Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I was home holding onto Patrick who was 7 weeks old. I just happened to put on the news. They were talking about the one plane. And then the second hit. I will never forget. I thank-God I was out on maternity.

An old friend of mine worked at Cantor he never made it out.

For all who were there my heart goes out to you.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I was not there, but I do have family that were near the pentagon and the wtc. Both not actually in those buildings, but near...I don't think I could know what you feel, leaving that building minutes before it collapsed, and undoubtedly losing friends. I am so happy you are here though, and never think you have to "get over it" this is a peice of you for the good and the bad.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I can't even imagine the emotions of people who were there that day and who last loved ones.

I can remember the day soooo vividly. I was in school at Molloy and my phsics professor did some kind of contracted work for the Dept of Defense and all of sudden other teachers were coming in and everyone was talking about what was happening. My cell happened to ring (which I later found out was not common since service was so bad) It was my DH (boyfriend at the time) telling me to just leave school and go home.

I rememeber driving home and running into my living room to put on the TV -- I sat on the coffee table staring at the TV in a state of shock! As soon as it kind og hit me what was going on I went to pick up my little brother from school. We waited almost 4 hours o hear from my Dad (he works on location all over the city, so we never know where he is)

For days my IL's had debris landing in their backyard in Bklyn. It was mostly papers, but it was amazing how some of them were torn/burnt up and other pieces of paper were in perfect condition. There was one particular piece of paper that landed in their yard that always makes me cry.....it is a time card type thing with a bunch of people names and personal info. A year or so after I looked up a lot of the names and most of them are people who lost their lives.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

This is always such a hard time of the year for us. DH lost a really good friend - he worked for Fiduiciary Trust in Tower 2.

I was at The Early Show with someone from one of the PBS shows I was working on. WE were in the green room watching the news when we saw the reports of the first plane hitting. As soon as that happened all of the producers took off for downtown. We were just left sitting there, not knowing what to do. I walked back to my office and watched the 2nd tower fall and had to leave work. But I remember being so terrified to walk outside thinking another plane was going to bomb NYC. I walked to DH's job and met my best friend there. We just all stayed together for a few hours. Finally, she left with one of her friends to walk over the 59th st bridge. DH and I walked to the Weehawken ferry to try to get one to go back to NJ where he lived.

I remember taking hours to get onto a boat and then just watching the smoke come up from downtown. That image I will never ever forget. It felt like a movie.

When we got home we called our friend's wife, who lived behind us. She was hysterical knowing that he didn't make it out. We tried to comfort her but she just knew - it was the worst day of my life.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I was living in PA at the time, and had just gotten home the night before from a trip to CT to see my college roommate...

My parents were still on Long Island and my Dad called me in the morning to tell me about what was going on, and I turned on the TV to watch the 2nd plane hit...absolute horror, shock and devastation...

My father is very active in the Fire Service in New York State, and he lost several close friends that day...and a lot of "brothers"...It is very hard for him to talk about that day still...

I came home to visit the following weekend, and I will never forget the smells or the sight of the debris being transported across Staten Island...I cried the whole way...

To those who were there and who lost family/friends

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I was working in mid-town. We all had TVs at our desks, so we were glued. Around 10AM, we all left and I ran around trying to find my sister and cousin. We walked across the 59th street bridge into Queens and made it to the Jamaica LIRR station.

I remember every smell, sound and sight from that day. I remember what I was wearing. I never put it on again.

I remember seeing my BF's father on the train and calling her to tell her he was ok.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I wasn't in the city..but we lost a family member and my father had a few of his men in the building doing work.....

I get chills thinking of tomorrow!

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I lost a close childhood friend to the attacks....She was on flight 11 that hit one of the towers..............

I also helped work rescue/recovery operations......................

It was a tough day......and its still sad but I try not and dwell on the past too much and focus on the future.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

to all those who were affected
i had two uncles who worked in the towers, one was halfway to work and left his wallet at home so he turned around and to go home and get it. Thank god as his office ended up being one of the ones who lost a majority of their employees the second uncle had called in sick that day.
My sister was working couple blocks down from the towers and also had to walk across one of the bridges to get out of the city. and we thought my father was on one of planes that crashed into the towers (thank god he had been on a different flight).
I also worked with a little boy who had down syndrome, who lost his mother in the towers they actually did a documentary on him and what his family had gone through since that terrible day

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I worked in NYC for a long time but wasn't in work that day. I do remember everything about that day and the ones following. Just a few weeks before the attacks, I had friends visiting from London and they stayed at the Millenium Hotel right across the street. We spent a lot of time going to the free concerts that were held outside the WTC and in the shops there. It was so hard to fathom them not being there and the loss that we all sustained that day, both in NY and at the Pentagon and in PA. It took me over a year to go down to the site where the towers were.

I stopped working in NYC a few months later. I tried going back to working there in early 2003 but it was just too hard.

I do not know anyone who was not affected by what happened that day in some way, shape, or form.

to everyone.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I will never forget that day and just treading through this thread brings back a flood of emotions. I worked on the 100th floor of Tower I until 8 months before the attack. I was still very close with my co-workers and had lunch with the group just the week before where they were trying to convince me to comeback. My former group lost 7 wonderful people. And the company lost over 200. I quit my job within a week and was working back with my former group within 2 weeks. I NEEDED to be with them. This is very hard to even write as it brings me to tears. I also lost some very dear friends that day in addition to my former colleagues. I was with one of my friends just the night before and still can picture his smiling face perfectly as I left him that night. I dreaded reading the paper, although I made sure I read through everyone, because everytime I did I would see a picture of someone else I knew that was missing. It was really too much for me at the time. I felt quilty being alive. My heart bleeds for all the families, rescue personal, etc. that suffered that tragic day. They are always in my prayers and will never be forgotten.

When I rejoined my old firm they temporarily found space for us on an already occupied floor in their midtown headquarters. We were seated in the middle of another department. This is where I met my DH. By August of the following year we were living together and today have been married 4 years and are expecting baby #3. I am so blessed to have met such a wonderful man in the wake of something so horrible. When we started dating I struggled with the happiness I had found and wonder to this day if our paths would have crossed one day if I didn't find myself returning to work at my old firm.

to all as I know this day will have a lasting effect on all us.

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I was there. I worked a few blocks away at the time. My step-mother worked in tower 1. I got off the train right after the first plane hit. I called my dad right away and luckily he was able to get in touch with my step-mother before the second plane hit. Luckily, she had to be in court that morning so she had just left the building before the first plane hit.. she's in a wheelchair so who knows what would have happened otherwise.

I also knew a few people who weren't as fortunate.

I was in the street when the second tower fell. I'll never forget walking out of the city that day - especially the silence among the thousands of us who were walking out together. Or the smell of downtown for months afterwards.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I too was called to duty that afternoon and remained for the next few days. I then worked on the recovery effort until July. That was truly the most horrific thing I have ever been a part of in my entire life. However it was also the most inspiring and hopeful thing I have ever been a part of.

I try and remember all of the good from that day and the time period following. I met some of the most AMAZING people in this world. It was incredible how strangers became instant family members and selflessly pulled together for the greater good.

Debbie~ I love you! I miss you! We HAVE to get together soon! When Im at the site tomorrow I'll be thinking of you and Sally!

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I was in midtown that day. Panic didn't set in until I was on the bridge...we were trying to get through to everyone and DH was trying to find me when I remembered that his cousin was stationed in tribeca. My heart nearly stopped on that bridge.

It must have been that same time when a cop saw me and came up to me...asked me where I lived and when I said Queens he said "welcome home, you're okay" and I lost it. I was wandering down Queens Blvd when DH came up and grabbed me I'll never forget the look on his face.

I can barely express my feelings when I say that his cousin barely made it out of the second tower. He suffered severe burns but he is with us today.

I went back in 2 days later and I'll never forget what this city looked like. I was near the midtown tunnel so we had military personnel directing traffic and I saw buses coming and going - the ones going had men on them full of debris looking defeated That image is burned in my mind. That and all of those posters. If your heart wasn't already broken...that did it.

Message edited 9/10/2008 11:37:55 AM.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I worked (still do) in Midtown and I watched it all happen from my window. A friend of mine's DH was in one of the towers and when she could not get a hold of him (they were only married 3 months at the time) I had to try to control her. He did get out though.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

My boyfriend at the time was assigned to the morgue b/c he was a det. in cold cases- it was really a tent where they tried to id people based on the personal information they received from victims' families. He said the saddest thing would be that families would come up to the tent and hand him pictures of their missing loved ones and ask if he had seen them. He said it was horrible b/c they were receiving body parts (hope this is not too graphic), but he felt so bad for the families and would take their pictures. He did that for almost a year and he had a nervous breakdown I think b/c of dealing with the sadness everyday. We broke up a year later , but I always wonder if he is ok, especially when 9/11 rolls around. Like everyone, DH and I had friends that died that day and we miss them and think about them everdayl.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I also worked in Midtown. I was the one who actually told everyone in my office. My aunt had just called me and we hung up and she called right back to tell me.. I thought she was joking since we were just laughing about something 2 sec earlier. I logged onto ABc.com and was able to see.. i also had a radio at my desk and PLJ was broadcasting ABC news. I remember thinking of my cousin who worked in tower 1 so I tried to call my Dh to find out. Everyone I knew that was supposed to be in the towers was either late or did not go into work .

I also remember the day it was clear blue and warm and DH and I were living with my parents and waiting for my sister to give birth so we could make place reservations to fly down to FL for his Bris . ( we never did make it.. my parents actually drove).

My heart goes out to those who lost a loved one on that day. I know that many have moved on but 9/11 has changed the world that we live in and the world our children are going to grow up in . I just hope when my DC learn about this in school I will be able to tell them exactly what I saw and what I remember...

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I still have problems talking about this day. I work in tv and the station i was working for..I got into work and immediately told a plane crashed in WTC but we were all thinking small commuter plane (b/c Aaliyah had just died that year). All of our management was in LA so they are calling us and our reporters were in LA. They sent those of us with any tv expeirence with a lone reporter downtown. There I saw people crying, praying, falling out of windows. I still have a problem with it all because I saw when the towers fell and the horror and trying to keep my composure for the benefit of the public. To me this day will always be very painful.

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Worst. Day. Ever.

My father worked on the 96th floor of Tower 2 since the building opened - over 30 years. He was late to work that day because he decided to take the bus from Penn instead of the subway since it was so nice out. He made it up to the 78th floor where you have to switch elevator banks and the first plane had hit the other building on his way up. When the elevator doors opened, everyone bummed rushed it so he couldn't even get off the elevator. He got downstairs, saw the debris and tried to GO BACK UPSTAIRS!! but he couldnt get in one. Thank God!
Around 100 ppl from his company died including is boss and his brand new assistant that just moved here from Texas to start a new life.

I worked in midtown at the time and it was the worst feeling ever not knowing what happened to him. We finally connected in the late afternoon and went home together.

His story from the day is unreal and he has been a different person since. I think having my DD has given him unbeleiveable joy to his life and has taken away some of the sadness.

Message edited 9/10/2008 2:23:59 PM.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

Posted by Tine73

Worst. Day. Ever.

My father worked on the 96th floor of Tower 2 since the building opened - over 30 years. He was late to work that day because he decided to take the bus from Penn instead of the subway since it was so nice out. He made it up to the 78th floor where you have to switch elevator banks and the first plane had hit the other building on his way up. When the elevator doors opened, everyone bummed rushed it so he couldn't even get off the elevator. He got downstairs, saw the debris and tried to GO BACK UPSTAIRS!! but he couldnt get in one. Thank God!
Around 100 ppl from his company died including is boss and his brand new assistant that just moved here from Texas to start a new life.

I worked in midtown at the time and it was the worst feeling ever not knowing what happened to him. We finally connected in the late afternoon and went home together.

His story from the day is unreal and he has been a different person since. I think having my DD has given him unbeleiveable joy to his life and has taken away some of the sadness.

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I was not there. I was at my current job in Brooklyn and could see and smell the smoke and debris from Manhattan. When the first plane hit, I thought it was an accident. Then I remembered circling Manhattan in planes before realizing the towers were not all that tall and it couldnt have been an accident once the second one hit.

To this day, each time I drive towards the city, I feel a sense of sadness and loss without the towers in the skyline of the city of my birthplace.

At the same time I feel rather angry and want whoever is responsible brought to justice. I hate having to live with security measures and looking over my shoulder just to take a train or a plane. It is a far cry from the freedoms we fought so hard for as a nation.

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Sending you lots and lots of I know what you mean about fear around this day. My DH worked there (this was b/f we were married) - I spent a good part of the day thinking he was dead and was one of those I saw jumping off the building since his office was above where the plane hit. THANK GOD - he was late to work that day and got there just in time to join the crowds running away after it fell...it just took him a while to reach me. I thank god EVERY SINGLE DAY and my heart goes out to those that lost people - as I know of some that did not make it as well

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

Tears are streaming down my face as I read everyone's stories and memories from this tragic day.


I was working at JFK Airport at the time and we were able to get onto the roof of our building (before the airports got shut down) and watched everything unfold across the water.

Many people we worked with were in the bldgs - Port Authority related, I myself went quite often for work at the time.

I lost the same mutual friend as IrishTracy who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald

Many family and friends of mine worked the rescue efforts, getting themselves sick but still refusing to give up the hope of finding everyone they could so their relatives would not have to suffer wondering......

I myself forced myself to go into the city a few days later (was turned away as a volunteer) to see firsthand the destruction and devastation that was the attacks on NYC

For all of you who still to this day are haunted by this tragedy

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

I worked in Midtown but my DH is FF and was there. He lost a lot of friends and coworkers and saw a lot of horrible stuff and attended so many funerals. But he is alive for which I am forever grateful.

to those who were there or lost family or friends.

Does the sadness ever go away?

Re: OK, Very touchy subject.. for me anywat.

i used to work in 1wtc. at that time i was at 195 broadway, behind the millenium hilton. i was standing on Dey street watching the tower burn, in between the two planes. and it was a good thing i dragged my coworker back into our office, or we would have been on the street when the second plane came in.

my building was evacuated. i walked from the trade center to penn station. saw tower two come down while standing around bleeker street. saw tower one come down on a tv screen near penn. i won't mention anything i saw that morning, it was awful.

got to penn to find out it was shut down. walked over the 59th street bridge, and then to woodside to get back to long island.

thankfully one of my coworkers went with me, i don't know if i could have handled that without company that day.

(I had typed this message in more detail 2 hours ago, when my interenet connection failed... so this is a shorter version, only because i am too tired to rewrite it)

i will say i don't like going to in the city anymore, its not fun. now if i have to be there, all i want to do is get out again. i don't like subways, or being underground, and i won't go into really tall buildings. i will never work in manhattan again. i just can't handle being there every day.

and i stopped wearing dress shoes that day. i will never wear another shoe that i can't walk 12 miles in again. and yes i have gone on job interviews in a pair of black sneakers. it never stopped me from getting a job.

it was a horrible day we will never forget. (my parents were on vacation out of the country that day... took them hours to get a landline into the states to find out if i was ok)