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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 877
| Subject: September 11, 2001
Where were you ...
No political stuff.. rants, rages, just where were you this day.
Ken Waldie, American Airlines Flight 11 - September 11, 2001 - TO REMEMBER |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 2253
Location: Foothills of the Ozarks | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
Sitting in the jury selection room waiting to be called; we were dismissed and I spent the rest of the day watching events unfold on TV. Two employees from the company I was working at were on the planes; one on each. Sadly, I can't remember their names. They worked in our Boston Office.
Rest in Peace
Edited by Doc Gardner 2009-09-11 4:24 AM
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 892
Location: Palo Pinto County, Texas | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
We were at home. Received a telephone call from a friend that worked in the Federal Building in Dallas. He asked if we were watching TV. We were not. He said turn it on and his building was being evacuated and hung up. Of course, I immediately thought of a disaster of some sort in downtown Dallas. Once the boob tube was energized, the mystery began to vividly unfold. Then the skies became quiet! This was a short two weeks after I had given our daughter her enlistment obligation in the Navy Reserve. Her eight year contract expired two weeks ago. |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 6180
Location: Summerville, SC | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
We were still living near Charlotte, NC at the time and I was sitting at this communicator and had the TV on but off to the side. Couldn't believe it at first. I thought an airline pilot had really screwed up bad.  |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1269
Location: Hopewell Junction NY | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
In my room at the HOLIDAY INN / Peoria USSVI CONVENTION / USS Sea Robin Reunion. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1455
| Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
I was in a downtown hotel in Houston getting dressed to head over to the ISA Show. I turned on the TV and saw the first tower burning and they said a plane hit it. Then there was a feed from the Pentagon not related to any attack. The camera shook and the news guy said there may have been an explosion in the building. Then he feed came back from NYC and nobody could figure out just what was happening. I was thinking that was the ultimate high rise building fire and how was FDNY going to fight that one. I had two brother in laws that had recently retired, one LT and one Capt. I knew a lot of their fellow firemen and was concerned about them as the Capt ran a house downtown Manhattan. In fact, the Capt who replaced him was killed. Then I saw the 2nd tower hit and I knew it was a terrorist attack. I went over to the ISA Show and hardly anyone was there. Most were immediately trying to get transporation back to their homes. The flights were all shut down and they were trying to get rental cars. The cell phone service to the NE was all but gone. I figured I might just as well stay in Houston since it wasn't my dime. There was a guy at the show who I had known for about 20 years walking around in a daze. We talked and he said his son worked for Levi Strauss and was supposed to be on the plane out of Boston. He couldn't make any phone calls to find out if his son was ok. His son had received a phone call while at the gate area to go back to the office for some company emergency and cancelled his trip. Talk about timing. I was lucky enough to get a flight back that Friday morning but had to stand in line in the Houston airport for about 5 hours just to get a ticket. The odd part is that once I did get my boarding pass and went to the gate the place was all but deserted. When the plane left for Philly there were only three passengers besides me. All that wait while people tried to make plane reservations which they could have done over the phone. The other odd bit was some of the guys driving back East in vans (ride share to save money) they were pulled over a few times by cops checking to see of they were terrorists. I guess the profile of a van full of guys hauling ass late at night got them tagged. Yes, it was quite a histoic event. My Florida sales rep's brother is a contractor who was working in the Pentagon. They were the ones who were rebuilding the Pentagon by hardening the structure for just such an event. I understand a lot of people wer saved there because the plane hit where they had rebuilt. |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
Ahhhh yes.... I was having breakfast at a Holiday Inn in Chicago watching it live on TV. Couldn't believe it.
I was suppose to check out to drive to Peoria for the USSVI convention. When I heard the planes were canceled I checked out at once and grabbed a cab to the car rental office. I still had to wait an hour to get my car. They didn't have what I had reserved and had to take something else. You couldn't just rent a car you had to have a reservation so guys were frantically calling their offices trying to get them to make one for them. I had a prior reservation and almost didn't get one.
When I got to Peoria half the guys were in the bar watching events unfold. Most from what I could see never moved all week. Same guys in the same seats. |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2561
Location: Rapid City, SD | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
I was reading the newspaper (yesterday's news) when Elmer called. He asked if I was ready to get on an airplane today. I was a bit confused because we had reservations to fly to Dallas on the 13th to attend the first boat reunion that Elmer would have attended .
I thought he was confused, and I responded, "N-o-o-o-o, not until day after tomorrow.
His next question was, "Do you have your TV on?"
I replied that I hadn't yet turned it on, so he suggested that I should.
Needless to say, we didn't attend the reunion. This was really too bad, because it was the last reunion that Sterlet's WWII crew had. It would have been his last chance to see his old shipmates. When we did finally attend a Sterlet Reunion in 2005, there was only one other WWII submariner there - and he didn't serve on the Sterlet until 1946 after Elmer was long gone.
I then turned on the Boob Toob, and watched the twin towers fall over and over and over again all day long.
I realized then that 'anybody' can attack us 'anywhere' at 'anytime.' Very Scary!
Cora |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 539
Location: Palm Bay, Florida | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
On the road between Virginia Beach & Peoria. Had a new car with a 6 disk CD changer, so radio was off. Lunch in Warrenton, VA.... NO ONE said a thing about it. Gassed up on PA Turnpike..... NO ONE said a thing about it. Saw a single large jet heading east about 2PM. Probably Air Force One. Checked in to a Holiday Inn in WV. NO ONE said a thing about it. Turned on the TV and every channel had the same movie, I thought, and then reality set in. |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 6180
Location: Summerville, SC | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
Virginia Bch to Peoria via PA Turnpike... Ken, by any chance were you a Quartermaster?  |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 539
Location: Palm Bay, Florida | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
Virginia Bch to Peoria via PA Turnpike... Ken, by any chance were you a Quartermaster?
No Ralph, but if you've ever had lunch at Ben & Mary's in Warrenton, you would go out of your way also.
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 6180
Location: Summerville, SC | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
I've been through Warrenton more times than I can count but never took the time to eat there. Usually when I got to Warrenton it was late night or just before daylight. |
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Old Salt
Posts: 330
| Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
I was in the Navy Annex, 1/4 mile from the Pentagon.
We heard the plane fly overhead and a second later, looked out at the cloud of smoke just rising up. They figured that the plane was 200' above us, when it came in.
Getting to work the next couple of weeks was tough. HumVees everywhere - usually had to pass 2 or 3 checkpoints to get into Lot 6 - PIX - http://www.cdhaggard.com/Lot6.jpg (this drawing was for parking for my reitrement... but it does show the Annex and the Pentagon).
Since I was working at the Bureau of Naval Personnel, we went into rotating shiftwork for a couple of months... Tracking the pieces of body parts of the Officers/Sailors killed in the Pentagon, and making arrangements for them and their families. Pretty grim stuff...
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 811
Location: NW Connecticut | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
I was at work driving up Rt 91 in Cromwell CT. Listening to Don Imus on the radio ..The early reports coming into his show were that a light plane was seen flying into Tower 2..and the tower seemed to be on fire! In my past job I spent a lot of time at the World Trade Ctr and I was aware of how huge the place was. I'm thinking wow that's no big deal.. Soon after it became obvious to those on Imus' show that this was not a small plane or a accident.. I was thinking if any of my old work mates were still working there, I left that job back in 1985.. I found out later that nobody I knew was there. I still can't believe it...I do remember it being the most beautifully clear and early Fall day I could remember..
A family friend of ours sister worked in Tower 1.. The 1st plane struck as she was getting out of subway.. The wise lady in shock thought it was a good day to book out and she went home in shock and bewildered.. They lost several friends that day..
My Son who was ( and still is) a DEVGRU SEAL was getting my Granddaughter ready for school when he saw the news reports on TV.. Two seconds after the 2nd plane hit both of his recall beepers went off ( he was on leave) ..3 weeks later he was in Afghanistan... |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 6
Location: Suwanee, GA | Subject: RE: September 11, 2001
Riding my Harley from South Texas to the SubVet reunion in Peoria Ill. Didn't know what was going on until I stopped for gas and noticed the price was pretty high. Every time I stopped, the gas got more expensive. Didn't know what happened until I got to Peoria and checked into my hotel. |
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September 11, 2001
