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  1. #1
    Border Desperado Elle81's Avatar
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    Default 9/11 20 years later

    To quote country singer Alan Jackson: Where were you when the world stopped turning?

    Hard to believe it's been twenty years since four planes were hijacked on a Tuesday morning and the country was in shock. For my borderers, I'd like to hear what you were doing when the towers collapsed, the Pentagon was hit, and when the plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

    Me? I was twenty and about three months pregnant with the second kid and asleep while the ex-husband was getting ready for work. It was six a.m. and he had the tv on. Suddenly I felt him smack me on the leg and heard him say "wake up, a plane crashed into the world trade center" I sat up and saw that the news was talking about the pentagon. I looked at him and said "wrong, the plane crashed into the pentagon not the trade center. They're not even in the same city!" And as I said that last line, I heard the newscaster report mention both crashes. Then both of us sat motionless and watched in horror the live footage of the south tower of the world trade center collapsing. It's a day I will definitely never forget.

  2. #2
    Border Troubadour FreyFollower's Avatar
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    Default Re: 9/11 20 years later

    I was at work, as were most people, I suppose. Such a shock. Folks nearby saw and heard Air Force One flying only tree top high on it's way to Barksdale Air Force Base near Shreveport. Surreal.
    "Be part of something good--
    Leave something good behind."

  3. #3
    Border Desperado Elle81's Avatar
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    Default Re: 9/11 20 years later

    FF, that's a good word for that day: surreal.

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    Moderator Ive always been a dreamer's Avatar
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    Default Re: 9/11 20 years later

    Thanks for posting this on the 20th anniversary, Elle.

    I was driving to work when I heard the first plane had hit. When I arrived at work, everyone was glued to CNN. We did very little work that day. The company I worked for at the time was headquartered on Long Island so we were confirming the safety of employees throughout the day. Almost as soon as I got home that evening and turned on the television, Building 5 that was attached to the towers collapsed - the last building to fall on a horrible day. When we arrived at work on Wednesday morning our entire computer system in our office in Virginia was dead. After several phone calls, we found out that the computer server for our office had been located in Building 5 of the WTC. Since, of course, there was no way our computer system would be recovered, we spent the next several weeks reconstructing our computers. Of course, this pales in comparison to what others went through.

    Although most of us did not experience the suffering of those who were directly affected and/or lost loved ones that day, everyone of us in the free world were impacted by this tragedy to some extent. Even though it is still painful to watch and memorialize the events of 9/11, it think it is important to do so in order to keep it relevant and teach future generations how fragile our democracy is.

    "People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
    Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016

  5. #5
    Border Desperado Elle81's Avatar
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    Default Re: 9/11 20 years later

    Wow, that's crazy that you experienced that, Dreamer.

    And You're welcome. If I hadn't had to work, I would've just sat in my room listening to songs written about or referencing the attacks, like the aforementioned Alan Jackson song, Eagles' Hole in the world, and Undivided by Bon Jovi to name a few.

  6. #6
    Stuck on the Border WalshFan88's Avatar
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    Default Re: 9/11 20 years later

    I was headed to Chicago with my parents for a preoperative appointment on September 11th. We were halfway to Chicago when the first plane hit. We already had the radio tuned to the news for some other reason. We honestly figured it was a horrific plane accident crash. None of us thought about a terror attack and no one on that particular station even mentioned that possibility. Just outside Chicago, we got word a second plane had hit. At that point we all knew it was no plane crash accident and that something like a terrorist attack was happening as was it was being talked about on the news after the 2nd hit. At that moment of the 2nd plane going into the tower. We had to make a judgement call whether or not to continue into Chicago as they were talking about other possible locations for attacks and Sears Tower was one of them. I was headed to RUSH University. We decided to continue into Chicago as we were literally about 30 minutes away from the hospital at that time and for whatever the reason, didn't feel any risk in doing so or at least felt it was a manageable risk and that if the hospital got busy we would just leave. Had we been closer to home when we got the news about the 2nd Tower I believe we would have turned course and gone home and cancelled the appointment.

    As soon as we got into the hospital, all of the TVs in the waiting rooms were all tuned to CNN news and we saw the Towers fall. There is a big difference between hearing something and seeing something. It was bad enough hearing about it on the radio. The TV was sobering. We also heard and saw the aftermath of the Pentagon hit. We saw the first tower fall, then I went in the back for my final preop check with the doc, and then on the way out of the hospital waiting at the lab, a TV showed the second one falling. It was very sobering. We then went home and of course by that time we all were talking about what had happened. I was 12 at the time. And always being intellectually older than my age in terms of being able to process things better than most my age and able to discuss things and understand the gravity of what was discussed, we talked about it and I knew what they were saying and I knew what it had meant. It wasn't lost on me. It was a historical moment for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't something I had to be told in kid terms unlike some of my classmates at that time/just didn't get it or they couldn't understand the magnitude of it.

    I had the actual surgery as planned on September 24th, 2001 in Chicago. On the way to Chicago and on the way home discharged 7 days later, you would see semis and vehicles hauling cargo with huge American flags draped on the side. Not political signs for a candidate. Not rebel flags. American flags. And it was unbelievable. Billboards with American flags. Signs saying Never Forget. And it was like that on the many follow up appointments I had made in the weeks to come. It was truly something I will always remember. People were nicer. It was truly heartwarming.

    The only thing else I will say about it is that I do feel that in the days, weeks, months, and even year following 9/11 - we were more united than ever before and have been since. I read something this week about someone saying they don't miss 9/11/01 but that they miss 9/12/01. And I agree with that fully. We were all Americans. Humans. Politics didn't matter. Race/gender identity/sexual orientation didn't matter. We were a united front. And I miss that. I feel like we need that right now with the COVID pandemic. It's something I think everyone in America on any side of any argument or policy or debate or position can agree on. I never ever want another 9/11 type event to happen to this country or any country. But I miss the way we were all united after 9/11. I hope it *doesn't* take another event of that magnitude to bring us together again. I really do.

    It was absolutely a day I'll never forget. I was lucky that none of my family was affected in any way. That doesn't mean we didn't feel the pain felt around the nation and around the globe. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget where I was and what happened and seeing the country come together after one single day. That is something I don't think a person can forget. I can't often remember what I had for dinner the night before. I've forgot important events before. But I think for as long as someone asks me where I was, I'll always be able to tell them where I was that day.
    -Austin-
    Resident Guitar Slinger
    Fan of the Eagles from 1972-2016 #NOGLENNNOEAGLES

    RIP Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner

    "So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key..."


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