September 11-Twenty-Two Years Later

It's hard to believe that it happened 22 years ago, especially since it likely stays fresh in the minds of all that saw the utter chaos.

I still remember waking to the sound of my phone ringing here in Sacramento.  My friend in Florida was calling.  When I picked up the phone, she was screaming, "Those bastards."  My friend is of German descent, and was yelling in broken English.  Finally, she said, "Turn on the TV."  The horror from those images will be forever in my head.  In so many ways, it's difficult to believe it has been 22 years.

CONGRATULATIONS Kathy, on having this blog FEATURED in the Old Farts Club group!  

Sometimes things don't work out and we don't fully appreciate the why. I learned to appreciate the why because of 9/11. My firm bid on a project for a japanese bank on the 85th or 86th floor- due to start Sept 10. We were ultimately deemed too expensive. I didn't attend the Risk Management conference held at Windows on the World on 9/11 because if we won that project- I would be the project lead- and I didn't want to disappear from a new client and project a day after we had started work- even though in this case disappearing from the client site meant being on a different floor of the same building. 

In this case, the fact that we were too expensive saved my life. 

My mom called crying earlier- as she was remembering all that it meant to us. While my dad left Merrill Lynch a month before the parking garage bombing many years earlier- he had a long career working in the World Trade Center- and World Financial Center across the street. As a child my dad would take me to work from time to time- and during every visit we stopped into one particular store we both loved- an autograph and collectibles shop located in the basement shopping area of the WTC.  So many memories. 

Thank you for the beautiful post, Kathy. If only we could decide to come together again - but without another horrifying disaster. 

Will any of us ever forget that day? I remember going to work and that's all anyone could talk about. I hadn't turned on the TV before I left that morning, so had no clue about the disaster that was unfolding. 

I'm sure that's the first time I'd ever heard of Osama Bin Lauden. (spelling??)

September 11th will always hurt when I think of all the loss of life that occured 😐

Unfortunately, our nation's media and educational system has not influenced our unity as a people or country especially about that horrific day of 9/11. Hopefully, commonsense will prevail and we as a nation will return virtue to our nation's leaders, if not, I don't see any optimism for our country. 

Those of us over a certain age can never forget that day. The lack of new coverage each year on this day appalls me. Those who were too young or not born yet have almost no knowledge of the attacks and subsequent events due to the lack of education and news coverage about it. 

On 9/10 I was three blocks from the World Trade  Center . I met with Mogen Smed to design a dermatology office in Pennsylvania.

Mogen was uptown on 9/11 for a meeting … but he lost everything in his hotel room at the Marriott Marquis. 

My former bride’s friend was an engineer at the Port Authority  . As fate would have it , she was late for with that day 

many of my fellow alumni from Fordham were not as lucky … many worked for Cantor Fitzgerald . The firm lost more than 650 employees… God bless all who were affected

I watched the Jets Bills game last night. It started with a beautiful rendition of the star spangled banner with fireworks. It was more of a celebration of our country and remembrance of 9/11 than I saw anywhere else yesterday

Because the terrorists bought one way tickets with cash and were legally allowed to carry box cutters onto planes we created a huge Bureaucracy called homeland security and the TSA agents. The laws we had in place in 2000 if enforced would have kept the terrorists off the planes

Kathy, I'll never forget that day. It did dawn on me there are those who don't remember because they weren't born or they were too small. Hopefully they learn about it from their parents or in school. 

And my how far we've fallen in comparison to those days. We did come together and we did have a new appreciation for our first responders, law enforcement, and military. I believe that respect and appreciation trickles down from the top. I hope we can get back to that respect and appreciation but without something so devastating. 

I remember exactly where I was, who I was talking with, etc when the news came that a NY building was hit. I kept explaining to my coworkers that I've flown out of Laguardia and JFK and that's not a route either take.  It HAD TO BE AN ATTACK.

Working in the tallest building in New Orleans, we had to wonder if we were next. We were told to go home.

People flew their flags, were actually driving "normal" and everyone was united.

Now we have a "leader" who couldn't see to attend a 9/11 event and blamed political strife as the key problem in the U.S. 

That long already? I stationed in China during that year. In April 01 a US spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter ~120 miles away from me. Ordered all US citizens in China to be on standby waiting for possible evacuation. Never happened. For me it would be 5 min taxi or 20 min walk into HK.  I did not watch the evening news as HK cable stations news were constantly censored with faked maintenance in-progress sign blocked all sensitive news.  It was 9/12/01 AM I heard about it but US Emabssy did not issue warning bulletin. My wife's niece worked 60 hours a week guarding Time Square, NY as a cop.  He had all those first hand memories.  This year family went back to the newly built towers. I did not want to remember these sad things.  Another 22 years had passed.

Good Morning Kathy Streib 

I could not have expressed what you just said any better (or even as close). Now, teaching the children

A thoughtful post that resonates so much with all that truly were impacted that day or knew of someone that was.  My travails were long and hard, but if I live to be 200 I know I will not forget.

It is difficult to believe it has been 22 years. I am sure that all of us can remember exactly where we were when we heard the news. Still brings chills.

Many of our youths that were born after 9-11 do not know the significance of what happened and the impact that it had on the Whole Wide World.

I was not aware that GW Bush was then in the office.  I saw him at a school meeting when someone wispered to him that the roof caved in. The Pentagon attack was actually the high light of the event. A year later at a resort in Thailand, I was lectured by a group of Chinese muslims for poor handling and treatment received. That is another aspect of the event one often does not often hear. 

22 years ago ... seems like a lifetime away ... and yet those of us who where alive can remember this day like no other.  Thank you for sharing this beautiful blog and remembrance of such a tragedy.  Loved your ending with the suggestions for the "letters" U N I T E ... Amazing and True! Kathy Streib