7 Years..

[Einstein]

Unless you've been over to Ground Zero.

I was there only a few weeks ago, and as you say it's a pretty devastating sight. I was a little taken aback as personally me & the girlfriend couldn't really find any given right/reason to 'want' to have a picture taken against the backdrop. The picture is still vivid in my mind and I think always will be, and I find it a little strange why anyone would want a picture in such a sad place.

Having an American girlfriend whose life was turned upside down by it also brings a stark reality of it all to me. Her sister lived in NY, and while fraught with worry as to her safety, her Dad was the US ambassador in Afghanistan, and she was living in Pakistan at school as it was 'safer' than being in Afghanistan with her Dad. It kind of brings home to me that it's not just the family & friends of who's lives were sadly lost, but it destroyed lives of people all over the world (and not just Americans). Happy lives were turned completely upside down, which sadly shape the world we live in today. Thankfully her and her family managed to evacuate safely back to the US (a little irony in hindsight given the attacks were on US soil), but just the mention of 9/11 sends a shiver down her spine.

I think there are few people who do not have some kind of connection to 9/11. It's shaped the 'warped' world we live in today, and god hope that somehow in this 'warped' world we live in, that the lives lost will not be in vain and lead us to a safer peaceful world.

We cannot change the past, but hope & courage can change the future.

Our thoughts should also go for all the soldiers out in Afghanistan today as a consequence of those tragic attacks.

Remember the brave. Honour the heroes.

RIP to the lives lost.

 

[Kristof]

We should never never forget.

I was in Orlando the day of 9/11 and was actually booked to be on a trip up the Towers when the five of us went to New York the following week. The day itself and the days that followed were just so strange.

There are things you remember to this day:-

being evacuted from Busch Gardens when the true horror started emerging, at this point we knew nothing of any of the attacks, when I asked why the park was closing and was told due to a terrorism threat nobody took it seriously until we saw some flags at half mast on a government building nearby,

hearing radio reports on the drive back to our hotel in Orlando hearing the awfulness of the attacks coming out,

getting in front of a tv and seeing the footage for the first time, it was like being smacked in the face, you didn't want to watch but you could NOT watch as history being altered in front of you,

speaking on a payphone to my mum and my friends dad who for a few horrible moments thought we were in New York that week not the next,

being in a bar (people just wanted to be with other people) and watching the wall to wall coverage,

groups of Americans breaking into applause and chants of USA USA after Bush had addressed the nation,

your eyes filling with tears as you heard the stories of individuals who where murdered and the pain felt by their families,

having strangers on hearing our accents shaking our hands and telling us "what a guy you're Tony Blair is!" after he backed Bush against the evil of terrorism.

Even now I remember it clearly, RIP the victims and lets spare a thought for our troops, even if you don't agree if they should be fighting the battle on foreign shores, they are risking our lives to try and ensure it doesn't happen again.

 

[J]

I visited ground zero on october 3rd 2001 - We had planned a holiday to Sri Lanka, and instead visited new york. Although it was my 6th time there, it seemed a different place.
I had been up the twin towers, and still couldn't appreciate the devestation.

Without drifiting into any politics as promised, the things, that really really angered me, were the videos of Arabs and Muslims celebrating the world over, handing out sweets, firing Kalishnikovs.. Lovely eh..

Let's hope such a inhumane crime will NOT happen on that scale here... However, that is possible my biggest fear, with so many young Muslim males that are apparently ready to answer the "call" who knows what the future may hold.

 

[londonblue]

I visited ground zero on october 3rd 2001 - We had planned a holiday to Sri Lanka, and instead visited new york. Although it was my 6th time there, it seemed a different place.
I had been up the twin towers, and still couldn't appreciate the devestation.

I was there for New Year 2001/2002. (I flew out whilst SUFC were beating Yeovil 4-2 with my dad texting me the scores as I boarded the plane. The people around me thought I was mad.) The whole time we were there people were thanking us for coming, and for not cancelling our holiday. People were truly grateful.

I had never been to NY before, and I was very surprised by how friendly everyone was. The two friends I was with, who had been there many times, were telling me it never used to be that friendly.

A few weeks before we arrived a viewing platform had been errected at ground zero, but given that most of the bodies etc were still there we decided it would be in poor taste to go a look...

 

[number11]

I was there in Sept 2000 and then again in Sept 2002 and the change was remarkable.....though its an often used cliche, it really did seem to bring the city together.

Like Einstein said above, taking pictures at the site seemed wrong but a visit really did bring home the impact of it all. Almost everyone that visited the site was in a respectful and reverential silence. For me though the sadest moment was the board in Grand Central Station that had been put up for relatives to seek out lost relatives. Cards were placed with pictures of loved ones with information on who they worked for and what they were wearing that day etc and asking if anyone had any information about them as they tried to piece together what had happened. Probably the last time Id shed tears in public.

 

[BaileytheQuitter]

The sad and sickening thing is that the 'terrorists' actually think they're doing the Western world a favour.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

The sad and sickening thing is that the 'terrorists' actually think they're doing the Western world a favour.

No, the saddest thing is that they see our tolerance of their archaic ways as a sure sign of our weakness. All attempts to have a dialogue with these people or reach compromise only increase their confidence and their resolve to destroy us.

 

[OldBlueLady]

No, the saddest thing is that they see our tolerance of their archaic ways as a sure sign of our weakness. All attempts to have a dialogue with these people or reach compromise only increase their confidence and their resolve to destroy us.

It's kind of like a child with behavioural issues, the more of the attention it craves you give it, the worse the behaviour is whereas if you ignore the secondary behaviour and deal with the primary cause then the problem is soon solved. Not saying it's anything like as easy as that, but the principle is the same.

 

[pickledseal]

Was very strange at school recounting an event that was still so vivd in my mind to students who were just not old enough to really remember it (Y7s were 4yeas old...)

It has changed our world without a doubt. I always have Bruce Springsteen's*AMAZING* The Rising album as backdrop to my memories of the day when I sat in the school library with the librarian Mrs Hair watching it unfold.... There was a Y7 class with the deputy head, Ms Clewlow in there and it was weird seeing how the lesson just gradually faded out over about 5 minutes as the realisation of what happened hit everyone. I then went home and got a call to say my girlfriends nan had died and she wanted me to go over. It was SUCH a surreal moment from massive world wide outpouring of grief to a very personal, but equally powerful moment.

Without drifiting into any politics as promised, the things, that really really angered me, were the videos of Arabs and Muslims celebrating the world over, handing out sweets, firing Kalishnikovs.. Lovely eh..

Let's hope such a inhumane crime will NOT happen on that scale here... However, that is possible my biggest fear, with so many young Muslim males that are apparently ready to answer the "call" who knows what the future may hold.

It was the media's fault for showing a MINORITY. The fall out for good, honest, peaceful Muslims was horrific. The Mosque in Southend got bricked, like many up and down the nation.

I am a committed Catholic but I remember being appauled at IRA bombs, I am a Christian (and one that does not agree with abortion) but do not agree with the bombing of abortion clinics in the USA.

Let's remember the dead, discoruage fanaticism and terrorism from all quarters and remember the pain still being suffered by all. I bet the everyday Muslims still living in Afganhistan and not having a great day today either....

 

[MK Shrimper]

No, the saddest thing is that they see our tolerance of their archaic ways as a sure sign of our weakness. All attempts to have a dialogue with these people or reach compromise only increase their confidence and their resolve to destroy us.

Hmm, I thought the message was not to divert this thread?

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Hmm, I thought the message was not to divert this thread?

Fair comment, but I only asked that we put the discussion on hold for that one day. And you know me Paulie, any chance I get......

 

[MK Shrimper]

Fair comment, but I only asked that we put the discussion on hold for that one day. And you know me Paulie, any chance I get......

Another time, another thread Karl.