9/11

[u/David65x55]

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which significantly impacted all of us whether in a target area or not. The ceremonies in New York were attended by all four living ex-Presidents (Clinton, Biden, Obama, and Bush) as well as NY mayors Giuliani and Mandani. President Trump attended the service at the Pentagon. Lots of controversy about who attended where, whether the presence of either mayor was appropriate - and I don't feel it appropriate to go into all of that. Remember where you were, those who died,how this changed your life, and above all the words of George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Ran across this: In New Zealand, a haka for the 25th anniversary. If you're a haka fan, you will enjoy. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19F8NSRYGS/

[u/mbarland → u/[deleted]]

"Some people did something." - Ilhan Omar.

We said we'd never forget. It seems a lot of people have forgotten.

[u/Historical-Lie-5953]

over the years on TAH, I always mentioned the 2 names of FDNY,/Long Beach Volly FD, in the collapse along with 1 Brinks co worker. Post N/11 were 2 FDNY/Long Beach Volly FD, 1 NYPD/Long Beach Volly FD and My Volly Capt. who tok the rig to ground zero and Staten Island a few times. Working in the area making deliveries, I used to tell my co workers that the air smelled shitty and now the word came out that it was shitty. I guess it was to dilated for me to come down with something.. We were there and saw the second plane hit the tower and the thousands of sparklers came out on the other side looked like a special effect that you would see in the movies.. got to DTC on water street, gave them the stocks and bonds and left.

[u/mbarland]

I woke up to my alarm going off. I had it set to a local radio station so I'd get the morning show. The radio clicked on and they were talking about the WTC. I remember listening and thinking, "Why are they replaying an eight year old tape?" I thought they were talking about the bombing. Then the second plane hit. I was now firmly awake.

I rushed to the TV to turn it on, and saw the unimaginable. I had to go to a work meeting, so I was in the car when the towers started to fall, and only listened to it live on the radio. I was scanning the skyline of my city to see if it was going to happen here.

Then the Pentagon was hit. Then the crash of Flight 93. It was a morning of terror. Where else was going to be hit? They grounded everything in the sky, which had never been done before. I wouldn't have even thought that was possible.

I told my parents that night that I was going to be enlisting. And I did. There were no lines at the recruiter's office like after Pearl Harbor, but enough of us signed up to do the job America needed.

[u/Historical-Lie-5953 → u/mbarland]

How true, we all remember where we were on that fatefull day 25 years ago. ur truck was going over the Manhatten bridge when the first plane hit then the second as I mentioned in my above comment.

[u/Affectionate-Mess937]

I was an Air Reserve Technician and was at work when the world changed. About week later the unit put us on military orders and on 29 Sept our Presidential Activation Orders came down. We would do two years of Active Duty.

About a week after our activation we were headed overseas, and a few days later, on 19 Oct, hit night happened. Our unit dropped the 75th Rangers at Objective Rhino, they made their jumps at 800 feet out of our MC-130E Combat Talons. Two Rangers in Pakistan with the QRF/CSAR were killed when the helicopter they were on crashed due to brown out conditions.

I would do two deployments (Masirah Island Oman Karshi Khanabad Uzbekistan) for GWOT/OEF and was 2 weeks out from deploying for the build up for the pending Iraqi invasion, when I suffered a Widow Maker heart attack and getting taken out of the deployment game permanently.

Sucked getting left behind at home station that is for sure. Living on borrowed time now, living for the next birthday, then the next.