September 11: What's Your Story?

[TIDE-HSV]

My oldest friend was at a conference in Jackson WY on 9/11. Hertz called him about returning his rental. He told them he’d return it in Corpus Christi

We had friends trapped in DC. They managed to get a rental car and drive back to HSV. One of my old basketball buddies was working in the Pentagon. I called him to check on him and he replied "With my usual foresight, I was outside at the time."

 

[Crimson1967]

I was working at home, waiting for a mid-morning haircut, with the TV on ABC, muted. I looked up to see Charley Gibson back on and the first tower was in flames. While I watched, and they speculated, the second one hit. When I got to the salon, I assured the hairdressers that the towers wouldn't fall because of the insulated steel construction. Of course they fell, but after I left. I'm sure I was dissed in my absence...

On the 60 Minutes special last night they interviewed a NYFD member from 9/11 that said they weren’t concerned about the buildings collapsing while his men were inside trying to rescue people.

 

[Its On A Slab]

And yet, when I was teaching Sunday School in an UMC, in the '70s, we were using common literature shared by Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, The Christian Church, and possibly a couple more. After a couple of lousy pastors in a row in the UMC, along with the lack of any power to change the bishop's mind, my wife and I considered both the Lutherans and Episcopal church. Then we found out that you had to become a scholar on Luther's theses. I only thought I knew enough. Then, I found out the reason their communion was closed. The transition to Episcopal would have been easier, because that's the origin of the UMC. Also, when I was a kid, we used the same communion service from the Book of Common Prayer, which I had memorized..

This guy did nothing to assuage my latent agnostic tendencies. Especially when he would sprinkle his sermons with the stuff of urban legends. I distinctly remember him telling the Mel Gibson "Man Without A Face" legend. I groaned really loudly, and almost walked out of the service.

 

[crimbru]

I walked in the door from work with the phone ringing and my sister telling me to turn on the TV-- I live in Europe a few minutes by car or bike to NATO and that is also in line with the airport. Hence, the first thought to hit me was whether or not it would happen soon right here near my house. Then, second episode to hit was a call with friends (husband/wife ) I had made here who were on expat contracts from NYC. They knew numerous people from their company in one of the towers--all perished--neither of them worked in that office but visited it weekly for meetings. The husband's father lived near the towers--had to evacuate but was fine. Later was a call from an American colleague in my office freaking out because of lack of communication to the areas-- so his sister worked in the second tower, evacuated, went back, evacuated again and ran--made it. His parents lived near the Pentagon. Needless to say he was a mess until he could contact each of them. Last world is small moment I remember was to learn later that one of my UA friends was in NYC uptown when it happened and was stuck there. Finally, I had already bought tickets months before for a late October/early November flight with my 2 year old daughter to spend time with US family and I maintained the flight. All the employees were so thankful--there were not many on the flight.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

This guy did nothing to assuage my latent agnostic tendencies. Especially when he would sprinkle his sermons with the stuff of urban legends. I distinctly remember him telling the Mel Gibson "Man Without A Face" legend. I groaned really loudly, and almost walked out of the service.

By and large, the UMC pastors are better than that. They're certainly more intellectual, but you can get stinkers too, and you take whatever the bishop sends you. Most people who stay in the UMC just change churches, which I've done a couple of times. My all time favorite, and a close friend, had to struggle with school, he was so dyslexic. In fact, he managed to graduate HS without being able to read or write and was recruited to Bama as a tackle (back when standards were much lower). After a couple of weeks, Coach Bryant called him in and said "Son, you can't read, can you?" He broke down in tears and confessed. Coach called Charley Pell at Jax and he transferred there and played there. In the meantime, he married an angel, who taught him to read and write and he proceeded to graduate from Jax State and cum laude from Emory School of Theology. In his youth, he had been placed in a class of special needs kids, because they thought he was just cognitively challenged. He had a lifelong passion for special needs kids and worked numerous camps for them. I've told this before, but several of us went to see "Inglorious Bastards," and the only seats left were front row. A large part of that film was in German and, from our seats, the subtitles ran from side to side of the screen. You had to swivel your head to read them. Larry's dyslexia couldn't cope with it, so I ended up having to translate the German to him in a whisper. His sermons were down to earth and folksy, too much so for some. Naturally, he delivered them totally without notes, from the floor down in front, not from the pulpit...

 

[Padreruf]

"60 Minutes" last night - new 9-11 production - will try to post it if it becomes available.

The bravery and lives lost......I couldn't stop crying.....

Me too...the most heart-wrenching account I have seen. These NYFD persons were the greatest heroes I have ever seen.

 

[Padreruf]

On the 60 Minutes special last night they interviewed a NYFD member from 9/11 that said they weren’t concerned about the buildings collapsing while his men were inside trying to rescue people.

That was really something...I was stunned to hear that..one fireman walked like 40 floors to open a way for those trapped to come down.

 

[Go Bama]

"60 Minutes" last night - new 9-11 production - will try to post it if it becomes available.

The bravery and lives lost......I couldn't stop crying.....

Here you go, Bazza. I haven't watched it yet but have it on my DVR.

9/11: The FDNY | 60 Minutes

On September 11, 2001, 343 members of the Fire Department of New York perished while trying to rescue people trapped in the World Trade Center. Scott Pelley speaks with firefighters who were there that day and the loved ones of those who never made it home.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Padreruf]

By and large, the UMC pastors are better than that. They're certainly more intellectual, but you can get stinkers too, and you take whatever the bishop sends you. Most people who stay in the UMC just change churches, which I've done a couple of times. My all time favorite, and a close friend, had to struggle with school, he was so dyslexic. In fact, he managed to graduate HS without being able to read or write and was recruited to Bama as a tackle (back when standards were much lower). After a couple of weeks, Coach Bryant called him in and said "Son, you can't read, can you?" He broke down in tears and confessed. Coach called Charley Pell at Jax and he transferred there and played there. In the meantime, he married an angel, who taught him to read and write and he proceeded to graduate from Jax State and cum laude from Emory School of Theology. In his youth, he had been placed in a class of special needs kids, because they thought he was just cognitively challenged. He had a lifelong passion for special needs kids and worked numerous camps for them. I've told this before, but several of us went to see "Inglorious Bastards," and the only seats left were front row. A large part of that film was in German and, from our seats, the subtitles ran from side to side of the screen. You had to swivel your head to read them. Larry's dyslexia couldn't cope with it, so I ended up having to translate the German to him in a whisper. His sermons were down to earth and folksy, too much so for some. Naturally, he delivered them totally without notes, from the floor down in front, not from the pulpit...

I would have loved to have met him...my youngest son has dyslexia -- was tutored all the way from Kindergarten to graduation from Clemson. He has been super successful in business...you would never know it if you met him.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I would have loved to have met him...my youngest son has dyslexia -- was tutored all the way from Kindergarten to graduation from Clemson. He has been super successful in business...you would never know it if you met him.

Larry is now deceased - terrible family cardiac genetics. No, you'd never know it with Larry, but reading, though his favorite past time, was always a struggle for him. He worshipped Coach Bryant, in no small part because of the way he took care of him and saw that he got an education. By the time he transferred, he was married to a wonderful wife, who tutored him. He also worshipped Coach Sly Croom, who was his position coach at Jax...

 

[Tidewater]

I was at US SOCOM in MacDilll AFB, Fla. at a planning conference for an exercise. Someone came in the room and said a plane had flown into one of the WTC buildings. When another person came in and said another plane had flown the other tower, that ended the planning conference.
It took four hours to get onto MacDill AFB on September 12th.
A week later I was en route to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky and the 5th Special Forces Group. And a few weeks after that I was in Uzbekistan.
Two friends, both Sergeants Major from 5th Group have or have died of cancer (brain and pancreatic), with whom I served in Uzbekistan. The Soviets had put some funky stuff at that base. I guess I need to watch closely for cancer the rest of the way.

 

[TexasBama]

I was at US SOCOM in MacDilll AFB, Fla. at a planning conference for an exercise. Someone came in the room and said a plane had flown into one of the WTC buildings. When another person came in and said another plane had flown the other tower, that ended the planning conference.
It took four hours to get onto MacDill AFB on September 12th.
A week later I was en route to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky and the 5th Special Forces Group. And a few weeks after that I was in Uzbekistan.
Two friends, both Sergeants Major from 5th Group have or have died of cancer (brain and pancreatic), with whom I served in Uzbekistan. The Soviets had put some funky stuff at that base. I guess I need to watch closely for cancer the rest of the way.

There is a Netflix series called Spy Ops I started watching last night. The first segment was about the SAD team that went into the Panjshir Valley with a wad of dollars right after 9/11, followed closely by 5th SF

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I've posted this before, but my next-door neighbor and I played golf with the White House email director (civil service) on 9/12. The whole world was weird. He kept calling the WH, asking if he were needed back there and they kept telling him that there was nothing he could do. I asked him if he were ever called to testify. He said that it was close during the Clinton scandals, but he managed to dodge...

 

[PaulD]

On 9/11/2001, I was a civilian attorney working on Robins AFB here in Georgia. It's interesting that one thing that has stuck with me is that I remember noticing while walking from my car to the headquarters building where I worked was how bright blue and cloudless the sky was. (Apparently, it was that way over most of the east coast.)

I was walking down a hallway when one of our captains told me that a plane had struck one of the WTC towers and that people were watching on a small portable TV in the deliberation room. When the second plane hit I told my boss that the base would be about to raise its security level and that our cars were parked too close to the building (fear of car bombs). We ran out and moved them.

We were told to close the blinds on our office windows and not to leave the building we were in under any circumstances. We had been placed in a security classification that meant there was a known threat to our base. (I learned later that someone said just raise things to the highest level, even though no such threat was suspected.) The cookies in the vending machines sold out quickly as we couldn't leave the building to get lunch. In fact, the gates to the base had been closed--no one could get in or out! Finally, about 5, after someone told the commander he was going to have to pay the thousands of civilians overtime, we were told to run to our cars and drive off the base ASAP, resulting in a huge traffic jam.

Military bases have changed a lot since 9/11. First, getting on base isn't as simple. Before, most of the time, you could get on base simply with a car sticker. Now, you must show the gate guards your ID (military, civilian, retired, or dependent). That is clearly better. In some cases, you have to serpentine while you drive in or out. Buildings, like the one I worked at, have been modified to have concrete barriers to prevent people from parking within the supposed car bomb distance.

I also knew several of our majors and captains who were deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq (some to both). One of my jobs, which I was proud to do, was to serve as a resource for our deployed folks when they needed it. For example, in 2004, I helped one of our majors draft a new government procurement law for Iraq. I was always aware that I had it easy. I stayed home.

 

[Tidewater]

There is a Netflix series called Spy Ops I started watching last night. The first segment was about the SAD team that went into the Panjshir Valley with a wad of dollars right after 9/11, followed closely by 5th SF

When training for Unconventional Warfare (UW), you tell the trainees, "We had to make some stuff up for this exercise, but when you do this for real, all the intel in the world will be made available to you, all the resources in with world will be given to you, you will get months to plan," etc.

I remember briefing that first team the day before their infil.
I told the Team Leader and Team Sergeant, "Hey, listen up. Y'all are going to this grid coordinate tomorrow night."
"What's at that grid coordinate?"
"I don't know."
"Who will meet us on the LZ?
"I don't know. An American."
"How will we know he's American?"
"He'll be the guy speaking English with an American accent."
"What's his name?"
"I don't know."
"How will we know he's the right guy?"
"He'll be the American on the LZ. Sorry guys, that's all I know."
Team Leader looks at the Team Sergeant, says, "Giddyup. Let's go brief the guys."
And off they went. Testicles the size of grapefruits...

 

[TexasBama]

I remember briefing that first team the day before their infil.
I told the Team Leader and Team Sergeant, "Hey, listen up. Y'all are going to this grid coordinate tomorrow night."
"What's at that grid coordinate?"
"I don't know."
"Who will meet us on the LZ?
"I don't know. An American."
"How will we know he's American?"
"He'll be the guy speaking English with an American accent."
"What's his name?"
"I don't know."
"How will we know he's the right guy?"
"He'll be the American on the LZ. Sorry guys, that's all I know."
Team Leader looks at the Team Sergeant, says, "Giddyup. Let's go brief the guys."
And off they went. Testicles the size of grapefruits...

The first two teams the SAD guys had come in were 5th SF and I think Delta. At night, and they managed to drop the teams on opposite sides of the river. Someone had swim over and get the other team.

 

[Tidewater]

The first two teams the SAD guys had come in were 5th SF and I think Delta. At night, and they managed to drop the teams on opposite sides of the river. Someone had swim over and get the other team.

I do not remember it that way. Could be. I was not on the ground.
The second SF team was the Horse Soldiers who went to Rashid Dostam (who is a rough character). That team leader carried $1 million in cash, a gross of condoms and a bottle of Stoly.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

I had a structures quiz that morning which was obviously cancelled. I was woke up by my phone ringing and my firend telling me that someone had bombed one of the Twin Towers. By the time I turned on the TV they had realized it was a plane and at first thought some accident had happened. As the were going over how it could have happened, the second plane hit. Suddenly we all realized, we were under attack and now 2 planes were still unacounted for. I sat in complete disbelief. Now my girlfriend has woke up and she said I looked like I saw a ghost. I just pointed at the TV. She was now looking in stunned silence. Then (and I will never forget this part) Peter Jennings says while holding back tears that if you haven't called your loved ones, you should. That was when I called my mom (and she called hers). She was working nights at the time, so I woke her up. I told her to turn on the TV. She asked what channel and I said it didn't matter. All I got was silence again. Eventually, she said oh my God, weren't you supposed to be there next month. I just said yes. At this point the third plane is still unaccounted for. They started mentioning all the possible targets and mentioned the CDC in Atlanta. My mom asked me how close I was to that and I lied and told her we were far from that and not to worry. I told my mom I loved her before hanging up.

The image of people chosing to leap out of the buildings instead of burning to death is something that still haunts me to this day.

When we finally returned to class, we had no quiz and instead discussed why the buildings fell. We all came to the same conclusion. The steal did not "melt", it just became weak and failed. Once that happened the buildings fell. The reason it looked like a controlled demolition is because the columns and beams that were weakened were low enough that the weight above them came crashing down on all levels. This is why I get so angry with conspiracy nut jobs that say all kinds of disrespectful things about this subject.

 

[Tug Tide]

My 2001 story is rather ordinary, but I’m anchored in NY harbor as I type this


Posted this video on NSNP Window to the World Thread:

September 9, 2023

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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This was an evening last week headed up NY harbor and into the East River

 

[TIDE-HSV]

My 2001 story is rather ordinary, but I’m anchored in NY harbor as I type this
View attachment 36751
View attachment 36752
Posted this video on NSNP Window to the World Thread:

September 9, 2023

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

This was an evening last week headed up NY harbor and into the East River

I didn't think you were working up north any more?