A Tribute & Recollection - 9-11-2001

UPS Lifer

Well-Known Member
Today is a day that we need to take the time to sit down and reflect back to that day that changed every thing we know about the world we live in.

No matter who you are, black, white, Democrat, Republican, man or woman, every race, color or creed ... Today we all come together as AMERICANS.

It is a day that I can remember so vividly including the helplessness, fear and raw emotion I felt. I watched leaders show their strength and to pull the country together and mobilize our city (NYC) and nation to rally around a bigger cause than ourselves.

It is a day to take the time and honor our President, who as recently as last Sunday has been called a "retarded cowboy" and currently has a 26% +- favorability rating. The one thing you have to say is our country has been safe from such an attack for the past 7 years. It proves what our leaders can do in a time of national tragedy.

Please share your heart, thoughts and reflections, as we contemplate the outrageous loss of humanity on a day 7 years ago that will live on through our memory,honor and history.

God Bless All Americans!
 

tieguy

Banned
Even now I am haunted by the thought of all those brave firemen who lost their lives doing their duty that day.

And still remember the strong feelings of family as this country came together in the days after.
 

LiL"Comet"

Well-Known Member
I along with all of you can probably recall that day so well, I was at home getting ready to go to work mid-day oms when CBS starting reporting on what was going on. As I watched in such disbelief that plane tore through the world trade center I grabbed my little girl (1yr) holding her as tightly as I could crying so uncontrollably thinking what the hell is going on. I didn't want to leave my house like all of us were clued to our TVs watching this terrible tragedy unfold. I never before had such a overwhelming feeling of so many emotions at one time fear, anger, disbelief, helpless, rage, etc. When I did get to work that day the phones did not ring, no messages from customers like usual the calls came in the only from drvrs that were so torn up I would have to talk to and cry with to keep them going to get through that day. Drvrs were coming across people who had family, friends etc there that they couldn't get a hold of and we get so close to our customers sometimes they share their personal grief with us and some drvrs were absolutely overwhelmed. Everyone wanted to do something anything to help... I will never forget that day or those who lives were turned upside down... God Bless all :angel2:Americans
 

drewed

Shankman
It was my 2nd week in highschool, my parents had just gotten home from vegas the night before. I turned on my tv and the first plane had already hit. I sat there for what seemed like forever and my dad came into check in on me since i hadnt actually gotten up, I waived him in and he sat down on the edge of my bed and we just sat and watched. Before we knew what was going on he sent me to get ready. As I was leaving the first tower collasped.....
... We got through the first couple periods, and we heard military jets doing flyovers (the pipeline HQ was right next door at the time) and the principal came over the PA and announced there was a unresponsive KAL flight coming into Anchorage and they were evacuating downtown...
My dad picked me up that day, we went home and sat and watched the news.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
I gained a lot of respect today for both John McCain and Barack Obama as they set aside their political differences to pay their respects at Ground Zero. That tragedy puts all else in to perspective.
 

MonavieLeaker

Bringin Teh_Lulz
Cant believe its been 7 years...Still remember getting up to get ready for work shortly after 9 am and the 2nd plane had hit God Bless America and our troops and rip to all that perished
 

But Benefits Are Great!

Just Words On A Screen
My Brother worked in the Pentagon. My state was complete, frantic, disbelief.

What sticks in my mind the most was a reporter talking to people on the street the next day - everyone looking for family, carrying around pictures of people they couldn't find. Reporter just burst into tears in the middle of report. Raw emotion, like everyone was feeling.

God Bless America
 

UPS Lifer

Well-Known Member
I was Manager of the ONT air operation at the time. I would go to bed around 3 AM. My son, got me up around 7:30 am and told me something bad was happening. When I heard all the jets involved, I told my son we were at war and we better go to Costco and stock up on staples now.

Southern California skies are loaded with planes and helicopters everywhere you look.
There were none.... It was eerie! I worked at the Ontario International Airport and nothing was moving. We had to unload all our jets and put all the packages and cargo into 48 foot trailers that did not fit well on the air belts! Every day was a different operating plan. Our production was about 30-40%% of our normal PPH each day. It took about 2 weeks to get back to normal. Every once in a while you would hear a couple of fighter jets fly by at low altitude and high speed.

I will never forget....
 

sendagain

Well-Known Member
Everybody was in shock around the country. They had a special meeting outdoors with the drivers before we left for our routes in LA. I looked at my manager and said, "We're going to war!"
 

stevetheupsguy

sʇǝʌǝʇɥǝndsƃnʎ
I'm originally from NYC. We took a trip to NYC from Florida in 2000. We were gonna go up to the observation deck on one of the towers, but there was a long wait. We were totally oblivious to the fact that this could have even happened then. We settled for taking sideways panorama's of us in front of the buildings.

When I saw the president on TV today, I started to well up with tears. It's so overwhelming to think about the loss. We lost our innocence that day. And that's one thing we'll never get back. May God rest all those souls.
 

raider6971

raider6971
got stuck in traffic today..took 1hr 30mins to get back...i heard a guys radio in his car talking about 9-11 . it totally forgot today was 9 11 ....sitting in traffic did not seem like a big deal after i thought about it.....at least i got to come home .....god bless all them lost ......:sad-very:
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
Always an emotional day. I can remember the sound , that beep beep that all the firemens equipment made from the ones who were buried. I hate the sound of my four ways, it makes the same sound.
God Bless us all, and those who lost their lives that day, and the ones fighting for us today.
Great post.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
i had taken the day off to help in taking care of my father in law who had been in the military. the look in his face and the tears as the country that he had fought for was attacked, it was more than I could take. he died shortly afterward, i think partly because of what had happened. it seemed like the life just went out of him.

the loss of life was overwhelming. The selfless acts of so many that gave their lives........and the desperation of those caught above the impacts....

wonder if the authority regrets welding the doors shut on the rooftops after the first bombing and have taken action to allow for rooftop rescues.......

d
 

mattwtrs

Retired Senior Member
I had just got to my first stop that fateful day when the guy came to the dock & told me what he knew. I must have had 2 or 3 cell phone calls from friends and my wife while I was at the stop. The Center even sent a message instructing us to call in. I got to my next stop & the customer told me to come watch TV. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I can compare the events of 9-11 to that day in grade school when JFK was assasinated when you wished everything was a bad dream that wasn't true.

I'm glad McCain & Obama put politics aside today in the memory of the lost souls!
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
9-11 happens to be my sons birthday. My wife and I woke up and sung "happy birthday" to him, and then she went into the kitchen to make coffee and heard the news on the radio. It was surreal....on one hand it seemed like the world as I knew it was coming to an end, but on the other hand we sung happy birthday to my son and then I dropped him off at school and headed on in to work just like any other day.
 

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
I hadn't even realised that today was 9/11 until Lifer reminded. We talked about it for a few minutes. I remember sitting in front of the TV all day long watching the events unfold. I was at home because of knee surgery. Some of the photos on the news come back, vivid as if it had been yesterday. Like people walking out of the dust 'storms'. Everyone running for their lives. People begging for information on their loved ones.


You know Tie, it is haunting that there were firefighters that were lost in that tragedy, but their were a lot of lives lost that day. There were brave lives lost. If it hadn't been for the take over in the airplane, there would have been more lives lost. Some didn't know they were going to die and some chose to die that day for the safety of others. Don't take that away from them. ANY OF THEM
 

Cobra Agent

Mandalorian
still brings tears to my eyes, I couldnt finish watching the video. I remember my wife having morning sickness. I had just come home from preload and was asleep. My best friend called and told me to turn the tv on. After a couple of hours being glued to the tv, we met my friend at ihop. We lived in shreveport louisiana at the time and we saw air force 1 fly over to land at barksdale afb. We were completly terrified. I pray that we as americans never have to go through that again.
 
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