9/11....10 years later. Reflections?

[scoutcub]

Hard to believe it's been 10 years. Unfortunately many of those memories are seared into our minds.
I was out flying a check ride (still in the military) in MI, and got a call to "return to base" with no explanation. I thought I was in trouble for something....even after I asked for a reason, was told to "just RTB immediately".
After landing, went into the operations center and everyone gathered around the TV.....I was just in time to see the second tower hit.
A month earlier, my wife and I were in NYC visiting family, and ended up in the lobby of the WTC.....we were contemplating taking the ride to the top, but it was a long line and a bit spendy, so we didn't do it....

 

[scesnick]

I think they should re-play the whole newscast from that day from start to finish. It seems that people forget what happened.
The word "terrorist" is no longer used. Now they are called "enemy combatants" or something like that.
The White House issued "talking points" yesterday for all the bureaucrtic talking heads who will be publically speaking at 9/11 anniversary gatherings and they were told to lay off the term AL-Queda. wouldn't want to offend the "emeny combatants" I guess.

What's up with the HUGE mosque being built within blocks of ground zero?

Heck, it has been 10 flippin' yrs and there STILL isn't a completed memorial in Shanksville or NYC.

It is almost as if we are being encouraged to just forget about it. Hopefully we never will.

 

[JDgreen227]

Almost ten years later, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when my boss emailed my Blackberry with the news, I was working in a near empty office building and being part of Facilities Management, I was told to get back to our main location IMMEDIATELY as our 1300 occupant building went into full security mode. The magnitude of 9/11 finally set in later in the afternoon as the chaos settled.

I still think of that day, whenever I read or hear about terrorism, it brings to mind the reactions people experienced. What saddens me most of all is the vast change that 9/11 ushered into our nation's lifestyle. When I reflect on the tragic events, sometimes I feel we could have prevented such a huge loss of life and property, but I also give thanks it wasn't worse.

And when I think of that day, and the ones that followed, it brings tears to my eyes, remembering the courage and sacrifice those brave Americans demonstrated. I was never prouder of being a citizen of our United States as I was then. God Bless Our Nation.

 

[YesDeere]

I will never forget what I was doing either. Hard to believe a decade has gone by. Our shop is just outside dc. About 7 miles from the pentagon as the crow flies. I heard that plane hit. An eery dull thud then boom then smoke. I figured well he** this is it. I armed myself and a few others and got on the roof for a better vantage. Very very sick feeling to see smoke coming from the headquarters of our nations defense. Stands the hair on my neck up just typing this. God bless em one and all.

 

[om21braz]

It is almost as if we are being encouraged to just forget about it. Hopefully we never will.

Yeah, seems lots of people have forgotten it. A few wish they could forget it. It was a very uncertain period of time for a year or so after the attacks. I didn't really want to watch all that was on tv about it for several months, but you couldn't not watch it either.

 

[dodge man]

This image is one that will always stand out in my mind. The similarity to the Iwo Jima picture is of course very striking. Liike so many others, I thought the first tower hit was just a bad airline accident. It didn't take to long to figure out it was no accident.

 

[brin]

I remember I was in my office when my phone started to ring, I had seen it on the TV in my office and I was stunned, My daughter in law was the firs to call and ask me what I thought...I said " Life will never be the same..this changes the way we will live forever " and told her to relax since we were far away from ground zero..

It seems there is a concerted effort to rewrite history...all of the terrorists were from Saudi Arabia, all were Muslim but that is now being erased from any rehashing of the incident. As others have said it as if this administration wants us to forget,,,NEVER FORGET !

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Stands the hair on my neck up just typing this. God bless em one and all.

Stands the hairs on my neck and arms just reading your post.

9/11 changed my life. I went back into the military (I got out in 1986, I joined the National Guard in 2003) I changed companies and focus from commercial to supporting military/intelligence side. I moved from West Coast to living and working near DC.

My truck and my 3 Harleys all have "fight terrorism" licence plates. I am better armed, and more often carry. I am more politically savvy and involved.

Last but not least I have literally moved my family out to a defensible, sustainable rural area where I can protect my family and friends in the worst case situations.

I refuse to forget.

1st plane I thought tragic accident. The instant I saw the 2nd plane, I knew what was going on. I woke my wife up and said "We are at war..." I just did not yet know who it was with.

I cannot and will not forget. I won't let anyone around me either.

I also agree 1000% "God Bless em one and all". Amen.
Extra blessing on our snipers and Special Ops guys.

David

 

[scoutcub]

Stands the hairs on my neck and arms just reading your post.

9/11 changed my life. I went back into the military (I got out in 1986, I joined the National Guard in 2003) I changed companies and focus from commercial to supporting military/intelligence side. I moved from West Coast to living and working near DC.

My truck and my 3 Harleys all have "fight terrorism" licence plates. I am better armed, and more often carry. I am more politically savvy and involved.

Last but not least I have literally moved my family out to a defensible, sustainable rural area where I can protect my family and friends in the worst case situations.

I refuse to forget.

1st plane I thought tragic accident. The instant I saw the 2nd plane, I knew what was going on. I woke my wife up and said "We are at war..." I just did not yet know who it was with.

I cannot and will not forget. I won't let anyone around me either.

I also agree 1000% "God Bless em one and all". Amen.
Extra blessing on our snipers and Special Ops guys.

David

David -

That was quite a reaction to 9/11!
If you don't mind me asking, Did you know someone involved, or just a personal decision?

Frank

 

[MossflowerWoods]

David -

That was quite a reaction to 9/11!
If you don't mind me asking, Did you know someone involved, or just a personal decision?

Frank

Frank,

I did not know anyone directly. It was more Evolution than Revolution. When I got the chance to do something, I chose the option that moved me this way.

The sense of conviction was immediate. I knew I needed to do something. First the National Guard, then the move to DC area, then I finally got a job directly supporting "Federal" business, then I got the chance to work at DARPA for 3 years, and now I'm supporting of one of the "agencies". I bought this place 13 months ago, and it was a stretch. But now my other houses are rented and I'm making this place "functional" slowly but surely.

I am a huge fan of history, especially military history and a bit of an armchair general and a student of tactics and strategy.

I am a firm Constitutionalist, and Christian (Lutheran). From what I know of history and related stuff, this is a real world war, just undeclared. No amount of appeasment or negotiations will change their minds. Most people are just not willing to deal with reality on the ground, they'd rather watch "American Idol" and read People mag.

America was Pollyanna before 9/11 and we are rushing back to that state as fast as we can.

Me, I'm just living in support of my values and trying to protect my family, land/property, friends, and nation (in that order).

Be well sir & God Bless.
David

 

[ducks13]

It has been my understanding that for terriorists to succeed they must get the people they are attacking to overreact so they distroy themselves from within. The people who attached us are much weaker than we are, they couldn't possibly defeats us without our help. I think our response of suspending civil liberty's, spending blood and treasure on uncessary wars, TSA groping etc. is a better outcome than they could have dreamed of. I don't mean to ridicule anyone's feelings but I have a different point of view that you may want to condsider.

 

[Welshman]

It has been my understanding that for terriorists to succeed they must get the people they are attacking to overreact so they distroy themselves from within. The people who attached us are much weaker than we are, they couldn't possibly defeats us without our help. I think our response of suspending civil liberty's, spending blood and treasure on uncessary wars, TSA groping etc. is a better outcome than they could have dreamed of. I don't mean to ridicule anyone's feelings but I have a different point of view that you may want to condsider.

In your opinion, what should we have done differently?

 

[MossflowerWoods]

It has been my understanding that for terriorists to succeed they must get the people they are attacking to overreact so they distroy themselves from within. The people who attached us are much weaker than we are, they couldn't possibly defeats us without our help. I think our response of suspending civil liberty's, spending blood and treasure on uncessary wars, TSA groping etc. is a better outcome than they could have dreamed of. I don't mean to ridicule anyone's feelings but I have a different point of view that you may want to condsider.

Ducks,

I respectfully dissagree. In a generic terrorist situation, maybe.
With Islamic terrorists, nope.

Read the Koran (Quran, etc.) their endgame is clearly defined.

Be well,
David

 

[ducks13]

Let's see, I would have told America to be calm and to not overreact, that overreaction was what the terrorists were wanting. I would have fired the FBI agents (and their superiors responsible for the policies that permitted it) that did not follow up sufficiently on reports of people wanting to fly planes but not land them. I would have gone after OBL and not diverted troops to go into Iraq that had nothing to do with 9/11 or WMD. I also would have started bringing our troops home from foriegn countries (the same troops that pissed people off bad enough to for them to become terrorists). What would you guys be doing if there were Chinese troops and bases all over the US? If I was going to punish anyone other than OBL and al-Qaeda it would have been Saudi Arabia where most of the hijackers came from and where their money came from.

Concerning Islamic fundamentalism, I haven't seen reason to read the Koran, but the Soviet Union wanted world domination just like the terrorists but the USSR had nuclear weapons, lots of them, and we still managed to defeat them basically without firing a shot.

Ron Paul can and has stated what could and should be done better than I can. I believe he gets more support from active service members than any politician for good reasons, kind of a empirical report from the boots on the ground in my opinion.

America, land of the free with liberty!

 

[scoutcub]

I'm seeing lots of interesting 9/11 shows on TV here the last several days, with video/audio I've never seen before.....I guess the media can actually do something right, helping us never to forget.

 

[Domush]

10 years later, over 100000 completely unrelated civilians killed, American rights decimated in the name of security, highest prison population ever, quadrupled gas prices, multiple endless wars and people are still lining up behind their respective religion. Islamic terrorists, Christian terrorists.. not one single holy book condones a live and let live attitude. How many more years will go by before people stop lining up to cast the first stone?

 

[rswyan]

It has been my understanding that for terriorists to succeed they must get the people they are attacking to overreact so they distroy themselves from within. The people who attached us are much weaker than we are, they couldn't possibly defeats us without our help. I think our response of suspending civil liberty's, spending blood and treasure on uncessary wars, TSA groping etc. is a better outcome than they could have dreamed of. I don't mean to ridicule anyone's feelings but I have a different point of view that you may want to condsider.

Dead nuts on .....

Like useful idiots, we have done exactly what Bin Laden wanted us to do ....

An interesting interview of Michael Scheuer by Scott Horton on AntiWar Radio:

They Hate Us for What We Do
Fmr. CIA OBL-hunter Michael Scheuer explains it ..... again

Scott Horton Interviews Michael Scheuer

Michael Scheuer, 22-year veteran of the CIA and former head analyst at the CIA's bin Laden unit, discusses why terrorism is a predictable response to an interventionist US foreign policy; how ***** bin Laden lured the US into Afghanistan and radicalized a good portion of the Muslim world; how al-Qaeda influence has spread into Western countries through media-savvy English speaking Muslims; the more-or-less representative Islamic governments likely to sprout up after the Arab spring if the US doesn't undermine them like with Somalia's Islamic Courts Union; why most American politicians steadfastly refuse to know thy enemy and continue fighting the war on terrorism from a position of ignorance; Ron Paul's realistic view of foreign policy; why budding terrorists must be regularly killed off, thinned like weeds, else they overtake us; how Bill Clinton's lust for arms deals and oil pipelines cost him the opportunity to kill OBL before 9/11; how the ****** lobby prevents an honest discussion of foreign policy; and a recommended reading list, including Peter Bergen's The ***** bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader, Amin Maalouf's The Crusades Through Arab Eyes and James P. Duffy's Lindbergh vs. Roosevelt: The Rivalry That Divided America.

MP3 here. <--- Click to listen (35:57)

Michael Scheuer is a 22-year veteran of the CIA and former head analyst at the CIA's bin Laden unit. He is the author of ***** Bin Laden, Marching Toward ****: America and Islam After Iraq and Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror."

Link to original:

Scott Horton Interviews Michael Scheuer

 

[mjarrels]

From what I've seen and heard from Washington, the current administration whats us to live in fear. I don't buy it.

mark

 

[Sigarms]

Ducks,

I respectfully dissagree. In a generic terrorist situation, maybe.
With Islamic terrorists, nope.

Read the Koran (Quran, etc.) their endgame is clearly defined.

Be well,
David

Ironic isn't it that Christians have killed as many in the name of their God as well.

 

[brin]

It has been my understanding that for terriorists to succeed they must get the people they are attacking to overreact so they distroy themselves from within. The people who attached us are much weaker than we are, they couldn't possibly defeats us without our help. I think our response of suspending civil liberty's, spending blood and treasure on uncessary wars, TSA groping etc. is a better outcome than they could have dreamed of. I don't mean to ridicule anyone's feelings but I have a different point of view that you may want to condsider.

ducks,

I agree with you and I think they are winning big time...They have cost us some $8 Trillion so far...not to mention the lives lost in Iraq, Afghanistan and else where.

I suggest there are many folks around the world that hate us Americans because our government intervenes in the internal affairs of other countries and goes so far as to use military force to provide them with our view of democracy...now imagine how we would feel about China or Russia if they involved themselves in our government and invaded us militarily...just sayin' !