God bless everyone who was there. And to the families who lost a loved one. You are not forgotten...

Rain made your day difficult. Jet fuel and fire ended all days for 3000 people on 9-11-01
God bless all of us.

I'm sitting here in my office looking at pictures online of that day and can remember so clearly where I was..
I was still a little groggy that early morning when I took the call from my sister, saying,"wake up!the Twin Towers has been bombed and your Dad is down the street and Mom can't find him..let me call you back"...there it was the line that shook me and woke me up. I turned on the TV in my Los Angeles home and fell to my knees hoping that I can somehow pint point my dad out in the street. I couldn't help, like many others prayed and hoped that their loved ones were safe. 2 hours later, I received the call back, my Dad is alive. He is safe. But for the other families that lost their heroes on 9/11, I'm so sorry for your lose. May your hearts be filled joyful memories of them and that you will continue to be strong and courageous.

I always remember this day as the most devasting for our country. My heart is in morning for all the families who lost a loved one on this tragic day 8 yrs ago. May God Bless!

Time never stops. The moments that elicit blissful ecstasy, pure joy, and horrible pain seem to go on forever, and yet they are over as quickly as they started. These are the moments that tend to define us. We become tough and learn how to deal with pain; conversely we begin to understand what gives us joy, and how to hold on to the things that make us happy.  Joy and Pain. Time moves them on, until they intersect, and we remember.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, my alarm clock went off at the crack of dawn as it normally did. At the time I lived in a small town in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York called Wappingers Falls, about 80 miles north of New York City. Just a few weeks before, I had been hired as a consultant to Morgan Stanley, a large investment firm. I was hired as a quality assurance engineer, and my current job was to take ownership of the company intranet to make sure no bad data or content was passed onto the user base. It’s the kind of job that I love: analytical, solitary, and I could do it from anywhere. Because I worked in the technical group, we never really had set hours or schedules. As long as deadlines were met and projects did not fail, I had flexibility in my schedule. The absolute best part of my job? I worked in the south tower of the World Trade Center on the 64th floor.

So my alarm clock was buzzing. And I was more tired than usual. And then I made the most important decision of my life: I had decided to sleep in. There was no party the night before, I was not hung over; I was just sleepy, as simple as that. So I reached over from my warm bed and smacked the snooze button. And I closed my eyes and went back to sleep. This sequence of events happened at least three times before I finally crawled out of bed. And then the usual, mechanical events: take a shower, shave, brush my teeth, apply deodorant, dress, fix my hair, and out the door. I drove to the train station, and waited with the rest of the commuters at the Metro North train station. I did not recognize this group, but I was taking a later train. Right on schedule, the train came, and I settled in for my 80 minute trip into the city.

Working in NYC is portrayed as exciting in the movies, but it’s a lot more mundane in real life. From the moment the train ends its run at Grand Central Terminal, people are off and running like horses out of the track. Thousands run from the train to the next part of their journey. Some walk right to their offices, and some, like me, embarks on the third leg of their journey. First car, then train, now subway. I took the number six subway line to Fulton Street, and then walked to the WTC. I made my way down into the lower floors of GCT, fighting the crowds, mind thinking of nothing in particular. I made it to the subway platform, now 1 hour and 40 or so minutes into my commute. In 20 minutes, I would be on an express elevator to the 64th floor of a building I was ridiculously proud to be in.

The subway came, and I boarded. Since I was running late that day, it was not crowded, which was nice. I had the luxury of sitting, which I normally did not do. I watched each station fly by as the train made its way down town. Sometimes I’d be rewarded with a glimpse of a pretty woman, or a dancing man, or some other typical New York sight. Today was different. There would be no happy sights for the rest of the day.

About half way down town, a woman stood up. She had a confused look on her face. She made the following announcement to the rest of the passengers in the car: “Excuse me people, but I just heard that there was a problem at the world trade center”. This being New York, people take things they hear with a grain of salt. I looked at her. She did not look crazy. She looked like a typical woman in her 40’s dressed like she was on her way to some office, one ear attached to a small radio she was holding. I gave her a momentary glance, and then went about my window watching. Less then a minute later, the conductor made an announcement: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’ve just received word that the Fulton Street subway station has been closed. The train will end its run at the Wall Street station”. Now I was interested. To be honest, I was a bit pissed, as I now had to walk an extra few blocks to work. The rest of the ride was uneventful, if not quiet. Nobody was talking; the only sound heard was the metal grinding on metal sound that a subway makes. Eventually the train stopped and the doors opened. I exited the train and looked for the subway exit. I spotted the steps that led up to the city and I made my way towards them. When I made it to ground level, I knew right away that the world as I knew it had ended.

The first thing I noticed was the papers. Almost like a tickertape parade, paper blew in the wind all around me. Except this was not tickertape. This was full sheets of paper, with company letterhead, many of them singed and burning. The next thing I noticed was the smell. Acrid, heavy smoke, like a building on fire all at once seemed to engulf me. The Wall Street subway station faces away from the WTC, so as I noticed the paper and the smell, I still did not see the cause. I then turned around and saw a sight so amazing that I could have been watching a movie. The two towers, which loomed so high over the Manhattan skyline, were burning. From where I was standing, there was also a gaping hole in Tower two. It was such an amazing and unbelievable sight to behold that I was stunned in place for what seemed like minutes. Then I got hold of myself and began to walk toward the towers. I had to get closer to see how bad the damage was. I also had friends who worked there. I made my way closer.

When I got as close as the Police would allow, I could see the full depth of the damage. Both towers had gaping wounds near the top. In the plaza at the bottom, where I had eaten lunch not 12 hours ago, were large chunks of debris, along with thousands of pieces of paper, and uniformed men running in and out. My senses were alive and overloaded with sights of unimaginable destruction, the smell of smoke and unnamed chemicals, and the screams of thousands. I was frozen in place drinking all of this in until I saw a sight that both jarred me into action and managed to be even more terrible than what I had seen so far. A body, far into the distance but recognizable, had appeared out of a window and was now falling to the ground. At my distance, it was little more than a spec, but I knew what I was looking at. The spec disappeared behind another building, but I knew its eventual fate. It was at that minute I knew I had to move.

I then started walking. I walked slowly, with no direction at first. I was in a state of shock since I left the subway, and I did not know what do. Eventually the screams of those around me woke me into action. Thousands were all around me; screaming, running, staring. I then became more focused and made a plan. I found Broadway and began to walk uptown. I knew that I was not going to find any sort of transportation, so I resolved to walk back to Grand Central. I left the carnage behind me and hiked uptown. Minutes went by that could have been hours. All around me the scene was chaos. Smoke in the air, people running, sirens, screams, sobs. I put my head down and continued to walk. All of a sudden I noticed people running past me at full speed. I lifted my head and looked around. I then heard a deafening roar that literally shook the ground. I turned around and saw the most awesome spectacle I had ever seen: The tower was falling right behind me. It’s difficult to describe the scene: The tower fell on top of itself; the TV antenna still standing tall as it fell down onto the lower floors. The cloud of smoke and debris was immense. And, I noticed, coming towards me quickly. I then joined the mass of New Yorkers running away from the cloud that was quickly overtaking us. Luckily, I was far enough away that I was only barley touched by the smoke. When I felt safe I stopped, turned, and looked. The Tower had completely fallen; it was gone. What was left was a wake of destruction I could have never even imagined in my worst dreams. I stood in the middle of Broadway, tears streaking down my face, sobbing. Everything I had known up to that point in my life had escaped me. The only reality was that I had been witness to one of the greatest tragedies that this country would ever see, and that I had come close to death just moments ago. The rest of the day came and went, but a small part of me never left that spot on Broadway and all I could feel was the crushing sadness of all of those who had lost their lives, yet the gratefulness that I had because I was still alive. Joy and pain intersect, and we remember.


Patrick Varas
Quality Assurance Manager
1 212 806 3864 t
1 845  453 2539 m
patrick.varas@alacra.com

Alacra, Inc.
100 Broadway, Suite 1101
New York, New York 10005

I think this day will be my generation's "Pearl Harbor"...I was teaching first grade in a private school. In between classes and lunchtimes, I ran into the lounge to check the latest news. I thank God I had my small ones to keep me grounded and sane...they are now high school freshmen, and I know that our first grade family will be forever bonded by that day.

I just want to say is
God Bless America and may
we never forget.

AS I SAT HERE TODAY AND WATCHED 100'S OF FAMILIES ON TV SAY THERE FAMILY MEMBERS NAME AND CRY,AND WATCH CHILDREN WHO NOW HAVE NO MOTHER OR FATHER.THEN I READ THE NEWS THAT KADAFY IS COMING TO THIS COUNTRY I WAS APPALED THAT SOMEINE LIKE HIM BE ALLOWED ENTRY INTO OUR COUNTRY.WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR GOVERNMENT.THEN THEY ALLOWED THAT TERRORIST TO LEAVE JAIL BECAUSE HE HAS CANCER,HE SHOULD ROT AND SUFFER IN JAIL A MILLION TIMES.I ALWAYS THOUGHT WE WERE SUCH A STRONG COUNTRY,BUT WE ARE NOT.WE ALLOW THESE PEOPLE TO LOOK DOWN ON US AND BURN OUR FLAG.THEN WE ALLOW THEM AND SUPPORT THEM ON WELFARE TO LIVE HERE.PLEASE TELL ME HOW THIS COULD BE.BUT TO ALL MY FELLOW AMERICANS WHO LOST MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES TO THESE ERRORISTS,YOU WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY HEART AND PRAYERS,I WILL NEVER FORGET.GOD BLESS US ALL....

I think we should never forget what happend on this day.  It was the worst attack on American soil and those innocent family members that lost their lives for their country, but never signed up for it.  I remember that day as I watched the 2nd airplane fly into the tower and watching them fall.  It still hurts.

today we remember those who were lost on 911
as a part time FF/EMT i share a special feeling
for this day. So, lets remember all who died that day
including the 343 NYFD FF who answered their last alarm,  not forgetting the many other responders who were lost as well.

I was on a Southwest plane arriving in Houston that morning.  I remember thinking, as we landed, that Hobby Airport was awful slow for such a usually busy area on a clear morning.  When we entered the terminal just in time to see the second tower get hit, everyone was stunned.  The next few days are a blur; driving back to Dallas, Love Field absolutely deserted on a Friday morning.  The mourning which strangely reminded me of the 60's when assasins put the country into tailspins on a regular basis.

Every year is very painful l imagin the grif that the family's and friends of those poor souls went through and are going through.
If we all stand still we can hear our hearts crying its a sad day, but soon we will have peace.

Freedom is still very much taken for granted.
Thank your military, even if you don't agree with your government.
Freedom is not free.
NEVER...EVER...FORGET

Still no word on a REAL investigation though... People need to storm the gates of Capitol Hill in D.C. and demand the justice they deserve. The thousands of grieving families are owed at least that much.  The nation as a whole is ENTITLED to find out what exactly happened that fatefull morning and who the TRUE culprits are.  What better pretext for war than a phony attack on American soil by a "terrorist" group that was trained by the CIA? I won't hold my breath though... we still don't even know the whole story about JFK and that was in 1963. I doubt the American public will ever have the closure they deserve.

I am still heartbroken over the events on 9/11 as are most Americans. I have heard other people say that is the day America lost its innocents. I believe that, we are no longer safe as we once were. It is always in the back of my mind at large events, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have never gotten over this, and I never will. My heart goes out to all the families of those who were so cold bloodedly murdered. It is said that "Grief if the price we pay for having loved." Never a truer word spoken. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

This is a very somber day. It is hard to imagine that I would see something like this in my lifetime. I was not born when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. My prayers and thoughts go out to all those people who lost their loved ones on that day. May God Bless them all and help them through this. God Bless America

God bless the people who have to struggle through this day every year for the rest of their lives.

It is just as painful to watch the coverage of that most horrible day today as it was eight years ago. We must never stop watching it so we will never forget. Unfortunately to many have. To all the souls that were lost on Sept. 11, 2001 and thier familys, God Bless you and God Bless America!

I have been crying most of this day.  Not only for the thousands who died, but for what the USA lost that day.  The land of freedom, peace, justice and hope lost her innocence.  I apologize if this offends, it's not my attention, but I still pray: God Bless, protect and heal the USA!  

Let us never forget those lives that were lost 9/11/2001.  Remember those left behind and those who fought so hard to save lives.

Eight years later, it still hurts to think about this tragedy.  Thank God we did not lose anyone we loved that day.  It is almost beyond imagining how many lives were affected and how many people still carry the physical and emotional scars from that terrible day.
On that day, we had many experiences. We don't normally turn on the tv during the day and, consequently, left the house around noon without knowing what had happened.  On the road, we were suddenly passed by about six or eight ambulances going north on US Rte 1. We first thought it was one of those community shows where emergency vehicles are on display for the public.  But it was a Tuesday. Normally, they only have these shows on a weekend. So we turned on the car radio.  That was when we first heard that the Pentagon had been hit by a plane. I told my husband that if these ambulances were going to Washington, DC, they were going the wrong way. My husband changed the radio station and that was when we heard that the Twin Towers had gone down.

We pulled off the road, because I was crying.  All I could think of was all the people.  There were no thoughts in our minds about terrorism or anything but the human lives that might have been lost.

As we continued on the road, we passed all the road advisory signs, each one reading "ALL ROADS TO NYC CLOSED".

I was able to drive my husband to work at Newark Airport, but we could not get in as access was closed. So we went to another facility of his company in Elizabeth, NJ.  Later on they said all work was cancelled because they work on airport shipments.

Then I went on to work.  I worked in a small public library at the time, in a commuter town.  Every day, there are a lot of kids there after school, waiting for their parents to pick them up after work.  That day, instead of having to tell the kids to quiet down, we had to cheer them up.  A lot of the kids didn't know if they would ever see their parents again, and there were a lot of emotional moments that still make me cry to remember, when parents and children were reunited.  It took one woman six hours to make it back from NYC to get her little girl, and she was among the last to arrive.  Her daughter had been crying quietly for about two hours by that time, so you can only imagine the scene when they ran to each other.  I think every one who worked there and all the people who were in the library cried.

All the days that followed were full of terrible and also good things. People who had not spoken to each other for years were motivated to do volunteer work and give blood.  American flags began to appear on most houses and businesses and even on people's cars.  Most members of our community rallied round the local mosque and members of the Islamic community to let them know that no one held them at all responsible.

So many memories.  Most not good.  I used to work in the South Tower and still have nightmares imagining I am there on the day of the disaster.  Many people I knew worked there, or in other buildings that were destroyed or stucturally compromised, including my two children. It was two days before I was able to speak with my children, during which time, I was tense with worry.

We will never forget that day.  Each year, on September 11th, I light a candle and observe a moment of silence in memorium of the lost lives.

Still hurts....

I REMEMBER IT VERY WELL;AND IT'S STILL LIKE A NIGHTMARE."HOW COULD THIS BE?,ANYWHERE,NOT AMERICA."THREE OF MY FRIENDS GOT KILLED THERE.WE ARE STILL FIGHTING.RESPECT TO THE COUNTRY,THE FIREFIGHTERS,THE NURSES,.WE ARE STILL STANDING FOR 9/11.GOD BLESS.

I am the sister of a firefighter lost on 9/11 and it has gotten harder thru the years. I will never understand the unjust lossses of life that day. But the most important thing to me is that 9/11 the loved ones lost NEVER BE FORGOTTEN !!!! Firefighter Manuel D. Mojica Jr. -Squad 18

Glenn Beck has made an interesting point. Why has rebuilding the towers taken so damn long, and why was the name changed from Freedom Tower to One World Tower?

I was leaving in Bay Side, NY back then and I never ever will forget the strange smell of the debries and... which came all the way to Bay Side from Manhattan. It was like an endless nightmare......

It is altogether proper and fitting, the rain in New York today; Mother nature or unseen forces, cried there today, as did millions, round the world. Perhaps it is not metaphorical at all, the rain. How much rain...to wash away the greyness of that day. I say, not in a millenium of rain, not enough to take away the grey, no, never enough.

I will never forget this day as long as I live. Nor will I forget the following weeks and months. I live on the West Coast, yet  I knew of friends & families who had lost at least one person if not more.  I remember the World Series that year and people saying that the Yankees lost because the Boston fans were rooting for them due to this and the football players running out onto the fields with the stars & stripes, all of the small children not playing their soccer games that first weekend because they were cancelled. As the nation, the families  and friends have moved on, the pain, the sorrow and the tears are still apparent, 8 years later. We will never know what it was like to be in the north tower when it collapsed, what it was like to be in the Pentagon when it was hit or be on the plane when everyone was fighting for control and their own survival. However we do know how important it is to remember,to take a moment, an hour or more to think about and pay respect to all of the people who lost their lives on that day.(However we also need to remember the first responders who to this day are having medical issues and need our  assistance.) When my children eventually ask me about this  day, about what happened, I am not sure what I will say, yet I know that the pain, the fear and the pure emotions will not be far away as I shall never forget any of it for the rest of my life.

8 years later and it's still sad.

Oh you mean we don't necessarily have to go out and plant a tree in order to honorably recognize this day? We have permission to remember that horrible day and keep the events of that day crystal clear in our minds and memories? We actually can articulate our very real pain still. Our honest angst still. Our anger still. Our true blue patriotism still? Our cares and concerns for our true brave members of this country's military keeping us safe - day in and day out - eight years later? Well good enough for me, then. As long as no one forces me to pick up trash in honor or 9/11 or plant a stinking tree somewhere, for Pete's sake. God forever bless the innocent victims of 9/11 - and their families. God bless us all.

A very sad day indeed.  Is it just me or does it, for the first time, seem like there is not the same kind of sadness that there has always been in the past.  Are people starting to move on, I hope we keep the promise of never forgetting them, the innocents, people just showing up for work, people running in to save them, I know I wont.

Bush wonders why people HATE him!Every year when I hang my flag I think if Bush had been doing his job 9/11 wouldn't have happened.

I realize the emotions people feel about this horrific event,and the sadness of so many innocent lives lost.But one thing that concerns me is it seems no one remembers the bombing of Pearl Harbor anymore and the lives lost there.I quess what I'm gettint at is that it was American soil also, and it's not being looked at as the Trade Center is.Don't get me wrong I'm 100 percent American but I feel as if some of our country men and women are forgeting about our fore fathers.Maybe it's because most of us wasn't around then but if we're going to do this for some that died on American soil Lets do it for all.May God Bless America and be with those that passed on in 9/11 as well as Pearl Harbor,

Yea and they want to make it a national day of service what is that.  It should be the national day of rememberance as to what can happen when you let your guard down.

I really wish America would remember this day, instead of bickering about Government Health Care.  I remember a Fire Fighter being interviewed that day and the News Person said how sad the scene was behind him.  He looked squarely into the camera and said, "what is behind me is not sad, we will take care of that, what is sad (again, pointing straight at the News Camera)is the fact you people will forget about this..that is what is sad."  The News Person had no response and they went to a comercial. WOW! That is what I remember about 911.

The day of that terrible event is still vivid in my mind.  I reside in Honolulu, Hawaii but I remembered waking up to the news showing pictures and I saw the second plane crashed into the second tower.  It was like out of some Hollywood action movie.  Then, I realized I was not watching a movie.  Several weeks later, I found out that I lost a relative who was working as a chef in one of the restaurant at the top of the tower.  This event affected everyone in some way or another.  I hope that we will never go through an event like this again.  I pray for those who lost their lives and I pray for those who are still here dealing with their lost.  Thank you to all who gave up their lives to save the lives of others.

The saddest tragedy for victims is the evidence leading to a massive government cover-up.  

i wished that sept 11 never happend but in the end it taught us all of us something, it taught us to be strong, to stand up for freedom, and never take life for granted

To all 911 victims and specially flight 93 people on board who made the ultimate sacrifize..From all of us in the United States of America. Thank you! You will never be forgotten. May God grant you all eternal peace..And to my staff and friends loss in flight 93 and the towers..You will forever be in my heart...

http://www.youtube.com/whinecellarstudio   9/11 Tribute video from
my Friend Jim Daneker, Nashville TN composer. Please never forget!!!!!

We struggle to put words to an agony that was so far beyond our scope of imagination, both that day and this. To go one step further and try to offer up the gratitude of a heart broken nation to people who died so violently and needlessly seems too much for me to comprehend. As a nation, down to the very last one of us, American can NEVER let this date pass without pausing to reflect on it's impotance and vowing that this will not ever happen to our country again.

9/11 was an inside job.  Your government lied to you.

Let's never forget.  I know I won't.  I cry every year.  But the fact that it is taking so long to erect a memorial is a shameful thing; we should've had one years ago.  May everyone who perished rest in peace and always held dear in our hearts.  As John Donne said when the bells toll they told for all of us because we are all somehow connected.

God Bless.  

This was a melancholy day eight years ago. We are all members of the same body. My prayers are with all that God continues to provide us with that strength that surpasses all understanding as we are taught in Philippians 4:7.

Although this is a sad day and we should never forget all the innocent lives lost on September 11th, I believe the one way we can honor all these people is to try and make a positive difference in other people's lives, be grateful for every day that God gives us, and that we should all find a way to volunteer, whether it be our church, community, boys and girls clubs, etc.  Politics has to become less polar.  We are all proud Americans and we need to work together and set aside our differences and try to find common goals for the better of all Americans.  For all those that lost loved ones and friends, I pray God will bless you and bring you peace.

I find it very discouraging that they have chose to change the name from Freedom Tower to One World Trade Center, especially after part of the world attacked us.  When will we wake up?  

The computer image of the Pentagon shows a single hole.  Why aren't the windows broken where the wings and engines would have hit?  Why aren't the first responders allowed to tell what they saw?  Did they see human remains or airplane parts?  Where were the engines?
Why did W. Bush allow at least one plane load to fly to Saudi Arabia during the no-fly week?  Was Osama bin Laden among the passengers?

I will never forget what happened on this day. I was in 8th gr when it happened. I didnt know what happened until I got home and turned the tv on. Innocent lives were taken and we didnt know anything about it. In Loving Memory of the innocent lives that were taken on that day. Even though, I didnt lose anybody on that day, it feels like I did someone but my hearts go out to the families who did.

Hard to believe, Ron Allen, that no comments have yet appeared. I can only imagine the inpact of being in your place today.

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