Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/index.html



Post updates, news, experiences and feelings about 9/11 and the 10th anniversary here in this thread.

I remember it like it was yesterday.  I pass the site depending on which bus I take to work and it's still hard for me to look at.

This was in today's New York Post:


Tragic relics from WTC attacks to be part of 9/11 museum

(http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2011/09/03/news/web_photos/helmet_reuters--300x300.jpg)

By ANDY SOLTIS
Last Updated: 8:41 AM, September 3, 2011
Posted: 2:46 AM, September 3, 2011

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/mementos_from_our_darkest_day_rOzkSCCw9t0bHsPCa3lEUK#ixzz1WuydMhgM

The pictures bring me right back to that day.  I was watching TV when it happened and continued to watch for hours.

My adult son called and said "Mom what is happening?" and I could not tell him.  It made no
sense.  It was so hard to wrap your head around what you saw that day.

There were bits and pieces that were tough.  One or more of the pilots trained in Florida near where I was living and I later learned that one or more had bank accounts at the same bank that I used.  It was the end of innocence. 

San I always think of you as this time rolls around.  Hugs.....

Thanks for posting the article, San. I watched a special on "The Rise Of Freedom" about the site as it currently is and what the plans are and was amazed at the plans for the museum. They have preserved, in a humidity controlled hanger, damaged cars and emergency vehicles from that day. They have the "survivors staircase" and a huge collection of small items that have been carefully categorized and preserved. The museum will not be highly "decorated", but mostly left so that the relics define the day. There is even a controversial section of pictures of those that jumped. In the end, the decision was made that the story needed to be told and the hopes were that future generations could come to the museum and understand. In the end, the importance of "Never Forget" was recognized. It will be a place of reverence.

The museum is underground, on the foundation of the towers that were destroyed. Leaving the museum, you come up to ground level......... and hope. There are trees that are being meticulously cared for right now and they'll be all ready and healthy when it's time to plant. There will be life all around the memorial..... reaching skyward, tall and proud! There are so many details that have meaning. It will be an incredible place and fitting to the events.

I will never forget that day. No one over the age of 16 ever will. Neither we, nor our country can go back to what defined us before 9-11, because the magnitude of it shifted the world and our place in it. The innocence of almost 3,000 lives were lost that day and the innocence of America was also a casualty. My prayer is that collectively, we have emerged stronger and more wise. My prayer is that the strength and wisdom has been born from resolve, not cynicism, and that the wisdom is from understanding, not fear. God be with the families of 9-11 and may God be with America.

CBB, that day my boss was across the street.  She was late that day and that's why she never made it to the building.  She was with her husband shocked at what she saw.  Her husband said let's move back and they started moving back.  As that happened the second plane came roaring over the crashed into the second tower.  They started to run towards the New Jersey Ferry.  As they were running a piece from the plane came down and hit a car that was in the street and the car imploded.  She was right near it.  I didn't know where she was that day because I heard so many conflicting stories.  Someone said they had seen her walking towards the building and some said no they saw her on the other side of the street and she was safe so I wasn't sure if she was safe or not.

I finally got in contact with her two days later.  But she really couldn't tell me anything because she was in shock.  I knew I lost quite a few friends I worked with and wasn't sure who survived.  We all started calling people to see who made it out.  About three days passed and my boss called me again.  She said San I'm sorry for the loss of your friends.  She knew them too because we worked in the same department.  That is when it hit me that they were gone and there was no hope in finding anyone alive.  I broke down and started to cry because I knew I wouldn't see them anymore.

For a while I tried to easily talk to my boss about that day.  She finally said one day that when she was across the street she saw women holdings hands and they jumped from tower one along with many others.

So in the end she saw much more than me.  I know a lot of stories I heard but she was actually there that day and witness the plane going over and people just scrambling all over to run for safety.

Oh, San..... I feel your heart in your words, in the ones said and unsaid. My God...... there are no words, not even 10 years later. I'm sorry for your losses. I'm sorry for all the pain that surrounds that day for so many. May we never ever face another day like it... ever! Humanity inflicted this on humanity. It was a choice. It's so hard to get my mind around it.

On the special I watched, they mentioned there would be a memorial wall in the museum, behind which would be remains that were never identified. There was a Mom that wasn't happy about it. Her son had never been found and she said that she couldn't stand the thought of any part of him remaining in that "Hell Hole". I understand what she was saying and I respect her feelings about it. On the other hand, there were many others who felt that the reverence of the wall was a wonderful tribute to those who lost their lives.

I had planned a trip to New York a week after 911 and didn't change my plans in the aftermath. We were two of seven on the flight....normally, the flight was always packed. We were staying in the Village and got in a cab to ask if the cabbie could take us as close as possible to ground zero. My God, you would have thought we had asked him to give us his first born. He swerved the cab to the curb and abruptly turned to face us glaringly, and loudly said, "WHY?" I tried not to flinch and gave him an honest answer. I simply said that as we watched what happened from a distance, we felt that we all had been attacked and that we yearned to pay our respects to those who had lost their lives and to stand with those who had taken the brunt intended for all Americans.

He took us to the site and parked on the harbor side. He got out with us and talked to us about that day. He was in the financial district when the second plane hit. You could still see in the evacuated buildings left, lampshades askew in windows and the empty hole where the buildings were..........it was debris. San, I would tell you what I told the cabbie. I can't imagine what you and so many others felt on a very personal level as you worked through the trauma of tragedy. I just want to stand with you against the evil that brought this to you. Hugs, San for all who lived through that day. We will never forget! 

DON'T MISS THE DANA PRETZER SHOW TONIGHT!

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6182/6121493838_34bc6ab6aa_o.jpg)

Michael Hingson is the blind guy that made it out.  He will be on the Dana Pretzer show tonight.  This is his website:

http://michaelhingson.com/newsite/

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/09/07/iconic_9-11_today.DTL
Famous 9/11 faces: Where are they now?
September 7, 2011

Many of the instantly iconic photos from September 11th featured ordinary Americans, each a part of the tragedy in their own way. These once-anonymous faces will now remain a part of history, reflecting the effects of 9/11 on all of America. Ten years later, how have their lives changed?
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Slide show at link- 12 images. ( I remember seeing these photos from September 11th, I know you will too.)

 

I'm still so very angry that so many innocent souls lost their lives.  I remember watching the second plane hit and then watching the towers burn and wondering how they were going to put out a fire at those heights.  Never in a million years did I expect them to collapse.  It seemed impossible.

Which brings me to ask:  What do you all think about the many 9/11 conspiracy theories?   Common sense tells me they're silly nonsense and far-fatched.  But then, on YouTube, I've seen some pretty compelling evidence that the US could have been behind these attacks.  The videos showing explosions before impact, explosions heard by many right before the towers' collapse.  The videos showing the Pentagon being hit by a missile.  And the crash site at Shanksville strangely shows no plane debris.  While I believe that terrorists are behind the 9/11 attacks, those videos and conspiracies are eye opening and haunting.

I don't believe in any conspiracy.  The attacks happened and we were caught off guard.

The Mayor of New York is on TV talking about a possible terror threat in New York on the Anniversary.  He is asking people to be alert.  If you see something say something.

'Credible' Terrorist Threat Reported By U.S. Officials (UPDATE) (VIDEO)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/08/credible-terrorist-threat_n_954772.html

I don't believe there was a conspiracy.  I believe there were some that planned to demoralize the U.S., thinking we would leave the Middle East.  It didn't work.  It didn't work when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and it didn't work on 9/11.  Instead of being demoralized, I believe the U.S. came together.  We got hit and hit hard.  Many lives were lost, others wounded and many will never be the same.  But we are still here.  JMHO

I don't really think there was a conspiracy either, but when you watch those videos, they make you go "Hmmmmm...what?  Huh?!?"  Then common sense kicks in.  But then you still wonder.  It's my nature to question everything and to look at both sides throughly before deciding upon any conclusion.  I suppose this type of thinking would make me a fair juror, in that I'm always willing to consider both sides without pre-conceived notions or prejudice.

But either way, 9/11 was a horrible and unnecessary ordeal.  I wish we could go back in time and prevent that day from ever happening.  All the stories of lives lost and the families involved are just heartbreaking.  And I would love to, someday, go visit the new memorial to reflect and to pay my respects.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110909/NEWS07/109090485/New-threats-to-N-Y-D-C-probed-for-9-11-anniversary?odyssey=tab|mostpopular|text|FRONTPAGE
New threats to N.Y., D.C. probed for 9/11 anniversary
Info says bridges, tunnels targeted
September 9, 2011

WASHINGTON -- U.S. officials said Thursday they were investigating a credible but unconfirmed threat that al-Qaida was planning to use a car bomb to target bridges or tunnels in New York City or Washington to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the first tip of an active plot around that date.

The Homeland Security Department said the threat is credible and specific but unconfirmed. The nation's terror alert level has not changed, but raising it was under consideration Thursday night.

Law enforcement officials were investigating three people who recently entered the U.S. The threat was received by the U.S. intelligence community late Wednesday night, officials said.
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Security has been enhanced around the country in the weeks leading up to the 10th anniversary. Law enforcement officials have been wary, particularly after information gleaned from Osama bin Laden's compound in May indicated that al-Qaida had considered attacking the U.S. on the anniversary and other important dates.

The threat came in a single piece of information and was so specific -- and came at such a time of already heightened alert -- that it could not be ignored. The officials described the threat on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-09/-credible-terrorist-threats-received-new-york-mayor-bloomberg-says.html
NY City Police Search Trucks on 9/11 Threat
September 9, 2011

New York police increased security, including vehicle checkpoints in midtown Manhattan and armed guards in front of the Office of Emergency Management, after receiving credible information that terrorists may be plotting an attack in the city around the Sept. 11 anniversary.

Police cruisers took up positions on a midtown block of Lexington Avenue this morning as officers stopped trucks and other vehicles for inspection. Drivers were made to open the storage spaces of delivery trucks for police. In Brooklyn, U.S. Marshals armed with machine guns guarded the federal courthouse and increased security was observed in front of the nearby city emergency management office.

“We have already had a full complement of people working shifts because of the Sept. 11 anniversary prior to this,” said Jim Margolin, a spokesman for the FBI’s New York office. “We are taking the logical investigative measures to assess this threat.”

The threat concerns a possible al-Qaeda-sponsored attack targeting New York or Washington on or near the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, said a U.S. official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The official said the intelligence concerns a possible vehicle-borne attack, perhaps on a transportation hub or bottleneck, and cautioned that the options may be broader than a car or truck bombing.
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New York police have stopped at least 13 terrorist attacks since 2001, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. While the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has helped reduce the threat, the mayor said, “The one thing we know is the terrorists have not gone away.”

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We have threats all the time,” Bloomberg said today during his weekly appearance on WOR radio, after having taken the subway to City Hall from his home on the Upper East Side. “Each time we increase our security, which obviously we had done for this. Are we increasing a little more? Yes, we’re increasing a little more but there’s a limit to how much you can have, just because you can’t have a cop on every corner. But remember, a lot of the precautions we take, you don’t see -- undercover and cameras and radiation detectors, using technology and undercover.”
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New York Republican Congressman Peter King, who heads the House Homeland Security Committee, said he was briefed on the threat, which he said was specific and credible.

“All appropriate agencies, the federal government, and state officials and local officials as well, are tracking it down to see if it is real, and if so, how do we stop it,” King said.

Another intelligence official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the information hasn’t been fully vetted.

Terrorists view the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington as an opportunity to strike again, said Janice Fedarcyk, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s assistant director in charge of the New York office.

The information of a new plot was specific and credible, though not corroborated, she said at a press conference yesterday with Bloomberg.
More...

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20110909/US.Sept.11.Cantor.Fitzgerald/?cid=hero_media

Cantor Fitzgerald: surviving 9/11, and thriving

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NEW YORK — It's a name inextricably linked with Sept. 11, with huge, catastrophic loss — Cantor Fitzgerald.

Of the companies and organizations that lost people that day, none was harder hit than the financial services firm that occupied the 101st to 105th floors of the north tower at the World Trade Center. Out of 960 employees in New York, 658 were killed — no employee in Cantor's offices at the time survived. Whole divisions were decimated.

Led by CEO Howard Lutnick, those who were still alive made a decision — the company would survive. They wouldn't let what they had worked so hard to create crumble. And they would honor those they had lost.

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"The best way to show someone you love them is to care for the people they love," Lutnick said.


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On the day of the attacks, Lutnick was delayed getting to the office because he had taken his son to his first day of kindergarten. That delay spared him. Others escaped the attacks because they happened to schedule an out-of-office trip for that day, or were in the building but hadn't yet made it up to the offices.

When the first plane hit the north tower at 8:46 a.m., it destroyed the stairwells, making it impossible for anyone above the point of impact around the 94th to 98th floors to descend. The north tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m.

Lutnick made it to the scene after the first plane hit and was there when the tower fell. He can still feel and see the horror of that day.

"It was black outside, there was no air outside, so I knew that people inside the trade center couldn't possibly be alive," Lutnick said recently from the company's offices in midtown Manhattan. Among them were his brother, Gary, and his best friend, Doug Gardner, Cantor's CFO.
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Very impressive the way this company has responded to 9/11 devasation on both a personal and business level.  They really have been taking care of the families of their co-workers that were killed that day.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/09/national/main20103868.shtml

D.C. bridge closed for suspicious package

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(CBS/AP)  WASHINGTON — D.C. police say the Duke Ellington Bridge in northwest Washington is closed while a suspicious package is investigated.


Police spokeswoman Tisha Gant says the call came in around 8:10 a.m. Friday for the bridge that carries Calvert Street over Rock Creek.


Gant says the explosive ordinance team is on the scene. She did not have any further information.

Local authorities in New York and Washington, D.C. are on extra alert both for the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and because of the announcement Thursday night that federal authorities are following "credible but unconfirmed" intel about possible attacks on the two cities.

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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/09/rise-freedom-boy-in-stairwell-and-broker/
Rise of Freedom: The Boy in the Stairwell and the Broker
September 9, 2011

http://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/4347970-10-years-after-9-11-Cops-who-traded-their-lives-for-our-freedom/
10 years after 9-11: Cops who traded their lives for our freedom
September 9, 2011

http://interactives.kxan.com/photomojo/gallery/984/1/remembering-sept.-11/the-faces-of-9-11/
Remembering Sept. 11
KXAN's Josh Hinkle visited the Sept. 11 Memorial in New York City over the Labor Day Holiday. Here's what he saw.
(Slideshow with 16 pictures)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/images-from-911-and-the-aftermath/2011/09/08/gIQAx9hxEK_gallery.html#photo=32
Images from 9/11 and the aftermath
A look back at the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14846156
In pictures: Pentagon before and after 9/11
September 9, 2011
The 9/11 hijackers struck at the heart of the US military when they crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the world-famous Pentagon building.

All 64 passengers and crew died, as well as 125 civilian and military personnel at work in the building. GeoEye satellite images here show the Pentagon before and immediately after the 11 September attacks and how it looks 10 years on.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/video-montage-the-twin-towers-immortalized-in-film.html
Video montage: The twin towers immortalized in film
September 9, 2011

Leave it to the Internet to break your heart.

While television anchors and pastors, executives and politicians do their best to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with thoughtful words and meaningful moments of silence, Dan Meth -- a New York animator and filmmaker who generally works creating humorous videos for the Web -- has put together a deceptively simple, deeply moving tribute to the twin towers by creating a montage of their appearances on film.

Even if you think you've hit the 9/11 memorial saturation point, this video is worth watching.

In a phone interview with The Times, Meth said he spent about eight months working, on and off, on the project -- researching films that featured the twin towers and then editing the footage and working carefully to synchronize the images to music.

The 3-minute, 19-second video, which he titled "Twin Tower Cameos," begins with images from "Hot Rock" (1972) when the towers were not yet complete, and then cuts to the towers alight in all their glory in the 1976 remake of "King Kong."

Meth said the King Kong images are his favorite of the clips he found. "It's not even a movie that people watch anymore, but when the first King Kong was made, the Empire State Building was brand new, and when this remake was made, the Twin Towers were brand new," he said. "I like the symmetry of that."
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Meth posted the video on Vimeo, with this note:

From 1969 to 2001, the Twin Towers made countless cameos in Hollywood films. Sometimes featured prominently in the foreground, sometimes lurking in the distance. This montage celebrates the towers' all-too-short film career with songs that capture the passing decades. Man, I miss them.
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Video at Link

Thanks Muffy,that was a neat video.  ::MonkeyCool::

You're welcome.  I think Dan Meth's tribute to the Twin Towers was very moving. 

http://news.yahoo.com/video-little-girl-of-9-11-grows-up-discusses-life-without-hero-mom.html
Video: Little girl of 9/11 grows up, discusses life without hero mom
Yahoo! 9/11 10th AnniversaryBy ABC News | Yahoo! 9/11 10th Anniversary – 8 hrs ago
Beginning at 8:00 AM/ET on Sunday, September 11, Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos will anchor three hours of live special coverage, “9/11: America Remembers Ten Years Later — A Special Edition of Good Morning America."  You can watch that coverage live on Yahoo! http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/watch-the-september-11-memorial-ceremonies-live.

Share your 9/11 memories with us on Twitter - #911remembered (#post_911remembered)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44458317/ns/technology_and_science-space/#.TmrBH2q8sng
On 9/11, astronaut looked down on horrific scene
Culbertson, the only American not on Earth that day, tells of the isolation — and pain
September 9, 2011

(http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/110909-SpaceViewPhoto-hmed-2025a.grid-10x2.jpg)
NASA file
This photo of metropolitan New York City was taken by an Expedition Three crew member onboard the International Space Station on Sept. 11, 2001. A smoke plume rises from the Manhattan area where the World Trade Center was destroyed. The orbital outpost was flying at an altitude of about 250 miles

The 9/11 terrorist attacks 10 years ago this week sent shockwaves not just around the planet, but into space as well.

The only American not on Earth on that day in 2001, NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson, had a unique vantage point on the attacks. From the International Space Station, Culbertson snapped a photo of smoke streaming from the World Trade Center wreckage that day after two hijacked planes crashed into the Manhattan towers.
"I didn't know exactly what was happening, but I knew it was really bad because there was a big cloud of debris covering Manhattan," Culbertson said in a new video released by NASA for the 10th anniversary of the attacks. "That's when it really became painful because it was like seeing a wound in the side of your country, of your family, your friends."
More...

http://news.yahoo.com/a-family-remembers--hero-of-9-11-gave-life-to-save-thousands.html
A family remembers: Hero of 9/11 gave life to save thousands
(http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/phC31QGytLcqakiiOm.Paw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMwMA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2011/09/09/RickasDad_233009.jpg)
Rick Resorla
He's been called a "prophet" for being so ready for the attacks, "the Man Who Predicted 9/11" in a History Channel special, and a true American hero by countless others.

As tragic as the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, was, the sky-blue day still held unexpected miracles, and Richard "Rick" Rescorla was at the center of one of the greatest -- the evacuation of financial-services behemoth Morgan Stanley.
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http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-09-09-shanksville-pennsylvania-911-memorial.htm
Flight 93 memorial to be dedicated today
September 10, 2011



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The first phase of the memorial dedication today includes a viewing plaza, where visitors can get within 100 yards of the area where the airplane crashed. Only family members can enter the fenced-off crash site. The Wall of Names, marble engraved with the names of the 40 passengers and crew, will be unveiled.

Up to 7,000 people are expected today and Sunday — including almost 800 family members coming from as far away as Japan. It is the only 9/11 site to be open to the general public during the ceremonies. Memorials at Ground Zero and at the Pentagon are by invitation only.

"For the first time in 10 years, the public will be able to get within a few feet of this area and not be so far away," says King Laughlin, vice president of the Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign. "It's really important to create their own emotional bond to this place."
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The next phase of the memorial will include a visitor center and Tower of Voices, a 93-foot chamber containing 40 cylindrical wind chimes — each representing a Flight 93 victim. The plan is to include audio testimonials by relatives of the dead and first responders to the crash scene and an exhibit of artifacts from the plane and items left by visitors at the temporary memorial, about half a mile from the crash site.

When the memorial is finished, it will include 40 groves of 40 trees planted over 2,200 acres.
A transcript of the cockpit voice recording is at the memorial. The voice of one of the hijackers is heard ordering passengers to stay put. People believe the killing of one of the passengers or crewmembers can be heard.

What also can be heard is one of the most famous sound bites of the tragic event, one that has come to symbolize Americans' determination to fight terrorism.

Passenger Todd Beamer, helping to lead a passenger takeover was heard over the in-flight telephone saying: "Let's roll!"

The plane crashed shortly after.

The Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign has raised $52 million in public and private funds so far and another $10 million is needed to complete the project.

Former president George W. Bush will speak at the dedication and will join Vice President Biden and Flight 93 families. Also attending Saturday will be former first lady Laura Bush, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Sarah McLachlan will perform.
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http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpps/news/hundreds-hold-hands-to-remember-911-dpgapx-km-20110910_14957099
Hundreds Hold Hands To Remember 9/11
September 10, 2011

EW YORK (AP) - Hundreds of people have gathered in lower Manhattan to hold hands in remembrance of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Families, teenagers, and others clasped hands as a bell clanged at 8:46 a.m. Saturday to signify the time the first of two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower. The group formed a straight line that snaked along the southern tip of Manhattan and through an exhibition of American flags, displayed to honor the dead.

After a moment of silence, the group broke into applause. Some people cried. Others — including strangers — hugged.
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http://www.honorflight93.org/memorial/construction/?fa=live-webcam
Click on "Camera Control" and zoom in and out. When zoomed in, use the joystick or arrows to explore the image. High definition images are updated every 15 minutes.
Sept. 10,2011 1:20 p.m.

http://news.yahoo.com/denis-leary-crusades-for-firefighters-after-9-11-loss.html
Denis Leary crusades for firefighters after 9/11 loss
Yahoo! 9/11 10th AnniversaryBy Yahoo! Studios | Yahoo! 9/11 10th Anniversary – 2 hrs 20 mins ago
Comedian, actor and producer Denis Leary portrayed conflicted firefighter Tommy Gavin on the FX Network series "Rescue Me" for seven seasons. The show, which recently ended, examined the lives of New York City firefighters as they struggled to cope with the ever-present shadow of 9/11.
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Video at link.

Presidents George W. Bush & Clinton Honor the Heroes of Flight 93 in Shanksville, PA … September 11, 2001 … 10 Years Later

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2011/09/10/presidents-george-w-bush-clinton-honor-the-heroes-of-flight-93-in-shanksville-pa-september-11-2001-10-years-later/

To the heroes of Flight 93, we remember you and we shall never forget … LET”S ROLL!!!

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”

Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton spoke today in an emotional event in Shanksville, PA  at the unveiling of the memorial for victims of United Airlines Flight 93. The heroes of Flighty 93 were remembered today by GWB as he said, ” … they left something else, a legacy of bravery and selflessness that will always inspire America. For generations people will study the story of Fight 93.  They will learn that  individual choices make a difference. That love and sacrifice can triumph over evil and hate. And that what happened above this Pennsylvania field ranks among the  most courageous acts in American history.“

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Ten years later and it feels like yesterday.

For those that do not remember, the birth of Scared Monkeys actually came from the ashes of September 11. Tom and I grew up and went to school in the shadows of NYC. We both at different times lived and worked in and near NYC. Mid and uptown Manhattan was once one of my territories. As we both watched that fateful day and were speechless ... we knew that we could no longer keep our heads in the sand, that we had to make our voices be heard and never, never forget the lessons, the costly lessons of 9-11.

Having gone to HS and college in the shadows of NYC, i had alumni die that day as well as a friends wife and their unborn baby. Two very good friends escaped certain death by mere acts of God. My one friend who worked on the 53rd floor. He was late to work that morning because he got caught in traffic bring his daughter to day care. Normally his wife did this task. Thank God got NYC traffic. My other friend was scheduled to be on one of the flights out of Boston but decided not to that day as he wanted to spend time with his family.

Sadly, because the planes were out of Boston so many people from the area we lived in knew folks who died and were members of church congregations. No one could escape the fact that they knew people who died that fateful day.

Thus, 9-11 was the inspiration behind this web site to never say silent, always question, keep your eyes open and remain vigilant.

10 years later ... that inspiration still remains the same.

GOD BLESS those who died and who would later defend out country and give their lives in the war on terrorism.

I debated whether to post in this thread as I thought some may view it as an intrusion on what I  consider has become a very sacred day each year to all Americans, and especially so at this ten year anniversary.

But a monkey, whom I greatly respect, encouraged me to post so I will try to give you some idea of how the horror of that terrible event impacted on our special part of the free world.  Because of the time difference it was very early in our morning when the first events were reported on our TV channels.   I was awoken by our telephone ringing and it was a very close friend telling us to get out of bed and switch on the TV as something dreadful was happening in America.  As an aside it was this friend's birthday on 11 September which we had celebrated the previous day (as it was now 12th September here) and she has never enjoyed her birthday since that year as it now associates with so many upsetting memories.  I did as she suggested and could not believe what I was seeing.  I changed channels frequently trying to find an excuse, such as a channel showing a bad movie as I was still only partly awake, but it was repeated over and over on every channel.  Commentators could find no words to describe the scenes being brought to us and it was as though our whole world had become caught in a time warp of endless horror.

I did go to work at the normal time and all we did that day was stand around watching TV in the boss' office, all of us totally stunned and disbelieving.  Juniors were sent out to purchase latest editions of our daily newspapers but they were only able to print sparse details at that stage as a news flash across their headlines and little else detail.  We were dependant on the TV and what the newsrooms could bring us out of what must have been chaotic bulletins.

Those events took a huge toll not only on Americans but also all of us here in Australia.  That day completely changed  our view of ourselves, our world and our way of living.  We also lost our innocence and came to realise we were no longer as safe as we had always believed.  Our beautiful country could also be violated by those who would wish us harm, and since then there have been many such cells uncovered in our midst.  The Bali bombings were the closest we have had to our shores, for which we thank God.

Having said all this, it is still impossible for us to fully understand just how it has impacted on Americans and people of other nationalities that were involved that day or had friends or loved ones lost or injured.  We did lose Australians in those towers and their stories are being told here today.  Many of their families have travelled to New York to be closer during the remembrance ceremonies.

My thoughts and prayers go to all those who lost loved ones.  My prayers and thanks also go to all involved in protecting all of us in the free world, from emergency services to military personnel. 

Special thoughts also to our monkeys San and Angie, who many of our long standing monkey family will remember were involved on that day.

God Bless all of you.

::americaflag::

Thank you Tib. I found your post very moving.   MuffyBee

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/10/new.york.911.plant/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/10/new.york.911.plant/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn)

(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/US/09/10/new.york.911.plant/t1larg.911.plant.donovan.irpt.jpg)

Office plant found at ground zero a symbol of rebirth
This story started on
iReport CNN iReport
By Phil Gast, CNN
September 10, 2011 8:28 p.m. EDT

(CNN) -- On September 12, 2001, Gee Rittenhouse, an expert in wireless technology, went to ground zero in search of signs of life.

He found it, but in a form he never could have predicted.

Rittenhouse and other experts were brought in with special equipment after reports that people trapped in the World Trade Center debris were making phone calls, asking for assistance. Those reports later proved false.

On the first night of work, Rittenhouse realized "how compacted the towers were. Immediately, you realized there would not be many (survivable) spaces there."

Toiling in dense dust, Rittenhouse saw a sphere-shaped object, about the size of a softball, that stood out in the shattered remains of the 110-floor towers.

Thinking the ball might be a toy, he picked it up, only to learn the tiny, dense discovery was an office plant root ball that somehow survived the catastrophe. It had no stem or leaves.

Rittenhouse took the roots home and planted them.

The miracle survivor sprouted new leaves.
 ::snipping2::

Thank you for posting your story Tibro.  It's nice to hear stories of people who live on the other side of the world.

I am going to post a few links about a guy I worked with.

He is a remarkable young man and what he went through that day you could not imagine.  One of the links has some photos of him after he made it down to the street.  He was very involved with the memorial.

http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=wls&section=&mediaId=8342052&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot



(http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/gtye_world_trade_survivor_jef_110909_wg.jpg)

http://news.yahoo.com/9-11-marked-worldwide-reflection-prayers-073321970.html
9/11 is marked worldwide with reflection, prayers
By NICK PERRY - Associated Press | AP – 1 hr 38 mins ago
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A mother in Malaysia greeted her dead son. People in Manila left roses for the victim who helped give them homes. And mourners in Tokyo stood before a piece of steel from Ground Zero, remembering the 23 bank employees who never made it out alive.

A decade after 9/11, the day that changed so much for so many people, the world's leaders and citizens paused to reflect Sunday.
 ::snipping2::

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/9-11-the-25-most-powerful-photos-1315611364-slideshow/?nc
9/11: The 25 Most Powerful Photos
One decade after 9/11, an unsettling number of images from Ground Zero and its environs remain seared in our collective memory -- unsurprising, perhaps, given the scope and scale of the destruction. But the fact that the deadliest, most visually arresting attacks occurred in New York City also meant that many of the world's best photographers were, in effect, already on the scene when the terrorists struck. Here, to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11, and in hopes of lending coherence to our shared, turbulent recollections, LIFE.com presents the 25 most stirring, visceral photographs from that day, featuring pictures from the likes of James Nachtwey, Joe Raedle, Spencer Platt, Mario Tama, and other celebrated photojournalists (and one intrepid amateur). These are the pictures we remember: wrenching, indelible photographs that tell the tale of a still-resonant late summer day that changed everything.
 ::snipping2::

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/9-11-memorials-1314228449-slideshow/
9/11 Memorials
The tragic events of 9/11 have inspired a range of memorials across the country in order to remember and pay tribute to the victims.
Photos at link.
(http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/0s4LlZ2eqWru4lgDYVP5jQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00OTA7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/152/2011/08/24/RTR1H7F9_231035.jpg)
    Jody Greene, 11, of Greenwhich, Connecticut, adjusts a ribbon on a memorial for her father Donald Greene at the Flight 93 Temporary Memorial just outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, September 10, 2006. Jody's father was one of the 40 people who died on board Flight 93. (REUTERS/Jason Cohn)

September 11, 2001 … Ten Years Later … We Remember the Terror Attacks on America & Our Heroes … WE WILL NEVER FORGET

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2011/09/11/september-11-2001-ten-years-later-we-remember-the-terror-attacks-on-america-we-will-never-forget/

(http://scaredmonkeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/911_never_forget.jpg)

It has been 10 years since that fateful September morning in 2001 when everything changed. A crystal blue September morning became a second day in American history that would live in infamy. As planes hit the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, not once (VIDEO), but twice (VIDEO). A  third plane hit the Pentagon in Washington, DC and a fourth plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, PA … we all knew that it would never be the same

 ::snipping2::

Following September 11, 2001 I can remember making business trips to NJ and just being in shock of looking out over the NYC skyline and just seeing an empty space where the Twin Towers once stood. I would make it a point to go visit friends in NY and NJ and when you drove to their communities, every where in parks and in areas along the River there was nothing but memorials for those lost and missing.

The pictures, flowers, stuffed animals were just endless.

I can't help but think back to those days and 9/11/01 today and just think how life has so changed. I think of those that were lost and the people that I knew personally. Those that escaped death by an act of God and who's lives have been so changed forever they live each day like it was the last, because it almost was.

GOD BLESS ALL WHO DIED AND ALL THOSE WHO WERE PERSONALLY TOUCHED BY THE EVENTS OF 9/11.

My husband and I were just discussing all the jet noise we're hearing over the southeastern US.  Our area is a training ground for AF out of Carolina.  We usually don't hear the jets on Sunday.  Today its been constant.  Those against the USA would be idiots to try something today.  It may've been 10 years, but the scars are still very fresh in the minds of most Americans.  God bless the USA!!!!

CBB, good video... I even cried. San, Angie, Tib...thank you for sharing. Conspiracy theories are born out of ignorance. It was all real...period. We will never forget. I watched 'Flight 93' again last night for possibly the 100th time. I had to add that.

Several years after 9-11 I went to Brooklyn to visit a friend. She asked me if I wanted to go to Manhattan. I said, no thanks...I'd rather remember it the way it was when I was there in the 70's. I spent time in both towers...I will never go back. I simply choose to remember it the way I saw it so many years ago.

 ::MonkeyNoNo::
(http://sushibella.blogg.se/images/2011/1322181-before_and_after_911-manhattan_island_129584068.jpg)

All great........

God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q65KZIqay4E

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning) with Lyrics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr8VwYLcxGo&feature=related

Darryl Worley --- Have You Forgotten?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpoudLoc8sY&feature=related

I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan
A rememberence of US soldiers and to the families who lost a loved one in the military
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAZ2vcoMbIs&feature=related

just a few of hundreds........

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/11/2394607/virginia-the-pentagon-memorial.html
Virginia: The Pentagon Memorial
September 11, 2011




 ::snipping2::
 The Pentagon was the first of the three attack sites to open an official memorial. It was dedicated Sept. 11, 2008, and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It sits at the exact spot where the attack occurred. The main feature is 184 cantilevered benches, each sitting atop a small reflecting pool. The benches are arranged by year of birth, reminding visitors that the attacks claimed lives both young and old, from 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg to 71-year-old- retired Navy Capt. John D. Yamnicky.
 ::snipping2::
Details: www.whs.mil/memorial and http://pentagonmemorial.org

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lives-lost-remembered-at-pentagon-ceremony/2011/09/11/gIQAdGgcKK_story.html
Lives lost remembered at Pentagon ceremony
September 11, 2011

There were 184 wreaths — one for every life lost when a plane hit the Pentagon 10 years ago — and stoically and solemnly military members laid them on benches inside the Pentagon Memorial.

The benches mark each life lost, and they served as the touching, silent focal point for the 1,600 people who watched nearby on a big-screen TV as the wreaths of white flowers were gently laid, one by one, in a patriotic ceremony at the Pentagon marking 10 years since the terrorist attacks.
With an enormous U.S. flag draped over the plane’s impact point on the Pentagon’s rock-hard wall, Vice President Joe Biden, his voice rising, remembered the attack as a “declaration of war by stateless actors bent on changing our way of life.” The goal: “To break us.”

“They did not,” he said, “know us.”

Instead, the attacks galvanized an entire “new generation of patriots — the 9/11 generation,” Biden said, noting that nearly 3 million men and women had signed up for armed-services duty since then “to finish a war begun here that day.”
More...
Video at Link

George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview

Remembering 9/11 marks the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks with new perspective on the day that changed America and the world, as well as events set in motion over the last decade.

National Geographic Channel presents George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview, a world premiere documentary that reveals exclusive, first-person insight into the former president's experience following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In the most in-depth on-camera interview he has ever given on the subject, President Bush recalls what he was thinking and feeling and what drove the real-time, life-or-death decisions he faced in the first minutes, hours and days after the most lethal terrorist attacks ever on U.S. soil.

snipped, video too
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/remembering-9-11/6683/Overview

http://abcnews.go.com/US/September_11/robert-peraza-photo-moves-family-911-anniversary/story?id=14502207&fb_ref=abc-fb-recs
9/11 Anniversary Photo of Grieving Dad Robert Peraza Photo Touches Family
September 12, 2011

(http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ap_man_memorial_jef_110911_wg.jpg)
Robert Peraza, who lost his son Robert David Peraza in the attacks at the World Trade Center, pauses at his son's name at the North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial before the 10th anniversary ceremony at the site on Sept. 11, 2011, in New York. (Justin Lane/Pool/AP Photo)

"Let Freedom Ring" By The Gaither Vocal Band (NYC After 9/11)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZFPX-jgCCI&feature=related