What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

15 Years Later: September 11, 2001 Attacks on NYC, DC, VA (1 Viewer)

SaintsInDome2006

SaintsInDome2006

Footballguy
I just thought I would create this as a place for respectful rememberances and thoughtful observations on a day that changed so many lives, our country, our world and our perspective in so many ways. Of course this is first and foremost a day of memorial for those who so tragically died that day. God Bless America and all of you my fellow countrymen on this difficult day.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I will see if I can find an earlier thread, I looked I will try again...

eta - I haven't been able to find any of the older threads yet, but I did find this, an article on the first man to have died during the attacks, Danny Lewin. Apparently it's believed he tried to defend the passengers on board his flight and was stabbed.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I remember seeing the second plane hit in a hotel room in Sao Paulo across the street from the office. One guy had just arrived to Brazil and had yet to move into an apartment so three of us went to his room, and sat paralyzed/mesmerized in front of CNN most of that day.

 
Still horrifying to see the pictures. Someone just shared the "falling man" pic on FB. So sad even today. I was at work (Navy base) when it happened and not knowing what was going on we went on lockdown. No one in or out.

 
I have mixed emotions about that day but not for the deep sorrow of so much loss of life and all the good hard working people who lost their lives not just showing up to work but all the fire, police, rescue that lost their lives trying to save other lives. 

We were so united after that tragedy and then things have gone so horribly wrong it seems.

-I was in Los Angeles less than a month, had visitors staying from the East Coast and one of their father's was a 9-1-1 dispatcher and was calling us trying to wake us up at 5:00 AM and ordering us to run to a TV, I thought aliens had arrived, much worse unfortunately. 

-I remember going to get a little breakfast to try and wrap my head around it and  I realized that not everyone was taking it as seriously as I was, Los Angeles did not react the way cities in the North East part of the US did, that's the truth. 

 
I remember that day well. I was a contractor at the time, and I was on my way to a house to remodel and replumb a house. I was listening to a local radio station, and they cut it with news of what was going on. The second plane hit the tower by the time I got to my client's house. He had the TV on, and he was kind enough to leave it on all day while he went to work. I spent the day under the house, working and taking a break once in a while to see the news. After work, I went home and of course watched the coverage all night.

The week that the NFL started up again the NY Giants played the Chiefs at Arrowhead. By some stroke of luck a friend asked if I wanted to go to the game, and of course I said yes. I was in the stadium when the Giants started taking the field for their warmups, and the Kansas City fans couldn't be nicer. Later, when they introduced the Giants when they came out of the tunnel, the Chiefs fans gave them a standing ovation and such a warm welcome. I looked around, and there were many people with tears in their eyes, myself included. I remember reading the paper the next day, and many Giants players and coaches remarked about how much the appreciated the class of the Chiefs fans.

During the national anthem, the Chiefs fans have this habit that at the end of the song, they sing "and the home, of the Chiefs". Not that day.

As the national anthem was winding down, there was a firefighter sitting in the top row of the stadium. He had brought his helmet and his shirt, and part of his gear. And an American flag. The camera found him, and for the last 30 seconds of that song and more they showed him, at the top of the stadium, waving his American flag.

Damn, I'm tearing up as a type this out.....

It was an incredible moment, and the crowd was going nuts, and I will never forget how the people of Kansas City came together that day. And the rest of the country for that matter.

I know I'll never forget 9/11.

 
Today, no love, no hate, only horror.

At 9am each 9/11 - imitating a ritual my mother taught me as a child for Good Friday, to take the time from noon til three to sit & think what Jesus endured to save us from our sins - i sit for an hour and feel the churning in my goo and acknowledge that i am made of the same stuff which made others capable of acts so heinous as the ones we mark today. The horror.

 
Live in Upstate NY. Distinctly remember swarms of fighter jets rushing down to the city over my house. Rattled the whole house.

 
I got the opportunity to visit the 9/11 memorial this summer as part of a trip for my older two kids.  My oldest was only 7 weeks old when 9/11 happened.  I had just started a new job and my wife was home with him.  I remember leaving work and coming home to eat lunch and watch the coverage.  It was surreal and sad and horrible all at once.

I, like many Anericans across the country, mourned and wept for the tremendous loss that families and communities felt that day.  Having said that I'm not sure I truly felt the full magnitude of the event until I visited the memorial.  It's a remarkable and haunting place.

For those of you who were impacted you still have my condolences and my thoughts and prayers are with you today.

 
Every year I wear my 911 FDNY T-shirt. A day I can't forget.

Hard to believe this shirt is 15 years old.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I was working in Downtown Boston when this all happened.

I can remember, because I took the commuter rail to/from work, going to South Station (where the trains converged) and passing the Federal Reserve building.  Swarms of military personnel with M16s were everywhere.

One of those iconic days of which you'll always remember so many images.

 
Was the thread from the old yellow FBG board from that day archived anywhere along the way?

One of many things that I will always remember from that day was my oldest child coming home early from kindergarten  (we live not far from DC, so the schools all dismissed early) and asking me "Dad, why do people fly planes into buildings?"

i didn't have a good answer then, and still don't.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Man, I hate what that attack did to our psyche.  We were in church this morning and because we have an infant we sit in the Cry Room in the back and we're able to see most of the congregation.

About half way through the service, a single guy comes in and sits down in the back pew.  A single, Arabic-looking guy.  A single, Arabic-looking guy with a ####### backpack.  Freaked me the #### out.

I know it shouldn't have.  I'm not happy with myself and my reaction, but the day, the setting and the guy all came together in a perfect storm for me that wouldn't have happened prior to 9/11.  I hate it. 

 
Awful day.  Seems like yesterday.  I hope we can educate our youth on what happened during this time period and not let it fade with the next generation.  My kids are only 4 and 6 now but I'll sit down with them one day to discuss it with them. 

 
I found out about it on here after it happened I believe.  I worked nights and went to bed at 8am on 9/11/01. Someone must have that old thread saved.

 
It rained like hell on 9/10/01.  Clemens was going for his 20th win that night and it was rained out.  9/11 itself was one of the most beautiful days of the year - not a cloud in the sky, maybe mid 70's.  I was in the village, and I will never forget walking west and looking down 7th ave to see just one tower standing.  I walked all the way uptown on the west side, and by the time I was crossing town through the park the metallic burning smoke smell had already made it uptown.  

 
elbowrm said:
It rained like hell on 9/10/01.  Clemens was going for his 20th win that night and it was rained out.  9/11 itself was one of the most beautiful days of the year - not a cloud in the sky, maybe mid 70's.  I was in the village, and I will never forget walking west and looking down 7th ave to see just one tower standing.  I walked all the way uptown on the west side, and by the time I was crossing town through the park the metallic burning smoke smell had already made it uptown.  
Click to expand...
Dude see/watch the story I,posted above.  That rain out saved one of my friends.

 
Not going to be able to listen to that - cliffs?  One of my friends was also saved by the rainout, as he got drunk at Stan's and showed up late for work the next day - at Cantor Fitzgerald.

 
elbowrm said:
Not going to be able to listen to that - cliffs?  One of my friends was also saved by the rainout, as he got drunk at Stan's and showed up late for work the next day - at Cantor Fitzgerald.
Click to expand...
Very close...(Sandler O'Neil)

HS friend of mine is in NYC for biz.  Decides to go to NYC game on 9/10.  Rain out but runs into one of his BFFs from elementary/HS.  Just pure coincidence.  These guys used to go to Chavez Ravine every month as kids. 

They drink..and drink...etc.

"Mike" the NYC guy, calls n late for the first time in his life.

Mike worked in the WTC.  Something like 3/4 of his coworkers die in the north tower.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ok so my wife and I went to San Francisco in September and we flew back from SF (Oakland) to Houston on the 10th to connect to NO. Well oddly enough for the first and only time in my life there was a dog on the plane. He was a yellow lab. The handlers told us that he was part of a PR project, his name was 'Hunter' and he was going to walk up and say hello to each and every one of us in the aisle - which he did - and they explained he was a drug sniffing dog and this was part of his training so 'don't be worried' which given then time we weren't. When we got off the plane in Houston the experiment continued in the terminal. My wife was scheduled to fly to NYC the next day, needless to say she did not. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'll never forget that day...Surreal - like something you only see in the movies. Yet it was happening in real time in front of our eyes.  Innocence shattered, but we saw the best of America on display in response.

 
On 9/10/2001, my biggest concern in life going to bed that night was that Ed McCaffrey broke his leg and hurt my fantasy football team.

On 9/11/2001, when I woke to a surreal morning and was not sure at first if my normally funny radio hosts on my way to work were joking around or serious, what that all meant was put into perspective and how I think about life was forever changed. 

Never forget. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
SaintsInDome2006 said:
I will see if I can find an earlier thread, I looked I will try again...

eta - I haven't been able to find any of the older threads yet, but I did find this, an article on the first man to have died during the attacks, Danny Lewin. Apparently it's believed he tried to defend the passengers on board his flight and was stabbed.
Click to expand...
I never knew any of that.  What a touching article.  Thank you. 

 
El Floppo said:
can't believe it's been 15 years. :(

was trying to find an earlier thread where I'd written my and shared friends' experiences from that awful day here in NYC. search function and all. just a terrible, terrible day.

but slowly and surely we've all come back- profoundly changed, but strong as ever.

towers of light from our apartment a couple days ago.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the beautiful pic. 

 
Spike said:
I was working in Downtown Boston when this all happened.

I can remember, because I took the commuter rail to/from work, going to South Station (where the trains converged) and passing the Federal Reserve building.  Swarms of military personnel with M16s were everywhere.

One of those iconic days of which you'll always remember so many images.
Click to expand...
That was when things changed in NY. The military guys with M16s remain a fixture in Penn station during my commutes to and from the city. It was strange at first, now it's just normal. 

I watched the buildings burn from uptown through the windows in 30 Rock. We were evacuated shortly after the second plane hit. The streets felt like an apocalypse movie.  The city was on lockdown, and information was a mess.  Cell phones didn't work.  I bought a small transistor radio so I could listen to the news and try and figure out what was happening during my walk uptown to my apartment.  Just a strange, awful day.  Can't believe it's been 15 years. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I had just finished up a contract in Boston and was chilling at home.  One of my coworkers was on the flight from Boston that went into the WTC.  Her husband and daughter were on a different flight and meeting her in LA.  They spent three days in St. Louis waiting for the official word.

 
WampusCat43 said:
I had just finished up a contract in Boston and was chilling at home.  One of my coworkers was on the flight from Boston that went into the WTC.  Her husband and daughter were on a different flight and meeting her in LA.  They spent three days in St. Louis waiting for the official word.
Click to expand...
Jesus....

 
I was on here doing my normal routine of breakfast and FBG at my office here in Colorado, when a thread popped up that a plane hit the WTC. I remember turning on the tv in my office and watching live as the 2nd plane hit. I can still remember Gumbel's call on CBS that day. Of course since I work in a government building, we got the call to evacuate. My wife had dropped me off at work that day and I didn't have my car, so my co-worker drove me home (via the liquor store) and I remember going inside my house and just sitting there numb and drinking all day.

I can replay that day in my head like it was yesterday... :(

 
flapgreen said:
Awful day.  Seems like yesterday.  I hope we can educate our youth on what happened during this time period and not let it fade with the next generation.  My kids are only 4 and 6 now but I'll sit down with them one day to discuss it with them. 
Click to expand...
I have a 4 and 6 year old right now too.  There is a 11 mile race every 9/11 here that the Fire Dept puts on and they had a big display on the trail near our house.  They had tiny little flags in the grass by the fire dept and my 6 yo asked what it was about.  My wife and I were caught off guard and jumped in to the conversation.  We told him there was a flag put out for everyone that died that day and just gave him a brief description of the events. 

Now he points out American flags and asks "who died there?" 

I think we fumbled the ball in that conversation....we'll give it another shot next year.  :wall:

 
I'd just separated from the Air Force.  I sold two weeks of leave to get out on September 2nd instead of September 16th.  My younger brother, who was in the Army reserves, and I were in the process of renting a house together (had the house but no furniture as the Air Force had not delivered my stuff) but staying at my dad's place.  

I got a call from a friend telling me to turn on the TV after the first plane hit.  About 1/2 hour after the second plane hit, Buckly Air Force base called.  My brother's unit was stationed out of there so when I saw the caller ID I handed him the phone.  He answered and said it was for me.  I immediately started thinking stop-loss was going to be put in place and since I got out early that there was some loophole that they were going to use to get me back in.  As it turns out it was the movement office scheduling a time to deliver my furniture.  I politely scheduled a time and then told the lady what was going on and that she should turn on a TV.  She had no clue.

Spent the rest of the day getting ####faced with my brother waiting for his unit to call him.  Eventually his unit did get called up but when he went for cross-training (was going to take 6 weeks), they decided they couldn't wait on him and pulled someone else from another unit into his spot.  He separated before his unit got sent up again.

 
jb1020 said:
I have a 4 and 6 year old right now too.  There is a 11 mile race every 9/11 here that the Fire Dept puts on and they had a big display on the trail near our house.  They had tiny little flags in the grass by the fire dept and my 6 yo asked what it was about.  My wife and I were caught off guard and jumped in to the conversation.  We told him there was a flag put out for everyone that died that day and just gave him a brief description of the events. 

Now he points out American flags and asks "who died there?" 

I think we fumbled the ball in that conversation....we'll give it another shot next year.  :wall:
Click to expand...
You didn't "fumble the ball"...it's so difficult to address such a mind-numbing, horrific event... yet alone with young children...such a slippery slope, but that's the beauty of children...they allow you "another shot next year". Imo, discussion is always good, rather than avoidance.  I had a similar situation yesterday, with my 9 & 8 yr old. I was struggling just how to describe"it", and what amount of detail was too much.  I think you did just fine.

 
Kafka said:
You didn't "fumble the ball"...it's so difficult to address such a mind-numbing, horrific event... yet alone with young children...such a slippery slope, but that's the beauty of children...they allow you "another shot next year". Imo, discussion is always good, rather than avoidance.  I had a similar situation yesterday, with my 9 & 8 yr old. I was struggling just how to describe"it", and what amount of detail was too much.  I think you did just fine.
Click to expand...
My 5 year old hasn't asked about it but I was ready with all the talk about it during football this week.  I'd imagine it's coming soon.

 
ok- couldn't find the last few times we've done this...  I'm sure I've forgotten a ton.

I've lived in NYC since the mid 80s- was living uptown, right on the hudson (96th and riverside drive) when this happened. I did consulting/free-lance and my own work back then, so my days were my own- no timetables or office to report to.

I was awakened at some point that morning by sirens- lots of sirens. I was up high and overlooking the river and west side hway, so not in the thick of typical NYC sounds. but sirens have always been omnipresent here, so you kind of tune them out... even a lot sirens like there were. I remember putting a pillow over my head to try muffle the sound, but then gave up... too many of them. I figured there was a bad car crash on the highway, and started my typical morning routine- go for a run. I opened a window, looked out over the Hudson towards NJ to a perfect, crisp and cloudless blue sky- honestly one of the nicest days (for weather) I can ever remember. in that moment, my only consideration was whether I'd wear a tank-top or a t-shirt for my run- the weather felt absolutely perfect and I was heavily considering each option... it was a very important decision.

as NYCers do before heading out, I turned on our 24hr local TV news station, NY1 to get the weather. that, of course, is when I realized what was going on.

like the rest of the world- I watched this all transpire on the tv. I remember calling my parents to let them know I was ok (I didn't have anything to do with the wtc, but felt I'd put their minds at rest regardless)... of course waking them up before it was even 6am their time (CA)- to "why are you calling?". they didn't know. I also called a couple of friends who worked in SF but commuted from marin and east bay- I wanted them to avoid the bridges, especially the golden gate.

I was on the phone with my bf's wife when the first tower fell- not realizing it, I collapsed too- absolutely bawling. I could hear the concern on her voice at my out of control crying- she hadn't turned on the tv yet.

I somehow got a hold of my gf (now wife) who lived in stuy-town (east and downtown, but not immediately near the towers). we talked briefly and planned to call each other back later- but without the towers, their was no cell service.

I decided to fill up my bathtub with water in case "they" went after the water system or reservoirs, and then went to the bank for cash and store for basics. the store- typical supermarket- was insane. it was like just before a hurricane with ALL the staples gone, people grabbing everything they could and throwing it shopping carts (at the time I remember feeling sad at how selfish everyone was acting). bank had a line of people taking out larger than normal bundles of cash.

it was at the bank- on broadway- that I noticed masses of people walking uptown... IIRC, even on the street. again, the weather was just perfect that day- and from where I was about 5 miles due north of the wtc, I couldn't see a single affect what had happened. all of the smoke was getting pushed south and east over brooklyn, so it stayed a perfectly blue, clear sky all day... the only sense that something was up was the migration of workers walking home (and even though nycers walk a lot, they don't commute that way) and the run on the bank and market. 

just a crazy, horrible day. 

an aside- a very gb used to live about 15-20 blocks north of the wtc on barrow st. we used to always joke about whether- if they fell- the towers would reach his place. when I was on the phone with my friend's wife, I had that thought in my mind as I watched the tower fall... thinking about how many city blocks full- entire neighborhoods- of apartments, stores, office, etc those towers were going to take out as they fell. I thought there were going to be 10s of thousands lost in those seconds. it was astonishing to see later how they pancaked down, leaving even some spots right across the street relatively damage-free.

eta: I will say- in spite of the selifishness at the supermarket- the next 6months to a year, I've never seen the city and it's people become as self-less from everything macro on down to tiny micro acts between people. it was amazing, even if we all knew it was never going to last.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
this is second hand...

a gb's neighbor was an architect in one of the towers and got stuck in an elevator during all of this, slightly inbetween floors. he and the other person in the elevator got the door partially open, but it was held shut by a cable they couldn't disengage and which didn't allow the door to open enough for them to climb up and squeeze out.

they sat yelling through that door for anybody to help them. a voice replied finally- what can I do for you guys? the architect told the guy that his office was only a flight up and they had tools there- a dremel tool, in particular- that they could use to cut this cable. the voice and the guy disappeared. the architect and stranger sat in that elevator  for what must've seemed like hours, wondering... until... a hand reaches through the still open doors and drops the dremel down to them. they used it to cut the cable, open the door and escape the tower. the architect had no idea who the savior was or if he survived.

 
anyone watch  "102 minutes" documentary on History last night.  brought me to tears a couple times.   Highly recommend

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

[icon]
"EMP Could kill US Power Grid" - House Committee Report
2
Replies
87
Views
3K
[icon]
[icon]
GregR
Greg's Useless Trivia #50 - 100 questions (75 greatest hits, 25 new)
Replies
19
Views
2K
GregR
GregR
BobbyLayne
The 25 Greatest Films of the 21st Century So Far
2 3 4
Replies
155
Views
6K
El Floppo
El Floppo

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Top