In Remembrance...

[RABIDHUNTER]

We near the 4 year anniversary of this tragic event that occured September 11, 2001. All I feel is pain...just from the images of it. So many families lost loved ones, just like the recent hurricane. I hope that as people look back they don't worry about why they didn't catch it, but they remember and pray for the heroes lost that tragic day. My prayers go out to all the familes that suffered from this terrible tragedy. 4 year later I still remember.



Don't dwell on the past, but don't forget what happened either.

http://www.odmp.org/

[captnjeter]

Warning: This post is long!

As someone who lives in New York, and have lived there all my life, this touched real close to me. I remember back when I was like 5 or 6 and everytime I'd go into the city I'd just gaze at the Twin Towers all the time. They amazed me and how they could stand so tall to someone like me just floored me.

I guess this story begins on September 8th, 2001. That day (Saturday) I got sick. I felt like shit all day. It continued and I missed school on the 10th. On the 11th, I was also home, with my grandparents who baby sat my 12 year old self. I first heard about it when my great-grandma said that two planes had crashed. She conviniently left out that they crashed into the Twin Towers intentionally. Later on, I turned on ESPN to find out that both towers were burning. I was stunned. About an hour later, my dad came home from work early and told me everything. I just sat there, crying. It was honestly the worst day of my life. I was sick, there was a terrorist attack on our country, my grandpa and step grandma both worked in the city and were now stuck there. That was especially bad for my grandpa who has emphasema.

I did not want to do anything. Nothing. Sure I could play a video game, but there was no point to it. I felt alone. There was nothing on TV. I did not want to hear about anything going alone.

Sports, which has always been close to me was gone, as ESPN had ABC's coverage of 9/11. For an entire day, I sat and did absolutely nothing. Not nothing like just sitting around watching TV and video games the way we normally say nothing. I sat in my room and just cried for most of the time. That week for me was hell. MLB cancelled it's games for that week, so I couldn't escape that. I was STILL sick and now had strept throat so I couldn't escape by going to school. I watched the freaking Game Show Network for 4 days straight, until around 9 o'clock PM where I could watch Nick at Nite and Cheers.

A week later, Tuesday night, my life came back to me. The late announcer Jack Buck had one of the greatest things I've ever heard, in the first recreational event since 9/11. "Some people don't think we should be here tonight. To me the answer is clear. Yes."

The consequences it had on my school life were much worse. I missed the entire 1st week of school, so I was lost really for the rest of the year. It really sucked because I was in all honors classes. I was never able to recover. Instead of getting 90's like I thought I would, I ended up with 70's. Does 9/11 really affect my entire school year? No. But it certainly hindered my spirits and made me lose focus.

The story does not end there. A month later, the New York Yankees found themselves in the post season. I wanted them to win. Not for bragging rights, and not for glory. I wanted them to win it for New York. Weather you were a Mets or Yankees fan then, everyone pulled for the Yankees. They advanced to the World Series, and quickly found themselves down 0-2. After winning game 3, the two greatest games in the past 20 years were played. Down by two runs in the bottom of the 9th, the Yankees rallied back to tie it, and then win it on a home run by Derek Jeter, who is my hero, if you couldn't figure it out by now. The next night, history repeated itself. Again down by two with two outs, they tied it again and won it in extra innings. I was now convinced that this was destiny. The Yankees would win the World Series for New York, and it'd be a symbol for terrorist that New York would never quit.

With the Yankees up 3-2 in the series, they were blown out in game 6. Then came the decisive 7th game. They fell behind early, but came back to tie it at 1. Then in the 8th, Alfonso Soriano hit a homerun against Curt Schilling. It was all but over. The Yankees, with the greatest closer ever would seal out the final two innings and win. My dad awoke me for the bottom of the ninth. Mariano Rivera was on the mound to end it. A base hit, and bunt and error, a sacrifice bunt, a double, a hit by pitch and then a little bloop single by Luis Gonzalez ended it. 3-2 Arizona Diamondbacks. I was stunned. Anger overtook me and I just let it all out. New York was not the best in baseball. They were beaten, just like they were on 9/11. The Yankees were not going to win it for New York. They were second, one place behind the spotlight in which they were on 9/11. I cried. My dad thought that it was because we had lost. It wasn't because of that. It was simply because I wanted the Yankees to win it for the city that never sleeps. It was for all the people who died defending their country on September eleventh, 2001.

Three months later, the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl. That's right, the Patriots. Destiny was finally achieved. I do not think that they won by mere circumstance, but from fate.

Four years to the day, the day that changed the world as we know it, I want to cry. Your fearless leader on Battlefront as he types this is fighting back tears sharing a story (that probably no one cares about). It is times like these where we look at simple video games and sports, movies and music as not life. They are just a way of distracting yourself from life. The warriors on the battlefield of Battlefront are not the real warriors we should be celebrating. It is the men and women across the seas making sure nothing like 9/11 happens again. The real heroes are not DSA Vengence or DSA Deslock. The real heroes are the people who play them and the ones like them who have served not the DSA, but the USA. On behalf of everyone I know, thank you. Never forget 9/11. Never.


Hey! RABIDHUNTER!!! :D

[RABIDHUNTER]

Your fearless leader on Battlefront as he types this is fighting back tears sharing a story (that probably no one cares about).

I care...

[Zabka]

Such a strongly emotional day for me. Living in Manhattan, working in the financial services industry, there were all sorts of ways that day touched my life.

I was on the phone with somebody who worked two blocks away from WTC when we heard the boom. we both hung up hearing that a bomb had gone off and rushed to our TVs (CNBC is constantly on somewhere).

My coworker was getting IM's from some people at KBW (one of the firms on the floors above the crash site) who were trapped and just trying to let the world know. The last anybody ever heard from any of them.

I called my sister in law who lived with my 3 month old nephew two blocks away from WTC--she was watching the first building burn, not sure what to do when the second plane hit. I was trying to reach my brother who was in midtown at the time. I couldn't get back in touch with my sister in law and nephew till three days later since htey were evacuated.

I had my golf clubs and a garment bag for my flight to San Francisco that morning for a conference I was attending. I was on the next flight to SF from Newark on United---the one I was thinking of getting on was the one that crashed in PA that people believe the passengers fought the terrorists to prevent another crash. I would have been on that flight if it weren't for the fact that I wanted to make sure the market opened okay that morning.

My wife's brother was in town working downtown. He narrowly avoided getting swept up in the debris of the falling tower--he outran it until he got shoved into an ATM vestibule by the crowd running behind him. He and a coworker walked the 6 miles or so uptown to my apartment...even after all that walking, they looked like they had been rolled in flour due to all the soot.

Friends of mine went down there to help in any way they could. there was nothing they could do but watch bodies jumping.

I had 10 people sleeping on the floor of my 1 BR apartment. We were all shaken, but glad to have the company. It was during that time, that I went to EB to buy a bunch of games for my PS1 which was given to me, but almost never used. We spent time not watching CNN playing games. In some strange way--I guess 9/11 is part of the reason Iam in DSA--I didn't play games until then.

I had just played golf on a business outting 2 weeks ago with guys from another firm that lost most of its workforce in WTC since they were above the plane and trapped. One of them used to work at my company and explained to me that he moved to southern Jersey because he wanted it to be safe for his wife and daughter. That irony has never been lost on me.

[fromunda]

I dont live in New York nor do I know anyone that died there but 9/11 has effected many people in many ways. My best friend besides Juggalo is fighting in Iraq right now and 2 more are active duty. Its people like them and the heros from 9/11 that make this country great, and thats why we can never forgett.

[Reaver]

:? when i heard about the towers being struck by airplanes....well i was in my middle school princables office getting in trouble untill his assitant told him to turn on the t.v. lol i got so lucky that day. but i remember walking out of the room backwards without looking anywhere else. i just stared at that t.v. because it was so devistating. Just so unreal i would have never expected to wake up in the morning and see the twin towers burning from ingorant prick who would just.. just do something like that. till this day on i dont think that anyone will forget what happend on 9/11. R.I.P.

8O :!: