Its been 3 years...

[Epitome]

[size=1]Well, I think most of you know what today is... the 3rd Anniversary of 9/11. Today has been really bad for my family, especially my dad. He lost his brother in the Pentagon. I just thought I would start this thread to remember all those who were lost, and please share any stories that you wish.[/size]

[Zidargh]

All I can say is (And not being religious), God bless those who were lost's souls.

The only way I can look at it is, and I apologise if this comes across very badly, but if it weren't for 9/11, we would still be very vulnerable to more attacks. God bless to all those who died, because their sacrifice allowed us to put up our defenses in the event something else happened.

Terrorism's always going to exist, but at least we know how to counter it and what to look for in some form or another, even though it may not be the most successful means.

[James]

[color=#707875]I'm sorry about your uncle, Serraph-Angel. Losing a family member is never an easy thing, but it's made even worse under these circumstances. I hope that your family is doing okay.

In some ways, when I look back at September 11, I think that it shook off a lot of the naive points of view amongst young people. Most people my age won't really remember the Cold War; perhaps those in their late 20's and early 30's will have vague memories of it. But even they wouldn't have really been old enough to understand the situation at the time. The first war that I really remember vividly is Gulf War I.

I say this because I think that we (people around my age) have been very lucky to grow up during the 80's and 90's. Those two decades were, by and large, incredibly peaceful (especially compared to the first half of the century). Thankfully most of us never knew what it was like to live with the constant threat of annihilation, or with the idea that a psychopathic dictator might actually take over the world.

September 11 really woke a lot of people up. I will never forget the night that I saw it (it was during the evening here in Australia). I remember turning the news on randomly and seeing that the first tower had been hit. But at that point, everyone just assumed that it was an accident. I called my mum, to show her. And as we were watching the news, eveything unfolded; the second plane hit before our very eyes and the two towers crumbled while we were watching.

I have never experienced anything like that. Sure, it was on television...but at that moment, I felt an incredible sense of grief. I was in tears as I watched it. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.

In retrospect, it was an experience that really reinforced the idea that freedom is an incredibly valuable thing. And sometimes that freedom does come under threat. As much as we'd like to believe that we live in a civilized world, where we can debate and discuss all of our problems...sometimes there are people who can't be talked to. People who believe that they are being guided by God and are doing his bidding. I think that in this situation, it's a question of us or them, in all honesty. Do we roll over and put our heads in the sand, or do we eliminate that threat? Surely that shouldn't even be a question.

It reminds me of World War II, to some degree. I was going back and reading TIME magazine archives (specifically, their "Man of the Year" articles). If you go back and read the Man of the Year, 1938 (Adolf Hitler), you'll get an amazing sense of history.

But you'll also see what preceeded the actual war. Prime Minister Chamberlain continually visited with Hitler, in an attempt to talk him into submission (or at least, to negotiate a peace). As we know, Hitler wasn't a rational human being. He was a bloodthirsty psychopath and the [i]only[/i] way to stop him was to deal him a swift and fatal blow. Unfortunately that blow came too late and [i]almost[/i] resulted in Hitler winning the war (and to think that it could have been more catastrophic; some 46 million people died in that war -- [b]46 million[/b] -- we can't possibly imagine what that's like in today's world).

It may sound that what I'm saying is highly political. But I don't think it is. For me, this is a highly personal philosophy. September 11 reminded me not only how much I value the society that I live in, but it also reminded me that I can't be so naive as to think that there aren't threats out there. There [i]are[/i] forces who would like very much to destroy everything that my culture and society represents. As awful as that seems, it's a realization that I think everyone needs to have.

Also, the Internet is an interesting part of this terrible experience. I'd never really considered the people that I talk to on the Internet in the same way that I would with "real life" friends. But on that day, one of my first thoughts was that I was worried for those who live in NYC; particularly those who I know. I do have one very good friend there and on September 11, I felt a little frantic...I wanted to make sure that he was okay. I can't imagine how it would have been if I'd had family in that city (or in Washington D.C.)

And apart from all of that, I think that September 11 was made additionally painful simply because Australia has a pretty close relationship with America. Although that kind of link may not be felt by many people, I definitely feel it. I guess it's a kind of solidarity, with a country that is so similar to my own and that shares the same core beliefs. It's true to say that America being hit felt like a hit against the entire democratic world. It's hard to explain...it's an intangible thing. But it's there.

It's also interesting, if you go back and look at the topics in Otaku Lounge, you can actually find the threads that popped up as soon as this event took place. That's quite a piece of history there. As terrible as that day was, I find it quite incredible to actually find that piece of history marked in such a vivid way on our little site here. Somehow the fact that our community was so touched by the event also served to reinforce its value, if you know what I mean. I'm not sure how well I'm explaining that. But I think that the shared experience on OtakuBoards was something that made me realize that our community, for all its flaws, is still to be valued.

September 11 also reinforced, for me, the idea that tolerance is so critical in today's world. It is critical not simply because it makes people feel better or something, but because it's part of survival. It's a component to a civilzed world. I've always thought that if you are living in a civilized society, you practice tolerance. Terrorism, particularly religious fundamentalist terrorism, is maybe the most potent example of the extreme end of interolance.

My view is that, especially when we're living in a time where there are people who want to kill us and destroy our societies, the [i]last[/i] thing we should be doing is creating divisions amongst ourselves. The atmosphere after September 11 was so comforting, because for a while, people disregarded their differences and focused on the elements that we all share. Unfortunately, that didn't last very long. Now you have people like Jerry Falwell blaming gays for September 11, among other things. Although I'm not particularly religious, I somehow feel that God would be very disappointed at how quickly the goodwill has faded. I wish that people would remember the post-September 11 period a little more often, so that they may think twice before making a divisive comment or doing something hurtful to someone else.[/color]

[Skye]

[color=orange][size=1][font=veranda]3 years? amazing?

I remember that. I was in fifth grade when it happened. We were in this room, with turn tables, camera?s and things, getting ready for the morning announcements. We turned on the TV, and watched as the plane crashed into the Towers. We stood in shock, and struggled to continue with our job. Some of us were afraid that Atlanta would be the next target. (That is were I live.)

It was frightening. About a week later, a girl, Sarah, was new in our class. She had been with her aunt at a diner when it happened. She watched it from the diner. She had lived in New York.

One of my close friends, Rhiannon, her brother was sent over seas. This whole business has been frightening.

Gods Bless and Keep Safe.[/color][/font][/size]

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=darkblue]Wow, three years have really gone by. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I remember the day it happened very clearly, we were just sitting in our classroom, waiting for our next class to start, when the principal announced what was happening. Everyone freaked out and we just watched the news the rest of the day. It felt horrible. Watching the buildings crumble, the people, I couldn't belive it. But, yes, I do have to agree that it was a good wake-up call to a lot of people in America.

But, yes, God bless all of those people who lost their lives.[/color][/size]

[Lynn Luck]

[QUOTE=James][color=#707875]I'm sorry about your uncle, Serraph-Angel. Losing a family member is never an easy thing, but it's made even worse under these circumstances. I hope that your family is doing okay.

In some ways, when I look back at September 11, I think that it shook off a lot of the naive points of view amongst young people. Most people my age won't really remember the Cold War; perhaps those in their late 20's and early 30's will have vague memories of it. But even they wouldn't have really been old enough to understand the situation at the time. The first war that I really remember vividly is Gulf War I.

I say this because I think that we (people around my age) have been very lucky to grow up during the 80's and 90's. Those two decades were, by and large, incredibly peaceful (especially compared to the first half of the century). Thankfully most of us never knew what it was like to live with the constant threat of annihilation, or with the idea that a psychopathic dictator might actually take over the world.

September 11 really woke a lot of people up. I will never forget the night that I saw it (it was during the evening here in Australia). I remember turning the news on randomly and seeing that the first tower had been hit. But at that point, everyone just assumed that it was an accident. I called my mum, to show her. And as we were watching the news, eveything unfolded; the second plane hit before our very eyes and the two towers crumbled while we were watching.

I have never experienced anything like that. Sure, it was on television...but at that moment, I felt an incredible sense of grief. I was in tears as I watched it. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.

In retrospect, it was an experience that really reinforced the idea that freedom is an incredibly valuable thing. And sometimes that freedom does come under threat. As much as we'd like to believe that we live in a civilized world, where we can debate and discuss all of our problems...sometimes there are people who can't be talked to. People who believe that they are being guided by God and are doing his bidding. I think that in this situation, it's a question of us or them, in all honesty. Do we roll over and put our heads in the sand, or do we eliminate that threat? Surely that shouldn't even be a question.

It reminds me of World War II, to some degree. I was going back and reading TIME magazine archives (specifically, their "Man of the Year" articles). If you go back and read the Man of the Year, 1938 (Adolf Hitler), you'll get an amazing sense of history.

But you'll also see what preceeded the actual war. Prime Minister Chamberlain continually visited with Hitler, in an attempt to talk him into submission (or at least, to negotiate a peace). As we know, Hitler wasn't a rational human being. He was a bloodthirsty psychopath and the [i]only[/i] way to stop him was to deal him a swift and fatal blow. Unfortunately that blow came too late and [i]almost[/i] resulted in Hitler winning the war (and to think that it could have been more catastrophic; some 46 million people died in that war -- [b]46 million[/b] -- we can't possibly imagine what that's like in today's world).

It may sound that what I'm saying is highly political. But I don't think it is. For me, this is a highly personal philosophy. September 11 reminded me not only how much I value the society that I live in, but it also reminded me that I can't be so naive as to think that there aren't threats out there. There [i]are[/i] forces who would like very much to destroy everything that my culture and society represents. As awful as that seems, it's a realization that I think everyone needs to have.

Also, the Internet is an interesting part of this terrible experience. I'd never really considered the people that I talk to on the Internet in the same way that I would with "real life" friends. But on that day, one of my first thoughts was that I was worried for those who live in NYC; particularly those who I know. I do have one very good friend there and on September 11, I felt a little frantic...I wanted to make sure that he was okay. I can't imagine how it would have been if I'd had family in that city (or in Washington D.C.)

And apart from all of that, I think that September 11 was made additionally painful simply because Australia has a pretty close relationship with America. Although that kind of link may not be felt by many people, I definitely feel it. I guess it's a kind of solidarity, with a country that is so similar to my own and that shares the same core beliefs. It's true to say that America being hit felt like a hit against the entire democratic world. It's hard to explain...it's an intangible thing. But it's there.

It's also interesting, if you go back and look at the topics in Otaku Lounge, you can actually find the threads that popped up as soon as this event took place. That's quite a piece of history there. As terrible as that day was, I find it quite incredible to actually find that piece of history marked in such a vivid way on our little site here. Somehow the fact that our community was so touched by the event also served to reinforce its value, if you know what I mean. I'm not sure how well I'm explaining that. But I think that the shared experience on OtakuBoards was something that made me realize that our community, for all its flaws, is still to be valued.

September 11 also reinforced, for me, the idea that tolerance is so critical in today's world. It is critical not simply because it makes people feel better or something, but because it's part of survival. It's a component to a civilzed world. I've always thought that if you are living in a civilized society, you practice tolerance. Terrorism, particularly religious fundamentalist terrorism, is maybe the most potent example of the extreme end of interolance.

My view is that, especially when we're living in a time where there are people who want to kill us and destroy our societies, the [i]last[/i] thing we should be doing is creating divisions amongst ourselves. The atmosphere after September 11 was so comforting, because for a while, people disregarded their differences and focused on the elements that we all share. Unfortunately, that didn't last very long. Now you have people like Jerry Falwell blaming gays for September 11, among other things. Although I'm not particularly religious, I somehow feel that God would be very disappointed at how quickly the goodwill has faded. I wish that people would remember the post-September 11 period a little more often, so that they may think twice before making a divisive comment or doing something hurtful to someone else.[/color][/QUOTE]

[COLOR=Red]True. True....*sigh*[/COLOR]
[COLOR=white]Here's a poem for the morned, and the morning...

[U]Only Human[/U]
Every time I think of... that day, all of the pain and suffering, it makes me want to cry.
Cry, cry, until I can cry no more.
It's sad, that we can not all live together in peace.
In a world where people of all races, religons, and cultres can live in harmony.
Where there's no sorrow or agony.
But, there can never be such a place.
Why you ask?
It is because...we are...only...human.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Blue]I hope you liked it. Actually, it's the first angsty poem that I've written ..er, typed. Useually, I write stuff that is funny and happy...But not today.. May all those lost souls rest in peace.....[/COLOR]

[Kanariya]

[color=darkslateblue][size=1]Yeah, but I am surprised it has been three years already. That means I was in fifth grade when the accident occured.

I remember, we left my elementary school as it happened. I had no idea what was going on, since we did not have a television in our school. Once I arrived home, I watched the scene on the screen. Being young and stupid, I still didn't know what was going on. And then the pentagon incident, that was all just horrible.

It was until the next day, I realized what happened. I was slightly shocked, and very surprised. Listening it on the radio again today reminded me of how much this incident affected the United States.

I am sorry for your uncle; god bless him. God bless them all during that terrible attack.[/color][/size]

[Ninjaman]

3 years, huh? Time flies way too fast...

I remember that day. I was a freshman in high school and I was in my World History class. We were studying or talking and a teacher came in and started talking to our history teacher. I was near them so I heard a little bit. The teacher that came in was talking about an explosion so I assumed they were talking about an accident. Then our teacher turned on the TV in the room and there it was. Two towers that were on fire with black smoke coming out. The class became speechless. Some had family there and were scared. Some proclaimed that they would never board a plane again. I for one was very scared because the very next month I was going to Minnesota on my very first plane ride. The rest of the school day the teachers tried to keep our minds on schoolwork but we all ended up discussing about what was happening anyway. It was a day where reality was... well, real. I agree with James on how this event really waked up people.

I'm sorry about your uncle. God bless him and every person that was killed or hurt in any way on that day.

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=darkviolet]I'm sorry to hear about your uncle Serraph

This event is l the JFK assasination of our generation because everyone remembers exactly what they were doing when they heard the news. I was at home sick when my mom came home from her old job to take me to the doctors and told me that something bad had happened in NYC. I was kind of woried because a cousin of mine and her husband lived in Upper Manhattan at the time.

Anyway I turned on the TV (about 0900) and saw the first tower on fire. My mom said something about some people at her church having a nephew in one of the buildings (he never made it out and in 2002 (while I was on a layover in Baltimore going to Austin I heard his name read for the one year anniversary).

We drove over to the doctors and instead of hearing music on the radio there were just news reports and you could hear how the anchors were near to losing it. Then as we reached downtown they announced that the second tower was hit. Really not fun. The lady who was drawing my blood had her radio going so I heard even more of it then. And by that time I was getting worried about Lincoln because he was in Korea and I didn't know what was happening with him-later I found out that they woke everyone up in the middle of the night to tell them what was going on and my genius husband was the only one down in the meeting hall in full battle rattle.

As for my cousin, she was fine as well as her husband, but the nursery school she taught at was 3 blocks from ground zero and they had to evacuate, I wonder how many of the kids may have had parents who worked there.

The strangest part about the whole night was that there were no airplanes over head. I live about 10 minutes from the local airport and we always hear planes except for that night. It was eerily quiet because there were almost no cars out on teh expressway as well.

The next day I went into work and my surpervisor kept asking me the whole time I was there from 6:30 am to 2:30 pm if I was ok and if Lincoln was ok (we had only just gotten engaged back in May of that year). I talked to a few of my friends both that day and the day after. I found out that my friend Amanda's brother was at the Newark airport the planes hit.

I think the worst part of it all was that weekend though. Amanda and I got bored and went driving around the city. We ended up finding ourselves in one of the local parks and there were these two rednecks with their pick up truck and they had this large plyword board with the words [b]Death to Towel Heads[/b] on it. We were pretty appaled at that because that just makes them just as bad as the people who commited the crime on 9/11/01.

Well, that's my story[/color]

[Sol-Blade]

I can't remember anything significant that entire autumn season of 2001, but I can clearly recall everything that I did on the day of 9-11-01. Everything, right down to the smallest details.

I woke up that morning, late for school. I quickly showered and dressed, skipping breakfast and the morning news. I [I]always[/I] watched the morning news...not today. I could not drive yet, and I had missed the bus so I was hoofin' it to school. Along the way, I crossed a street and was almost hit by a car. Usually, I would have said a few choice words and gave him the bird...but I was pressed for time and made my way along when I heard him say a few choice words at me. I turned around and responded back, and this went on for several minutes.

After a few interesting gestures, I walked away from him thinking "What the hell was his problem? Man some people in this world are real pricks. Why do I meet all the bad people in life...why me? God I hate my life...". I made it to school in time to catch my homeroom bell. I was already depressed but I was even more surprised to see everyone watching the classroom tv. They all were in this state of silence and were still. I could not see the tv screen from my angle, so I asked what was going on. I was concerned because even my teacher, Mr.Mendal, was transfixed on the tv with such awe, but no one said anything. I asked again..."Guys...what's wrong? What is going on?". Again, no one said anything.

Finally, a girl named Jessica pointed at the tv. She didn't say anything, she just pointed. I quickly ran around to get a view of the tv. If there wasn't a better case of perfect timing in the world, it was now. Just as I whipped around the tv's corner and laid my eyes on it...the second plane crashed into the North Tower. I didn't realized it at the time, but I knew that this was something that was going to probably change my life, in one way or the other. Little did I know.

I took my seat, and just stared on. I didn't mutter another word. The bell soon rang, but no one got up. Mr.Mendal didn't seem to care. Everyone was too moved by the images. Then...then...the first tower collapsed. I remember Jessica, the same girl who pointed at the screen before, literally broke out in tears and left the room shortly after the tower fell. I felt so disgusted...because I was just complaining over something so trivial eariler, and I thought my life was the worst in the world. I didn't realize how good I had it. How glad I should be to be...well...me. To just be glad that I could wake up, and actually experence like that near-miss...and think [I]that[/I] was the worst thing ever. I almost broke out in tears. It tore me up inside.

They played the footage of that man jumping out of the window of the 70th something floor. I couldn't bear to watch, not because it was just so wrong. But because I couldn't imagine anyone having to go through that. I couldn't imagine what would have made him come to that resolution. What did they go through? What was their pain, their anguish? I felt so guilty, being there in that classroom. Feeling all safe and invincible. How more conceited could I get? Anyways...that day I just went home. I had spent the entire day watching the news in Mr.Mendal's class. Not once did I ever change periods.

I rushed home so I would not miss a minute of the news. I opened the door and saw my mom, my dad and my brother and sister all sitting the living room. They made a room for me on the couch, and we all sat there and watched the news together for the rest of the day. That night, I went to sleep, and felt that I would, from now on, have a postive outlook on life. To appreciate everything I have, mostly life itself. Trivial things don't bother me anymore. Everytime something small begins to bother me, I think about how good my life is, and that no matter what...there is always something good to look forward to. Always.

[I]Even if it is hitting the ground at 150mph...[/I]

Sorry if that was long, I sort of got into it.

[TheShinje]

I didn't hear about September 11 until our morning, The first plane hitt the tower between 1:30 and 2:00am our time.

I was in the middle of my usual morning routine, and I flicked on the radio, to hear them talking about an incredible scene of tradgedy in New York. Thinking it was just some radio prank, as the DJ's in the morning are real good pranksters, i flicked on the TV to see the sight that I will remember for the rest of my life.


I got my mum up and simply told her that "somebody had attacked America" It was all pretty numbing and shocking. America was the last place I ever thought would come under attack.

There were varied emotions at school that day, ranging from those who hadn't heard from loved ones, to those who thought that "The US had it coming" which I thought was pretty insensitive, as this had only gone down a few hours ago. Even one of our teachers was anomg those who didn't think much of the attacks. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Just reading this thread brings back those emotions, the feeling of losing something, even here over the other side of the world. I guess it may have been the loss of this generations innocence. I had a gut telling me that this was China, getting revenge over the spy plane incident and that it would finally escalate intow World War 3, instead we got the war on Terror, which I guess, thinking about it, is kind of like a World War of sorts. Everyone has an alleigance, and opinion, or a part to play in it.

I never thought that the US would capture Saddam before Osama. I just hope they bring him down before he has the chance to plan anything remotely like this again.

[Gelgoog Pilot]

Ah yes, I remember well. Art class second period. We have to watch this stupid channel one thing and it stays on for a little during 2nd period. So anyway all of the sudden an announcement tells the teachers to turn to cnn and the first image I saw was the towers falling. It was unbelievable. I didn't feel anything but a sense of 'wow'. Not the good kind the kind that makes you feel vunerable and such. I know it didn't touch me as personally as some but I'll never forget it.

[DuoMax]

I was at home, getting ready to go to school the day it happened. I was in 7th grade and it was about 7:00 or so( I live in California), and my mom turned on the TV to watch the news, and the towers were burning. I was shocked. My mom drove my brother and I to school, and everyone was talking about. I was scared, and I cried, because my cousin lived in New York, and didn't know exactly where she was. It was frightening. It was tragic. And I hope it never happens again.

[Panda]

The events of September 11 really changed the lives of many people. Many of my family and friends work in the airline industry and they took a very hard hit. Even going to visit my dad at this office is so much trouble now I don't go to his work anymore. He works for Japan Airlines at the training facility here in the US. Two of my uncles and one of my aunts lost their jobs at United Airlines. In the big picture of 9/11 loosing a job is not nearly as bad as loosing the life of a loved one.

I remember I was getting ready for work when I heard the news. I had the radio on while I was getting ready when they announced that a plane crashed into Trade Center. On my way into the office the towers had fallen. I just remember having this terrible sinking feeling in my gut. Absolutely terrible feeling, I can't imagine what those at ground zero were going through. Eleven days later I was on a plane flying to Florida and the plane was pratically empty. So many people were scared to fly.

It is sad to think about all the lost lives. I remember going to NYC and visiting the WTC. It's sad to think they aren't there anymore and future generations will never get a chance to see them in real life. 9/11 has changed the lives of so many people, let's hope nothing like this happens again.