Commemorating 9/11
No matter where you live, you can commemorate 9/11 in your hometown. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum offers some great ideas and resources on their website. Check out this video of New Yorkers discussing the eleventh anniversary of 9/11 at the new World Trade Center complex here:
How do you plan to commemorate 9/11 today?
Photos: Flickr / CourtneyCarmody.com
Category
Hough n' Stuff
8 comments
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I pray for all of the families who lost loved ones 11 years ago today. The memory of my own grandfather passing away two hours before the attacks brings mixed emotions. He was the lucky one. He passed on believing that our country was at peace then. I miss him so much. So much happened 11 years ago, there really are no words to describe it. I pray someday the survivors will find peace within themselves. -
Your right "notenoughhough". The 181 (?) people who died in the Pentagon. And all those who sacrificed their lives in the plane crash in PA. It's too much. I pray for all those who lost their lives and for those who deal with the aftermath. -
In the beginning of April, 2002 I hopped on the Amtrak and rode for 30 hours, not knowing how or what I would be doing, but I knew I had to get myself to NYC to help with the WTC disaster a full 7 mos after the buildings came down and thousands perished. I stayed with a friend in lower Manhattan and soon found myself getting hooked up with working/volunteering for the Salvation Army down at ground Zero feeding recovery workers. I had my choice of doing that or working at the morgue in mid-town Manhattan. I would have done either but since I was staying less than a mile from the WTC disaster site, it was the most practical for me and the Salvation Army agreed.
I was in lower Manhattan for 3 weeks and worked down at Ground Zero or "the site" as we workers called it. It was the rest of the world that calls it Ground Zero. I volunteered with the Salvation Army feeding recovery workers who were still recovering bodies a full 7 mos later, and by bodies I mean like a finger. I could have also worked at the morgue, but since I was staying with a friend in Tribeca it made sense to walk to the site rather than commute to midtown Manhattan where the morgue was located. I had never seen so many big, strong men yet who were consumed beyond exhaustion with so much terrible sadness in their eyes!
Both myself and my best friend are from Minnesota, and she also worked down at the site a mere 3 weeks after the buildings came down and on 2 other occasions she made the trip from Minnesota to New York as a recovery worker. The most grueling work there was. She later shared with me that her first thought after arriving at the 2 story mountain of mangled metal that she became overwhelmed with the thought of.... "Why in the hell did I even come here?" A very natural response to a very unnatural situation. She was propelled by the fact that she had lost a very close friend when American Airlines flight 77 was flown into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.....
People seem to focus on the World Trade Center and neglect to specifically recognize that many died in Washington DC at the Pentagon. So, to commemorate today, my flag flies for you Lt General Tim Maude, you will always remain within me and my best friend's hearts! -
As a kid, I grew up in Maspeth, Queens. 10 minutes outside the midtown tunnel. I watched the towers go up, and my father worked in tower 1 - 11th floor, from 1973 to 1984 (when he passed away). In HS, I would cut out of classes and take buses/trains to go catch up with him at work. (Kinda cool that he din't mind)
September 11, 2001 I was house cleaning and my then husband came running in the door screaming "Turn on the tv!!" I was numbed when I saw what was happening. When tower 2 came down, I couln't believe it. I just stood there for hours. I still have a hard time putting it together in my brain.
To have been there, I can't imagine. Too much. All I see are the firefighters walking toward the buildings, not knowing they would come down. A friend of mine was a responder and had a jumper land in front of his fire truck. Had he not had to stop and take care of this tragedy, he might be gone too.
God Bless America! -
I remember the first time I flew into NYC, you could see the Towers before anything else. They were majestic and also full of life, both above and below the ground. That was all swept away in the name of irrational zealotry and hatred.
My Uncle was there on Monday, working with people at a company there.(my brother+I were along as interns). We ate at Windows on the World, shopped in the underground shops, met so many nice, hard-working people just as we'd done on previous trips. And then almost 3,000 people, many we knew personally, were killed just doing their jobs.
Our company spends 9/11 by calling many of the family members of that company. It takes a large group of us because over 600 of their people were killed. And during the year we do fundraising for children of victims..including over 100 who hadn't even been born yet.
We couldn't fly out on Weds. as we'd planned and there is no way to even start to describe the destruction, panic and heart-break of a great city. When we did leave and flew over that massive scene...everyone on the plane was crying and I have to describe it as a visual definition of Shakespeare's quote-"the evil that men do lives after them, the good oft interred with their bones". A vile act. New York will always stand strong and God Bless the USA !! -
I will never forget this day as long as I live. What i was doing. I got up to take care of my Grandma, Turned on GMA and a few minutes later it broke in that a plane hit the tower. I said to myself that it had to be an accident. Someone couldnt of done it intentually. Until the second plane hit the other tower. I i broke down so hard. My brother called from work and said he was coming over he didnt want to go home. We stayed as a family that whole day and night, My thoughts and prayers will always be with the families who have lost or have been effected by this tragedy. God Bless America. -
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It is a very somber mood in my office today. I wasn't working here then. Those that were recall standing by the huge bank of windows looking at the horrific events of that day. Our building is in NJ with a clear view of the WTC area. When we watched the Space Shuttle fly up the Hudson several months ago, one co-worker said that every time she looks out those windows, she immediately goes back to that day. It is a picture in her mind that she will never forget and always gives her chills. I remember watching the Today show when they spoke of a fire at the WTC. Then, I saw the second plane hit the tower. I had a friend who worked at the WTC, and after much anguish, found out she arrived at work late that day and was on the street level when it happened. She turned and kept running as far away as she could. She was 40 blocks away before she stopped to call her family to tell them she was safe. I was glued to the TV and watched the surreal events of that day. Sometimes it seemed like a movie. Who could imagine that it was real? God bless all the brave firefighters, police, construction workers, volunteers who worked tirelessly trying to find survivors. TV coverage was 24/7 and as I watched, I was amazed at the strength of unity on the screen. People helping people. As the towers fell, huge plumes of gray matter completely filled the streets. People running for their lives and some being pulled into stores for safety. The stories from the days that followed were heart breaking and some were uplifting. Even though I witnessed the tragedy, it still seems impossible to believe there are people that evil who sought to destroy innocent lives. Tonight, there is a 9/11 memorial being dedicated in my town, with a section of steel beam from the Trade Center. Those that just went to work that day, those that ran towards the danger, and those that tried desperately to help on that day will never be forgotten and prayers will always go out to them. Hopefully, we all remember that true strength comes from working together. Unfortunately, it takes a disaster to bring out that spirit of country. It needs to be every day. God Bless the USA!
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