WTC: Does it ever just hit you........

[azsnowman]

It will hit me in the most unsual places, certain things *trigger* the horid memories, one particular scene that sticks out in my mind are the pictures of those poor souls jumping from the top floors, knowing there was no way to escape the inferno. As Steve said, that was the day we lost our innocence, our security.....the world will never be the same, I feel sorry for the generations to come, they will never know the freedoms we once had!

Dennis

[Miss Mary]

I knew I wasn't alone in my thoughts - thanks everyone for your responses. Even if you're in a crowd of strangers and you see a picture with the towers in it, everyone gets quiet. I think we'll always feel this way.

It's a day I won't forget either, who can? My next door neighbor called just after the second plane hit. Told me to turn on the TV right away. She explained that she was watching after the first attack, but at that time viewers thought it was accidental. Just then she and everyone else in America watching live saw the second plane hit. She flew into action, calling as many people as she could. I did too - calling my husband at work, my mom, other neighbors/relatives. You just didn't want anyone not to be aware of the situation. Later I got on the computer for up to the minute reports. Azskyman/Steve IM'ed me on AOL and I broke the sad news to him. Schools were in lockdowns I heard. All local after school and church activities cancelled. Mall's, businesses closing. When all planes were grounded you found yourself just staring up at the sky, you couldn't look away. Our wx here in Cincy was the same as it was in NYC - beautiful sunny day, white clouds, no humidity, 70s. A picture perfect day almost. And then the unimaginable happened. I went grocery shopping before my girls came home from school and I remember seeing shoppers with nothing but bottled water in their carts. Everyone was nodding and looking at one another, as if to say - can you believe it? No one was rude, no one was cutting you off in line. In fact, politeness seemed to be the rule that afternoon. Of course I wasn't at the gas pumps.....heard that was quite a scene.

No, that day will be always vividly be replayed in my memory.

[JetMaxx]

I was awakened by a phone call from my great aunt who said "there's a big building on fire". Aunt Millie has the tendency to overdramatize things..so I thought she meant a warehouse. I turned on Good Morning America just in time to see the second airliner strike the south tower.

I didn't cry..just sat down, totally stunned...and clicked on my VCR (had a new tape from taping hurricane Erin), and just sat here...knowing my life would never be the same again

About ten minutes passed, and I decided to call Becky in Portland...because at the moment I was thinking it might be World War III unfolding. Dave answered the phone (it was 6:15 a.m. there), and he and sis were sitting on their bed, Becky sobbing softly over the phone as I tried to reassure her we were going to be okay.

Just as I hung up, the south tower collapsed...and in horror I realized how many were gone. I knew enough about fire/ rescue (my cousin is a Lt with DCFD) to know thousands were gone...there was no way they'd had time to get everyone out

I didn't even know until two days later that one of Becky's friends from college was inside the south tower and died (her body was never found). I watched a girl I was friends with lose her life, and didn't even realize it.

For weeks...several months afterwords, every time I'd see a Douglas Co fire truck with a US flag flying from the back, I'd have to pull my car over and stop...because I'd break down and sob like a child. Even last June, I was in Newnan...heard sirens and air horns blaring behind me (fire trucks trying to negotiate evening traffic), and it gave me cold chills...sounded just like those fire engines rushing to the WTC on 9/11

I haven't watched the video I taped that morning in over a year, and have no plans to ever watch it again. It's difficult enough to handle not seeing it...I don't want to relive those towers on fire, collapsing...the Pentagon ablaze (I'm afraid to look too close...because I might see one of those jumping was Becky's friend...our friend

I'm much better than I was a year ago; last weekend saw an American flag on back of DCFD Engine 10 (the fire truck my cousin Britt is assigned too), and it didn't bother me.

I'm still not ready to watch the network news footage I taped that morning (mostly ABC, some CBS and CNN) or visit ground zero...and can assure you if I see Lisa Beamer and her children on tv tomorrow, I will break down...even now

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Perry

[WidreMann]

It hits me on occasion. I still cannot believe not only that somebody managed to demolish the two towers and kill 3000 people, but that they felt that had some good reason to do so. And I am still bothered by the people who, on that very day, talked about the US deserving this, and how we shouldn't go to war against terrorism, that we should just be nice to everybody and hope it gets better. Actually, that's what scared me the most.