My 9/11 story

[gordo]

The Print Guide: 9/11 Remembered…

 

[prwhite]

Like you Gordo, I had attended Gexpo, but had taken a late flight the previous night. I was grabbing a cup of coffee in our kitchen that fateful morning, when my wife called out to me to see what was unfolding on TV. Shock, disbelief and sadness for those lost souls gripped me as the details emerged. And, I was glad I was not with many of my fellow attendees who wound up carpooling back to Boston.

 

[dabob]

My 2 cents on that fateful day . . . being on the west coast I woke up and turned the TV on to what I thought was an ad for an action adventure movie . . . sadly I was mistaken . . . will never forget the image of the second plane flying into the WTC. The following week I was due to attend training in Boston for an Indigo press we just purchased . . . went in late October for training but took a side trip to New York and saw the devastation 1st hand . . . the one thing I will never forget about it was the smell of ashes and death . . .

 

[scotts]

I too was on my way to GExpo. I was taking the train from Grand Rapids, MI to Chicago (my first train ride by the way). I had my headphones on listening to the local radio stations on the way, when I started to hear what was going on in NYC. Soon the news spread throughout the car, as we did not have TVs on board. We made a couple of normal stops in Michigan, but wasn't quite sure what was going on, so I stayed on the train. When we got close to Gary, IN, the train was stopped, and the conductor had to go through everyone's stuff, to make sure it was safe. And we were kept there for a about half to a full hour just sitting, trying to decide if the train was ok to continue on to Chicago. It eventually did. When I arrived in Chicago at the station, it was packed with people going nowhere, as the trains we not leaving the station. Everything was on lock down. All rental cars were gone, as I wanted to get back home to my pregnant wife at the time. Debated going to the show, as I heard it was still going on, but wasn't thinking about anything print, so I didn't go. Stayed in the train station all day, until my train was heading back home. I do remember hearing about a plane on the way to Chicago for the Sears Tower. At one point I walked out of the train station to look around, and of course they have a lot of tallish buildings, I decided to head back into the ground. What an experience. Sitting around a bunch with a bunch of strangers (not something I'm very comfortable with) and watching the TVs, and talking about what was happening. I will never forget that day and the images on TV, and more importantly the emotions (which well up in me know).

 

[MailGuru]

One of the things that will always stick out in my mind, was, for what seemed like weeks afterward, there were no planes in the skies. None. Not even a private Cesna prop. There have always been airplanes in the skies, even since I was a pre-schooler. You see and hear them so much, that, you just tune them out and ignore them. But, once they are gone, not there, it was just strange, erie, and, gave me an un-easy feeling.

-MailGuru

 

[chevalier]

I was 15 when it happened and I can now see 30 on the horizon. I remember it all very vividly despite being hundreds of miles away from it. The eerie nature of things for weeks afterwards. As person with a natural heightened vigilance each time I am in an airport, stadium or other highly secured zone I am reminded of how much this changed us. About how scared we all still collectively are. It's terrifingly astounding how the actions of 19 delusional men completely upended the world in less than 3 hours. I am far from a pacifist but these past few anniversaries I have caught myself thinking 'when will all of the violence unleashed from this end?'

 

[worldonme]

Too sad every time this time of the year comes around. So many lives wasted, so many dreams vanished. We will always remember that fateful day that changed us. :-(

 

[gig0]

Great story Gordo. Which RIPs did you guys talk about on the ride home? lol


Side note: I started backing out of my So Cal beach apartment that morning (back when us prepress folks we able to afford it) and Howard Stern was on the radio talking about tower one burning and I thought he was simply trolling and was brilliant radio play.... until my neighbor came running out and asked me where I'm going because we are being attacked. Thats when I put my car in drive, parked and took the day off. Mainly because I have family members who air travel frequently in NE US and had no idea WTF was going on. I watched tower two go down on live TV shortly thereafter. Very surreal day.