Remembering 911 20 Years Later

[wanted33]

There are two happenings in history that I'll never forget where I was when I heard. The assassination of President John Kennedy, and the day that over 3000 Americans died in a hate filled terriorist attack.

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[OrangeStreak]

Thanks for posting Dave,

I was on a cycling trip in the U.S. that terrible morning, on Martha’s Vineyard and later in the day in Wood’s Hole, MA. As I cycled up to Plymouth and Scituate over next couple of days, people barely spoke - no one seemed to smile. The only planes in the sky were the Air National Guard out of Joint Base Otis. It was strangely quiet as I road into Boston - hardly any traffic - Quincy Bay and Boston Harbor seemed deserted.

I went to see if I could book a train ticket to Toronto or Montreal to get back home - I think it was the Downtown Crossing station I went into and I couldn’t believe what I saw - Boston Police and Transit Police were everywhere down there, most of them in riot gear. The news channels were filled with tributes to the locals who had flown out of Logan a few days earlier. The people on the street all had the same strange look on their faces - one of grief, mixed with anger. Boston was not the same as in previous visits.

I attended a candlelight vigil in the Boston Common that night. No one spoke, people just showed up as others passed around candles. After taking a few moments in silence, people would pass their candle to another and move aside. There was not a dry eye in the crowd that gathered and the only sound you heard was the occasional sniffle.

I had my American friends, neighbours and relatives in my heart that night just as I do today. ??

I served in the ANG - 188th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, Kirtland AFB and so proud of their mission and the missions of all the other Military branches and 1st responders working together with our loyal allies to keep our country and the world safe and free

 

[OrangeStreak]

I watched most of the abc 911 special last night. I really needed to be taken back to that event to remember and think about what occured and the consequences. Just after the towers were struck, the outstanding concern was the confusion...what happened?...what will we do?...will we ever get back to normal?...what will be the outcome? Crucial questions that needed to be answered to settle our hearts and minds. My very 1st immediate impressions were about how deeply the need for God. Our human limitations speak to that.

The USA and our allies moved into this challenge and did an extraordinary job in handling and settling this overwhelming nightmare. Grateful appreciation for all the brave military personnel and 1st responders of our country and our allies who moved into action. May God Bless America and her loyal allies!

 

[Zaph]

Never Forget

 

[BDoc]

I was living in base housing at the time and my wife called and told me to turn the TV on. I stood in shock as I watched the first tower burn and plane fly into the second tower. I had to take my kids to daycare off base and by the time I came back to base, it was a surreal site to see the gate guards decked out in Kevlar and helmets armed with M-16's. By the time I got to my shop, everybody was gathered around the TV in the break room watching the news. I don't remember much of the day after that, but will never forget that first couple of hours. Shock, anger, fear.

To this day, I still try to watch some of the tributes/shows that are aired every year. Just to honor all those who died; those who survived; and those who went into harms way - the first responders and my brothers and sisters-in-arms.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

 

[P. A. Schilke]

It’s hard to believe it’s already been 20 years since that tragic day. Please take a moment to remember all those who died that day and those who risked their lives trying to save them. ??

Hi Dave,

I brought this forward in another forum post, but will include it here as I think it is an appropriate place...

I am the son of a WWII vet father that was part of the Army and then the
Army Air Corps and then the United States Air Force. I lived the
military lifestyle as a dependent. I have tremendous respect for those
who served! Always will. I chose a non Military path as my dream was to
be an Automotive engineer. On this day, I give thanks and prayers to
First Responders and our Military.

There is a back story on these Forums but I cannot find it so I will
briefly recap it here.

I was to fly to Germany for the Indy Car race on 9/11/2001 as I was a
trackside Indy Car Official. This was when the grave terrorist attack
happened, and all flights were grounded. Shocked beyond belief. Little
did I know as the head of Ranger Pickup Truck engineering, that the
newly created FX4 Ranger would play a critical roll in the aftermath. I
returned to work as my flights to Germany were cancelled. Sitting in my
office, my secretary told me that someone from World Headquarters was on
the line. Ford was going to pull out the stops to help in the aftermath.
I had 20 Ranger FX4 prototypes that were from the pilot program for the
FX4.....We sent these 20 Rangers to the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey. All the Port Authority vehicles were destroyed in the World
Trade Center Collapse. These Rangers served for some two months on duty
with the Port Authority, and up on return, one was proudly displayed at
Ford World Headquarters for about a month. So the FX4 has a heritage
associated with 9/11.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Hi Dave,

I brought this forward in another forum post, but will include it here as I think it is an appropriate place...

I am the son of a WWII vet father that was part of the Army and then the
Army Air Corps and then the United States Air Force. I lived the
military lifestyle as a dependent. I have tremendous respect for those
who served! Always will. I chose a non Military path as my dream was to
be an Automotive engineer. On this day, I give thanks and prayers to
First Responders and our Military.

There is a back story on these Forums but I cannot find it so I will
briefly recap it here.

I was to fly to Germany for the Indy Car race on 9/11/2001 as I was a
trackside Indy Car Official. This was when the grave terrorist attack
happened, and all flights were grounded. Shocked beyond belief. Little
did I know as the head of Ranger Pickup Truck engineering, that the
newly created FX4 Ranger would play a critical roll in the aftermath. I
returned to work as my flights to Germany were cancelled. Sitting in my
office, my secretary told me that someone from World Headquarters was on
the line. Ford was going to pull out the stops to help in the aftermath.
I had 20 Ranger FX4 prototypes that were from the pilot program for the
FX4.....We sent these 20 Rangers to the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey. All the Port Authority vehicles were destroyed in the World
Trade Center Collapse. These Rangers served for some two months on duty
with the Port Authority, and up on return, one was proudly displayed at
Ford World Headquarters for about a month. So the FX4 has a heritage
associated with 9/11.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Best back story yet!

Now, roll things back to the recent Texas power outage and you’ll remember how the Ford dealers sent their F-150s out to give folks power.

Yeah, the world needs more of this.

 

[Motorpsychology]

I was driving semi pulling an end dump trailer with a load of crushed granite for a runway expansion project at the MSP airport. I didn't know what had happened as I had my AMFM radio off, and then suddenly everyone was talking about it on the CB. I saw the replays that evening when I got home. As I watched, I remembered when I took a motorcycle trip out east to see relatives and friends. My Aunt Donna and I visited the World Trade Center in August of 1978 shortly after it opened. What a magnificent view from Tower 1; you could imagine seeing England on a clear day.
Today I think about all the innocent people and first responders that perished that day.

 

[slowmachine]

On 11 September, 2001, I was part of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). We were at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, 29 Palms, California, conducting a large field exercise - part of the final phase of pre-deployment training, before boarding ships headed to the Persian Gulf area. This was to be the final deployment for me. I was preparing to retire in 2003, after this deployment was complete.

In between preparatory tasks for the day’s training, I stopped by our operations tent, where the TV was tuned to CNN. The first tower was burning. People were, naturally, disturbed by what appeared to be a monumentally tragic mishap. As I chatted with the Operations Officer, a plane hit the second tower. Silence, followed by profane cries of disbelief. Nobody said it out loud, but we knew instantly that the first impact was no accident. We were under attack. Within minutes, all training was halted. We were at war.

All of the senior leadership was called to the Ops tent. We did a bit of proactive planning to recall all forces from the field and prepare for immediate transport back to our home base at Camp Pendleton. It took maybe an hour for the chain of command to respond, and tell us to continue our with our exercise, that our training would not be prematurely terminated.

Our training continued with an increased sense of seriousness and urgency, and we deployed as scheduled in 2002, participating in a joint exercise in Jordan, with the Jordanian army. I visited the ancient city of Petra. As our training was coming to an end, one of our units was attacked by what we later determined to be a group linked to Al Qaeda, and a couple of Marines were injured by small arms fire. It was a precursor for what was to come.

In the next cycle, in early 2004, we were sent to Iraq. We were in the Battle of Najaf (which, to my surprise, has its own Wikipedia page) and hundreds of smaller engagements in southern Iraq.

I’ve been told hundreds of times that I should have retired when I had the opportunity. I never considered it, and there were many others in the same boat. When the nation called, we didn’t turn away. I think often of the lives that were cut short, or irreparably damaged, in the carnage that followed. I’m one of those lucky people that always seem to be right next to the bad stuff, but never in the middle of it. I had an enemy mortar round impact about 25 feet from where I was standing. The impact was behind a knee-high wall of stacked stones. I walked away about half deaf, but otherwise uninjured. I’ve listened to sniper fire and RPGs pass overhead for hours at a time, but never been in the impact area. One Marine on my six-man team left with a Purple Heart medal; I have traumatic brain injury and tinnitus. It’s my fate. I retired in 2009, after being told that I would be processed for medical discharge if I didn’t leave voluntarily.

The faces and names of those who didn’t return are on my mind today. So many lives. So many shattered families. In and out of the military, all of us have paid a hefty price for being who we are, for being Americans. We have paid dearly for the privilege of living a life of liberty, in a country which has no equal. For me, today is another reminder of the cost. I hope that we never forget, and I hope that all Americans understand that attacks on us and our way of life will never end.

Freedom demands eternal vigilance.

 

[Cmar]

My wife and I were in bed watching late night TV, my wife was pregnant at the time with our second son. They stopped the program to switch to a live coverage of an "event" unfolding in New York, while were watching, we saw the second plane hit.

Our sympathies and best wishes to our American friends on the anniversary of that sad day.

 

[Tracy Bowman]

I have the utmost respect and love for our military and other agencies that work hard to protect our country from those who wish to do us harm. God Bless You all and THANK YOU!

 

[viperwolf]

I walked out of my Job and into a recruiting office @ 29 years old bc of that day. I told the recruiter I wanted infantry. Never regretted it.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Dave,

I brought this forward in another forum post, but will include it here as I think it is an appropriate place...

I am the son of a WWII vet father that was part of the Army and then the
Army Air Corps and then the United States Air Force. I lived the
military lifestyle as a dependent. I have tremendous respect for those
who served! Always will. I chose a non Military path as my dream was to
be an Automotive engineer. On this day, I give thanks and prayers to
First Responders and our Military.

There is a back story on these Forums but I cannot find it so I will
briefly recap it here.

I was to fly to Germany for the Indy Car race on 9/11/2001 as I was a
trackside Indy Car Official. This was when the grave terrorist attack
happened, and all flights were grounded. Shocked beyond belief. Little
did I know as the head of Ranger Pickup Truck engineering, that the
newly created FX4 Ranger would play a critical roll in the aftermath. I
returned to work as my flights to Germany were cancelled. Sitting in my
office, my secretary told me that someone from World Headquarters was on
the line. Ford was going to pull out the stops to help in the aftermath.
I had 20 Ranger FX4 prototypes that were from the pilot program for the
FX4.....We sent these 20 Rangers to the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey. All the Port Authority vehicles were destroyed in the World
Trade Center Collapse. These Rangers served for some two months on duty
with the Port Authority, and up on return, one was proudly displayed at
Ford World Headquarters for about a month. So the FX4 has a heritage
associated with 9/11.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Hi Folks,

My story was published in the local paper also...a few questions arose and I will try to answer here as well as the local paper.

I did not choose the Port Authority, the Federal Gov. Identified critical functions and the World HQ staff via Vehicle Control id my 20 Rangers. The call directed me to where these Rangers were to be sent and It was up to me to get them there to the Port Authority. I called my Vehicle Control and they booked three haulaways that could hold seven Rangers each or 21 Rangers. I took a gamble that I could assemble all twenty Rangers which were fanned out for various tests etc. So Reliable was on the way with two drives in each cab and I scrambled to find and collect all the Rangers. About 5 or 6 engineers,and my secretary started the mad scramble to find and get the vehicles and keys back to me....We succeeded and we parked all twenty out in our remote lot which we called BFE. Reliable haulaways showed up and with two drivers loaded the Rangers and were on their way for the 12 hour trip to NY. Reliable and Vehicle Control worked out the permissions as Manhattan was sealed off. Kudos to both. I got notice they were delivered and in Port Authority hands on 9/12....there were so many folks that pulled this off.

What happened to these Rangers? Being preproducion and technically salable, they met their demise at the crucher anyway...but they went as proud vehicles to their vehicle grave in the sky....
I was sad and proud...

Best,
Phil

 

[GitRDone]

My sister, a longtime NYC resident, was near ground zero when the planes hit the towers. She spent the next few days walking the area in a state of shock, praying and frustrated that there was nothing she could do. She was finally able to volunteer at the sole ground zero eatery open exclusively to NYC first responders, and ended up as a kitchen manager. On one of those shifts, she spotted Alec Baldwin and his cronies smoking and joking near the entrance. She approached them and said, "Are you here to work?" and held out a dish rag. "No, we're just hanging out". She told them to get the hell out (and they did).

 

[Hounddog409]

It’s hard to believe it’s already been 20 years since that tragic day. Please take a moment to remember all those who died that day and those who risked their lives trying to save them. ??

I cant get over its been 20 years.
Time is goin waaaay to fast.

I had a trip planned for work that was canceled a week before 9/11. I was to be on Long Island that week for a project i was working on. I had planned to leave a day early to meet up with a friend. We were gonna meet at WTC, since I had never been there and i wanted to see it.

I would have been there that day, if it wasnt for a project delay.

He did make it out before WTC 2 went down.

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