9/11

It's funny how that horrible day brought out the best in us for a long time afterward.

Wish we could recapture and retain that sense of unity which, in my lifetime, has never been stronger, although for older people, I'm sure that Dec. 7, 1941 would top it.

Take a look back. It's good for us.

http://www.newsweek.com/photo/2010/09/08/we-could-learn-from-grace-and-unity-in-aftermath-of-september-11.html?GT1=43002

 

Remember I turned on the TV just in time to see one of the towers collapsing. Wasn't sure what I was looking at.

Saw on the scroll of victims a few days later the names of a man, woman and 2-year-old girl who were on their way to Disneyland. They were the same ages as me, my wife and my daughter, and we were going to Disneyland in a couple months. I wanted so much to do something for that particular family, but wasn't sure what to do.

Was in NY exactly a month later, on 10/11. Very eerie. Couldn't help but cry just walking around.

 

I was in bed, and my mom came and woke me up. We turned on the TV in my bedroom and withing just a minute or two, the second plane hit. It was, for me, very strongly reminiscent of the day of the OKC bombing. I was an eighth grader then, and we just sat, all day long, watching the coverage. The same thing on 9/11, just sitting, watching terrible, terrible things unfold.

As noted before, our hearts are with those who lost loved ones, and a special blessing on those who rushed in while others rushed out.

 

They did.

Ten days later was my HS reunion. A few of us were hanging around the night before (the night Piazza hit that majestic homer to beat the Braves) at my parents' house about two hours north of NYC and the sister of one of my best buddies stopped by. She asked how I was doing and I said I've been a lot better. She asked what was wrong and I said I was still shaken up by the terrorist attacks. She says "Why? It's over now and it's not going to happen again."

That's two hours and one state away. I was mortified.

Here is one of the most heart-breaking things you will ever read: Ex-Newsday columnist Shaun Powell eulogizes his brother, who died in the Pentagon.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2001-09-15/news/0109140825_1_fingers-dennis-scott-wiffle-ball

 

BYH is right. My friend (who lived in Manhattan at the time and who did some work with people from Cantor Fitzgerald) was told by her Iowa-based grandparents about a week after 9/11 that it was "depressing" hearing her talk about what happened and that she and other New Yorkers needed to "stop whining." Never mind that she lost friends, breathed in the toxicity, etc.

 

It's odd how, if you talk to anyone else in the world about 911, they get it.
It's only a subset of AMERICANS who can't figure out what all the fuss is about.

 

Obviously 9/11 will always be a solemn day but this year specially in NY it seems to be a much bigger deal on the 9th anniversary.

 

I just remembered another story. Some well-off acquaintances of ours were friends with some mega-wealthy folks. On 9/11, they were cruising in the Mediterranean on a private luxury yacht.
All of a sudden, the crew started to scurry around, were clearly on alert and they quickly took down the American flag and put up some other generic nautical flag.
They'd gotten the news of the attack. As the story was told to us, the captain high-tailed out of open sea with the goal of trying to stay close to land to avoid any kind of attack. They pulled into a small fishing village in Greece. A local met the boat and said, "Did you hear, we bombed you."
That was pretty scary -- and telling -- to the group, having a Greek say "We bombed you" to Americans. Lots of anti-American sentiments in Europe.
Don't know much of the details after that, but the people we know did say that it took them a few days to contact their family here and three weeks to get home, even with the "pull" their rich friends had with government officials.

 

My cousin told me today that he went on a three-day canoe trip on 9/11. They left shore at about noon in Maine. That's quite a different way to have spent those days.

 

A buddy of mine posted this on Facebook today.

(Person) "began his day by hoisting the Flag to half mast at Bonnet Shores. Since then, about 10 people have asked me why it's at half staff. I guess "Never Forget" was just a catchphrase... There's not a cloud in the sky down here, just like that morning, 9 years ago."