Too close to home. My godfather was an airplane pilot at that time. His plane was confused with the one that was hijacked. He landed the plane and was on the tarmac communicating With authorities. I recall watching it on TV. But i didn'even know it was him until we met for dinner after a bit of time had passed.
My husband at the time was a police officer at the airport nearby. I recall that he had to report to work and had double shifts for the next year.
I was 7 months pregnant and remember watching it all unfold. Knowing that once the second plane hit the 2nd tower we were under attack. I recall it all. Too vivid. Horrific day. I still cry to this day. All the lives lost. 9/11. :(
I was not personally affected by the loss of a loved one, but the tragedy 0f 09/11 served to bond many of us, very strongly. I participated in a 'Face of America 2002' memorial bike ride on 09/11, in NY and NJ, in commemoration. I was fortunate to meet and ride with two who lived locally, Janet and Nathan. Nathan had been working up on a high floor when one of the the planes struck, and he told of assisting the people nearby in their descent by giving them coffee filters to cover their mouths. He believed this greatly helped in their survival. "Nothing is worth more than this day"...Goethe
Thanks for including the poignant video of heroic Welles Crowther. I was so moved when I first heard of his selfless bravery.
For me, a client was attempting to auto dial everyone in his phone contact list. Dead lines. When my phone rang, he asked me if the world had ended. Over and over I reassured him that world had not ended, the sun was still shining. That day ended all innocence.
This is heartening, Alexander, to hear that you and your colleagues cared so much, from across the Atlantic. I have not heard many stories of what people in other countries, and especially, other continents, thought and felt. Of course, part of the reason was your colleagues and family might have been in danger, but I sense a deeper connection and caring for the US as well.
My immediate thought watching the first plane hit the first tower was, we will be next here in Washington, DC. When the second hit, I felt it viscerally. Then, sure enough, a plane hit the Pentagon just down the street and across the Potomac. It might have been diverted from the Capitol. It was fenced in and under repair for years.
It is a little embarrassing to admit that my first reaction was to withdraw cash and clean our apartment. Somehow, it felt comforting to put things in order. I did not want to be out on the roads trying to drive away from here as so many did, and decided with my friend, to stay put, although he thought it a bit funny, and vexing, that I was so focused on cleaning.
My friend's family, we learned in the next several days, lost most of their colleagues and at least one whole office floor at the trade center. Possibly the only person who survived was a friend's father, a founder of the firm, who had just retired. He lives with that still. As I prepared to visit a relative who was passing of breast cancer, a person who had lost her husband on that day at the firm, counseled me to just be present in a way that few could ever do
To this day, there is confusion here about who really triggered these events, and what the connections might be to the vulnerability we face because of such heavy, continued reliance on oil and other non-renewable resources. I had been a climate activist for the prior 12 years, starting in 1989, was working on a graduate degree in environmental and climate science, and have continued in this vein since.
But, it has felt to me as though the theater of engagement for renewable energy and sustainable development changed dramatically from that day forward. On the voluntary side, it has been pretty robust, but the regulations resist the right pricing and incentives structures, that require smart policies.
A committee in one of our climate campaign contingents had a difficult time engaging even President Obama for climate action, perhaps because the stakes were different for him than they would have been prior to 9/11. We nearly passed a climate bill several years later, with support from the House, but the Senate declined. The implications of that loss also reverberated across the world and were a kind of 9/11 aftershock.
That is not to say that there is no hope. However, what I am learning is that peace, stability, good jobs, and sustainability in the US are all interdependent. Together, they are indicators of the vital signs of all countries and our planet. Much hope is pinned on the US, and given the divisions that we now finesse, in part, reflected in that day, we must all rely on leadership from other countries as well.
That is why, the way that the Netherlands has stepped up for sustainable development, is so important and encouraging. We must rely on one another even more now for accountability for the human rights that extend to the planet. The Earth Charter provides a compass and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) give us a map to learn and move forward from that day in a more hopeful direction. But only together.
I remember switching the TV on for some reason shortly before 3pm (I was supposed to be working on an English paper), I saw that 2nd plane hit live on CNN. Don't think I turned the TV off for days. As you described, it was difficult to take it all in. I was hoping against hope that they would find survivors. I think I was crying when the towers collapsed - the shock of that and the knowledge of all those firefighters who went in there to help people. I was a volunteer firefighter at that time. The falling man and just the thought of people jumping to their deaths that was really difficult to digest ...
I also had a friend who was a flight attendent at United and I had no way of knowing if she was on one of the planes. Luckily, I later found out she was okay. Her flight had been diverted to Canada on her way back from Japan.
Thank you for including that video. I remember the story of the man in the red bandana. A day to remember the heroes of that they and all the people who spend their lives helping others every day.
The words a day that will live in infamy is easily applied to September 11, 2001. It was the day America lost its innocence as a secure, impenetrable country.
The stunning shock of a moment in time that changed a country forever and reverberated around the world. Horror of this degree has always occurred oceans away. No enemy would dare bring such a grossly brutal act of evil to our shores.
But technology had brought the hellish nightmare into our homes & workplaces. We watched in disbelief as thousands of lives were taken before our eyes in a heartbeat. We watched as terrified crowds scrambled for safety covered in ashes of destruction & death. It was more than the mind could bear. The horror refused to abate & worsened for torturous hours.
And then days.
Heart wrenching tales of courage and sacrifice, crushing loss of loved ones, unbelievable destruction, acts of the most uncommon bravery, decisions made in a moment to forfeit lives so others may survive, grief that will never heal. The stories were endless and are still 20 years later.
Collectively, a heartbroken country, united by grief, stood together as one. For a while.
Blessed by the quietness of a resting time, I did not realize at the moment the rippling effect of that madness act. I remember the surreal, the horror and the despair that run through the images. And I remember the strange silence that surrounded us. The words come, frightened, little by little. Above all, I remember that the phrase “how fragile we are“, suddenly came to my mind.
In the next days, not even the ocean wiped the footprints of sadness from our thoughts.
Ten years ago I’ve been there. The same strange, crushing silence inside me, this time wrapped with names of courage and tears of loss.
Today and here, all of us are sharing memories of fear but also leaving invisible trails of hope for a better future.
Sep 11, 2023·edited Sep 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍
The outpouring of empathy & support from across the seas for 911 is very touching. We were all New Yorkers on that day. A lovely article, Alex.
In Norman, Oklahoma 6 years after witnessing the bombing of the Murrah Federal Bldg in Oklahoma City, I watched the twin towers fall. Another terrorist attack, this time using 747s instead of a fertilizer bomb.
I watched as the death toll rose into the thousands. Ground zero lit up at night with our flag. Tremendous respect for first responders including search & rescue dogs & handlers who would have given their lives to find someone alive in that rubble. The everyday heros. Help coming from around the world.
The midwest skies showed no signs of sadness on that day just a surreal sense of calm despite the overwhelming grief we all felt that proved how much we loved our fellow man; a receipt we still carry with us today of the price this country paid. We will never forget.
Sep 11, 2023·edited Sep 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍
September 11, revisited. . .
Shock, disbelief, horror, grief, tears, many tears
It’s difficult to recall that day of national, even global, tragedy. Listening to the voices of loved ones desperately speaking with victims for the last time. Others trying to reach theirs. It’s wrenching to remember even 22 years later. May the lost victims, heroes and first responders rest in eternal peace.
My memories of that day are likely much like many others who were not directly impacted by loss of life, but were still stunned, shocked, grieved, etc.
For me, the it's the days after I think of. Still in shock, trying to move my 5yo through life while handling a 3 week old baby. And the beautiful, really glorious weather we had. Gorgeous blue skies in the midwest, and quiet, not a plane in sight, no contrails - nothing, unless it was a fighter jet. The beautiful weather was such a contrast to the scenes in NY, where dust still hung and searches still continued.
Too close to home. My godfather was an airplane pilot at that time. His plane was confused with the one that was hijacked. He landed the plane and was on the tarmac communicating With authorities. I recall watching it on TV. But i didn'even know it was him until we met for dinner after a bit of time had passed.
My husband at the time was a police officer at the airport nearby. I recall that he had to report to work and had double shifts for the next year.
I was 7 months pregnant and remember watching it all unfold. Knowing that once the second plane hit the 2nd tower we were under attack. I recall it all. Too vivid. Horrific day. I still cry to this day. All the lives lost. 9/11. :(
I was not personally affected by the loss of a loved one, but the tragedy 0f 09/11 served to bond many of us, very strongly. I participated in a 'Face of America 2002' memorial bike ride on 09/11, in NY and NJ, in commemoration. I was fortunate to meet and ride with two who lived locally, Janet and Nathan. Nathan had been working up on a high floor when one of the the planes struck, and he told of assisting the people nearby in their descent by giving them coffee filters to cover their mouths. He believed this greatly helped in their survival. "Nothing is worth more than this day"...Goethe
Thanks for including the poignant video of heroic Welles Crowther. I was so moved when I first heard of his selfless bravery.
For me, a client was attempting to auto dial everyone in his phone contact list. Dead lines. When my phone rang, he asked me if the world had ended. Over and over I reassured him that world had not ended, the sun was still shining. That day ended all innocence.
This is heartening, Alexander, to hear that you and your colleagues cared so much, from across the Atlantic. I have not heard many stories of what people in other countries, and especially, other continents, thought and felt. Of course, part of the reason was your colleagues and family might have been in danger, but I sense a deeper connection and caring for the US as well.
My immediate thought watching the first plane hit the first tower was, we will be next here in Washington, DC. When the second hit, I felt it viscerally. Then, sure enough, a plane hit the Pentagon just down the street and across the Potomac. It might have been diverted from the Capitol. It was fenced in and under repair for years.
It is a little embarrassing to admit that my first reaction was to withdraw cash and clean our apartment. Somehow, it felt comforting to put things in order. I did not want to be out on the roads trying to drive away from here as so many did, and decided with my friend, to stay put, although he thought it a bit funny, and vexing, that I was so focused on cleaning.
My friend's family, we learned in the next several days, lost most of their colleagues and at least one whole office floor at the trade center. Possibly the only person who survived was a friend's father, a founder of the firm, who had just retired. He lives with that still. As I prepared to visit a relative who was passing of breast cancer, a person who had lost her husband on that day at the firm, counseled me to just be present in a way that few could ever do
To this day, there is confusion here about who really triggered these events, and what the connections might be to the vulnerability we face because of such heavy, continued reliance on oil and other non-renewable resources. I had been a climate activist for the prior 12 years, starting in 1989, was working on a graduate degree in environmental and climate science, and have continued in this vein since.
But, it has felt to me as though the theater of engagement for renewable energy and sustainable development changed dramatically from that day forward. On the voluntary side, it has been pretty robust, but the regulations resist the right pricing and incentives structures, that require smart policies.
A committee in one of our climate campaign contingents had a difficult time engaging even President Obama for climate action, perhaps because the stakes were different for him than they would have been prior to 9/11. We nearly passed a climate bill several years later, with support from the House, but the Senate declined. The implications of that loss also reverberated across the world and were a kind of 9/11 aftershock.
That is not to say that there is no hope. However, what I am learning is that peace, stability, good jobs, and sustainability in the US are all interdependent. Together, they are indicators of the vital signs of all countries and our planet. Much hope is pinned on the US, and given the divisions that we now finesse, in part, reflected in that day, we must all rely on leadership from other countries as well.
That is why, the way that the Netherlands has stepped up for sustainable development, is so important and encouraging. We must rely on one another even more now for accountability for the human rights that extend to the planet. The Earth Charter provides a compass and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) give us a map to learn and move forward from that day in a more hopeful direction. But only together.
I remember switching the TV on for some reason shortly before 3pm (I was supposed to be working on an English paper), I saw that 2nd plane hit live on CNN. Don't think I turned the TV off for days. As you described, it was difficult to take it all in. I was hoping against hope that they would find survivors. I think I was crying when the towers collapsed - the shock of that and the knowledge of all those firefighters who went in there to help people. I was a volunteer firefighter at that time. The falling man and just the thought of people jumping to their deaths that was really difficult to digest ...
I also had a friend who was a flight attendent at United and I had no way of knowing if she was on one of the planes. Luckily, I later found out she was okay. Her flight had been diverted to Canada on her way back from Japan.
Thank you for including that video. I remember the story of the man in the red bandana. A day to remember the heroes of that they and all the people who spend their lives helping others every day.
The words a day that will live in infamy is easily applied to September 11, 2001. It was the day America lost its innocence as a secure, impenetrable country.
The stunning shock of a moment in time that changed a country forever and reverberated around the world. Horror of this degree has always occurred oceans away. No enemy would dare bring such a grossly brutal act of evil to our shores.
But technology had brought the hellish nightmare into our homes & workplaces. We watched in disbelief as thousands of lives were taken before our eyes in a heartbeat. We watched as terrified crowds scrambled for safety covered in ashes of destruction & death. It was more than the mind could bear. The horror refused to abate & worsened for torturous hours.
And then days.
Heart wrenching tales of courage and sacrifice, crushing loss of loved ones, unbelievable destruction, acts of the most uncommon bravery, decisions made in a moment to forfeit lives so others may survive, grief that will never heal. The stories were endless and are still 20 years later.
Collectively, a heartbroken country, united by grief, stood together as one. For a while.
Blessed by the quietness of a resting time, I did not realize at the moment the rippling effect of that madness act. I remember the surreal, the horror and the despair that run through the images. And I remember the strange silence that surrounded us. The words come, frightened, little by little. Above all, I remember that the phrase “how fragile we are“, suddenly came to my mind.
In the next days, not even the ocean wiped the footprints of sadness from our thoughts.
Ten years ago I’ve been there. The same strange, crushing silence inside me, this time wrapped with names of courage and tears of loss.
Today and here, all of us are sharing memories of fear but also leaving invisible trails of hope for a better future.
The outpouring of empathy & support from across the seas for 911 is very touching. We were all New Yorkers on that day. A lovely article, Alex.
In Norman, Oklahoma 6 years after witnessing the bombing of the Murrah Federal Bldg in Oklahoma City, I watched the twin towers fall. Another terrorist attack, this time using 747s instead of a fertilizer bomb.
I watched as the death toll rose into the thousands. Ground zero lit up at night with our flag. Tremendous respect for first responders including search & rescue dogs & handlers who would have given their lives to find someone alive in that rubble. The everyday heros. Help coming from around the world.
The midwest skies showed no signs of sadness on that day just a surreal sense of calm despite the overwhelming grief we all felt that proved how much we loved our fellow man; a receipt we still carry with us today of the price this country paid. We will never forget.
September 11, revisited. . .
Shock, disbelief, horror, grief, tears, many tears
It’s difficult to recall that day of national, even global, tragedy. Listening to the voices of loved ones desperately speaking with victims for the last time. Others trying to reach theirs. It’s wrenching to remember even 22 years later. May the lost victims, heroes and first responders rest in eternal peace.
My memories of that day are likely much like many others who were not directly impacted by loss of life, but were still stunned, shocked, grieved, etc.
For me, the it's the days after I think of. Still in shock, trying to move my 5yo through life while handling a 3 week old baby. And the beautiful, really glorious weather we had. Gorgeous blue skies in the midwest, and quiet, not a plane in sight, no contrails - nothing, unless it was a fighter jet. The beautiful weather was such a contrast to the scenes in NY, where dust still hung and searches still continued.