I remember it was a Day, sitting in a Room at the State Board Testing Center. A giant screen in front of me, sitting 3rd row back to my left was north the screen to my east, in front of me was a burning building reports that it was on fire, some speculating as to the cause, as I watched in horror a plane flew into the building it was no longer speculation rather, disbelief we were being attacked, I knew in an instant, was a terror attack like so many other attempts, but this time instead of hijacking and flying them into the ground with passengers they have devised a method of a fully loaded fuel plane weight is without question add aluminum and other pieces to the plane is a bomb, explosive and devastating.

In an instant I also knew the weight including fuel, would cause the Towers to fall, that the structural integrity would be lost, and to my horror I was right, my assumptions were realized in front of me on a grand display, my heart went from those on the ground who I knew had no idea to run away and keep their distance, but rather to watch from below like so many fixed on the event not realizing they would be a part of the unfolding terror.

In memory of those who lost their lives I remember where I was. Put a pin drop on the map at that fateful moment.


Regrettably and with sadness,

kv

 

 

 

20 years ago today, in the morning, I was waiting to board a flight to Atlanta for a conference. As my fading memory recalls, the next gate over was waiting for the infamous flight 11.

My flight was uneventful until our final approach to Atlanta. The engines suddenly roared as the plane aborted its approach and steeply climbed. A few minutes later, the Captain announced that the Atlanta tower had ordered him to climb and circle the airport. No one was alarmed; a few were annoyed.

When we finally landed some time later and pulled into the gate, several people were on their cell phones and announced that a plane had crashed into the WTC.
My first thought was a small private plane; an airliner would not have been that far off course.

Deplaning, I made my way to baggage pickup. Someone on the escalator called out, "A second plane hit the other tower."

Now I was concerned. But, as this was in the days before smartphones became ubiquitous, I had no further details. And would not for sometime. In fact, it wasn't until I entered the conference hall in the afternoon that I learned of the mornings events.

It was impossible to call home. The cellular network then was overloaded. It wasn't until late afternoon that I could reach my wife and children. They were frantic. All they knew was that I had a flight out of Boston, nine or ten hours ago.

The next few days were a blur. I waited for the flight ban to lift, but was unable to get out of Atlanta. I had a train reservation but the travel agency did not pre-pay it, so I lost my seat (Why this happened remains a mystery to me. They had my credit card info on file).

Finally, a rental car became available to drive to Charlotte NC, train to DC, train to Boston and the T (subway) to Braintree, where I lived.
All the time, I rode in concern about my family and the families of the 9-11 victims. It was eery back home, as most flights were not occurring. The silence in the air seemed to be a tribute to those who lost their lives.


Never forget!
9-11-2001

 

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a48031/the-falling-man-tom-junod/

They began jumping not long after the first plane hit the North Tower, not long after the fire started. They kept jumping until the tower fell.

 

There have been 4 incidents that have indelibly been burned into my memory. JFK's assassination, MLK's assassination, watching the 2nd plane hit on live TV and the aftermath, and the night Baghdad was attacked on live TV. I live right on the east coast under the flight path from east Florida to the upper east coast. It was indeed very eerie during the air grounding not having any of the myriad of contrails normally in the sky above. I remember hearing of one fellow who walked out of a building in DC and saw fighter jets screaming by overhead and thinking "WTF is going on, they are flying air cover over DC!?!?" We lost over 2400 souls when Pearl Harbor was sneak attacked on 12/7/41 and over over 2900 on 9/11/2001 sixty years later.

 

My Flag is and will remain at half mast, I am an ‘Antidisastablishmentarianist‘

FYI, I am against anyone both foreign and domestic who is against the .gov I will stand ardent (Burning; Glowing) virulent (bitter and hostile) against those who attacked our capital, they should be glad I was not present.

I shake as I type, extremely upset with people today and their complete and total disregard to those who lost their lives in the past and present standing for this constitution. Please refrain any comments beyond this post (Not to be made political stupid)

kv

Edit: Better to say no politics, remembrance is always appreciated.

 

 

There have been 4 incidents that have indelibly been burned into my memory. JFK's assassination, MLK's assassination, watching the 2nd plane hit on live TV and the aftermath, and the night Baghdad was attacked on live TV. I live right on the east coast under the flight path from east Florida to the upper east coast. It was indeed very eerie during the air grounding not having any of the myriad of contrails normally in the sky above. I remember hearing of one fellow who walked out of a building in DC and saw fighter jets screaming by overhead and thinking "WTF is going on, they are flying air cover over DC!?!?" We lost over 2400 souls when Pearl Harbor was sneak attacked on 12/7/41 and over over 2900 on 9/11/2001 sixty years later.

You forgot one.
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing

On the morning of April 19, 1995, an ex-Army soldier and security guard named Timothy McVeigh parked a rented Ryder truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. He was about to commit mass murder.

Inside the vehicle was a powerful bomb made out of a deadly cocktail of agricultural fertilizer, diesel fuel, and other chemicals. McVeigh got out, locked the door, and headed towards his getaway car. He ignited one timed fuse, then another.

At precisely 9:02 a.m., the bomb exploded.

I think of my own Grandchildren and take it very personal.

kv

 

Nope, didn't forget it, just not one of the exceptionally indelibly etched onto my brain ones. Along with Bobby Kennedy, the first explosion at the WTC, and the attempted assassinations of several others there have been too many despicable events. I was in the Tennessee Capitol for a youth in government event on the Saturday when MLK was assassinated in Memphis. We were in the Senate Chamber presenting and voting on bills when they interrupted us to evacuate us from the building. Outside, the Tennessee National Guard had sandbagged .50 machine guns on the Capitol steps and strung concertina wire to protect the Capitol. Busses took us back to our motel where we were stranded for 2 days as there was Martial Law declared and the only traffic moving were the convoys of National Guard trucks coming into Nashville to stand guard. Rioting, burning, and looting had broken out in Memphis and was feared it would spread to Nashville as well. Thankfully, it did not and after two days of being locked up in the motel the Martial Order was lifted, and we were allowed to go home.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/10/tech/digital-news-coverage-9-11/index.html

Some of the most iconic 9/11 news coverage is lost. Blame Adobe Flash