tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post3854841219536013904..comments2023-10-14T09:44:21.840-05:00Comments on People I Want to Punch in the Throat: 9/11Jen Piwtpitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09576108150881254072noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-40118262787142635762014-02-08T16:59:59.351-06:002014-02-08T16:59:59.351-06:00I was 20 years old at the time. I lived (and still...I was 20 years old at the time. I lived (and still live) in a tiny town on the Oregon Coast. I was on a public bus with a couple of friends from work, heading to a tattoo appointment when the news came over the radio. The bus driver turned up the volume, and I remember being stunned, numb. When we got to our stop, I remember sitting on a bench, and then the information finally sunk in. I wept. I still didn't know the extent of the loss of life, or the fact that many people jumped to their deaths from those towers. But, I knew that those planes left nothing good in their wakes. I went ahead and kept my tattoo appointment, and decided on a Celtic knot... it represents interconnection of life and mankind’s place within the universe. Fitting, I thought...HippoAnon https://www.blogger.com/profile/02413923170886719845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-45222839832761169472012-09-17T12:26:21.089-05:002012-09-17T12:26:21.089-05:00A friend of mine suggested I read your blog and th... A friend of mine suggested I read your blog and the first one I read was about Todd Akin. I laughed my ass off. I too was in NYC on 9/11/01 sporting a brand new rock I received the night before. I was newly pregnant and my now husband gave me the ring on our "night of the ham" celebration. (long story). I was working from home in Brooklyn that day and my husband was working way uptown near Columbia. My sister-in-law called. I thought she wanted to hear all about the ring, but she told me to turn on the television. It was surreal. Such a gorgeous morning filled with such happiness and hope for the future was soon the darkest day I could remember. The one good memory I have is the one you describe: Everyone took care of each other. There was no looting and mass hysteria. There were New Yorkers coming together to care for their injured city and all of the survivors that were left. Thank you for this post.JoAnn Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01705098964742587370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-33572547470948382872012-09-17T08:29:34.235-05:002012-09-17T08:29:34.235-05:00I was in PA and my husband was in mid-town that da...I was in PA and my husband was in mid-town that day watching as the first plane hit the world trade center. He didn't get home until 3 in the morning - he was lucky to get out at all. He was a zombie for a week having been holed up in a nearby office building listening to the horror of the folks in his office hearing of how loved ones had perished and watching as folks jumped to their deaths and the buildings collapsed. Make no mistake,al qaeda hates us, they always have hated us and our Freedom and they always will. THe US has created nothing - we have been a constant beacon of freedom in the world and they hate us for it.help4newmomshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13930398899221348690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-67899509332786550232012-09-16T18:15:00.291-05:002012-09-16T18:15:00.291-05:00Very touching account. I can't imagine the hor...Very touching account. I can't imagine the horror of being so close to the devastation. How terrifying. However, you lost me with the last sentence. What do you mean the U.S. created Osama? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-65032661785922023342012-09-16T08:36:06.454-05:002012-09-16T08:36:06.454-05:00Jen - I was also working in midtown at the time, r...Jen - I was also working in midtown at the time, right next to St. Patrick's Cathedral. I had the same thoughts as you that day. I walked across the 59th Street Bridge to get to Queens where we met a car service to get us home to Long Island. It took 6+ hours, but I got home. So many didn't. I don't think I will ever forget my feelings that day! I remember what I was wearing (black skinny capris, khaki sweater set, khaki shoes.) Thankfully I always commuted in sneakers - a fact that I was so thankful for that very day! The memories still feel so alive and scary. I can still feel the tension of the day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-1061991663602690832012-09-14T13:19:41.088-05:002012-09-14T13:19:41.088-05:00Jen, I sobbed reading this. I know the terror of ...Jen, I sobbed reading this. I know the terror of that day, I was only a minute from downtown Pittsburgh, and saw on TV the panic and dismay. They had assumed the 3rd plane would hit our city. I dont know how to feel about the end result of that. This; was your most powerful writing yet. Thank you, and I completly agree...Love and Peace, Jenn.Jennifer Clarknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-692048619648584312012-09-12T11:30:26.859-05:002012-09-12T11:30:26.859-05:00Thank you, Jenn ... I feel like you and I have sha...Thank you, Jenn ... I feel like you and I have shared tons of laughs and today, our first tears. Beautifully written!Kristi Millernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-91789049215379745282012-09-11T21:12:22.466-05:002012-09-11T21:12:22.466-05:00I was in a very small town in Louisiana. We had j...I was in a very small town in Louisiana. We had just separated from the Army (and each other) and I was getting ready to go to work. I remember standing in the livingroom of my best friend's house, watching the footage and being physically unable to button my chef coat. I stood and stared at that screen for what seemed like an eternity. See, I grew up in third world countries. I knew what terror was. I swore I would have my kids back home in the States where it was "safe". The world became a very frightening place where nowhere was safe that day. My kids were 2 and nearly 5. all I could think was "Dear God! Where can I run to save them?" I went to work. Nobody came in to eat. I didn't speak. I finished my shift and got home and held my children and wept. Wept for the loss of life, the loss of security, and the loss of the illusion of safety. I knew I could never make the world safe for my kids, now, I pray that their generation can. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12459708410464343023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-25911523935922320342012-09-11T12:45:27.945-05:002012-09-11T12:45:27.945-05:00Here in Pennsylvania, I at the time was running a ...Here in Pennsylvania, I at the time was running a day care out of my home. I was holding a precious 3 month old in my arms and had the news on. I saw the second plane approaching the tower and at first thought it was a news helicopter. Then, when it crashed into the tower - - speechless. I started switching station to station to see what was going on. At around 10AM, a friend called and asked if i had seen what happened here in PA, about an hour from where we live. Sat there stunned, wondering what in the world was happening. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-48742476158318011292012-09-11T12:26:19.656-05:002012-09-11T12:26:19.656-05:00I cannot imagine what you must have gone through, ...I cannot imagine what you must have gone through, Jen. I was terrified in Illinois. I was back to work after having a newborn and was in my office, hooked up to a breast pump. My milk stopped cold when I turned on the TV.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08886416768472524676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-53562806183006711162012-09-11T12:03:00.273-05:002012-09-11T12:03:00.273-05:00A very moving account Jen - I would have taken you...A very moving account Jen - I would have taken your worries seriously because it's those kind of what-ifs that make sense to me. However it's the part about the free tennis shoes that gives me the biggest hope - human beings are essentially good, it's just such a shame that it takes real evil to bring that goodness out sometimes.Jimjamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10250679921843610035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-10112399225649866672012-09-11T11:35:52.557-05:002012-09-11T11:35:52.557-05:00I, too, was the first one in our office (financial...I, too, was the first one in our office (financial technology industry) who turned to our General Mgr and said in a voice that would one day become My Mother's Instinct Command Voice: "We are under attack. Get everyone out of here now." We were way up in a high-rise nestled between Grand Central & the UN. <br />I always had a camera on me. I didn't take any until I got home, but the following days, weeks, months I did. We have them in a waterproof bin. One day, when the kids are old enough, we'll explain. We'll try to explain.Kim at Let Me Start By Sayinghttp://letmestartbysayingblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-60839005502015760012012-09-11T11:11:08.692-05:002012-09-11T11:11:08.692-05:00Wow! I am glad I read this. I was not there, I was...Wow! I am glad I read this. I was not there, I was/am in a little city in Alabama. I saw it on TV when the first one hit and heard it on the radio on my way to work about the second. I remember the fear I felt, all the way down here. No one is going to attack Birmingham,except the people that live there, Atlanta, maybe. I watched online, as much as I could. We didn't go home, we worked and wondered if we knew anybody that died that day. Sorry to bable on, I have PMS and have had alot of caffine this morning.Amynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-58876930528694307292012-09-11T10:59:49.043-05:002012-09-11T10:59:49.043-05:00I was 19 years old, an E3 in the US Army assigned ...I was 19 years old, an E3 in the US Army assigned to the 82nd Medical Detachement in Fort Leavenworth, KS. I was halfway done lacing up my second boot that morning when I looked up and saw the 2nd plane hit. I knew something was happening and I was a bit scared. I called my Dad, hoping he could offer some type of solice having served Desert Storm. I called the hangar to speak to my NCOIC and find out what the protocol would be going forward. It took me 3 hours to get onto base that day and I only lived 5 minutes away. They were checking EVERY car thoroughly. It was 24 on 24 off for several weeks. Our Unit was out of Fort Worth, TX and they were one of the first troops sent on deployment. Our detachment remained on the ground. Many of my friends were not so lucky and I have mixed feelings about not having served overseas when so many of my whom I love have injuries and even faced death during their time of tour. I will never forget that feeling, the uneasiness.... the fear.Deehttp://www.deetergent.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-39657393407205903762012-02-17T15:35:19.483-06:002012-02-17T15:35:19.483-06:00Thanks for sharing. I'm crying, here.Thanks for sharing. I'm crying, here.Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05376565745806383319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-89054722290381866772012-01-01T09:24:09.875-06:002012-01-01T09:24:09.875-06:00I lived there too and it's still difficult to ...I lived there too and it's still difficult to remember. Maybe I'll write out my memories for my kids to read one day. Thanks for this post.stlmom09https://www.blogger.com/profile/01659257432012467734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-6238643859604975832011-12-17T23:10:55.125-06:002011-12-17T23:10:55.125-06:00Thank you for sharing. WOW! I was in Houston, te...Thank you for sharing. WOW! I was in Houston, terrified, and newly pregnant; it must have been horrible for you. Again, thank you for your raw, honest emotion.Babble Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01167709011784692052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-41106519921452495142011-12-15T21:00:07.456-06:002011-12-15T21:00:07.456-06:00I was there too! I had all the same reactions as ...I was there too! I had all the same reactions as well. The only thing different was that I was DOWNTOWN! But, reading your blog today, I finally got to laugh about it. (if that makes any sense)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com