#2039 | Wednesday, September 11th, 2002
I was at work when it all happened. One lady had a radio, but we didn't have a TV, of course, and, as everyone knows, you SURE couldn't get on a news website, not at first. And I remember craving the information.

But when I finally was able to get on a website...when I finally DID get the information..... It's one of those things your head processes but your heart doesn't you know?

I remember thinking: God help us all. God help those people....

My mind immediately went back to that wonderful week of Spring Break in 1988, when my high school senior class and I went up the east coast. We didn't have a care in the world then, just having fun seeing the sites. We stopped, among other places, in Washington DC. We toured the Pentagon. And when we got to New York...well, going up to Windows on the World was an experience. My memory is not the greatest. Details from that long ago do not come easily, I'm afraid. Believe me if I knew then what I know now I would have written things down immediately. But you know what they say about hindsight being 20/20. No way could we have known. But there are some things I never will forget.

I can still see clearly in my mind the soldier who led us on our tour of the Pentagon, how he seemed ill-at-ease having our picture taken, but we were tourists and teen-agers at that. It was our job. ;)

At the World Trade Center, the lady who took us up in the elevator was a black lady, and you could tell she'd done the tour thing at least a thousand times before. I remember her telling us the elevator was the fastest elevator in the world, and that at a point you'd feel weightless while going up.

They didn't let us on the roof that day because it was too windy. But I remember the windows going all the way around except for the part where the cooking area itself was, and there was a little grate you stepped down on and have your nose pressed right up to the glass. I remember thinking, WHOA that is a LONG way down. Talk about understatement, huh? But I got some beautiful beautiful pictures.

We did other things that week. But for obvious reasons, these are the ones that come to mind. I still have my ticket to the world trade center and when I got it out last night I nearly cried. Time has blunted the grief somewhat, but it still hurts. And I'll admit, I didn't even loose anybody. But simply as Americans we all got our hearts ripped out that day.

And some things did hit close. I came to find out later (it's sad that I had no idea) that one of my cousins works at a company that regularly does contract work for the Pentagon. By the grace of God he didn't have to go in that day. A nice lady who owns a deli I frequent lost two friends who worked at Cantor Fitzgerald.

I keep wondering, though I know I will never have the answers to the questions: While I doubt very seriously the soldier who took us on the tour was still there, you never know. Was the part of the Pentagon we toured anywhere near the part that got hit? Was the lady who took us up in the elevator still there? Is her family mourning now?

I can honestly say I have seen things so many people in the US will never get to see again. That right was taken away from them on September 11, 2001. But I've have been so heartened by America's spirit, and our heroes, those still with us, and those "who died just doin what they do."

God Bless America
Niki | 32 | Alabama

#2040 | Wednesday, September 11th, 2002
Bonjour de Toulouse.

En ce jour de deuil et de souvenir, je vous adresse toute ma sympathie, mon amitié devant cette catastrophe.

Soyez assuré de ma solidarité dans mes pensées et dans mes prières.

Courage.

Patrick Blanche
Patrick | 35 | France

#2041 | Wednesday, September 11th, 2002
Sept 11, 2002 is a day that is permantly etched into my mind. I had little sleep for the past 4 days due to nightmares about planes crashing, buildings falling and poeople covered in smoke....had I only known. I had a dr appointment that morning, and my mom and I then went out to eat. it wasn't till we got back in the car did we hear about the 2 planes that had already hit the WTC. The first tower to fall fell shortly after we started listening. Still for my the dreams didn't seem important...maybe it was me hoping my dreams weren't true...I'de been wooried for days about my brother in Chicago, tall building falling my first thought was Chris in Chicago. We arrived home I ran literally into the house, flipped on the TV and stood in shock as the other tower began to crumble it was in seeing it that I began to think I dreamt that. Over the months before the attacks several people had describe dreams to me and while I didn't know when I was trying to explain...within a hour of returning home I knew that it was all about that day.

Suddenly I felt exausted and my mom forced me to go lay down before work...It was the best I had slept in days no dreams nothing just a calm. Within day the calm of sleep was gone, I felt like I was spending the night working in my sleep, a year later I still have thoughs nights, actually this morning I feel like I didn't sleep a wink even though I just slept around 6 hours.

For my my dreams are important and while some don't believe the usaully happen. So I can say I am super happy I haven't had any dreams...but then again that just mean anything that does happen I just didn't pick up on.
Holly | 24 | Ohio

#2042 | Wednesday, September 11th, 2002
On 9/11 I was at work sitting at my w/p with several other colleagues when our supervisor came in and told us a plane had flown into the WTC, her son, a journalist had got reports through work and had 'phoned her with the news. Shock and disbelief was the first reaction, followed by a phone call to my daughter to switch on the tv and tell us what was happening.

Words cannot express how sorry I was at what happened and to all those brave people who helped those poor souls inside the building.

Having visited New York just before the occurrence and having visited the WTC to admire the building and views, it now seems incredible that it no longer exists.

My thoughts, along with many others go with everybody concerned.
Linda | 48 | United Kingdom

#2043 | Wednesday, September 11th, 2002
I shall never forget September 11th . I was intent on getting back to work after my lunchbreak , when an SMS message from abroad on my cellphone alerted me : " Plane crashed into World Trade Center, New York. Watch CNN " . Just as I tuned in onto the world's largest news network , I was in time to see the airframe of American Airlines flight 175 disappear into the South Tower's interior , and I realised that what millions of people were watching all around the world was not caused by some fatal accident but actually by a well devised terrorist plan , hellbent in massacreing thousands of defenseless civilians in less than two hours . It was the start of one of humanity's darkest days since the Cuban missile crises. Whilst another two flying aircraft-bombs crashed into the Pentagon and into the fields of Shanksville , Pittsburgh ( Pennsylvania ) the defense and anti-terrorism establishments all over the world went into action to prevent new catastrophic attacks: if "the big American Giant" had been struck so hard, it was very clear that no nation in the world could - in those hours - call itself a safe haven . I felt a feeling of diarmed impotence as I witnessed bewildered the images on TV , realising that those " dots " which I saw falling from the WTC weren 't debris but desperate human beings , seeking salvation in that leap of a couple of hundred metres from the flames inside the building . From the other end of the earth , I was seeing these persons dieing , and all I could do was to pray that the rescuers could at least save as many lives as possible . The thought never crossed my mind that two such large steel and concrete giants would not have remain erect , I simply couldn 't think it possible . I was numbed frozen stiff when I saw the first tower crumble , and then the second . My thoughts went to those still inside the buildings , to their rescuers , and to those who had left their homes that clear morning - having said their goodbyes to their loved ones ( or even without having had the chance to do so either ) - who suddenly disappeared in that dust cloud , never returning home . All these folks projects , hopes and dreams were shattered in a few minutes by an act of decided violence . After the shock and the sadness , there comes the anger , the hate . I prayed that the same rage and violence would strike those who had devised and supported this extermination of human life , and I believe that I can speak for all the Corpi d' élite.net staff here by stating that , in the following months when we heard of the thousands of terrorists and Taliban fighters buried alive in their own bunkers or cuts to ribbons by the Coalition forces , we didn 't bat an eyelid . It was a no win situation in that if they won, we 'd loose, and viceversa . Although the death of our enemies would not have brought back those lost on that tragic day ( as a matter of fact , none of the enemies' lives lost is worth even half of any of those lost on September 11th ) , it would be a clear signal that the West was not prepared to be erased away by a bunch of barbarians . I lay in that moment on my couch , still incredilous before such horror , and thinking that the consequences of what I was seeing could have more serious consequences had our American allies , wisely , awaited the opportune moment to break the spines of those responsible . In the following days and months , we gradually started to get to know more on some of the victims . There were two firemen, a father and son duo , burried allive under the rubble of one tower, and for whom one street has been named in New York .The employee who returned to the WTC after the aircarft impact , sure that the two giants would have stayed erect . The engaged couple who jumped into thin air holding each others hands . The father searching for his own kids . The mothers who would never again embrace them . And added to all this tragedy, the heroic and moving sacrifice of United Airles flight 93 , who sacrificed their lives in a last desperate attempt in regaining control of their hijacked aircraft . The aircraft later crashed in the outskirts of Pittsburgh . It seems that the passengers had surprisingly overcome the hijackers controlling the aircraft in a hand to hand fight ; however they failed to save their own lives in the process . But with their courage they avoided another fourth catastrophe from happening in Washington . Someone once wrote " Times of Teror are Times of Heroism ". It causes much thought that this tragedy , which has struck the world so hard on September 11th , has been able to teach us something we weren 't yet aware of on the greatness of the human spirit . When one thinks of the passengers onboard flight 93 , of those firefighters , defying that selfpreservation subconsciousness , pushed only by that infinite sense of duty and altruism - they didn 't spare a second thought to hurtle themselves to render a service in the twin towers . As others were escaping down through the stair wells , they were going up to help . A race against time and death . They may have saved many from death , but not themselves .

MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE
Webmaster | 37 | Italy

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