Re-airing 9/11 Coverage

[Ksyrup]

So I see on CNN.com that they will be running the original 9/11 coverage on Monday starting at 8:30am for free on their Pipeline feature. I don't know if any other websites or networks will be doing the same, but I have to ask - why? Who the hell wants to experience that again? Will they be running the tsunami coverage around Christmas, too?

I just don't get it. I can remember seeing the seemingly innocent article on refdesk about a plane hitting the WTC that morning, then finding out it wasn't just "a plane" but a commerical jet and calling my wife to tell her about it. Then I remember her calling back a few minutes later, crying hysterically that she was watching live coverage and that another plane was heading for the WTC and had to listen to her reaction as it hit. And then, of course, everything that happened after that.

I can't possibly imagine wanting to relive all of that. It just seems grossly inappropriate and unnecessary.

[rkmsuf]

once again you capture my essence

I agree.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

So I see on CNN.com that they will be running the original 9/11 coverage on Monday starting at 8:30am for free on their Pipeline feature. I don't know if any other websites or networks will be doing the same, but I have to ask - why? Who the hell wants to experience that again? Will they be running the tsunami coverage around Christmas, too?

I just don't get it. I can remember seeing the seemingly innocent article on refdesk about a plane hitting the WTC that morning, then finding out it wasn't just "a plane" but a commerical jet and calling my wife to tell her about it. Then I remember her calling back a few minutes later, crying hysterically that she was watching live coverage and that another plane was heading for the WTC and had to listen to her reaction as it hit. And then, of course, everything that happened after that.

I can't possibly imagine wanting to relive all of that. It just seems grossly inappropriate and unnecessary.

I agree on all accounts. I don't understand this decision at all.

What's the point? It seems terribly exploitative of what happened that day.

[Maple Leafs]

It would probably be extremely painful for most people to watch. But the coverage of the event is itself historically significant. As someone with a background in journalism I'd be interested in seeing it, although I'm not sure I'd actually want to watch it again (if that makes sense).

[Ksyrup]

But there's nothing keeping you from seeing that coverage, is there? I assume there are places all over the internet with clips that you could watch to satisfy your journalistic interest. To re-run the entire thing, on the anniversary, just seems pointless. Living it again, in real time, at the exact time it happened 5 years ago...I don't know what that accomplishes. I don't understand their purpose for doing it, although I can understand why you might be interested in seeing it again.

[Maple Leafs]

I've actually never seen sites that showed the whole thing -- not just the clips (and usually with someone talking over them).

I haven't exactly looked that hard, so I'm sure it's out there somewhere.

[Ksyrup]

I can say that I have never thought about it, either. I saw enough when it happened and in the weeks following, and tried to put it out of my mind after that.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

But the coverage of the event is itself historically significant. As someone with a background in journalism I'd be interested in seeing it, although I'm not sure I'd actually want to watch it again (if that makes sense).

Makes sense to me, I see exactly what you're saying & largely agree with you.

That "background in journalism" means that you are probably like me & could get into the watching of how it was covered rather than what was being covered.

That said, I don't think enough time has passed yet for me to be able to enjoy that exercise on this particular event.

[Ksyrup]

Not to mention, I don't think that's what most viewers would be watching for. I can understand watching it from a "clinical" perspective, but this is obviously aimed at the general public and is for another reason. I just don't know what it is.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Not to mention, I don't think that's what most viewers would be watching for. I can understand watching it from a "clinical" perspective, but this is obviously aimed at the general public and is for another reason. I just don't know what it is.

Katie Couric will find a way to bring it to you.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I just don't know what it is.

I'd say there's probably several reasons (note that I didn't say "good" reasons).

First & foremost, there's a feeling among the networks that they have to do ... something. And something weak is almost certainly being perceived as more of an option than not doing anything.

Next, re-running the original footage is marginally cheaper & definitely easier than anything else they could do.

Third, it's largely risk free. People who are put off by it are most likely IMO simply not going to watch for the day. I just don't see this sparking any significant viewer uprising or anything. But put together something original & have it come across badly, well that probably isn't enough to change viewer habits either but it would generate negative publicity from critics, colleagues, et al.

Probably somewhere in the mix is the notion that this is the easiest way to avoid accusation of political bias in the coverage. As I recall at least, on 9/11 and into 9/12, the coverage was largely focused on "what's happening" as opposed to analysis of reasons, responses, etc. A replay of the actual coverage avoids those questions (and leaves them for the other 364 days of the year).

Like I said, I'm not sure those are necessarily good reasons to run with this plan, but I suspect most of them are in the mix nonetheless. And, to be honest, I'm not sure I've got anything I would call a better idea myself (which is important if you agree with my first comment about doing something being pretty much a have-to).

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Probably somewhere in the mix is the notion that this is the easiest way to avoid accusation of political bias in the coverage.

Unless ABC runs its Peter Jennings coverage!

[Eaglesfan27]

I think this is a horrible decision, and I think it potentially re-traumatizes people.

[st.cronin]

I'm somewhat traumatized by just the thought of this.

[Maple Leafs]

One thing that I think people will find somewhat disturbing if they watch is the frequency with which the networks showed the crash/explosions on the first day. Everyone has seen the footage and knows it well, but it's still relatively rare to see these days. People forget that one that day, the networks originally showed it constantly throughout the day before eventually deciding to back off.

[Ksyrup]

Information was so scarce early on - especially in the hours before the towers collapsed - that they had very little else to show. And then the same thing happened with the towers.

I still remember the exact footage of the 1986 shuttle explosion I saw it so many times.

[HomerSimpson]

This is what I would like to know.
Did they ever release all the flight recordings of these 2 planes? Were the Black boxes ever found? Did the terrorist ever make any statements over the air? Did the terrorist ever identify themselves or why they were doing this?


Just seems somewhere there should be some kind of statement from the people abord the planes.


Have I just completely missed this info in the news?

[Greyroofoo]

I personally wish I could watch the cnn coverage of it, however I'll be at work so i'm probably SOL

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Greyroofoo

I personally wish I could watch the cnn coverage of it, however I'll be at work so i'm probably SOL

Ditto

[illinifan999]

I remember our school told everyone to get off computers/internet and didn't allow teachers to turn tvs or radios on. The only idea I had of what had happened until I got home was when some girl came into our class saying "Iraq is bombing the white house".

[cthomer5000]

I'm agree. I see no reason to examine history, or how important that day was. Please show groundhog day and/or White House lawn easter egg hunt footage again. pls k thx.

[King of New York]

Originally Posted by illinifan999

I remember our school told everyone to get off computers/internet and didn't allow teachers to turn tvs or radios on. The only idea I had of what had happened until I got home was when some girl came into our class saying "Iraq is bombing the white house".

Lynne Cheney was visiting your school that day?

[Cap Ologist]

I think I might like to watch the footage again. But only because I was fighting off an infection at the time and was on some serious pain killers. I remember lying in bed and wondering how many planes were going to crash before they learned, not realizing it was the same 2 planes shown over and over. I think I could probably sit through an hour of it, but after that I doubt I could hang in there very long.

[Butter]

I think it COULD potentially re-traumatize some, like the good doc said, but they can just not watch it if they feel it will be too painful. As for me, if I can, I plan on sneaking a peek or two at work. Frankly, seeing that stuff again hurts. I watched a bit of it on the Museum of TV & Radio web site a year after it happened. It is scary and it hurts, even though it's in the past. I hope it always hurts to remember these events. It always should. But it's important to me to always catch a glimpse of it now and then, so I can remember how much it hurt. It is our generation's Pearl Harbor.

[molson]

I've sought out this kind of footage in the past. I'm not completely sure why, except that it's clear people deal with events like this in different ways, and it's not fair to make blanket statements about what the correct/incorrect ways to deal with this are.

There will be memorial services for 9/11. Why? Why would people want to "re-live" 9/11? Why do we have funerals, and why do people visit a roadside memorial to a loved one killed in a car crash? Why would people want to "re-live" the grief of someone's death? The answer is, people, in there own way, WANT to remember these kinds of events, for whatever reason.

Personally, I've always been most moved by contempary memorials - news accounts of events, letters written by a loved one during their life. That's just how some people prefer to remember, as opposed to memories or accounts made well after the fact, tained by time.

[Dr. Sak]

That was one weird day for me and honestly it still seems a little unreal. I skipped out of work that day and drove to State College to play golf and see my girlfriend at the time. My tee off time was the exact time the first plane hit the tower. So for 5 and a half hours I thought nothing was wrong with the world. I remember playing and thinking what a beautiful day it was and just loving that I was out in the middle of no where enjoying a round of golf.

I get back to my car and have a dozen voicemails on my phone wondering if I knew what was going on. My first glimpse of what happened was probably around 230pm when I got to my gf's apartment. Classes were canceled for Penn State. On my drive home they made me take a detour around my normal route and now I realize why, I usually pass by the United 93 crash site and they made us all go way around it. I also remember listening to talk radio the whole way home and hearing Congress sing God Bless America.

So I'm not sure I really want to actually experience that day like most others did.

[Glengoyne]

On the west coast, I missed all of the initial reports. I turned on the TV to see Tower one fall. It took some time to grasp the scope of the events. It was a shocking situation, to say the least.

I don't think I have a problem with them re-airing the original coverage. I was a little bothered when I heard talking head psychologists saying that the networks should stop showing the footage, because it was somehow harmful to our psyche. We all have our scars from that day. I don't have a problem with mine. I don't want to forget what happened. I like having those memories and those feelings "fresh".

[stevew]

I remember listening to WNOR that morning as I dropped my wife off at work. IIRC, the were joking about how since Southwest had recently moved into the area, that they were planning a lot of fun trip giveaways for people, flying them places for the day since it was so cheap.

And then I got home, my 2 year old and I took a nap, and I woke up an hour or so later seeing a plane flying into the 2nd tower.

My wife said that the mood at her school was very odd all day. Not many teachers or students knew what was going on, but it was very troublesome to her as lot of the Navy Brass pulled their children out of school early throughout that day(Military town).

I didn't really realize the humongous scope of the event, until I tried to go out for dinner that night, and almost everything was closed. I vaguely remembered some of the hijackings from my youth stuff like the OK Bombing, and first WT bombing, and while they were a big deal, nothing really happened to that extent.

At the time, I really figured we'd try to find those responsible, but I had no idea we'd spend the next 5 years in military tasks related to(and some would say totally unrelated to) that event. We basically didn't do shit after the first time the building was bombed.

[muns]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

I think it COULD potentially re-traumatize some, like the good doc said, but they can just not watch it if they feel it will be too painful. As for me, if I can, I plan on sneaking a peek or two at work. Frankly, seeing that stuff again hurts. I watched a bit of it on the Museum of TV & Radio web site a year after it happened. It is scary and it hurts, even though it's in the past. I hope it always hurts to remember these events. It always should. But it's important to me to always catch a glimpse of it now and then, so I can remember how much it hurt. It is our generation's Pearl Harbor.

You actually said it much better there than I ever could, (even if ya are a bengals fan

The college I work at is actually going to have General Wesley Clark speaking around 5 ish on Monday Spetember 11th. I am really looking forward to hearing his thoughts about the same thing that is being discussed here, as well as his outlook on whats going on around the world period. Should be an interesting day

MUNS

[molson]

Originally Posted by stevew

At the time, I really figured we'd try to find those responsible, but I had no idea we'd spend the next 5 years in military tasks related to(and some would say totally unrelated to) that event. We basically didn't do shit after the first time the building was bombed.

I had the opposite thought, I was sure that suicide bombings, etc, would become a part of everyday life in our big cities. I'm actually pretty shocked the last 5 years have been as uneventful as they have been.

[JS19]

Originally Posted by illinifan999

I remember our school told everyone to get off computers/internet and didn't allow teachers to turn tvs or radios on. The only idea I had of what had happened until I got home was when some girl came into our class saying "Iraq is bombing the white house".

Complete opposite of what happened in my school. Our teacher had informed us right after it happened, waited for more info and found out another had hit, then everyone was brought to the gym to watch everything else unfold on TV.

I didn't read through every post, so it has probably already been said, but I remember hearing on TV they are airing it all over again because "we should never forget". Like we would forget if they didn't do us the favor of airing it all over again. My guess is they are just doing it for ratings bc i'm sure many people will watch. The media just wants to make a story out of nothing like usual. Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying 9/11 was nothing, and that we shouldnt do anything on that day, but to re-air everything and make it an all day event is pointless IMO.

[bob]

I don't believe that this being shown on TV - this is being done online only, so you have to actively go to the site to watch it. It isn't like you will be flipping through the channels and just happen upon it.

[JS19]

Originally Posted by bob

I don't believe that this being shown on TV - this is being done online only, so you have to actively go to the site to watch it. It isn't like you will be flipping through the channels and just happen upon it.

Oh, thanks for clearing that up. Actually, now that I go back and read through, that's already stated in the first post.

[GrantDawg]

I would watch it, but I'll be at work. I would like to see how much it meshes with my memories of that day. It was the largest world-changing event of my life-time. It is interesting to me as history and interesting to see the reacations of the people as it happened, since I was in too much shock at the time to notice.

[Neon_Chaos]

It was about 9:00-10:00 PM-ish here in the Philippines when Tower 1 fell. I remember distinctly, I just came home from night class in college, and my parents were glued to the TV set. They said that one of the WTC Towers was hit by an airplane. I was able to watch the live CNN footage of the 2nd plane smashing into the other tower.

It was pretty surreal at that moment, since I had two aunts living in NY (now they're living in the West Coast). Made a couple of calls, and confirmed that they were alright.

[Maple Leafs]

I have this on in the backgroun here at work. It's really fascinating stuff.

What stands out so far is how, despite what we now see as "obvious", the initial coverage takes quite a while to figure out what's happening. In fact, when the second plane hits CNN is running local ABC coverage and they don't even realize it was a second plane -- they spend several minutes talking about how the fuselage from the first plane must have exploded.

At about 9:20 CNN cut in with breaking news that the FBI was investigating the possiblity of "foul play". Seems bizarre now.

[Ksyrup]

I still remember the exact thought process I had. When I saw the fairly innocous refdesk.com headline - something like "plane hits WTC" - I assumed it was some small commuter plane. I thought it was a big deal, but I just assumed it was a small plane and figured the weather was bad or something. When we confirmed it was a passenger jet, I knew it was obviously a huge deal and my first thoughts, again, were either weather or an "ordinary" airplane crash. That's when I called my wife, she turned on the TV, described the scene (including the good weather) and within a few minutes, was screaming that she saw another plane about to hit. Only at that point do I remember thinking we were under attack.

[wade moore]

I still remember this pretty well at the time too.

I was in college, and being a lazy college student, often woke up at the last minute possible to shower and get out the door as fast as I could. No news, no computer, etc.

So, I had a 10:00 class that day. So, I live about 5 minutes from campus, but it's hard to find parking and takes time to walk to class. So I got in my car around 9:30. Like normal, I turned on Mike and Mike in the morning (cause they were good 5 years ago unlike now).

So they sound oddly somber. Then I hear Mike Golic says something to the effect of, "Again, for those just joining us, two planes have hit the World Trade Center. Foul play is suspected."... etc, etc, etc...

It's so strange to realize that I found out about this from Mike Golic. I get to class and my professor basically did the "let's not let them stop us" type deal... He mentioned it briefly, stated that anyone that needs to leave to contact family go, and then we carried on with class.

After class, I went home and was absolutely glued to the TV. I don't remember if I had other classes, if they were cancelled, or what.. but I know I didn't go to them.

[wade moore]

Interesting... they just re-interviewed a guy by the Pentagon that they interviewed 5 years ago... (Yellow Polo, right outside of the Pentagon). Apparently this guy's interview 5 years ago where he said, "it was like a cruise missile with wings" is a large part of the conspiracy lunies on the internet who claim this wasn't a plane.

They asked him to clarify and he basically says he was trying to be descriptive and that it was quite clearly a plane to him, no doubt in his mind.

Interesting to me if this truely is a large part of the conspiracy buff logic.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by wade moore

So they sound oddly somber. Then I hear Mike Golic says something to the effect of, "Again, for those just joining us, two planes have hit the World Trade Center. Foul play is suspected."... etc, etc, etc...

Similarly, I had a 1-2 hour commute to Alexandria, VA at that time. I was (surprise!) running late, and I was listening to Howard Stern. I first heard Robin say that a plane had hit the WTC (seemingly a small charter plane accident at first, as many people seemed to think) and then listened as they realized what was going on. It was the best Stern Show broadcast I've ever heard. The potty jokes and strippers were nowhere. It was simply a group of New Yorkers living the experience of having their city and their lives attacked.

I got to work and no one had heard about it. I told them, we turned on the small TV with bunny ears that we had, and when the Pentagon was hit we could see the smoke rising through the windows.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Interesting... they just re-interviewed a guy by the Pentagon that they interviewed 5 years ago... (Yellow Polo, right outside of the Pentagon). Apparently this guy's interview 5 years ago where he said, "it was like a cruise missile with wings" is a large part of the conspiracy lunies on the internet who claim this wasn't a plane.

They asked him to clarify and he basically says he was trying to be descriptive and that it was quite clearly a plane to him, no doubt in his mind.

Interesting to me if this truely is a large part of the conspiracy buff logic.

That is so obvious to anymore with even a modicum of common sense it's hard to believe intelligent people get wrapped up in that nonsense. Of course, I assume the conspiracy theorists will say that the government got to him and made him change the meaning of what he said.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Similarly, I had a 1-2 hour commute to Alexandria, VA at that time. I was (surprise!) running late, and I was listening to Howard Stern. I first heard Robin say that a plane had hit the WTC (seemingly a small charter plane accident at first, as many people seemed to think) and then listened as they realized what was going on. It was the best Stern Show broadcast I've ever heard. The potty jokes and strippers were nowhere. It was simply a group of New Yorkers living the experience of having their city and their lives attacked.

I got to work and no one had heard about it. I told them, we turned on the small TV with bunny ears that we had, and when the Pentagon was hit we could see the smoke rising through the windows.

I had a somewhat similar experience, though no Howard Stern. I was working in D.C. at the time and had just gotten to work. I sitting in front of my computer and some co-worker walked by and said "A plane just hit the World Trade Center." I didn't get up and just thought "What kind of idiot flies a plane into a building?" Like most, I thought it was a small plane of some kind.

I then heard someone say a second plane had been hit. I got up and headed to a conference room down the hall where they had a TV on. We were watching CNN and couldn't believe what I saw.

I then looked out the windows of the conference room, which looked out across the Potomac. I saw a huge black cloud of smoke billowing out from where I knew the Pentagon was. I shouted "Someone just bombed the Pentagon." Someone said that wasn't the Pentagon, I said I knew it was because I lived nearby a few years ago. It was then I decided to leave work and walk home. This was before any news had reported the plane hitting the Pentagon.

The walk home was bizarre. There were thousands of people in the streets, talking on cellphones, sort of just wandering around aimlessly with a sense of panic. I worked in northwest D.C. and lived on Capitol Hill, so my walk took me along the Mall. Past the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, and various other Federal buildings. I was forced to make a detour when I got near the Capitol.

I got home and watched TV all day. I remember falling asleep a few times, as I was completely exhausted from it all.

My wife had it much worse. She was in the subway heading to work in NYC. Her office was directly across the street from the WTC: One Liberty Plaza. (There were a few post 9-11 reports that the building was on the verge of collapse, though it never did). Her mother worked in the WTC (but was late to work that day) and her brother was on a flight from Newark to San Francisco. (His plane landed in Indy.) She came out of the subway and saw the smoking, flaming towers. She tried to make it to work and was turned back. She was one of the people running down the street away from the debris and rubble. She couldn't get a hold of her mom until around 2 PM that afternoon.

[RedKingGold]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I had a somewhat similar experience, though no Howard Stern. I was working in D.C. at the time and had just gotten to work. I sitting in front of my computer and some co-worker walked by and said "A plane just hit the World Trade Center." I didn't get up and just thought "What kind of idiot flies a plane into a building?" Like most, I thought it was a small plane of some kind.

I then heard someone say a second plane had been hit. I got up and headed to a conference room down the hall where they had a TV on. We were watching CNN and couldn't believe what I saw.

I then looked out the windows of the conference room, which looked out across the Potomac. I saw a huge black cloud of smoke billowing out from where I knew the Pentagon was. I shouted "Someone just bombed the Pentagon." Someone said that wasn't the Pentagon, I said I knew it was because I lived nearby a few years ago. It was then I decided to leave work and walk home. This was before any news had reported the plane hitting the Pentagon.

The walk home was bizarre. There were thousands of people in the streets, talking on cellphones, sort of just wandering around aimlessly with a sense of panic. I worked in northwest D.C. and lived on Capitol Hill, so my walk took me along the Mall. Past the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, and various other Federal buildings. I was forced to make a detour when I got near the Capitol.

I got home and watched TV all day. I remember falling asleep a few times, as I was completely exhausted from it all.

My wife had it much worse. She was in the subway heading to work in NYC. Her office was directly across the street from the WTC: One Liberty Plaza. (There were a few post 9-11 reports that the building was on the verge of collapse, though it never did). Her mother worked in the WTC (but was late to work that day) and her brother was on a flight from Newark to San Francisco. (His plane landed in Indy.) She came out of the subway and saw the smoking, flaming towers. She tried to make it to work and was turned back. She was one of the people running down the street away from the debris and rubble. She couldn't get a hold of her mom until around 2 PM that afternoon.

It's stories like this that send chills down my spine. I was fortunate in that I grew up in a small town in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I had no family in NYC, Washington, or near where the last plane went down in western PA. To me, it almost seemed like a movie because I was so detached from it.

But when you do hear stories of people who were directly involved, it smacks you back to reality. There is actually a world outside of the tiny bubble I call my life. It is really easy to forget that sometimes.

I'm just trying to fight my way through the first year of law school, and it can get very desenstizing sometimes. The way we talk about cars exploding and people catching on fire in torts and how we talk about some things in crim-law; its easy to forget the value of human life.

Thanks HB for shocking me back to reality.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

That is so obvious to anymore with even a modicum of common sense it's hard to believe intelligent people get wrapped up in that nonsense. Of course, I assume the conspiracy theorists will say that the government got to him and made him change the meaning of what he said.

Listening to this stuff (and Howard Stern, who's replaying his 9/11 show) really sheds light on the origin of the conspiracy nutjobs.

It was such a chaotic day. There was so much rush to judgment and fact, and so much misinformation. There's talk of bombs at the WTC, bombs in the plane, a third plane hitting the WTC, planes flying overhead in Los Angeles, a White House attack "imminent", it goes on and on.

When people look back at any important event, whether it be an assasination, terrorist attack, war, etc., they have to realize that events don't happen in a vacuum. Real events aren't smooth and clean, like a movie, but chaotic. People and objects don't react the way you think they might. And above all, time and memory largely censor the events into clean and tidy package - you can't look at events contrary to that tidiness and see something that's not there.

[bob]

I was in a computer engineering class from 8:30 - 10:30 that morning, so I never saw any of the coverage until after both towers had collapsed. Nobody bothered to tell us, but Georgia Tech did cancel all classes after that.

Since i didn't see, I was very interested in watching this to see how it was covered. I have to say that I'm amazed by the professionalism displayed by the on air people at CNN.

[st.cronin]

I was in Manhattan - I was working for a company in a building just across the street from the WTC. That morning I was farther downtown, doing some training. It was a horrible, horrible day, and my memories of it are still very confusing.

[GoldenEagle]

I was sitting in Senior Latin when a coach came in and told us. It was sort of like what happened? The halls quiet were so quiet when we were changing classes for the first time that day. We then turned it on in out Senior English class. They only allowed seniors to watch the footage.

[Captain2711]

I was driving to work in Ashburn, Virginia at about 10 am when I heard about the attacks. The woman on the radio said the Tower 2 fell and I kept shouting at her to stop misconstruing the information. There is no way that building fell. When I finally got to work I tried to get in touch with my father who is an electrician and can be anywhere in NYC and couldn't. My uncle who works in WTC building 5, I couldn't get in touch with either. (He took the day off to golf and celebrate his daughters birthday's) I sat in my office calling number after number with no answer anywhere, when a tremendous weight fell on me. I sat there with the phone off the hook and my hand trembling over the numbers. My boss said, "what's wrong?" and I said, "I have no one else left to call."

[Butter]

Saw briefly on CNN coverage from that day that the AP reported a car bombing at the State Department that day. Crazy misinformation.

[SirFozzie]

God... has it been five years?

I was working at a call center that morning, and someone two rows from me just let out a amazed swear.. she wasn't one to swear, so all eyes went to her.. She said "A plane just hit the WTC in New York"...

and the next few hours were a nightmare that you just couldn't wake up from..

Eventually all of us were taken off the phones (none of us could concentrate).. and we huddled around one of the Executives TV's.. just.. surreal. unbelieveable. They sent us home, and I remember being numb the whole drive. listening to the radio, praying and hoping someone would tell us all it was a cruel joke. War of the Worlds updated to 2001. It never came.

I hope that the thousands of lives that were lost in NYC, in the skies, at the Pentagon, and in a field in Pennsylvania are never forgotten.