I believe it was 9 o'clock in the morning or so and my wife and I had gotten up early that day, our oldest daughter had just turned 2, so she was small. We were living with her parents at the time and I remember my father in law getting a call from a friend. He turned on the television and we immediately saw footage of the second plane ramming into the tower. It was so bizarre, I couldn't create a context for it....it's like it didn't happen. I was an alien with greencard and had been in the States for two years, but only in Santa Cruz. I had no real concept of New York or whatever I was seeing.
My snap to reality came when my father in law starting yelling "F##K! F##K." Normally coolheaded, level but happy, I had, and never have since, seen him so upset, put off balance.
Since we only had our little baby and no other kids in the house, we could keep watching it and it filled me with dread. After a while it was just unbearable and I walked out.
Since that day I have never reviewed the footage. I talked to my eldest, now 12, about it yesterday and explained a bit about what went down that day, but to her it seems not very relevant. It's like WWII, you know it happened, you know it was bad, but you are not connected.
For myself, I am traumatized by what happened. Not in a life changing way, but directly connected to the event: I cannot watch it without feeling unwell and so I don't. Photos don't have that effect on me, but the footage is just horrendous.
Ten years on, I remember all those who perished that day. No one deserved to die. I also want to remember all the other innocent people that have died in the years since. EVERYONE is worth remembering.
Play a game of 40K or Warhammer today. Despite what critics say about our WAR game, it actually promotes peace and camaraderie.
Mike
I agree mate, and our hobby helps in times like this and in some way brings us closer.
ReplyDeleteMyself I was on exercise with the British Army when I watched the whole event happen. Like you I still think about that day. I hope my time spent in Afgahn has helped familys overcome there grief.
I remember this day as a surreal day too.
ReplyDeleteI had left the services and was then a Contract Manager for a local shopping centre, I remember looking at the screens of the CCTV cameras and remember thinking to myself "where is everyone going?" slowly but surly the entire shopping centre emptied of people as they filed into TV shops to watch the news of events happening live on TV.
It was the strangest thing I had ever seen, It wasn't until I went down to the streets myself to see what was happening, that I got to see what was unfolding on the TV.
There was so many people in the shop, every TV tuned to a different news channel, the shop staff even started making drinks for the people there who stayed just watching, it was as if the world outside and peoples lives were just put on hold.
I too explained the importance of today's date to my kids earlier, like you, I also felt as if they were detached from it all, not unsympathetic or anything they were and are just kids and don't realise the importance of such events.
I have spent most of the day watching different memorial shows on UK TV, I think its the least I can do now, to take some of my time to think about those who's lives were stolen away from them, and the families that were left with berieved loved ones and my thoughts are with those who are still fighting the fight in war zones around the globe.
Be safe all, make sure you keep your heads down and come home soon.
Ellis & Family
hear hear
ReplyDeleteM
SCWH
I was working when news of the 'accident' came through. I was away from my desk so it was only later that I tried to check the news online. My first inkling that something wasn't normal came when I couldn't connect to the BBC website or any other news site. So I went in the conference room and turned on the TV. That's when reality ended.
ReplyDeleteThree hours later my colleges and I started to go home. The UK was not under attack at that time but like millions of other people I just needed to get home and be with my family. When I got back we sat glued to the news for the next 12 hours, unable to take in the enormity of events and struggling to comprehend the implications of what had happened. One thing was clear, the world had changed irrevocably.
My daughter was just 5 at the time and we tried to shield her from the worst of the horror. But with the news saturating every media 24/7 for weeks afterwards it was hard to avoid. It definitely affected her and I still regret not protecting her more. Some childhood innocence was snatched away on that day and could never be restored. I think the same could be said for everyone else that looked on in horror at those events.
I deliberately avoided watching the news yesterday. There is a tendency these days to over memorialize tragic events, to linger on the grieving rather than looking to the future. The news media in particular have a tendency to cheapen even the most solemn of events. Instead I set aside an hour to sit and remember the events of ten years ago and contemplate all that followed as a result.
I'm not a religious man so I said no prayers, but my thoughts were with everyone affected by 9/11. I thought about the families of the victims; about the emergency workers with the futile task of finding survivors; I remembered all the military personnel killed in the wars that have followed; I also spared a thought for our soldiers still in Afghanistan, including a friend of mine serving with the British Army; I remembered the victims of 7/11 (the London attacks); but I especially thought about my kids.
friends, thanks for your amazing recollections. It's clear: we all know exactly where we were and what we were doing. It truly is the main shock event of our lives.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thoughts.
Mike
SCWH
I dont have any idea about that,, but thanks for sharing
ReplyDeletehello nice viting here =)
ReplyDeleteI love your drawing :D
ReplyDelete