Today, of course, is September 11th, the 8th anniversary of the terrorist attack in 2001.
There is another commemorative post coming up, and I don't want to step on any toes, but here is something that may put you in the mindset:
The September 11 Television Archive
This is a near-complete archive of the broadcasts from ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX (local and national), CNN, and the BBC. The videos are divided up by time, and most of the videos start around 8:30 AM on September 11th (about 18 minutes before the first plane went into the World Trade Center building), and run all the way through September 13th, when New York schools finally re-opened.
There is also a thorough chronology of the events included farther down the page.
Be careful when watching it, as it will not only put you in the mindset of that tragic day, but some of the footage can be hard to watch again.
Friday, September 11, 2009
22 comments:
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God bless all those who perished that day, those who rushed to their aid, and the families who remain to grieve. We will never forget.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, Scott. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
ReplyDeleteI watching the footage right now, and I'm up to 8:57 AM, where people are still amazed to learn that this wasn't a small plane.
I guess this is as good a place as any to discuss what we personally remember (though our featured piece coming up is about just that).
ReplyDeleteI was on a treadmill. Before the morning was over, I was so afraid. If I think back, I can still recall the feeling - which is so rare in America - of being so insecure, terrified of what would happen next. We just didn't know.
It took me six months to shake it, I think.
I was in my first semester, facing an algebra test at 11. I stayed glued to the tv ...many calls were made ...a large group of my friends gathered at a local pub to watch the coverage all afternoon.
ReplyDeleteWe needed to be with each other.
That happened to be my day off of work.
ReplyDeleteMy mom had called me the previous day and left a message that she wanted to get together. I got the message at 11:30 PM, and figured I'd call her back in the morning.
I got up, grabbed a bite, and went to turn on my computer. Since it was dial-up, I figured I'd better call her first.
When I called her up, I said "Fine, let's get together about 11:00 or so." Her reply was, "And . . . ?!?"
I didn't have a TV at the time, so I didn't know what she was talking about. When she told me, and I went online to see the rest, I was astonished!
The weirdest moment of that day was crossing the Las Vegas Strip, and not seeing a single soul walking up or down the streets. It's the only time I've seen Vegas look like a ghost town!
That must have been surreal, Scott. That place never shuts down, does it?
ReplyDeleteMicrosoft let people stay home that day, for fear that the main campuses might be targets.
We needed to be with each other.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember it taking a long time to regain your confidence in your physical safety? I was wondering if I was unusual in that regard. I was almost afraid to leave the house for a while, and I had the distinct feeling that life had changed forever. I got over it (thank you, President Bush), but I felt at the time like it would never end.
It was very surreal.
ReplyDeleteNo one was at McCarran Airport (by the time I got out of the house, the FAA had already grounded all flights), or even going in or out.
I found out later that about 80% of the people were in their rooms watching TV, and the other 20% were gambling in the casinos, but it wasn't the usual festive atmosphere.
At the time, Vegas had about 800,000 visitors in town who couldn't fly home, so the casinos were making special arrangements for those people to stay (since no new visitors would be coming in, this worked out).
Do you remember it taking a long time to regain your confidence in your physical safety?
ReplyDeleteYes, but my children were young and I needed to keep them feeling safe and stable. I shoved all of those feelings down. You're right though, it took a long time to feel normal.
The first 9/11 tribute I ever saw, and still the most touching: http://www.usdisaster2001.com/other/WorldTradeCenter.swf
ReplyDeleteMe too, Scott. I watched this many many times.
ReplyDeleteTears ....
I remember even Starbucks stores closing here. There was so much confusion and fear. No one knew what to expect, which is such a strange sensation in America.
ReplyDeleteWe're so used to counting on things.
I copied this from "somewhere else" where it has been stored for a few years...
ReplyDeleteMy friend called a little after 9 am to see if my brother still worked at the WTC. "Turn on the TV", she said.
My mother is a survivor of Auschwitz. After a lifetime of living with her panic and anxiety attacks, I know the drill every time "something bad" happens anywhere near one of us "kids". She was in Atlantic City at the time, probably out on the boardwalk, walking. (That day was gorgeous. Much like today is in Philadelphia.)
I called my "little" brother at home in NYC who was getting ready to go out and vote. "Turn on the TV", I said, "You're not voting today." Then I called my "baby" brother in NJ to make sure he wasn't traveling that day. (His company has a lot of government/military contracts and he often has appointments at the Pentagon.) Everybody was home or close to home. I finally got 'hold of my mother and told her I spoke to everyone and no one was anywhere near the danger.
Then the phones went down pretty much everywhere between NYC and Washington. I had internet working but I was not able to contact my mother. (I could feel the panic radiating all the way from Atlantic City.)
Late in the afternoon I finally got through to my mom. She made me swear up and down that I wasn't lying about speaking to my brothers early in the day because she never got to speak with them. Then she started to cry - "All those people!" - and I cried with her over the phone.
My mother shut down her emotions soon after that. I think survivors can do that better than most of us; that's how they survived. They are certainly better at it than their children.
I cried for two weeks. I was supposed to be working. I was also supposed to be working on my daughter's Bat Mitzvah which was less than 5 weeks away. I couldn't tear myself away from the TV and computer. Who slept?! My safe America, my home - the Golden Medina - was damaged forever.
Some wounds never heal...
Hey guys, Matrix.
ReplyDeleteReally cool post here. Never seen anything like this (live video)on the internet. This should be tough :-/
Matrix! I am so glad you found your way here! I've missed you.
ReplyDelete...Pink
Thank you ma'am :) I hope you're doing well!
ReplyDeleteI am, Matrix. Very well. Hoping for a splash of a launch soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm out of here for now, will be back after noon. I will see you all then. :)
ReplyDeleteTake it easy! Hope there's a launch soon too!
ReplyDeleteIt was eight years ago. Eight years since our new reality was created. On that fateful day, September 11th, 2001, our freedom was attempted to be stripped from us. Because of those four planes, terrorists, and thousands of American lives lost, we now live in a new reality. A reality which we did not necessarily choose to live in, but one to which we are now obliged for the rest of our lives. It is a reality under a new threat that had never before been realized. There's a daily reminder of September 11th, 2001. In the news, in our minds. The images play in my mind constantly. So many people lost their lives on that day, for the sole reason that they were American. American, just like you and I, trying to provide an honest living for their families--taking the OPPORTUNITIES that our country had given them to do so. Terrorists have attempted to take what we have fought for, what we have paid for with our blood, sweat and tears over centuries, but we have risen stronger and fiercer. This new threat is indeed too real, but what is also real is the resolve of the American people. That resolve is greater than anything, and is one of the things that make me so proud to be an American.
ReplyDeleteSince that day, many measures have been taken to prevent another, possibly more catastrophic event from taking place. We must realize the threat, and we must be aware. People assume that they are now safe from evil because seven years have passed. They think that it's okay to act hesitantly and react rather than act. That should not be the case, and is a dangerous line of thinking.
We cannot live the way we did before, because if we forget the lessons learned from September 11th, 2001, history will repeat itself. We MUST come together and realize the true enemies. WE MUST fight together as one nation, rather than sit here and fight amongst ourselves. We must NEVER relent, and never give up. We must NEVER fall into a false sense of security. This is what the enemy wants, and being apathetic, oblivious, and careless will only validate their ultimate goals.
Over the last year and a half, we have lost sight of the importance in fighting against this enemy. Instead, our daily thoughts are with the economic situation that has plagued the world. While focusing on these problems is important, giving too much attention and not enough to a regrouping and still-very-alive threat is perilous, reckless, and potentially very destructive. With a new administration in tow, I can only hope that the importance of strong foreign policy is not lost upon them, and that they will continue to do whatever it takes to keep this nation and its’ people safe from further attack.
After all, as Ronald Reagan once said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
I feel personally attacked, offended, and hurt every day that some factions of people want to kill ME and destroy MY country, simply because I am an American.
They may have broken our hearts, but they will never, EVER, break our spirit.
9/11/2001. Never again.
God Bless America
Amen, Tark ...Amen.
ReplyDelete