Auburn Week 17 Years Ago

[Fishhead]

Was postponed.

Never forget why. 

 

[paducahmichael]

Can't forget. Feels like that was the last time we were all AMERICANS. You know, like it used to be when we were all young...

 

[dachsie]

That was one of those days you will always remember where you were.  I was driving to work when it came on the radio.  I had just turned to corner to head to the clinic which was about a mile away.  Got inside and herd second plane had hit.  Went to breakroom to see TV and saw the Pentagon hit.  Internet was running slow on a T1 trunk line as so many were on it trying to get info.

[Nutriaitch]

was at work when we heard about the first plane. 

assuming it was an accident (and not seeing footage of the flames) we actually joked about it wondering how the hell you don’t see a big ass building in the way. 

shortly after, the 2nd plane hit. 

it wasn’t funny anymore. 

[Just Me]

I was asleep, because of shift work. My father called and woke me up telling me to turn on the tv. I turned it on and it wasn't long before the second tower was hit.  Then the Pentagon. My sister lived close to the Pentagon and was hysterical with fear there were more. It is gut wrenching to think it would have been even worse if the brave souls on flight 93 had not learned what had happened and taken matters into their own hands. It was likely the intended target was the Capitol Building. Had that happened, not only would the loss of life been catastrophic, it would have had a profound impact on our government/elected officials.

Just like most everyone else, I knew.  I immediately thought of all of the friends I had that would soon be deploying to who knew where.

It was on a Tuesday. Just like today. I do not know why, but somehow that just adds to the somber tones of today.

[Hatchertiger]

I was on the Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge heading east and had the news on but not really listening. Heard something about the twin towers and thought is was a program about the first bombing there. As I listened more carefully, I realized what was going on and began to pray.  Regardless of where you stand politically, there can be no doubt that we live in the greatest country in the world. This country at its core is based upon freedom and opportunity. However, the price of maintaining that privilege isn't free. Many before us have died to protect that right and many today are willing to sacrifice their own lives for the same reason. There are those in this world who hate our country and who will stop at nothing to defeated. Unfortunately, all of the people who perished on 911 are witnesses to that. As Fishhead pointed out above, even with the passage of time we can never forget that and our country can never let its guard down and let something like that happen again to so many innocent people who simply wanted to live their lives free to pursue all of the opportunities this wonderful country provides for all of us.

 

[dachsie]

Like the graphic at top of forum.  We can go back to football tomorrow.  We need to remember.

One of my friend's college roommate was on Flight 93 - Lauren Grandcolas.  We made a remembrance quilt for her with sunflowers as those were Lauren's favorite flower.  There was also a quilt project made with squares memorializing every victim.  My friend Annie helped make some of those.

http://www.homtv.net/index.asp?view=story&news_id=9240

[Nutriaitch]

if i remember right, 9/11 was a Tuesday back in ‘01 as well. 

by this time that day, the attacks were over, but the nightmare was really just unfolding. 

[Eq4bits]

Yes it was a Tuesday. 17 years ago; 6,209 days ago; 6+2+0+9=17

[Hatchertiger]

Exactly. Wish the bad guys would figure that out.

[Hatchertiger]

 

[Herb]

I was at work.   My office was in Alexandria, VA.  When the plane hit the Pentagon, we found the roof access of the building and watchd the smoke that was left from the fireball slowly rise up.

Usually, the DC beltway is like a race track.  That day there was only an occasional car driving on it...everyone was inside watching the news.

Once flights were grounded the only planes you'd see in DC were fighter jets on patrol.

Most surreal day ever.

Then the anger set in.

[The Swamp Angel]

It was because of the make up game in December that my wife was able to attend her very first game in Death Valley. Sad circumstances to make it happen, but she was amazed at the fact that Tiger Stadium was even wilder than I had told her, and we whipped their asses that night too!

[Fishhead]

I've shared this before, but it's my story.

So I was landscaping back then and had a Mexican crew.  One of my guys was fluent in English, very intelligent young man.  He was riding with me heading to the Southern Bone and Joint Clinic in Hattiesburg, MS when we heard the news.  
I pulled over.  And he got it.  I already had a crew on site there and we stopped to check on them, and I left him there after making sure all was going well. 

I had to run get some chemicals (weed control) and when I got to the supplier, the TVs were going...everyone was glued to them.  At that point I realized it was terrorism, and I watched a tower fall right there at the supplier.  I realized then no work would be done that day.  I watched for a moment more then went to pick up the guys...tell them to head home.  We're not going to work like this was some normal day.  Ricardo explained to the other guys what was going on (I guess that's what he was doing) and we left.

Ricardo rode back with me again.  On the way back, he said "we're gonna have to leave".  I asked why he thought that.  He said because they'll kick us out of America.  They're gonna shut the borders down and we'll have to leave.

Well, that didn't exactly happen, but he was right that major changes were coming.  He actually took a job with FS Pre-Stress in Atlanta and married into citizenship a couple years later.  

I went home and watched the TV all day.  When they showed the video of the woman running from the buildings, her face covered in ash except where tears were streaming, I lost it.  I was sad and it took a while for me to transition to mad.  But of course I did...days later.  

It was refreshing in a way seeing all sides come together for a moment in time in America.  That was the only positive to come of this, no doubt.  And it was way too short-lived.

[Nutriaitch]

fish, the anger for me came that evening. after work when i saw a TV for the first time that day. 

yeah i was hearing on the radio and knew it was bad, but even “knowing” what i was going to see did not prepare me for the images. 

i was in my early 20’s and the ONLY reason i didn’t enlist the next day is because i’d been married less than a year, and my wife was pregnant with Lil Nootch. My dad talked me out of it. Saying that while it’s admirable to want to do my duty, potentially orphaning my unborn child was not an option  

several friends and relatives did enlist. 

i have a cousin with 3 purple hearts. even though he’ll never again physically be what he once was, he has absolutely zero regrets. He now breeds, raises, and trains service dogs. Specializing in dogs to assist wounded vets.

also had two friends that never came home from Afghanistan.  

i wasn’t able to attend either funeral, but did see the procession for one.  2 HumVees in front, 2 in the back.  exposed flag draped casket in a military style vehicle with an open bed following the 1st two Humvees. 

THAT was when i lost it. 

 

[Fishhead]

Biggest Minnow was born less than a year later.  Prior to his arrival, I was asked to write some stuff in this baby book.  There was a portion about what was going on in the world at the time.  

I remember I wrote:  Things are messed up in this world, son.  As you grow, do everything in your power to make it a better place.  

[Herb]

Photo that my brother took.  He worked for the Washington Times then and was dispatched to NYC...on his way out of town he was about 1/2 mile from the Pentagon when it was hit.  He detoured and was the 1st photographer at the scene.  The next day he drove up to NYC and took this pic.

[Eq4bits]

I was cleaning stalls (we still lived in Mississippi and  my girls - 30's now ' - oldest a freshman at LSU & youngest a junior in high school) that morning, went inside to get out of heat and hubs called (from deer camp in alabama) and said 'that's something about that plane hitting the building in NYC' so I was  thinking a small twin engine plane as I flick on the tv and see the one tower smoking on wall screen/background behind talking heads on today/gma/whatever channel it was on and as I'm staring the second plane plows into the second tower.

I cried a while

The third plane hit the Pentagon and I called hubs back and said 'we're goin' to war'.

People in Picayune/Pearl River County went nuts pulling kids out of school (picayune might be next!) and bought wally world, the sporting goods store and hardware stores out of ammo (picayune might be next!) and started stockpiling fuel and non-perishable food (picayune might be next!)

TPTB (school board) decided it would be best to keep things 'normal' for kids and kept school going AND did NOT postpone/cancel the scheduled girls jv & varsity softball games that afternoon/evening - my daughter was a player and I was the announcer & scoreboard keeper.  When it came time to get things started I got on the mic and said through a crackly voice 'rules be damned - everybody we're gonna have a moment of prayer' then I played my favorite acapella rendition of the National Anthem as loud as possible over the speakers, then announced as little as possible because well because I didn't have the heart to announce and didn't even play walk-up music for 'our' players or music between innings.

My (future at the time) son-in-law DID enlist a year and a half later after graduating HS, deployed a year after that to Afghanistan and Mosul (Army Infantry Stryker Unit).  He was medically retired before he was 21 - lost somewhere between 80% & 95% of his hearing due to proximity to IED's (approx. 20), also PTSD and occasional back & shoulder  'issues' (probably from using the javelin - a big shoulder rocket launcher/rpg type thing and since he was a big guy he's the one got the training to use it).