September 11, 2001

"WE'LL ALLWAY'S REMEMBER!!! REST IN PEACE!"

"it is so sad"

"My daughter was married on Sept.22, 2001. One of her guests was a federal police officer in NYC. Two days before the wedding they still didn't know if he was dead or alive. Thankfully, he was fine"

"I was at work that morning when the traffic report came on. The words 'a plane has gone in to the World Trade Center got me to my feet going straight the the television that was in the office right behind me. I saw with horror the smoke coming out of the tower & yelled out a plane had just struck the World Trade Center. Within 30 seconds there were people crowded around me looking with amazement at the smoke billowing out of the tower...& then we all saw the second plane go into the next tower. It was then that the reality to what had just taken place became scary as hell. The tears & the fear & the shaking started immediately by all of us. I work for a dispatch office in a school bus company & the decision had to be made by the officials whether to let the children leave school early that day. No one could have imagined in their wild dreams what the chain of events would be the rest of the day. Many of us had no choice but to go back to our desks and try & work. Others were able to stay at the television & yelled out to us when the plane hit the pentegon & when the other plane went down in Pennsylvania. The worst was when the towers fell & none of us knew what to do. The children did remain in school that day & we did continue to work as best we could.
It was within that day that I found out a friend from high school, a NY firefighter, was killed in the towers. He was a member of one of the first fire company's to respond to the building. He never made it out. Devastation rocked the community where I live. A memorial was held in the city park for this wonderful man & there were at least 5,000 people there & not a dry eye among us. What a comfort to have this community pull together for one of their own. The comfort was felt by his wife & children & his son was honored as a new firefighter himself in our city.
September 11th still brings a flood of emotions that at times are uncontrollable. That was especially evident yesterday during the tributes & ceremonies honoring those that died in the horrific attacks.
I will not forget those that died & especially my high school friend who gave his life doing what he loved to do, helping people."

"I was at home when my daghter called me I was already watching on T.V. I couldn't believe what I was seeing because we lived in PA. for years before we moved we visited NYC many many times in our hearts it was our second home the lose devasted us. We had to go there 4 days later, her and I drove there we had to see our city and its people close up not from a distance. The devastation was much worse than we thought it could be the air was still filled with the dust from the fallen buildings the smell of death was every where. The look of horror was in everyones eyes the tears, the poster with pictures of lost loved ones where every where as far as the eye could see. People where still searching both for loved ones and answers. We found our self as close to the site as possiable we watched the firefighters, police officers and other first transponders and just plain volunteers go in and out of the site still covered with the dust from the fall out, somber faces with thoughts of what or who they had lost, such pain in there eyes, people there cheered for them and called them heroes, it may have helped for a second or to but as they passed either with body bags,or sheer exhaustion the sadness recurred in there eyes and in mine they were so beaten down but nothing couls stop them in their quest. All aorund us there was sadness and grieve candles where lite on every corner we bought and lite some and said a prayer and left them there, it helped a little but not much we contributed to the fire fighters and police and other first transponders funds. We made our way to St. Patricks Cathedral and there were so many mourners there lighting candles we lite some also. There were prayer sevices going on and alot of crying. We did not want to leave and come home because part of our heart was and will always be there. I also want all of us to remember all the people that risked their lives and crashed into the field in Shanksville PA. to have that much courage to give up their lives to save others on the ground. When I lived in PA I did not live far from this site, and I don't thing I would have that courage they had. I also greive for the peolple on the flight at the Pentegon and the people inside the building who lost their lives. What I have to ask today five yeras later is why when our government knew so much long before this all happened and had their chance to destroy Bin Ladens camp in the desert did they not???? Now as we know they have regrouped and there are many many more terroists who hate us as a country once again because of our no sense goverment with men who care more about their ego's then the Welfare of the American People."

"I was in Oslo on a business meeting when my Norwegian colleagues came and got me. They took me to a rec room -- I didn't know our company had one -- where CNN was on the TV. It was a ghastly site. I attempted to call several friends, and family who worked in or near the WTC's. I was frozen with trepidation of the uncertainty.

Against the objections of my family, on the 12th I flew to London to conduct a business meeting. I was determined that the terrrorists would not prevail in stopping us from conducting our lives. While in London, I learned of the fate of two colleagues who were in the air that day, one of whom had sent hats for my children, and one of whom joined my eldest son and I for dinner the previous week when we happened upon a restaurant together. I excused myself only briefly from the meetings, and went back in, determined to carry on, and not let the bastards prevail."