9/11 Remembrance Thread

[HARMCYN]

Made it all day and did not see one of these. Maybe a sign of the age on this board.

Was in 3rd grade, remember it all clearly but wish I was older to understand the weight of what happened. Watching videos now still truly shocking. What a crazy way things have changed in 17 years.

 

[cyclonedave25]

Was sitting in Spanish class as a Soph in HS and watched it on TV. Still remember it like it happened yesterday.

 

[cstrunk]

I was a freshman in HS in keyboarding class. We also watched the 2nd plane hit live on TV. Can't believe it was 17 years ago now.

 

[2020cy]

I was in my backyard when the president and escort fighter jets flew over on the way to Nebraska.

 

[CloneinWDSM]

I was 12. I walked into home room first thing in the morning and the TV was on GMA or one of those shows. Didn’t really grasp what was going on, but remember watching coverage for days afterwards.

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

So I just had an interesting debate at a bar in Houston.

What year do people "forget" 9/11? The easiest comparison we could think of was Pearl Harbor. Sure lots of people know about it but how many people "care" about it on December 7th unless asked or informed or remembered for them? How many Americans could name the date? (I personally think it's far below 40%).

Others that came up were Columbine, the JFK assassination, the moon landing, end of the cold war, etc but they all paled in comparison to 9/11 until we got to Pearl Harbor.

Pearl Harbor these days is maybe a wreath ceremony. A small speech hy the president. A 10min news story but that's about it.

So when is 9/11 gonna go the way of Pearl Harbor? When majority of people weren't alive then? When there is another event that replaces it? What?

I think 9/11 will last longer than most for two reasons though. 1.) we have major pictures, video, and coverage of it. We have so much visual evidence that it will always jar us. 2.) we call it by its date. If we called it WTC attack day or something to that effect, it wouldn't be remembered as easily.

Just food for though

 

[Gonzo]

Was working at a college outside of Chicago, buddy in Denver called me up to tell me about first plane crashing into the tower, we figured it was an accident. As we were talking on the phone the second plane crashed into the other tower. Went to the campus cafeteria and spent the next several hours watching the TVs, when the first tower collapsed the audible groan from students and staff in there watching is something I'll never forget. To this day I get an email from my boss at the time every Sept. 11 about how she came down to the caf and the first thing she saw was me sitting alone at a table watching the TV before she looked at the screen and saw the tower collapse.

 

[Gonzo]

So I just had an interesting debate at a bar in Houston.

What year do people "forget" 9/11? The easiest comparison we could think of was Pearl Harbor. Sure lots of people know about it but how many people "care" about it on December 7th unless asked or informed or remembered for them? How many Americans could name the date? (I personally think it's far below 40%).

Others that came up were Columbine, the JFK assassination, the moon landing, end of the cold war, etc but they all paled in comparison to 9/11 until we got to Pearl Harbor.

Pearl Harbor these days is maybe a wreath ceremony. A small speech hy the president. A 10min news story but that's about it.

So when is 9/11 gonna go the way of Pearl Harbor? When majority of people weren't alive then? When there is another event that replaces it? What?

I think 9/11 will last longer than most for two reasons though. 1.) we have major pictures, video, and coverage of it. We have so much visual evidence that it will always jar us. 2.) we call it by its date. If we called it WTC attack day or something to that effect, it wouldn't be remembered as easily.

Just food for though

I think 9/11 will last because of the imagery. I'd also suggest adding the Challenger explosion to your list above. I was in 7th grade and will never forget the day that happened.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

For those old enough to know the day it will never be forgotten. Our country was forever altered that day. Our innocence was taken. Even now you are hearing stories the people who were in NYC and survived has passed away in the last 17 years due to the toxins that were in the air when the buildings collapsed.

I was a junior in college. I had an 8 am class and right before I left the car I heard something about the world trade center but the show I had on was a shock jock type show and figured it was a prank. Went into the class and as I left the class I went into the commons area and saw everyone just looking at the TV coverage.

 

[cyclonedave25]

So I just had an interesting debate at a bar in Houston.

What year do people "forget" 9/11? The easiest comparison we could think of was Pearl Harbor. Sure lots of people know about it but how many people "care" about it on December 7th unless asked or informed or remembered for them? How many Americans could name the date? (I personally think it's far below 40%).

Others that came up were Columbine, the JFK assassination, the moon landing, end of the cold war, etc but they all paled in comparison to 9/11 until we got to Pearl Harbor.

Pearl Harbor these days is maybe a wreath ceremony. A small speech hy the president. A 10min news story but that's about it.

So when is 9/11 gonna go the way of Pearl Harbor? When majority of people weren't alive then? When there is another event that replaces it? What?

I think 9/11 will last longer than most for two reasons though. 1.) we have major pictures, video, and coverage of it. We have so much visual evidence that it will always jar us. 2.) we call it by its date. If we called it WTC attack day or something to that effect, it wouldn't be remembered as easily.

Just food for though

I would think when most people who were alive when it happened have died, it will start to fade like Pearl Harbor. And by “alive” I mean somebody who was probably at least 13-14 years old at the time it happened. People who were old enough to comprehend what was happening. And you bring up a couple good points in that 9/11 will probably stick around longer than Pearl Harbor because of the date and all of the video and pictures from ground zero.

The Boston Marathon Bombing is another event that will be remembered, but obviously not to the scale of 9/11.

 

[HFCS]

I hadn't even thought that some people who are almost adults weren't alive or barely alive then.

I had just finished college that summer, hadn't gotten a "real job" yet and actually hit snooze alarm on my clock radio several times until the little bits and pieces of the radio told me something was incredibly wrong.

I guess for someone my age Vietnam was like 911 would be to a 15 or 20 year old now. I constantly heard about it and there were tons of articles, books and movies about it during my youth and young adulthood, but it all happened a few years before I was born so I'll never really get what it was truly like. Not saying it's apples to apples, but definitely something tragic that shaped a generation.

 

[cyclone101]

I hadn't even thought that some people who are almost adults weren't alive or barely alive then.

I had just finished college that summer, hadn't gotten a "real job" yet and actually hit snooze alarm on my clock radio several times until the little bits and pieces of the radio told me something was incredibly wrong.

I guess for someone my age Vietnam was like 911 would be to a 15 or 20 year old now. I constantly heard about it and there were tons of articles, books and movies about it during my youth and young adulthood, but it all happened a few years before I was born so I'll never really get what it was truly like. Not saying it's apples to apples, but definitely something tragic that shaped a generation.

I was thinking of that earlier. Lot's of HS juniors weren't even born yet. They were sitting in American History class today and it was just another homework assignment for them. Pretty crazy.

 

[CyGuy5]

Since I’m a lot younger than most on this board, basically my entire life has been in post-9/11 America. It seems like it has really lost its significance to people my age and has little impact on them which is sad to see. Our country was changed forever that day.

 

[wxman1]

So I just had an interesting debate at a bar in Houston.

What year do people "forget" 9/11? The easiest comparison we could think of was Pearl Harbor. Sure lots of people know about it but how many people "care" about it on December 7th unless asked or informed or remembered for them? How many Americans could name the date? (I personally think it's far below 40%).

Others that came up were Columbine, the JFK assassination, the moon landing, end of the cold war, etc but they all paled in comparison to 9/11 until we got to Pearl Harbor.

Pearl Harbor these days is maybe a wreath ceremony. A small speech hy the president. A 10min news story but that's about it.

So when is 9/11 gonna go the way of Pearl Harbor? When majority of people weren't alive then? When there is another event that replaces it? What?

I think 9/11 will last longer than most for two reasons though. 1.) we have major pictures, video, and coverage of it. We have so much visual evidence that it will always jar us. 2.) we call it by its date. If we called it WTC attack day or something to that effect, it wouldn't be remembered as easily.

Just food for though

I had the same thought yesterday. Not necessarily that it will be forgotten but when it will become almost just another day.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

I was a senior in high school and was home sick.

My parents had forgotten to turn the TV off when they left for work so I went out into the living room just to turn the TV off and go back to bed but saw the first tower was smoking and sat down to see what was going on and the second plane flew in a few minutes later.

Definitely one of those moments where your brain goes 'Nah, that's not what I just saw'

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

I was in my backyard when the president and escort fighter jets flew over on the way to Nebraska.

My parents told us later they also saw what had to be the President's plane because of the no-fly situation. They live about an hour east of Des Moines.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

When do people forget about 9-11? When does it lose its importance? I think the answers vary according to whether you're talking about society in general or people as individuals. For me, I will always remember what I was doing, who I was with, the weather on that day, waiting to hear where the closest blood donation site would be set up, realizing none of us had an emergency plan for contacting relatives -- because what would ever happen to make that necessary?

The eeriest part of my day was when I went to a meeting on campus for some last-minute planning for a conference just a week away. The bright blue sky, very few clouds and absolutely no air traffic. Knowing that if I did hear an airplane, most likely something really bad was about to happen and there was nothing I could do about it.

I think 9-11 is our generation's Pearl Harbor. It was awful but we lived through it. And we never want it to happen again.

 

[wxman1]

I was in sixth grade. I remember a feeling or hearing about something bad had happened between band and math. My math teacher had the TV on until class started and that is when I really round out (although I don't think I had any idea what the WTC was or anything like that). The district had directed to leave the TVs off, I know some did not follow that but 99% did. My mom worked at the school so I rode home with her. I think we went to a gas station to buy a special edition paper but they were sold out. Unrelated to the tragedy but I also remember my dad getting home late because the union at his employer was on strike so the office people were working on the floor too. We watched some at home that night but my parents eventually decided enough was enough and we went for a walk. Saw some good neighbors out kind of doing the same thing.

The next night or so church hosted a special "service"/get together with other area churches that we went to.

 

[NWICY]

Seen it when went in for breakfast. The thing that amazed me is how quiet it was after the no fly order was in effect. Out in the country it became truly quiet.

 

[Clonefan32]

I was a Freshman in high school. I just remember the range of emotions that went into the entire day. Another teacher came in and alerted the class I was in that this had happened. My teacher turned it on for a few minutes and said "that's interesting" and went back to teaching. I think he, like most of us, figured it was an unfortunate accident. But as the day unfolded, with the second tower getting hit, the Pentagon, etc., you realized it wasn't an accident and what was an interest in an event turned to fear-- a realization we were under attack. I also remember it never dawning on me that the Towers would actually fall, and as they did the magnitude of how bad this really was hitting me.

Just a wild day I will remember as long as I live.