Tomorrow, we should all reflect on what happened. What I would really like to say about these people in general I won’t put in print. It’s a shame members of the military had to killed because of these clowns.

I always stop and remember

its seems like yesterday its so clearly etched in my mind

I remember where I was, what I was doing, who I was with...

and my opinion on the perpetrators and their enablers has neither changed nor my hatred waned

My PTSD gets spun up tomorrow

Ditto.

Never forget.

On this night, 23 years ago, 343 fire fighters went to sleep in preparation for their morning shift. 60 police officers went to sleep in preparation for their morning patrol. 8 paramedics went to sleep in preparation for the morning shift of saving lives. None of them saw past noon on Sept 11th 2001. Including the members on FDNY Ladder 118 responding in the foreground, it was their last alarm.

All gave some, some gave all

343 - Never Forget

9/13/2001

From Flight 93. Phone conversations between Tom Burnett and his wife Deena
Transcript of Tom's Last Calls to Deena.
> 6:27 a.m.( pacific time) First cell phone call from Tom to Deena
>
> Deena: Hello
> Tom: Deena
> Deena: Tom, are you O.K.?
> Tom: No, I’m not. I’m on an airplane that has been hijacked.
> Deena: Hijacked?
> Tom: Yes, They just knifed a guy.
> Deena: A passenger?
> Tom: Yes.
> Deena: Where are you? Are you in the air?
> Tom: Yes, yes, just listen. Our airplane has been hijacked. It’s United Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco. We are in the air. The hijackers have already knifed a guy, one of them has a gun, they are telling us there is a bomb on board, please call the authorities. He hung up.
>
> 6:31 Deena calls 911
> 6:34 The phone rang in on call waiting, Tom’s second cell phone call.
>
> Deena: Hello
> Tom: They’re in the cockpit. The guy they knifed is dead.
> Deena: He’s dead?
> Tom: Yes. I tried to help him, but I couldn’t get a pulse.
> Deena: Tom, they are hijacking planes all up and down the east coast. They are taking them and hitting designated targets. They’ve already hit both towers of the World Trade Center.
> Tom: They’re talking about crashing this plane. (a pause) Oh my God.
> It’s a suicide mission…(he then tells people sitting around him)
> Deena: Who are you talking to?
> Tom: My seatmate. Do you know which airline is involved?
> Deena: No, they don’t know if they’re commercial airlines or not. The newsreporters are speculating cargo planes, private planes and commercial. No one knows.
> Tom: How many planes are there?
> Deena: They’re not sure, at least three. Maybe more.
> Tom: O.K….O.K….Do you know who is involved?
> Deena: No.
> Tom: We’re turning back toward New York. We’re going back to the World Trade Center. No, wait, we’re turning back the other way. We’re going south.
> Deena: What do you see?
> Tom: Just a minute, I’m looking. I don’t see anything, we’re over a rural area. It’s just fields. I’ve gotta go.
>
> 6:45 a.m. Third cell phone call from Tom to Deena
>
> Tom: Deena
> Deena: Tom, you’re O.K. (I thought at this point he had just survived the Pentagon plane crash).
> Tom: No, I’m not.
> Deena: They just hit the Pentagon.
> Tom: (tells people sitting around him “They just hit the Pentagon.”)
> Tom: O.K….O.K. What else can you tell me?
> Deena: They think five airplanes have been hijacked. One is still on the ground. They believe all of them are commercial planes. I haven’t heard them say which airline, but all of them have originated on the east coast.
> Tom: Do you know who is involved?
> Deena: No
> Tom: What is the probability of their having a bomb on board? I don’t think they have one. I think they’re just telling us that for crowd control.
> Deena: A plane can survive a bomb if it’s in the right place.
> Tom: Did you call the authorities?
> Deena: Yes, they didn’t know anything about your plane.
> Tom: They’re talking about crashing this plane into the ground. We have to do something. I’m putting a plan together.
> Deena: Who’s helping you?
> Tom: Different people. Several people. There’s a group of us. Don’t worry. I’ll call you back.
>
> 6:54 a.m. Fourth cell phone call to Tom to Deena
>
> Deena: Tom?
> Tom: Hi. Anything new?
> Deena: No
> Tom: Where are the kids?
> Deena: They’re fine. They’re sitting at the table having breakfast. They’re asking to talk to you.
> Tom: Tell them I’ll talk to them later.
> Deena: I called your parents. They know your plane has been hijacked.
> Tom: Oh…you shouldn’t have worried them. How are they doing?
> Deena: They’re O.K.. Mary and Martha are with them.
> Tom: Good.
>
> (a long quiet pause)
>
> Tom: We’re waiting until we’re over a rural area. We’re going to take back the airplane.
> Deena: No! Sit down, be still, be quiet, and don’t draw attention to yourself! (The exact words taught to me by Delta Airlines Flight Attendant Training).
> Tom: Deena! If they’re going to crash this plane into the ground, we’re going to have do something!
> Deena: What about the authorities?
> Tom: We can’t wait for the authorities. I don’t know what they could do anyway.
> It’s up to us. I think we can do it.
> Deena: What do you want me to do?
> Tom: Pray, Deena, just pray.
>
> (after a long pause)
>
> Deena: I love you.
> Tom: Don’t worry, we’re going to do something...

^^^^^^^
I had never seen that transcript. Gave me chills reading it.

Never forget.

I was the Operations Officer in USS BUNKER HILL (CG-52). We were on tropical working hours, so all the officers and chiefs were on the flight deck at 0545 for Officer's call. An OS2, one of my guys, came running out of the hangar and started talking about a plane hitting a building in New York. I had no idea that as a Surface Warfare Officer, I would end up in Afghanistan six years later.

On that day I was an inactive volunteer firefighter from New Jersey now living in Florida. On that day we lost 343 brother FDNY firefighters, 1 brother New York Fire Patrolman and dozens and dozens of brother first responders along with all the thousands of victims.
Some of those first responders were not only on the job that day but were also volunteer from the surrounding towns who happen to work their regular jobs in those buildings.

This is a day I spend time listing to the names read at Ground Zero. It bring me right back to that day as my wife and I were glued to the TV for the next two days.
Every year I do this and it brings me back to that day like it was yesterday.

We also need to remember the members of the military who lost their lives in the fight.

Such a horrific day, the uneasiness and anger never fades.

14yo son has a history assignment and is watching videos of reports from that day. One plane has hit at this point. They don’t know what kind of plane yet, are guessing a light twin, and thinking it’s an accident. I’ll admit it’s hard for me to listen to.

Pictures my daughter took on her first trip to NYC:

I watch the Naudet brothers’ 9/11 documentary every single year. NEVER forget.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
14yo son has a history assignment and is watching videos of reports from that day. One plane has hit at this point. They don’t know what kind of plane yet, are guessing a light twin, and thinking it’s an accident. I’ll admit it’s hard for me to listen to.

My work environment on that day was a cube farm. I was enjoying the morning, as it marked my first anniversary at that job. My friend Bill (RIP, Bill, we miss you) spun his chair around, looked at me and said, "some dumbass just ran a plane into the Twin Towers." We thought the same thing -- it was a small two-seater or something. "How in the world can you not see a building that danged big?" And then the second one hit. Internet service in the building generally sucked, and the in-house infrastructure was instantly overloaded thanks to people trying to get online and find out what was happening.

Number One in the house pulled an old TV into the conference room, near a window so as to get some over-the-air signal. We were simultaneously astonished and devastated, unable for another couple of hours to comprehend all that was happening.

Right about this time, on this date, 23 years ago I'd been retired from the department short of 7 years and was still coming to grips with what had happened

The phone at my apartment rang. I answered it and it was a familiar voice, a Captain from my old department. This was the conversation:

"Hello?"

"Hey... just want you to know we are putting a group of guys together to head to New York on Thursday. We are going to stop near you for a quick break before we continue. If you want to go we'll bring a full set of gear for you."

"I'll meet you there, tell me when and where"

"Ok, Dave or I will call you back tomorrow and confirm time for Thursday and where we'll meet. I'll have info on what to bring as well so you have time to pack"

"See you Thursday brother..."

"Good.. later"

<click>


I told my boss the next morning that I was leaving Thursday for NYC and wasn't sure when I'd be back. He told me to go and check in if and when I could.

I got the call on Wednesday night and all responding FD units outside of the border states of New York were asked to stand down but stand by. A list of personnel, skills, experience, equipment and distance was forwarded and put in their mutual aid tasking information. They also made it clear that they had thousands of FD units and personnel descending on them and were so overwhelmed they were sending people home.

We were never called.

quote:

Originally posted by VMI 1991:
I was the Operations Officer in USS BUNKER HILL (CG-52). We were on tropical working hours, so all the officers and chiefs were on the flight deck at 0545 for Officer's call. An OS2, one of my guys, came running out of the hangar and started talking about a plane hitting a building in New York. I had no idea that as a Surface Warfare Officer, I would end up in Afghanistan six years later.

Can you elaborate more on your last sentence?

quote:

Originally posted by RR:

quote:

Originally posted by VMI 1991:
I was the Operations Officer in USS BUNKER HILL (CG-52). We were on tropical working hours, so all the officers and chiefs were on the flight deck at 0545 for Officer's call. An OS2, one of my guys, came running out of the hangar and started talking about a plane hitting a building in New York. I had no idea that as a Surface Warfare Officer, I would end up in Afghanistan six years later.

Can you elaborate more on your last sentence?

A Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) in the US Navy specializes in the warships of the US Navy. So, we serve in Frigates, Destroyers, Cruisers, and Amphibious ships. By 2001, I had been in the Navy for 10 years. I had a lot of training in the use of torpedoes, the ship's main gun system(s), and various missile systems. Also, I had spent a lot of time at sea, which is where I expected to spend the majority of my career.

In 2006, I transferred to the Navy staff in the Pentagon. It was an accepted fact that if you were a LT/LCDR/CDR, you were eligible to get sent to either Afghanistan, Iraq, or Djibouti. I was still quite idealistic, so I volunteered for a six month assignment on the ground in Afghanistan.

That was 17 years ago and I can still remember parts of my time there with exceptional clarity. So, I was a specialist in maritime warfare serving in a combat zone far, far away from the seas.

quote:

Originally posted by JR78:
My PTSD gets spun up tomorrow

Right there with you. My unit responded to the attacks and was on the ground a couple days later. We stayed there for about 6 weeks, and left a bunch of guys behind on continued duty orders. After that, domestic security missions, multiple Iraq and Afghanistan deployments.