Reflections on 9.11.2001: 20 years later!

 Usually I make a post about 9.11 on every September 11. In 20 years the world has changed. My life has changed. The views on history has changed. Time changes memories. Time and changes make these posts more important. 

No I wasn't at Ground Zero at the World Trade Centers in New York City. No I didn't know anyone who perished during the events of that day.  I did have a friend working in the Pentagon that day.  I did work less than a mile from the Pentagon. However, I had car issues and had scheduled the day off to look for a replacement vehicle. 

I lived a good distance from where I worked. Believe it or not my residence was about an equal distance from the Pentagon and where the other plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Weather wise it was a beautiful day with crystal clear blue skies.

My Dad who worked at the same place I did called me and told me to turn on the news. It was hard to belief when I was told a plane had hit a building. On the news I watched the other plane hit as well. Even seeing it unfold it was hard to believe.

My Dad would spend the day at the office as the plane hit the Pentagon. He passed away 11 months ago so I can't discuss his memories of day with him. My office mate who I lost contact with long ago ended up being a first responder at the Pentagon leaving her desk to go to the Pentagon to see what she could do to help.

My Mom who worked for another company close by was at the Navy Yard  in Washington DC and had to endure the facility going into lockdown. She passed away about a year before my Dad so she can no longer share her story.

It is my blog so it is my point of view. I can share my feelings and what I experienced. I will remember the God awful stench of the smoldering rubbish when I went to work in the pre-dawn hours of the 12th from the crash at the Pentagon. However I just shared about two people who can no longer tell their tale of 9.11. I shared how people lose touch me and my office mate. 

The events of 9.11 impacted more people then the three I shared in this blog. Many people lost loved ones, lost businesses, jobs, and were closer to the crashes. They have stories, they have a point of view. As we remember the 20th anniversary perhaps it is a good time to hear the remembrance of the day,  to hear the stories of those who survived it and those who were impacted by it. Many people's lives changed that day and they have a story to tell. They won't be around forever. Those stories are so important!

Pearl Harbor, 9.11

Today is a day not to be forgotten we were sneaked attacked. We were sneaked attack again on September 11, 2001. One by a military one by a terrorist group. Similar methods the latest used hijacked  airliners one used one used kamikaze bombers.

In hindsight we should have guessed these would have been targets. The twin towers had been bombed before in the past. Japan was at war with are allies.

According to World War 2 History info the Japanese attack sunk 3 battleships, capsized another and disabled the other four. 18 ships in total were messed up including the battleships. Notably three light cruisers and three destroyers. 161 planes were destroyed and 102 more were damaged. A minimum of 57 civilians were killed and 2345 military personnel lost their lives.A total of 2392.

The attacks on 9.11 caused 2819 people to die from NYmag.com. Firefighters and paramedics lost 343 brave souls. 23 officers from the NYPD and 37 from the Port Authority police died.

Yes Pearl Harbor had more military deaths. However both days should never be forgotten. The brave military folks at Pearl Harbor need to be remembered for their sacrifices and service to our nation. It should also be a reminder at the risk our military folks are in not only at war time but in times of no war.

The police and firefighters who risked their lives in New York should be remembered as heroes as well. They gave the ultimate sacrifice to save others.

Times like this are times to reflect on the heroes of our military, fire departments and police and to offer a simple thanks.

9.12

The vivid images on television on September 11, 2001 did effect me. The facts that two planes crashed within a 100 mile radius of me is not a good thing. If I hadn't taken the day off from work that would have been one plane crashing within three miles of me.

I wasn't locked down in the Navy Yard like my Mother. I didn't run over to the Pentagon to help like my office mate did. No I watched the events unfold after my Dad called me. It was the first plane hitting. I had the unbelieving feeling like I did when the first Space Shuttle exploded.

However, it is September 12, 2011 which I will never forget. I parked my car in the pre-dawn hours outside in a parking lot in Crystal City. Fancy name for a part of Arlington next to Pentagon City and the Pentagon. It was the smell of the burning rubble from the plane. That stench in the air, is when it all hit home for me.

To the volunteers, to the Fireman, for the Police on 9/11 what you did was appreciated. What you do everyday is appreciated.

9/11

Today was a beautiful day with nothing but blue sky. Nine years ago on this date it was also a beautiful day. However, that beautiful day changed suddenly when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. The day got worse when the second plane hit the World trade Center. Followed by a plane hitting the Pentagon and one going down in Pennsylvania.

A beautiful day turned into a day of destruction. The destruction of three airplanes, the destruction of the World Trade Center, the damage done to the Pentagon, the casualties, the damaged lives. A day so beautiful turned so tragic. I write about this every year as it is a day that should not be forgotten.

We need a world where Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and people from any religion not mentioned or people of no religion live together as one. We need a world free of fanatics that unfortunately bring hatred on their own people who don't deserve it. We need a world where fanatics don't have their hatred. The world has enough problems and live has enough struggles. The world doesn't need another 9/11.

9.11

The last two years I have wrote about 9/11 this year I do the same. I was a guest speaker in Silver Spring, Maryland today for an organization for whom I volunteered. I know today was a day of in service, but I had signed up to do this speak not based on that. I do a lot off volunteering, which means I get to be apart of some very worthwhile organizations.

I am rambling though. On 9.11 I was working a short distance from the pentagon where a plane had crashed. I had some car problems and I had taken the day off. So, I missed the chaos. I was living in Hagerstown, Maryland at the time. In reality I was probably about half way between the Pentagon and where the other plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. The thing about 9.11 for me that will always stay on my mind was the god awful stench in the air in the predawn hours of 9.12. That stench was the stench from the crash. I worked closed enough to smell it.

I started this blog about me volunteering. Volunteers are among the heroes of 9/11. Citizens volunteered to give blood. Firefighters tried to rescue people and put out fires. Police tried to rescue people. I am sure I am missing other organizations. I want to thank everyone who volunteered for their efforts on that day. I hope everyone remembers 9.11 and it is never forgotten. Feel free to search my other blogs about 9.11

Remembering 9/11

I blogged about 9/11 last September 11. I hope to blog about it every September 11. It was a dark day for America. Terrorists attacked our country with four hijacked airplanes. The attacks killed more people than the attack on Pearl Harbor. Something that is worse was the targets were civilian, except for the Pentagon(however the Pentagon does employ a lot of civilian workers). It is a day that should never be forgotten.

I was fortunate that day. Fate stepped in and I had called off work. The Pentagon plane crashed a short distance from where I worked at the time. A short distance from where both of my parents worked at the time. Where I lived at the time was almost directly halfway between the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania by the way a crow flies. A matter of degrees and the plane could have fallen on me.

Many weren't as fortunate as me. Many people died, many were injured, many lost loved ones and everyone felt the effect of these attacks. True heroes developed from this tragic event. The fire fighters, the rescue teams, the police, and military. The people who volunteered to help and the ones who gave blood and donations.

We must never forget this day. Take time to reflect, take time to offer a prayer or a thought. Take time to remember and offer thanks.

9/11 Remembering

I was working in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia on September 11, 2001. Not far from the Pentagon at all. I had taken the day off from work. When I heard the first plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, I did not belief it. The same feeling I had when the first Space Shuttle blew up. Sure, enough it was all over the news. Then I watched as the second plane crashed into the building. Two more planes crashed that day, one in the Pentagon. I was living in Hagerstown at the time, so a plane crashes an hour and a half away from me in one direction, then the other plane crashes an hour and half away from me in the other direction in Bedford County, PA. I may have been in shock of the whole ordeal, however nothing brought it home like my pre-dawn commute the next day. The smell of the burning crash hit me as soon as I parked my car close to National Airport and started walking toward my office. The horrific stench is something I will always remember. To those who perished on that day, you are remembered. For all who helped, I am grateful for what you did. It is something no one should ever forget.