This is a bit preemptive but thought I'd start the thread anyway. I've been watching a lot of the 9/11 specials and documentaries the past few days and it's so hard to relive all of that again.

I think it's so strange that it's already been 10 years and that a 10 year old kid won't have any memory of it or realize how different the world was before it happened.

I remember a (German) friend telling me about how his father became so emotional when the Berlin wall came down and how he didn't feel the depth of the emotion that his father felt about it. I feel like I will never be able to explain to my daughter what we all went through that day (even people in other countries remember what they were doing that day).

I was thinking last night, as I was watching one of the documentaries, what I would try and tell her about that day. What stands out to me the most in my mind, was the LOVE that Americans had for their country immediately following the attack. There were no Republicans or Democrats, Liberals or Conservatives, just people who loved this country (the finger pointing came a couple months later ).

I remember Bush's impromptu speech at Ground Zero with the mega phone where he yelled out, "I can hear you! And soon, the people who did this will hear all of us!!" (something like that)...

I remember seeing the cover of a magazine (Time maybe??) with a little girl on her daddy's shoulders at a candlelight vigil, tears in her eyes while she held up an American flag.

I was 18 years old and in my freshman year at college. I remember realizing that the world wasn't a safe place, that America wasn't invincible, and that no matter what, we wouldn't give up.

God bless the families and friends who lost loved ones on that day and God bless America.

EDIT:Just realized that I forgot to sign Elisabeth out before writing the below post. Sorry, sweetheart.

I was driving into work at the time. I arrived in the parking lot just before the first tower was hit. As I was walking in, a friend of mine was pulling in and he jumped out saying that a plane just crashed into the Towers. I thought to myself "What a tragic accident to happen." When we entered the lobby, the TV screens in the wall were focused on the news and we saw the second plane hit. The reactions were varied. Some screamed, some cursed, some were dumbfounded. I guess I was praying, if you can calling on the name of God over and over again because I couldn't form the words to say anything else. I was thinking of the tens of thousands of lives I had expected to die that day and was mentally pleading with the Almighty for His favor.

And He did answer that prayer. Of the over 50,000 individuals that could have been killed that day, fewer than 5,000 were killed. Not to lessen their deaths in anyway, mind you. Each one is missed by at least someone and today is a painful day for them.

God Bless the survivors and the U.S. Military that have laid down their lives since that day.

James

And God bless the first responders, many of whom lost their own lives in an effort to save the lives of others.

They are the real life Supermen.

- Lynn

God lay Your hand on our nation and impart us with Your wisdom.

So true... and without the superpowers. The stories still astonish and amaze me of the courage and bravery of the NYFD/PD. Those men and women are the real heroes, who didn't worry about themselves that day but simply did what needed to be done. Same with the people on Flight 93 that had to make a decision, who sacrificed themselves in order to protect hundreds more.

God bless them, everyone.

I was in college when it happened. A friend had written "Did you see what happened to the WTC?" on my wipe erase board. Normally, I put the news on as I got ready for class, but for some reason, I didn't that day. So I was in the dark until I got to my Broadcasting class. We all crowded into the hallway where a small tv was mounted on the wall. The last person had literally just gotten there when the first tower collapsed. I don't remember what people were saying - it was more of a dumbfounded paralysis. Then a security guard told us to leave - the school was closing. I ran across campus back to my dorm, turned on the tv and seconds later, the second tower collapsed.

I remember grabbing the phone to call home, terrified for my dad (he was a NYC Bridge and Tunnel Officer) because I feared that the bridges would be targeted next. Thankfully, they weren't and he was safe.

My neighborhood lost a few guys who were firefighters that day.

But I have never been prouder to be an American and a born-and-raised New Yorker.

God Bless the USA! And God Bless every life that was taken that day - and all of those who risked everything to save so many other lives.

I was out in the morning, but came home with my toddler once it became clear that something horrible was happening. I didn't have the TV on -- couldn't face it -- but I was on these boards all day. We opened up the IRC channel to everyone, too. FOLCs from around the world were checking in, worrying about the ones who hadn't been heard from. Sherry was from New York, and had worked in the Twin Towers, I think, but she wasn't there that day. Turns out she was okay.

I couldn't decide if I was glad that my kids were too little to understand what was happening, or sorry that they'd never know a world in which this sort of evil wasn't possible.

I was watching some documentaries today; my 12-year-old daughter sat with me for a while. They'd talked about it at school, she said. My 14-year-old son didn't want me to watch it, because it made me sad. Sorry, but sometimes, kid, sadness happens and you have to deal with it. He's protective of me that way. This morning at church they showed a video which had me crying, and he gave me the biggest hug, trying to make it all better for me.

I am proud of my husband, though -- he worked in telecommunications at the time, and was part of the team re-engineering the phone circuits to restore service to New York. The Verizon building was damaged when WTC 7 came down, and Sprint had major trunk lines destroyed when the towers fell. He worked night and day for two weeks, putting a plan together. He wasn't the only one involved, and he stayed here in Raleigh, but he'd tell me about being in a conference call and being the one to come up with solutions. He's never worked harder -- and had zero errors in his work. He's one of the many unsung heroes of that day.

PJ

I was much younger than the rest of you when it happened, but even I remember the event as clear as day. I was eight years old, and was getting ready for school at the time (West Coast time frame). I guess my dad had heard first and my mom was upstairs getting ready, and he told her what was going on. I heard the commotion and eventually followed them downstairs to try and figure out what the fuss was about. I don't think I'll ever forget the look on my mom's face as she watched the news report. My parents were silent. I distinctly remember asking what was wrong and they both just shushed me- my mom eventually telling me that a plane crashed and to grab something for breakfast. But I didn't move- and I watched as the first tower came crumbling down. They just stood there, frozen in horror, and even I understood that something incredibly horrible had just happened that wasn't just for show on tv. I knew it was different.

I understood for the most part what had happened- though I didn't understand the scale of the 9/11 attacks. It wasn't until the next year that I truly began to comprehend the magnitude of the event. It wasn't just a plane crash- I knew it had been terrorism, but the concept was still somewhat foreign to me until the whole "War on Terror" thing began. My school did the moment of silence and a bunch of similar things that week that I don't remember at all. But the towers crashing down- that's a moment of clarity that I don't think I could forget no matter how hard I try.

My brother was three at the time. He doesn't remember the event happening. It still boggles my mind that something that struck a chord with me and stayed with me for this many years can be completely unremembered by someone even in my age bracket. And it's more mind-boggling still that future generations (starting with those around my brother's age) will only be able to look back on this event as I might look back on something like Pearl Harbor- a tragedy, but completely unconnected. It's history now. Something so dramatic and life-changing will now only be considered history (to those who did not live through it).

The people who sacrificed their lives in the attack and the rescue efforts afterwards are real heroes. Even the people who just showed their support in the days to come, the nation rallying together- they're heroes. We may never know all of their names, or exactly what each one did to help, but that is in essence what heroics is- doing what is right without hesitation and without second thought as to any sort of repayment. I dedicate this post to those heroes who laid down their lives in an effort to prove to the world that there are still people who are willing to do the right thing, no matter the cost.

-- SJT

This is what stands out most to me, as well. I was 15 when it happened. I remember sitting in school watching the news nonstop until they let us go home early.

I hoped that as we hit this 10 year mark, with the state that our country is currently in, people would remember above all else how unified we all became. I remember seeing American flags everywhere. People didn't argue or bicker over trivial things. We were all brought together by our shared grief and anger against a common enemy.

That is what I hope to tell my future children when they are old enough to comprehend this tragedy. That out of such devastation came such unity.

I normally shy away from anything 9/11 related. It has always been too difficult for me. And that's how I handle difficult things - avoidance. But I managed to watch a good amount of coverage over the past two days and I'm glad I did. It was almost healing for me. And it reminds me that we need to continue celebrating those that sacrificed themselves to help others.

~Kristen

A day late, I wanna say I'm sorry for all of you. A day after was also when I realized. I remember coming home from school ten years and one day ago and turning on the TV, to be met by the information that "due to the tragedy in the USA, all programs has been cancelled", and I was annoyed.

Next morning in school, we had all realized that something big had happened yesterday. Our teacher said "you are 13 years old and so you will be the youngest generation to remember. You will never forget this, and neither will USA or the rest of the world". She was right. A lot of things has changed during the past ten years and I am so sorry for everyone who has had to suffer. But I want to end by quoting a survivor from another terror attack -the one in Norway- and her immortal words who describes what we need to focus on: "if one man can do such much with hate, then imagine what we can all do together with love".

Peace and love my friends <3

WTC Garage Bombings
I was part of the team that analyzed the results of the WTC 1993 bombing. We were very proud and nodded sagely when the North Tower was unscathed except for some cosmetic work. The foundation was solid.
Never in our wildest imaginings did we think anyone would fly an airplane fully loaded with aviation fuel into the towers. Let alone two of them.
And then the Pentagon. We thought we knew a lot, but we didn't know enough about human plotting.
Fortunately, both towers fell straight down, minimizing collateral damage.
That was very fortunate for my son, who was in the tower next door to the North Tower.
No, I really couldn't watch much of yesterday.
Artemis

I remember that day clearly. I was 14 at the time, and I can remember that my parents were out of town that day, leaving me and my 16 year old brother to watch our younger siblings.

I met my brother in the hallway after my second class. he had forged a note for me that we had a dentist apointment and had to leave.

We picked up our three year old brother later that morning from the babysitter. We spent the rest of the morning trying to distract him.

When our younger sisters and brother got home from the elementry school. we had to do everything we could to keep everything normal.

We turned movies on the tv in the study for the younger kids to watch so they wouldn't see the news broadcasts.

My older brother was in the kitchen watching the news on the small tv in the kitchen, he was pacing the room, his cell phone in hand, waiting for our parents to call.

it was in the late evening, when our parnets were able to call. It was the lifeline we needed to know our parents were ok.

Our parents were worried about us as we lived near the air force base that houses Air Force 2; and we felt that we were near a target.