Don't let the Bastards win. Hold your head up high and flip them the bird.
and Never forget those who gave it all to ensure that we are free
and Never forget those who gave it all to ensure that we are free
Sunday 9-11 "Never Forget" GMT
- Thread starter eric strt6
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September 11, 2001 changed my life.
But not in the way that you probably are thinking. See, that morning at ~8am I was watching ebay, keeping an eye on an auction for a bike that I'd bid on, a Santa Cruz Bullit. I'd used it as a reward for quitting smoking (nothing major, 1/2 pack a day, but still), so throughout the summer I'd told myself that if I didn't smoke *at all*, I'd allow myself to buy a FR bike that fall. I'd beaten my entry-level hardtail into the ground, and was looking to really invest in a decent bike. The deal I made with myself worked very well, as I was able to channel the desire to smoke into the desire for a new bike. So, come the beginning of Sept I placed a bid on a 2001 SC Bullit, Marzocchi Z1 fork, RF Northshore cranks, Hayes Hydros, etc. Probably more set up for all-mountain than the abuse that I was going to subject it to in the coming years, but hey, live and learn. It was more than I'd spent on just about any piece of sporting equipment (ever), but I had a full-time job and some disposable income.
So the listing ended at around 9am, and I won the auction! I was going to progress from a hardtail to a full-blown FR bike, and who knows where that would lead... Well, 45min later all thoughts on my new bike were forgotten. A coworker had come over with a portable radio stating that a plane had flown into one of the Twin Towers. The news was so sketchy at that point that that we really had no idea exactly *how* bad it was, as no one knew whether it was a big plane, small plane, etc. The few news websites (CNN.com, for instance) almost immediately crashed, and it was down to searching for backdoors to the different sites in order to get any information. There wasn't the massive number of blogs, information sites, etc that there are today, but rather a handful of news organizations that were overwhelmed almost immediately. The rest of the day is mostly a blur, with our leaving the office for the solace of the local bar sometime around 11am in search of coffee and TV coverage. It ended with my mother and I heading down to the local Red Cross to donate blood, and literally being turned away due to *hundreds* of other donors already lined up ready to give blood. I'll admit that I teared up at the sight of hundreds (thousands?) of Americans doing whatever they could, even if it was just heading down to donate blood for the anticipated thousands of injured that were going to turn up at NYC hospitals. There ended up being hardly any injured, though...
Wednesday sucked. Being within an hours drive of Manhattan, we could see the plume of smoke rising up from the WTC, even from ~45 miles away. Thurs we all headed back to work, although not much was actually accomplished. Emails went out to our local riding group that regularly met up to ride after work, and that night, for the first time since 9:45am on Tues we were able to avoid thinking about the catastrophe. Mtb'ing was therapeutic, and took our minds off of what was going on not that far South of us. We didn't talk much, but just relished the company and the riding. That Saturday I picked up my new (to me) Bullit, and we immediately christened it at Trumbull. That fall and winter was riding almost every day, and the following spring and summer I started spending almost every weekend at Plattekill riding (and eventually racing). The Bullit was transformed from an AM to a reasonably DH'able rig, with a Super-T, beefier rims, etc. 2 years after I first purchased the Bullit I was much more ingrained into mtb culture, getting far more into the technical aspects of it, and I was contacted by Ska_Todd based on a random post on a different message board. I worked my way into an assistant PM job at IH, progressed there, and ended up getting a job out in WI at Trek. From there I've started my own small bicycle company, and while I never would have predicted this, I can trace it all back to one ebay auction fully 10 years ago.
That's what 9/11/01 means to me. It's not the end of an era of innocence, or a transition from the "roaring 90s" to the "sh!tty 2000s", but rather the day that my life started to change, from trying to figure out what I wanted in life to discovering a passion that led me to switch careers and end up halfway across the country. Yes, it was a terrible, terrible tragedy, easily the worst day of my life, but out of it came a change, a change for the better.
But not in the way that you probably are thinking. See, that morning at ~8am I was watching ebay, keeping an eye on an auction for a bike that I'd bid on, a Santa Cruz Bullit. I'd used it as a reward for quitting smoking (nothing major, 1/2 pack a day, but still), so throughout the summer I'd told myself that if I didn't smoke *at all*, I'd allow myself to buy a FR bike that fall. I'd beaten my entry-level hardtail into the ground, and was looking to really invest in a decent bike. The deal I made with myself worked very well, as I was able to channel the desire to smoke into the desire for a new bike. So, come the beginning of Sept I placed a bid on a 2001 SC Bullit, Marzocchi Z1 fork, RF Northshore cranks, Hayes Hydros, etc. Probably more set up for all-mountain than the abuse that I was going to subject it to in the coming years, but hey, live and learn. It was more than I'd spent on just about any piece of sporting equipment (ever), but I had a full-time job and some disposable income.
So the listing ended at around 9am, and I won the auction! I was going to progress from a hardtail to a full-blown FR bike, and who knows where that would lead... Well, 45min later all thoughts on my new bike were forgotten. A coworker had come over with a portable radio stating that a plane had flown into one of the Twin Towers. The news was so sketchy at that point that that we really had no idea exactly *how* bad it was, as no one knew whether it was a big plane, small plane, etc. The few news websites (CNN.com, for instance) almost immediately crashed, and it was down to searching for backdoors to the different sites in order to get any information. There wasn't the massive number of blogs, information sites, etc that there are today, but rather a handful of news organizations that were overwhelmed almost immediately. The rest of the day is mostly a blur, with our leaving the office for the solace of the local bar sometime around 11am in search of coffee and TV coverage. It ended with my mother and I heading down to the local Red Cross to donate blood, and literally being turned away due to *hundreds* of other donors already lined up ready to give blood. I'll admit that I teared up at the sight of hundreds (thousands?) of Americans doing whatever they could, even if it was just heading down to donate blood for the anticipated thousands of injured that were going to turn up at NYC hospitals. There ended up being hardly any injured, though...
Wednesday sucked. Being within an hours drive of Manhattan, we could see the plume of smoke rising up from the WTC, even from ~45 miles away. Thurs we all headed back to work, although not much was actually accomplished. Emails went out to our local riding group that regularly met up to ride after work, and that night, for the first time since 9:45am on Tues we were able to avoid thinking about the catastrophe. Mtb'ing was therapeutic, and took our minds off of what was going on not that far South of us. We didn't talk much, but just relished the company and the riding. That Saturday I picked up my new (to me) Bullit, and we immediately christened it at Trumbull. That fall and winter was riding almost every day, and the following spring and summer I started spending almost every weekend at Plattekill riding (and eventually racing). The Bullit was transformed from an AM to a reasonably DH'able rig, with a Super-T, beefier rims, etc. 2 years after I first purchased the Bullit I was much more ingrained into mtb culture, getting far more into the technical aspects of it, and I was contacted by Ska_Todd based on a random post on a different message board. I worked my way into an assistant PM job at IH, progressed there, and ended up getting a job out in WI at Trek. From there I've started my own small bicycle company, and while I never would have predicted this, I can trace it all back to one ebay auction fully 10 years ago.
That's what 9/11/01 means to me. It's not the end of an era of innocence, or a transition from the "roaring 90s" to the "sh!tty 2000s", but rather the day that my life started to change, from trying to figure out what I wanted in life to discovering a passion that led me to switch careers and end up halfway across the country. Yes, it was a terrible, terrible tragedy, easily the worst day of my life, but out of it came a change, a change for the better.
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No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare....
-James Madison
"Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia"
-George Orwell, 1984
-James Madison
"Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia"
-George Orwell, 1984
ridemonkey is how I found out about 9/11
I was on the west coast. Got up at my usual time for work. I would always log on quickly before getting ready. I see a thread by dw about a plane hitting the WTC.
I immediately assumed it was a Cessna 175 or something. I was wrong.
I was on the west coast. Got up at my usual time for work. I would always log on quickly before getting ready. I see a thread by dw about a plane hitting the WTC.
I immediately assumed it was a Cessna 175 or something. I was wrong.
I still take it personally.
I woke up, turned on Howard Stern while I got ready for work, and heard him talking about some disaster. It took me a minute to realize he wasn't joking. Then I turned on my television and saw for myself.
I went to my 9th floor office in a building that was one of a pair of towers, though not skyscrapers. We were near some other tall buildings and not that far from LAX, so I spent the morning in wonder, particularly since my apartment was only one block away.
When I heard about the DC crash, I immediately called one of my friends who had recently moved there and drove past The Pentagon on his daily commute. Fortunately, he was safe.
I travel for work, or I did, and it is impossible to not be reminded of how different things are since that date. I keep wondering when the airlines will begin to consider the fact that there are pressurized canisters of oil on DH bikes and ban their trasnsportation.
I also have a close friend who is in the Navy as a medic and he has been "over there" three times now, and scheduled for a fourth trip soon.
I can't forget.
This has to stop.
I went to my 9th floor office in a building that was one of a pair of towers, though not skyscrapers. We were near some other tall buildings and not that far from LAX, so I spent the morning in wonder, particularly since my apartment was only one block away.
When I heard about the DC crash, I immediately called one of my friends who had recently moved there and drove past The Pentagon on his daily commute. Fortunately, he was safe.
I travel for work, or I did, and it is impossible to not be reminded of how different things are since that date. I keep wondering when the airlines will begin to consider the fact that there are pressurized canisters of oil on DH bikes and ban their trasnsportation.
I also have a close friend who is in the Navy as a medic and he has been "over there" three times now, and scheduled for a fourth trip soon.
I can't forget.
This has to stop.
I was on my way to Saudi Arabia...had just left Spokane IAP enroute to the east coast. Saw on the tv that a "small plane" had hit the towers. 45 minutes into the flight, the pilot comes over the intercom and says we will be landing in Boise because of some terrorist activity on the east coast. We spent the next 12 hours trying to contact our home unit, and when we finally settled down for the night we got ordered to rent cars and make our way back to Spokane. The next 10 days were hectic and weird, empty skiies and raging paranoia...we waited for orders, my wife and I made a baby who is now 9. After 10 days we remounted and headed to Saudi Arabia. Spent the next 4 months there, and teh past 10 years in and out of that crappy part of the world...
I was on vacation with some friends in New Hampshire for the week. Oddly enough, it was that morning that we didn't turn on the TV first thing in the morning like we usually did. We went riding, and came back to the condo and got ready for the rest of the day. We were planning on going to the top of Mount Washington, taking the Cog Railway. There was a big screen TV setup at the base station, with the news on. It was around 10:30 when we found out that the planes hit the WTC and the Pentagon. We departed and wanted to find something to eat. Everything was closed, except for a Chinese restaurant. Most things were closed for the rest of the week. We were in New Hampshire for the Highland Games they held every year. There was talk of them cancelling the games, but in the end, the games went on as scheduled.
That's what I was doing on 9/11/01.
That's what I was doing on 9/11/01.
I was in 4th grade in 2001.. The guidance counselor came in and told us. At that age I couldn't even imagine why anyone would do something like that.
I was at the airport working for US Airway in Charlotte NC when it happened. It was a very uneasy feeling knowing that we had but a lot of planes in the air that day and had watched a lot of people get on those plane. I couldn't help think about the people boarding those plane and them haveing no idea what was about to happen.
Working for airline I would always notice planes in the air. The next few days when there were no planes in the air was a very odd feeling. I do not work for the airlines anymore but still to this day when see a plane in the air I think God to see them and think of the days when I did not see them.
Working for airline I would always notice planes in the air. The next few days when there were no planes in the air was a very odd feeling. I do not work for the airlines anymore but still to this day when see a plane in the air I think God to see them and think of the days when I did not see them.
i was getting ready for school. it was 6 am and i was eating rice krispies. i couldnt believe my eyes. when i got to school every class room had the news on. nothing got done that day. everyone was just in shock.
I woke up late for work and heardon the radio about a fire at WTC. Turned on the TV and saw the 2nd plane hit. Told MMike (who was on the west coast at the time) to stay home. He didn't listen...
I didn't move from my couch that day.
I didn't move from my couch that day.
I had just arrived at college. My first thought after the shock wore off: what kind of awful things will our government do in the name of this?
i remember i was at a cub scout meeting, i was pretty young at the time. what really hit home about it for me was my dad had a business meeting scheduled for pretty much right when it happened and he was running late for work. later when they where sifting through the rubble of the trade center they actually found his building id, its pretty weird to look at it and think about what happened.
I had just woke up from a hard night at the bar watching Monday Night Football thinking I was going to get see the weather forecast b4 heading out to work. Boy was i wrong, had to surf the channels to make sure it was real and then got to work to just sit and listen to the day unfold, not a dang thing got done at work.
I was at my desk in the Civil Engineers Sqdn at Barkdale AFB, La. Someone stuck their head into our office and said the WTC was on fire after accidentally being hit by a small plane. Another engineer in my office and I went down to the First Shirt's office where there was a TV tuned to GMA. While we watched, the second tower was hit and shortly following, the Pentagon. The base went to ThreatCon Delta and locked down. About lunchtime we were heading out to our parking lot to make a lunch run. In the lot was President Bush as he was entering the secure conference room in our building to address the Nation for the first time following the attacks. It was very surreal to see him in our parking lot on that day.
We were filled with horror, anger and a great sense of Pride in the knowledge our Nation would soon strike back at the islamofacists who had just murdered our fellow citizens. September 11th 2011 will never be forgotten.
We were filled with horror, anger and a great sense of Pride in the knowledge our Nation would soon strike back at the islamofacists who had just murdered our fellow citizens. September 11th 2011 will never be forgotten.
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I was woking in High Tech. My office looked out at the runways of San Jose International. Word spread though the office and we watched things unfold online. We could see the Airport going into shut down mode. It was quite unreal. Building security came by and asked everyone to evacuate. In the days following the skys above San Jose were silent from the lack of aircraft. I remember the feelings of anger and outrage that I had. Memories of dodging car bombs and katushka rockets on the west bank of Israel in the early 80s came back to the forefront of my brain. I wanted to nuke the bastards.
Two years later I graduated from the Fire Academy and joined Santa Cruz County Fire. I'm still there.
Two years later I graduated from the Fire Academy and joined Santa Cruz County Fire. I'm still there.
I will never forget that day....ever.
At that time my family lived in Colorado about a two blocks away from the captian for Flight 93. That morning my dad was getting dressed for work (he's an airline pilot for United) and remember my mom yelling something and saw what was going on. Every aniversary brings back tons of emotions since we knew Jason Dahl and his family. It's also tough knowing my dad was supposed to fly the United flight that hit the trade center. About a week before he switched trips in order help change his upcomming vacation dates. I'm beyond thankfull he switched trips or it would have been my dad that was flying that flight.
Anyways, my parents are actually in NY today getting ready to go on a cruise next week. Thoughts still go out to Jason's wife and kids and all the others that were killed.
Well, to help cope with today I'm watching 911 TV shows while drinking beer and smoking tri tip for a bbq with my friends later.
At that time my family lived in Colorado about a two blocks away from the captian for Flight 93. That morning my dad was getting dressed for work (he's an airline pilot for United) and remember my mom yelling something and saw what was going on. Every aniversary brings back tons of emotions since we knew Jason Dahl and his family. It's also tough knowing my dad was supposed to fly the United flight that hit the trade center. About a week before he switched trips in order help change his upcomming vacation dates. I'm beyond thankfull he switched trips or it would have been my dad that was flying that flight.
Anyways, my parents are actually in NY today getting ready to go on a cruise next week. Thoughts still go out to Jason's wife and kids and all the others that were killed.
Well, to help cope with today I'm watching 911 TV shows while drinking beer and smoking tri tip for a bbq with my friends later.
Not funny necessarily, but a bitterly true reference.
December 7. This is a far more important date, imho. But alas, how few really know why...
I went to my math session in school and everybody was late or not there. I didn't find out until almost 4 hours later. I then proceeded to go riding, as it had not direct impact on me. The really weird part was that I was reading Tom Clancy's Debt of Honor. He pretty much wrote the 'how to' for that event.
I wonder where JBP was for that?
This song came on while I was on the trainer today.. kinda creeped me out.
I was eating breakfast getting ready to go do a job interview at 10:30. I turned on the TV and saw the first tower already hit, thinking it was a small plane and as I watched, I remember saying, "it could be a terrorist attack," and as I did, I saw the seconds plane flying in from the right, it disappeared behind the tower, and then I saw the fire ball and debris come through on the other side. Right then I said, "That's a terrorist attack. We're being attacked."
I was on my way to work and heard it on the radio. When I got to the office, everyone was talking about it. Our funding was almost gone and our round B got put on hold because of the attacks. We (the company) ran out of money 2 months later and I spent the next 6 months unemployed.
I did sign up for the reserves that next weekend and tried to get on a small boat unit. I still don't agree with us going into Iraq, though. Not then, not now.
I did sign up for the reserves that next weekend and tried to get on a small boat unit. I still don't agree with us going into Iraq, though. Not then, not now.
Going to rant for a moment.....
Can we stop using the phrase "never forget"? This is not against anyone here but I've been force fed this phrase over and over and over today. If you were over the age of four and have not suffered major head trauma in the the last 10 years, you will never forget. Don't get me wrong, everyone sharing their stories of the exact moment they learned of what happened is inspiring and tragic at the same time. Because we all know, at 8:46 and 9:03, for especially those of us on the east coast know exactly where we were and how whatever it was we were doing stopped.
What about the families, friends and loved one of the nearly 3,000 people that lost their lives that day that may want or need to forget what they went through that day? At least for a short time. What makes the 10 year anniversary more important than the 1 year, or 4 year, or even the daily anniversary?
Couple other things drove me a little nuts today. People flying our flag today in lieu of the anniversary. What about flying the flag next Thursday? What about flying it on 7 Sundays from now? What's the difference? A benchmark? I had a family member post today, and I quote: "I will NEVER forget...nor that 10 days from today, 10 years ago, I married my best friend!". Seriously? Using the greatest tragedy in American history as a segway into a wedding anniversary reminder?
I don't know. Things drive me nuts sometimes. Again nothing against anyone here or anyone in general. If anyone reading this lost a loved when in the travesty which occurred 10 years ago today, I offer my condolences. I also wish that maybe at some point, if you haven't already, find peace in what happened that day.
And for GFF, Eric, Manimal and the others that have and do serve and protect our country and communities, I thank you and have the utmost respect for what you have done and will continue to do.
Can we stop using the phrase "never forget"? This is not against anyone here but I've been force fed this phrase over and over and over today. If you were over the age of four and have not suffered major head trauma in the the last 10 years, you will never forget. Don't get me wrong, everyone sharing their stories of the exact moment they learned of what happened is inspiring and tragic at the same time. Because we all know, at 8:46 and 9:03, for especially those of us on the east coast know exactly where we were and how whatever it was we were doing stopped.
What about the families, friends and loved one of the nearly 3,000 people that lost their lives that day that may want or need to forget what they went through that day? At least for a short time. What makes the 10 year anniversary more important than the 1 year, or 4 year, or even the daily anniversary?
Couple other things drove me a little nuts today. People flying our flag today in lieu of the anniversary. What about flying the flag next Thursday? What about flying it on 7 Sundays from now? What's the difference? A benchmark? I had a family member post today, and I quote: "I will NEVER forget...nor that 10 days from today, 10 years ago, I married my best friend!". Seriously? Using the greatest tragedy in American history as a segway into a wedding anniversary reminder?
I don't know. Things drive me nuts sometimes. Again nothing against anyone here or anyone in general. If anyone reading this lost a loved when in the travesty which occurred 10 years ago today, I offer my condolences. I also wish that maybe at some point, if you haven't already, find peace in what happened that day.
And for GFF, Eric, Manimal and the others that have and do serve and protect our country and communities, I thank you and have the utmost respect for what you have done and will continue to do.
Vinny
Never Forget means different things to different people. For me it's never forgetting the ultimate sacrifce of the NYPD, NYFD, NYEMS, and Miltary Brothers in the execution of their Duty to protect, serve, save in the face of impossible odds. And the hope that I can execute my duty upholding the honor and standards that they set.
This is war, people will die, I get that. For me it is more about how you live.
The flag flies 24x7 at my house
Never Forget means different things to different people. For me it's never forgetting the ultimate sacrifce of the NYPD, NYFD, NYEMS, and Miltary Brothers in the execution of their Duty to protect, serve, save in the face of impossible odds. And the hope that I can execute my duty upholding the honor and standards that they set.
This is war, people will die, I get that. For me it is more about how you live.
The flag flies 24x7 at my house
Thanks for that Eric and I appreciate your perspective and for putting yourself on the line day in and day out to serve others. I cannot fathom what yourself and others go through on a daily basis and at times it pains me that that fact is missed...the sacrifices that others go through for others. I think sometimes joe deskjockey gets caught up in a catch phrase and loses perspective.
I will embrace the "Never forget" but add to it "What have we learned and how will we apply it..." Too many of us run around shouting about never forgetting, but dont truly understand what it entails. Those of us in the military are not allowed to forget, as the events of 9/11 have shaped and continue to shape everything we do. How has it effected the "normal" American?
End result is nuisance. You get the Patriot Act and everything that comes along with it. You get nosy neighbors with vendettas who can report you for nothing. You get a people in fear of their government, because if the government say 'no you can't fly' your ability to live life and have a functioning career can be destroyed.
That Congress approved for the president to initiate a war, without declaring war is just sad. We have given all rights away due to fear. Fear that we might be the next individual struck by lightning. Personally I'll continue risking being struck by lightening (1 in 500,000 annually) than whether I'm on the losing end of a terrorist attack (1 in 25,000,000).
Hunting down the individuals responsible has been done, along with killing a few hundred thousand innocents. Why are we still taking away the freedoms from hundreds of millions for fear of death to a few thousands?
People need to start looking at fact instead of emotion. 3,000 people died 10 years ago because of the actions of a few. 80,000 have died over the last ten years due to the vendetta of the country that lost those 3,000.
Is it properly illuminated at night? If not you are breaking the law.
Pretty sure that makes you a terrorist actually.
Yup it is hoser