All Comments on 'Do You Remember?'

Goldeniangel:

It seems that almost every generation has their defining moment. Yours (and one of mine was 9/11) I have admired your work for a long time but "Do You Remember" tweaked my soul. I'm a retired Master Chief Petty Officer, USN and I've been there before, but no one was prepared to witness first hand the atrocities of the twin towers. My niece was in a state of shock as her husband (A young Lt., USN)donned his uniform to report to his duty station. Being redundant as an old retired salt I was able to hold her hand and reasure her as events unfolded. Thank you for your input to my memories. Ronnie W.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Septemebr 11.

It caused me to pause and remember where I was and what I was doing that morning, and several other similar days, such as when JFK was assassinated.

I remember sitting in my office at work when it all happened. No TV's here but we all listen to the radio. That day it seemed like everyone's radios, tuned to different channels, changed to coverage of these horrific events all at the same time. We couldn't see what was happening but we could all picture it happening and wondering what the hell was going on. Hearing the actual reports and some of the false reports we wondered just how widespread it was.

At lunch I was able to get away to a place that had TV's and watched these events after the fact. I sat numb as you did while I watched only I knew that I would soon be doing something about it. I was right. Later that day My Marine Reserve Infantry battalion was put on alert for activation. A week later we were activated and getting ready to ship out for a destination yet unknown to us.

You may have heard that Marines don't cry. Many of us did that day and none of us would be ashamed to admit it.

You brought the memories flooding back. I to am retired military. Like the Marine I cried that day and I cried again today when I read your memories.

Thank you for remembering and reminding all of us of a day that we should never forget.

On the morning of 9/11, I was scheduled to attend a meeting at a company with offices near the top of the North Tower. My birth mother, with whom I had only recently been reacquainted after over 40 years following my adoption in England, walked me to the subway station. She kept me talking, as a result of which I missed a downtown express train by seconds.

I had a 10 minute wait for the next train.

I arrived at the WTC at 10 to 9, just after the first plane hit. I became caught up in the crowds, and found myself at the base of the south tower, from where I tried to make cell phone contact with the person I was due to meet.

Shortly after 9, there was a huge bang, the whole building shook, and debris began to fall outside. Being British, where we’ve had this crap for 30 years, and having served as a Naval officer in Northern Ireland during “the Troubles” I assumed it was a bomb. I walked down stairs and caught what must have been one of the last uptown express trains to run that day.

It was only when I got back to Mom’s apartment and saw the TV footage that I realized what a narrow escape I had. I recall having missed the Harrods bomb in London by 5 minutes, having been within 50 miles of the eye of a hurricane when I was at sea, a few nasty bumps on motorcycles and some near misses from bombs and bullets in Northern Ireland.

What can we learn from 9/11?” I would say, live each day as if it might be your last, as none of us knows what’s round the next corner. When you leave a loved one, say something nice; that way, if something does happen, their last memory will be a good one. And, of course, don’t turn up too early for meetings!

When I close my eyes I can still see in my minds eye the camera catching the towers fall one right after the other. It's almost as if I can step away from myself and see me standing there with my mouth open in horror - knowing there were people trapped in those towers and feeling my heart constrict with pain because there was nothing I could do to help. Your story of rememberance brought tears to my eyes. Some events you never get over, you get past them and become stronger because of them. There is a building strength in the youth of this country. It gives me hope in knowing that someone like you, with your compassion and depth of feelings, is out there. You've touched my life today.

You write so beautifully and with such passion and emotion. The poem was as beautiful and touching as your essay. I hope to read more by you.

kat in mississippi

Angel,

You are such an excellent writer. I love all of your stories, and this one, this one that I read here just a few days from the fourth anniversary of that tragic day. Has brought a tear to my eyes and touched my soul.

I was at work when I first heard, it seems like yesterday now. I remember what I was wearing, where I was when I first knew..and was in stunned disbelief. I work for a residential drug treatment program and for the next two days that is what everyone did, watch the news. That Saturday we had had a car wash scheduled, and we decided to have it in honor of 9/11 and were able to send over $3,000 dollars to NY. And it is a time that I remember that the country pulled together emotionally, if not philosophically.... I wish I didn't have the memories, but I remember that feeling of warmth...

I was in a friends car between band and first hour. We actually thought it was another 'War of the Worlds' thing. You remember? When they read it on the radio, and people panicked? We couldn't believe it until we got to school. They had the T.V.'s on and we were all shocked. It didn't even sink in untill that afternoon around lunch. It was wierd to see a bunch of high schoolers sitting around shell shocked. We actually took up a sort of collection in our group at lunch. While I wish it hadn't happened, I thank you for reviving my memories of the reactions of my peers.

I was getting ready to start my 2nd week working in a restaurant here in town. I was having trouble because I'd sprained my wrist, and the brace was difficult to work around. I remember I had the CBS 'Early Show' on the TV, and was in the kitchen when the 'Special Report' music interrupted the commercial break.

I was on the phone with my mom when the 2nd plane hit. I tried to wake my husband up, so he would come sit with me, but he just rolled over and started to snore again.

I finally did make it to work, but.. nobody came to eat that day. All of the radios in the restaurant were turned on, but there was no music. There were reports of bombs, and snipers all over Washington and New York. When the Towers fell, all I heard was that there were bombs, like the ones in Oklahoma City when I was in High School.

I was sent home from work early, and remember being amazed at the jump in gas prices.

My husband was awake when I got home, but had not turned on the TV, nor the radio, and was just getting logged into the computer. When I told him what had happened, he though I was making things up, but then I flipped the TV back on and he realized that it was no story.

please keep up the good work with your writing..

That is a day we should never forget! I was in a middle school classroom teaching language arts. The school went on lock down. It took hours for us to finally be told what was going on. My souls still aches when I think about that day, those events, and all of the people affected. It has been over 8 years but we should never forget that day. Thank you for this story!

That is a day we should never forget! I was in a middle school classroom teaching language arts. The school went on lock down. It took hours for us to finally be told what was going on. My souls still aches when I think about that day, those events, and all of the people affected. It has been over 8 years but we should never forget that day. Thank you for this story!

Wrong time wrong place. Go away.

I was at work and one of the ladies with a radio told us a plane had hit the World Trade Center.

I got on the internet and watched in horror as the second plane hit and so on.

Then continued watching for most of the day. Such a horrific feeling when they fell.

So many dead, then the station cut to reactions around the world.

The leaders of other nations expressing their condolences and grief.

The Arabs dancing in the streets.... THAT angered me like nothing I ever saw before.

And I'm a 20 year Military Enlisted Man, now retired from that position and working as an electronics designer.

I also remember President Bush's speech. So very right in everything.

I have served in Desert Storm and I can assure you; Anything a Muslim tells you over there, Is a LIE. They lie about breakfast if they can. Simply because that is the way they are taught to act to us.

And they want us dead. Most are passive (the "moderates"), but they follow the religion which is not separable from the culture, and that says we must convert to Islam or die.

I say, Bring it on, We will make the sand run red with them.

Sorry if you don't agree but I was over there and nothing less will stop them, they must ALL die. From the Old Testament "Kill man, woman, and child, Leave not one alive to hate you" They have hated us from the time before books existed, nothing will change that.

I am anonymous as I do not make accounts anywhere I cannot verify the coding.

I have been on the net since long before the internet existed. I was passing info around in the 1980's on networks over phone lines. Yes, I"m still paranoid.

Ramjet, MSgt, USAF, Ret.

Just as I listened to my elders and parents describe where and what they were doing when JFK was assassinated, Pearl Harbor, and Man walking on the Moon, my children will listen to us tell of where we were when the first and second planes hit, when the Pentagon was hit, the field in Pennsylvania, and the first and second towers fell...I live on the West Coast and any time I hear 9/11 or 911 or September 11 I get the chills, and tear up and hear the tone in my mom's voice to get up and turn on the tv, we are under attack. i had never opened my eyes, grabbed the remote and turned the tv on that quickly, ever, just in time to see the first tower crumble. My cousin worked at the Pentagon then, he just so happened to be in D.C. that day. I was 5 months pregnant, and could only wonder as i walked in eerie silence (we lived close to the airport) to the bar I bartended at a few blocks away, how can I bring this child into a world of hate and war? He will be 12 in February and is dead set on going into the Army. He wants to be a sniper. I bet he'd be great he can be pretty sneaky!

I was at work, watching it on the Internet after someone with a radio heard about it.

And I am Retired US Air Force. It hit me HARD.

My youngest Brother is a Pilot for United. I had to find out where he was.

It Turned out he was in Paris at the Time, Watching it just like we were.

But I was wound way up for hours until I could get a phone call through to his wife.

I think President Bush said it well.

Horror slowly changing to a very Hot anger to whoever did this.

Islam the Religion of Peace?

Have any of those people READ the Koran?

I have, It's a book written by a Violent child raping psychopath to justify how he lived.

He says the Angel came to him, I think it was the Devil himself in disguise.

Remember, After Christ died, the devil was given the earth.

Islam has been starting wars with other areas since the year 780, each one they attacked until thrown down.

Then they lick the wounds until strong again and start it over.

My Solution? Nuke the Entire Islamic Region and be done with it.

And No, I am actually not in a religion, I think most of them are just crutches for the weak minded. Also, I have seen a lot of folks act Holy in Church and then be absolute assholes the rest of the time. I do not need the association.

But I do READ a lot, and that is my logical analysis of the situation.

I will remember this moment for remainder of my life. I was in Quantico, Virginia, going to the Small Arms Weapons Instructor Course in the US Marine Corps. There were approximately 35 of us in the class. We had just drawn our weapons from the armory, and were on our way to one of the rifle ranges to begin that day's training. When we got to the range, our company commander was there, sitting in the seat of his minivan, waiting for us. He pulled our platoon sergeant to him, and tells him to have us turn our weapons in and to head back to the squad bay. He didn't tell us anything else. I guess it was the manner in which he said it, but we knew not to ask questions, just go. We got back to the squad bay just in time to see the second plane hit. You could see almost every emotion go across faces. Shock. Sadness. Disbelief. Eventually, they all turned to anger. We were all professionals there. To put it into locker room speak, "They came to our house!" We all knew where we were, just outside of D.C. We knew where we were going.