Take A Moment

[Terrymo]

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[Wbino]

8:48 I looked at my watch as I was entering the Lincoln Tunnel on the NJ side of the Hudson river and seen a small puff of black smoke coming from the one tower.
I probably missed seeing the first plane crash into the tower by less than a minute, a passenger across from me also seen it and started to make some phone calls.
Only when coming out of the Lincoln Tunnel across 34st in Manhattan did we start to realize what was happening.
Spent the day parked across from Carnegie Hall watching it all unfold on a tiny TV in a small barbershop on 7av. They closed all the bridges and tunnels so I was not getting back to my home depot.
Only at 8pm did they give us a police escort to go over the Manhattan Bridge to get back home.
It was just by luck that I was not driving downtown that day. I passed those towers a thousand times.

This bus was downtown on Church street.
Before and after restoration.

 

[azjl#3]

Walked in from mission at lakenheath ab looked at tv and asked what sci fi show was on...... we were mobilized to deploy in 45 minutes

 

[21JLURDG]

I walked into my squadron and saw people watching this cheesy movie about planes hitting buildings. A little later, it was difficult to enter the base with the long lines of recalled personnel. Some resorted to parking in nearby parking lots and walking in. The manager of the Burger King called the base CC to complain that these cars were hindering his regular lunch crowd. A few months later, that BK went out of business as base personnel no longer visited it.

 

[azjl#3]

Ramstien, security lines went to 90 minutes to get in, I could ride my bike 10 miles in 30 minutes and get right in

 

[embedded rock]

Yes, never forget 9/11!


There are still plenty of people not identified from the twin towers collapse.

Was stationed in Korea when 9/11 hit during the night (local time). Rotated back to the states in January of '02, and five months later was in Afghanistan with the 101st B/7-101 Avn Regt for seven months. Thirty days after that, I deployed for OIF for a year with the same unit.

Lots of time away from family during that 37 month period.

 

[MayThe4x4BWU]

Even after all these years, images of where I was and what I was doing remain burned into my memory.

I was in between IT contracts at the time, so I had more free time than what I knew what to do with until my next gig started.

I was up early to take my WS6 in for an oil change at Carmax (yeah, why I bought a vehicle from there and then serviced it there...that's a whole other story lol)

Was sitting in the waiting room watching whatever was on TV when it suddenly cut to breaking news and video of the first tower smoking. The news initially described it as a small plane crash. I didn't have time to process it before the next plane hit the second tower during the coverage...that's when the HOLY SHIT moment took me over.

I looked around and only a few other people were in the waiting room with me. All of us looked at each other like..."is this real?"

I didn't have time to process even that any further, as my car was done and I started home. It was after I got home and then saw news of the Pentagon, Flight 93 and all airspace being shutdown. Then I heard some sonic booms as fighter jets scrambled towards Chicago for an imminent threat to the Sears Tower. A good friend of mine worked there and I started calling him to get the heck out and that I was on my way to come get him out of the city.

I remember racing reaching the city and this is peak traffic time, much less the regular hustle and bustle of any modern large city...the city felt abandoned. Barely any cars, people, even taxis were barely around. I remember pulling up to a stop light and a taxi driver pulling up next to me telling me to burn out the tires on my WS6 on green. It was a surreal moment of being stunned by what was happening around me and then doing something I'd probably never be able to do on Michigan Avenue again. I laid a good patch and raced to the next stop light, the driver was smiling and giving me the thumbs up...all while chaos around the country was erupting.

I got my friend out of the city and we sat at my place in the burbs while making some burgers on the grill, drinking and smoking a little bud and talked about what seemed like the end of the world.

 

[Flip]

Yes, never forget 9/11!


There are still plenty of people not identified from the twin towers collapse.

Was stationed in Korea when 9/11 hit during the night (local time). Rotated back to the states in January of '02, and five months later was in Afghanistan with the 101st B/7-101 Avn Regt for seven months. Thirty days after that, I deployed for OIF for a year with the same unit.

Lots of time away from family during that 37 month period.

Thank you for your service my friend.

 

[Twisted10]

I was in my last semester of college. feels like yesterday...

 

[Kraxler]

Retired AF F-15 pilot. At the time I was flying for American Airlines and was on a layover in Houston. The captain called me in the morning and told me to turn on the tv to any channel. Spent the next week at the hotel due to the airspace being closed. The flew several trips to NY airports right up and down the Hudson River with a great view of the smoking ruins.

 

[LLAVES]

Yes, never forget 9/11!


There are still plenty of people not identified from the twin towers collapse.

Was stationed in Korea when 9/11 hit during the night (local time). Rotated back to the states in January of '02, and five months later was in Afghanistan with the 101st B/7-101 Avn Regt for seven months. Thirty days after that, I deployed for OIF for a year with the same unit.

Lots of time away from family during that 37 month period.

Same here, I was at Osan watching the re-run of Monday Night Football and it cut to the news and showed the first impact spot. They said it was maybe a Cessna, and I thought there was no way a Cessna would make a hole like that. Then the second plane hit and we were recalled, base locked down. I rotated a couple months later and was deployed Jan '03 for OIF. I wasn't home much from '03 to '12. That day had a profound impact on so many people around the globe.

 

[Mr. Tahiti]

Never will

 

[LSJKU]

I will never forget!

God bless all you enlisted who served. You guys are the backbone and heavy lifters of this country, and I salute you.

 

[Wbino]

In the days and weeks following the smell driving thru the Battery tunnel that connects Brooklyn and Manhattan was unforgettable, a mixture of burnt metal and whatever else that flowed thru there.
For years when you exited the Battery tunnel if you arched your neck up high you might see the top of the towers. After the attack only seeing the last remaining section still standing is something I will never forget. On the other side of West street exiting the tunnel was a pile ten high of crushed FDNY engines like you would see at a junk yard.
For weeks afterward there was a never ending occurrence of either civilian funerals or when it was a member if the FDNY a ceremony involving engines and firefighters by the hundreds from all over the Tri State and beyond.
One of my most clear memories is the day of or after the attack a couple standing on a overpass of the Garden State Parkway waving a huge American flag with the wife just basically giving her husband support. Picture the Iwo Jima flag raising with just a husband and wife.

 

[embedded rock]

Same here, I was at Osan watching the re-run of Monday Night Football and it cut to the news and showed the first impact spot. They said it was maybe a Cessna, and I thought there was no way a Cessna would make a hole like that. Then the second plane hit and we were recalled, base locked down. I rotated a couple months later and was deployed Jan '03 for OIF. I wasn't home much from '03 to '12. That day had a profound impact on so many people around the globe.

Wow, very similar experience. I was just down the road from Osan AB at the Hump.

The immediate impact and fall out on family due to multiple and lengthy deployments is real.

Hope you are doing well.

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