the news.

What shock.. it was when the towers fell. To view this was one of the most memorable things Ill ever endure. I cried and cried and cried. It was like watching footage from another country. The smoke, people running, chaos...

never ever will I ever forget this day.

I remember sleeping very little for 2 days glued to CNN waiting...hoping... watching for someone to survive the tower rumble.

5 years later and I remember this day as clear as my wedding day and the birth of my 3 children.

Elisabethsew · September 11, 2006

I live in New York and know several people who lost relatives. It's nice to see how we continue to honor those who lost their lives in the disaster.

Margo · September 11, 2006

God bless the heros of 9/11.....those who died, those who survivored and those who are still suffering.

ralheit · September 11, 2006

God Bless this country and it's people, especially those who were personally touched by this horrible day. I was at work, my husband called to tell me that a plane had crashed into the 1st tower. We all went on line and the story began to unfold. We went down to our showroom where there is a big screen and everyone was crammed in there shoulder to shoulder, some in tears, some just in shock. Our CEO asked that we all go home to be with our families. My company is within a few minutes of the Cleveland Hopkins airport. I remember looking in the sky for fear of seeing an airplane aimed at something. It was strange the first time the planes were back in the air after not even seeing one for that period of time. I have never flown since, hope I don't have to.

Tired_Old_Man · September 11, 2006

My daughter-in-law was standing next to the South Tower when the plane hit. She was only mildly injured by the debris, but emotionally scarred from the sights that she witnessed. She was one of those people you saw running as the South Tower came down. She was on the Brooklyn Bridge trying to walk to our home when the North Tower came down. I wiped the tears and gray soot from her face after she walked the 8 miles to our house in Flatbush. We hugged and cried together after I wiped her face.

I worked for an airline that (unwillingly and unwittingly) supplied planes for 911 and I worked at one of the airports where one of the planes took off from. I was on my day off watching FOX News and eating Breakfast with my wife when the first plane hit and I was at my computer and turned around to look just as flight 175 was about to strike the South Tower. I saw that crash live and said to my wife, "we are under attack for sure". I had said earlier that it might have been an attack when the TV showed the damage to the North Tower, because knowing the size of the towers and the size of planes, I knew that the imprint of damage was not that of a small plane.

I pray that all people who believe in God, no matter what they call him, will come together to end this madness. I am tired of seeing people use the name of God to justify this unjustifiable never ending cycle of killing. When Jesus said to Peter on the night before his crucifixion, “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword", He was not only speaking of swords, he was speaking of guns, bombs, missiles and planes, both fighter and bomber as well as civilian. He was speaking of a way of life. He was speaking of war as a way of life and Jesus also said, “Blessed are the peacemakers”. He didn't say, “Blessed are the people who pray for peace”, nor “Blessed are the people who want peace”, but “Blessed are the peacemakers”. Where are the Peacemakers?

lapbander081004 · September 11, 2006

The saddness of it all is that most young people today do not know what Dec.07,is the anniverasy of.

I hope and pray that we never forget what happened 5 years ago, and that God continue to watch over all his people and to allow the wounds to heal. And peace to prevail.

I also thank God every day I was not the President of this Great nation on that day. AS there would be a lot more uninhabitable land in this world.

Josette · September 11, 2006

When 9/11 happened I worked for an executive office of the Dept of State in the Michigan Historical Center. We had a radio on in our lobby area so as I was working I heard the DJ between songs say "there's a weird development coming out of New York. It appears one of the World Trade Center towers were struck by a plane. We'll keep you posted on this as news comes in" So we were talking about it and thinking it was like a small plane or traffic helicopter. A while later the DJ comes on sounding paniced and says the other tower was hit and it appears there's an attack on New York underway. We all got pretty upset and turned the radio up. Then a while later they said the pentagon was hit and at that time our building was put on shut down and we had to escort any visitors out of the building. We had no access to TV so all we could get was what the radio said plus the internet sites like CNN was sloooooow and we couldn't get them to update. Then the DJ came on saying that there were reports of 5 planes highjacked and heading to chicago and 3 planes down in Pennsylvania. We were all upset. My mom was having her last chemo treatment so I called and talked to her and she was worried about me because I was so close to the Capital building. We got several emails about buildings downtown being evacuwaited and there were military planes flying overhead. At lunchtime we went to the auditorium and they had live feed from a New York station playing on the HUGE movie theater screen and that was the first I got to see the planes hit and the towers fall and it was unbelievable. Dozens of us were just standing there in shock. No matter how many times they kept replaying it you just couldn't get it to sink in. They had a guy walk in to the studio that had escaped the towers and was covered in the white dust and it was crying saying that there were so many people still in there that have to be dead now. After work all the gas stations had atleast an 8 block long line for Gas and the American Red Cross was jam packed with cars all over the lawns in the area parking to go donate.

That night I laid in bed with the TV on. I usually can't sleep with any light or sound on but I was terrified to go to sleep without the TV on. I woke up several times in the night to make sure nothing else had happened.

Tired_Old_Man · September 12, 2006

I am a New Yorker. I was raised on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Rockefeller Plaza, the Yankees or the Mets, Jones Beach or Rye Beach or one of the beaches on the sound. I know that "THE END" means Montauk. Because I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker. When I go on vacation, I never look up: skyscrapers are something I take for granted. The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are part of me. Taxis and noise and subways and "get outa heah" don't rattle me, because I am a New Yorker.

I am a New Yorker. I was raised on cultural diversity before it was politically correct. I eat Greek food and Italian food, Jewish and Middle Eastern food and Chinese food because they are all American food to me. I don't get mad when people speak other languages in my presence because my relatives got to this country via Ellis Island and chose to stay. They were New Yorkers.

I am a New Yorker. People who have never been to New York have misunderstood me. My friends and family work in the industries, professions and businesses that benefit all Americans. My firefighters and police officers died trying to save New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers. They died trying to save Americans and non-Americans because they were New Yorkers.

I am a New Yorker. I feel the pain of my fellow New Yorkers. I mourn the loss of part of my beautiful city. But then I remember:

I am a New Yorker.

And New Yorkers have:

Tenacity, strength and courage way above the norm

Compassion and caring for our fellow citizens

Love and pride in our city, in our state, in our country

Intelligence, experience and education par excellence

Ability, dedication and energy above and beyond

Faith; no matter what religion we practice

Terrorists hit America in its heart but America's heart still beats strong. Demolish the steel in our buildings, but it doesn't touch the steel in our souls. Hit us in the pocketbook; but we'll parlay what we have left into a fortune. End innocent lives leaving widows and orphans, but we'll take care of them, because they are New Yorkers

Wherever we live, whatever we do, whoever we are. There are New Yorkers in every state and every city of this nation. We will not abandon our city. We will not abandon our brothers and sisters. We will not abandon the beauty, creativity and diversity that New York represents. And most importantly, we will never forget.

Because we are New Yorkers.

And we are proud to be New Yorkers.

I REPOST THIS IN HONOR OF ALL OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES 5 YEARS AGO TODAY

Elisabethsew · September 12, 2006

Thank you for posting that, TOM. I was at home watching TV when I saw the planes hit the towers. About 15 minutes later, my phone rang and it was the hospital I work for mobilizing a disaster response team. We are a Level 1 Trauma Center and expected a large number of casualities.

I never took any note of living on an Island (Long Island) until 9/11/01. The trains shut down, the airports shut down and the only people being allowed to commute were health care workers and other service workers. All others were turned back. We waited for hours and then word came that there would be no need for the disaster response team. Casualties were minimal because death rates were sky high. The team slowly broke up and returned to work or home.

I began vacation that day. With the disaster called off, I decided to go forward with my plans to go to Newport, Rhode Island. The only way off Long Island was by ferry so I drove to Port Jefferson and was shocked to see miles long lines to get on the ferry. People can say whatever they want about New Yorkers but we sure do ban together when it's called for.

I was with a friend but noticed that many of the cars had only one driver. It was a sunny but very warm day and each hour the line moved as 90 cars made it onto the ferry. I decided to walk to the hospital (about 1/2 mile) and I bought 2 dozen filled Water bottles and a bunch of candy and Snacks. As I walked back to my friend and the car, I stopped along the line of cars to see if any elderly, diabetic, small children, etc. were in need of water or food. After I reached my car, I noticed other people offering donuts car to car with small children tagging along and knocking on car doors to "give away" a cookie or a donut.

On my fifth hour on line, I noticed people from the local McDonald's were going car to car and taking orders for dinner. They were delivering the food to the cars at no charge. People in the area opened their homes so those of us on line could use the bathroom or call a loved one.

The day was tragic but I never felt so good about being a native New Yorker as I did that day.

mousecrazy · September 12, 2006

What I like best about the stories of 9/11 are these stories, like Elizabeth's, of everyday heroism. How I wish and cling to the hope that we can all remember these moments, and reach inside ourselves and find them more often!

I add my prayers to all the others for comfort for the victims and the survivors, for courage and wisdom for our country and all of its leaders, and for perseverance and dedication for all of us everyday citizens, that we may never forget.

Tired_Old_Man · September 12, 2006

There is another impending tragedy in the offing. Two of my friends, x-coworkers that I have each known for over 30 years are sick. They both were involved with the cleanup for our airline. One worked at the WTC site looking and sifting the debris for aircraft parts and the other was at the landfall doing the same as the trucks and/or barges deposited the remains of the WTC in Staten Island. Besides aircraft debris, they also had to look for the minutest of body parts for possible identification which were then handed over to the medical examiner.

Of course the fireman, police and other rescue workers who gave their lives on 911 were the truest of heros, but these people who are now sick after the government lied about the air quality deserve our compassion, prayers and medical care. If we can spend billions in Iraq, we should be able to spend whatever it takes to help these people who were there when we needed them. I am fearful that one of my friends may not make it much longer and I worry about how his wife and children will make it without him, both emotionally and financially.

There were heros on 911, but these are the forgotten heros of 911.