The Stovebolt Site Forums The Back Office News and Announcements 9/11 Memorials

In honor of this day in history, I posts these simple words:

"On this day, I again raise our country's flag and raise my hand in salute to honor all those we lost, the survivors, their relatives, and our country on that day of 11 September 2001 and its aftermath.

I do this not just as a display of respect, but in the hope that none will forget and all will see that we do in fact remember and keep them in our hearts and prayers forever."

Others before me and many after have and will probably write with more eloquent words. This is just my humble attempt to put my feelings into words that can be shared.

EDIT: The above was written and posted in the early morning sunrise hours of 9/11/2022 just after i posted our Nations colors at our home. After reading John M's eloquent words that really helped better define what I was feeling, I would like to add the following about the rest of that day:

My wife and I had considered not going to the race on Sunday (concerned how it would appear attending a sporting event on such a solemn day). In years past, we have watched as the NASCAR community has often stepped up to pay honor and respect to both the active military and veteran community's. With that in mind, we decided to go and SUPER glad we did go. The Speedway, NASCAR community and fans really stepped up to the plate to display honor and respect for the day. The traveling memorial pictured below was great by itself, but here are a few (not all) of the other things that happened yesterday:
-A local Scout Troop Unfurled and displayed a super-sized National flag (I must forward the picture to Peggy M so she can add).
-A moment of silence held to honor those lost on 9/11 and its aftermath.
-A live country band played several songs that recalled 9/11, the Global War on Terror, support for military veterans and current service members (and their families) and acknowledging the sacrifices made.
-Lee Greenwood sang two of his songs, including "God Bless the USA" (came out when I was deployed to Desert Shield/Desert Storm and yes it brought the tears).
-A mass multi-service enlistment/re-enlistment ceremony with more than 30 service-members, witnessed by the entire crowd (along with a big round of applause and words of thanks for their future and continuing service).
-A call out for all current and former military and their families present (each branch of service one at a time, including Federal civilian military support) to stand and raise their hands to be recognized as the "1%" of our country's population that volunteers to support and defend our country.

I know I felt a positive sense of the community's respect and recognition of the memory of 9/11 and all related things. These things represent a feeling for me that there is still hope in the world that there will be better times to come IMHO.

Thanks to all in this outstanding community for allowing me to share.

Well said Dan!

Don

You speak for all of us, Dan.

The day brings up a lot of emotion for those of us old enough to remember watching those horrible events happen in real time. For some, it may even bring back memories of friends and family lost that day and in the long years of war that followed. Too many friends gone. And many more who will bear the scars, both physical and emotional of taking the fight back to those who started it, for the rest of their lives.

The evil that unleashed the events of 9-11 still exists out there and even among us, now. The fight continues. For those of us with Faith, we know that the fight will ultimately be won and our faith brings us strength and courage even as the days seem dark. Darker, perhaps. There is still work yet remaining here in the physical world. We seem to be missing the strength and unity we had in the days following the 9-11 attacks. I would hope that here in our small, little corner of our culture, as inconsequential and irrelevant as it may be to others, we can continue to do what we've always done here -- be kind and supportive of one another. To bring strength where it is needed, even if only a kind word. To hold that evil out.

Stovebolters are a varied lot with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. But we still share one thing ... beyond just a love of these old *things* I think that we have a bond and a "love" even for each other that helps us look beyond the superficial to the meaningful in each other. Sure, we connect through the trucks, but that we gladly share with each other our knowledge, experience and support *beyond* the trucks speaks to our "better angels" and the true strength and meaning of what we can accomplish here.

Even if evil swirls around us and attacks us, even if our increasingly shallow and vapid culture looks past us seeing only a bunch of weirdos and their old trucks, we know and act better. We're still us. People who matter to each other and care. Our commonalities matter vastly more than our differences.

The evil will always be there, until that Last Day. Our friends and neighbors, not so. We should, as Dan said so well, keep that in front. Let the day serve to remind us of that.

Here Here!! Both Dan and John.
I couldn't have said it better.

I was on the way to the airport for work trip that morning, and the airport was deserted when I got there and heard the news. So I went back home to work on a project I had going on.
The sky was eerily quiet except for a couple F15's orbiting the city on patrol. The entire airspace was shut down to protect us from a potential further attack. There were a few guys out hunting in the bush with their small planes who hadn't heard the news that got surprised by the F15 coming up on their wing to command them to land. The government and military went to extraordinary lengths to keep us safe. It's unfortunate that they couldn't do anything to stop the attacks, but would they have sacrificed the occupants of the hijacked planes to save others? That's a tough call. The heroes on Flight 93 that prevented the 4th group of terrorists from accomplishing their mission should be awarded the Medal of Honor for what they did. Fortunately, there are more heroes among us that are working hard to keep us safe. May they be successful in the ongoing fight.

Another year gone by ... 22 now. Hard to imagine as the events of that day are so vivid in my memory, as is the pain of losing Fellow U,S, Naval Academy Alumni (and one one friend/classmate -- Ron Vauk) that day and a coworker in the company I was working for at the time (CAPT Yamnicky). CAPT Yamnicky was a USNA classmate of my dad's (1952).

What we've said before still stands. I feel no need to add to it. Just to remind everyone of the solemn occasion and to ask you all to reread this thread from the beginning.

And to consider that we are still a nation under attack by both foes foreign *and* domestic . And despite whatever your individual political views may be, we are still *AMERICANS* in a country blessed by God to provide light to this dark world.

May we continue to be worthy of such a calling.

And may God bless all those who sacrificed so much on 9-11 and in the long years following.

Semper Fidelis,
John

I hope you do not mind my special remembrance of Father Mychal Judge (corpse #1) - attached image

Of course not. That is what this is for. Sorry to hear of this special loss for you. Tell us more about him, if you like. We'd like to know. Remembering 9-11 is about the people, too.

Mychal Judge - Wikipaedia

He was associated with the Franciscan College, Siena College, Loudonville, NY, where I worked for many years (near Albany, NY).

Please delete this post if it is inappropriate.

Two other "facts" regarding 9-11

1. Many more people would have died at the Pentagon, if that plane had hit any other side of the Pentagon - that plane hit the only side that was under construction - relatively few people were in that side when that plane hit it.

2. After Osama Ben Laden realized that 100% of the people died above the floor where the planes hit each tower - he said that he should have directed the planes to hit much lower into each tower.

Never Forget

Colors are posted!

My memories and the pain of that day remain clear and indelible in my mind. I can only hope that the rest of our fellow Americans all remember those lost then and since that day and pay respect to their memories.

NEVER FORGET!

Hooah,
Dan

This morning started out like none other. We usually start with some news and were curious what outfall came from the weekend events. We figured the 9-11 coverage may not be the main story. But, I guess it depends on where you get your news.

The story in Breitbart : "9/11: A Visual History" looked of interest, given the image composite. I had looked for a few good images to use here with this announcement and the News Corner.



What happened as I entered their "Visual History" swept over me like I hadn't expected. From new grief and sadness to remembered disbelief and fear as the story of that day unfolded. We are only 90 minutes south of DC. Many friends and family lived and worked in DC or close. The Navy base here was let out and it was a major traffic jam. The phone lines were jammed, too. What WAS happening?

Like most people, some of the story I heard first hand day of. Some I heard later over the next few days. Some a few years later as they were made public. Some I had never heard or seen. And a few of the stories still go unanswered. And all new emotions and some of them recalled again.


After a few of the "before" images of the NY skyline, I figured I needed to read a little. That reading included:

"Betty Ong, 45, a flight attendant aboard American Airlines Flight 11, was the first person to notify authorities that a plane had been hijacked and that two of her colleagues and a first class passenger had been stabbed."

“We are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low. Oh my God, we are flying way too low.”

Her last words said over and over again, “Pray for us. Pray for us.”

What follows is an 8 minute recording of that phone call, leading right up to the moment of impact.


Following that was a video captured the moment of impact when the hijackers flew into the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46am. These were the first images that the news had of the burning North Tower, including a video showing the first five minutes of cable news coverage.


Throughout this History, there were 911 calls, and calls to family members. The anguish. I felt terribly sad to read and especially to hear.


Still thinking it was a tragic airline accident, at 9:03, "the world watched in horror as hijackers flew the second plane (United Airlines Flight 175) into the South Tower."

That second plane removed any doubt that this was a terror attack, not pilot error. America was indeed at war. Because news crews were on the scene, we had coverage of the moment of the second strike.

"At 9:37am, the Islamic hijackers on board American Airlines Flight 77 crashed it into the Pentagon. The war had now reached the nation’s capital." Some of these images we had seen before but not the close-ups and the scale of the destruction. In those days, 22 years ago, I wonder if they wanted to shield the public from such awful carnage -- to gruesome to show.


So many unknowns. HOW can his be happening? WHO is doing this? WHAT is the issue here?


In less than an hour (9:45am), the FAA shut down US airspace -- the first time in history. No civilian flights were allowed to take off, and all aircraft in the air were ordered to land immediately at the nearest airport.

Ten minutes later, the South Tower of the World Trade Center began to collapse. These were images we had seen as the news unfolded. The 9-11 History had images and video of this we hadn't seen before.


Then there was Flight 93.

As the article states: "Were it not for the heroism of the passengers onboard who stormed the cockpit, the Islamic hijackers would have crashed the plane into either the U.S. Capitol dome or the White House."

"Beamer recited the Lord’s Prayer and the 23rd Psalm with a telephone operator, which prompted others on the plane to say the words with him. He then turned to his fellow passengers and said, 'Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll.' ”

At 10:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We didn't no much of the story then. More is covered since, including in this History.


Far from done with this attack on America, less than a half hour later, the news showed "the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, sending thousands of survivors fleeing from the smoke and debris engulfing Lower Manhattan in the wake of its destruction."

The dust hadn't settled. Far from it.

More video and images of President Bush addressing the Nation from the Oval office: “Today, our nation saw evil – the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America.”

A new emotion ignited. "The best of America" and we did see that, and there are many images showing that. But we know there were many more than can possibly be shown. Images of people coming together to pray, giving blood in masse, and then such a feeling of empathy and sympathy as images of people searching for their loved ones - men, women and children. Flyers posted at Ground Zero. A real sadness brought a pain in my gut to see this pain.


The images include the "next day" where military and first responders unfurled a large American flag on the roof of the Pentagon over the crash site. In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, a makeshift altar was assembled near the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93. A flag was raised over the rubble at Ground Zero. And more images showing the Nation coming together in prayer.


President Bush issued a proclamation calling for a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance on Friday, September 14, 2001. “I ask that the people of the United States and places of worship mark this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance with noontime memorial services, the ringing of bells at that hour, and evening candlelight remembrance vigils.”

The 9-11 History continued with images of the weeks that followed -- "we buried our dead." Among the heroes mourned were the 23 New York Police Department officers who died in the line of duty on 9/11 and the 343 New York City firefighters who lost their lives trying to rescue people from the burning towers. Burials continued for a long, long time. People continued to die from the attack, and still are.


An image of rescue and construction workers gathering around Father Brian Jordan who blessed the cross of steel beams found amidst the rubble of the WTC.


The History moved to the "other" responses. "The America people wanted swift justice. What followed was 20 years of wars."

On September 20, President Bush declared that the United States was engaged in an open-ended “war on terror.” The story goes on to say that, "In time, the United Stated did capture the men who were directly responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Nearly two years after the attacks, the 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed – who planned and organized the attacks – was captured in Pakistan on March 1, 2003. Ten years after the attacks, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was brought to justice. On May 2, 2011, President Obama announced that he was killed by a team of U.S. Navy SEALs."

The story shifts to the "war on terror" ... a "war" that has us on watch to this very day.

Over the years, the country rebuilt, the memorials arose, and each year we remembered.

The last images show some great scenes from various Days of Remembrance over the years.

"More than 500 Marines and Sailors with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and USS Belleau Wood commemorate the one-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks on September 6, 2002, by spelling out the now famous quote from Todd Beamer on the flight deck of the ship. Beamer was one of the passengers on United Flight 93, which crashed in a western Pennsylvania field after he and several other passengers attempted to regain control of the plane from terrorist hijackers." "9-11 Let's Roll"


But, to wrap this up for me, the American Center for Law and Justice ended their program today, with an image and audio clip from George Bush, at Ground Zero, with a megaphone, standing on top of a pile of rubble. "America today is on bended knee ... the Nation stands ... I CAN HEAR YOU." The crowd cheers. They needed to cheer. "The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down, will hear from all of us soon."

Remembering ....

A few more images.

2024 - 23 years.

Colors are posted at sunrise!

My memories and the pain of that day still bring tears to my eyes. It's been 23 years since that day and we have a new generation that wasn't here when that happened. I talked with my 14 year old granddaughter yesterday about what she thought of 9-11??? She really didn't seem to have a good grasp of the immensity of what happened and how it has long affected those of us that did experience it. So we took the time to go through old news reports, videos and pictures. After sharing these things, we both shed a lot of tears, she has a much better/bigger understanding today. The kids/young adults of today really don't know the pain and heartache, so it's up to us to help our fellow Americans all remember those lost then and since that day and pay respect to their memories.

NEVER FORGET!

Hooah,
Dan

Ladies and Gents,

Today has been interesting!

Last Friday, our neighbor hood put up flags (I’ve made 68 since May), a flag line, and other decorations to honor and remember the day our world changed. As I walked outside to take pictures (around the time the planes hit), I noticed that the wind had died completely. A short time later, the wind picked back up and been blowing ever since.

I was also contacted by a local that wants to do a story on the flags.

Where were you when the towers fell?

God Bless,

Chris

I was driving to work when the South Tower collapsed. When I arrived, everyone was glued to the TV set, and I watched the North Tower fall. I was in shock. I couldn't believe it.

There will always be evil in the world until the devil is cast in the lake of fire. Until then, we have to trust in God to keep us safe, pray for those we love, and ask God to put a fence around us to keep the evil out. Many people don't realize that this is all a part of a larger spiritual battle that has raged since Lucifer was cast out of heaven and will only end when he is cast into the lake of fire and peace reigns forever.

I watched a movie recently, "The World Trade Center." I'm not sure when this movie was made. I'm hoping it's pretty accurate. There are some interesting comments in the YT video.

I did learn a few things that I hadn't heard before. I wonder how much more we have learned about that day?

My almost 16 year old granddaughter and I talked on the way home from school today on how we will remember and honor the events and loss from 9/11 tomorrow. She has a much better grasp on what happened and how it affected our country then and now. She said she asked her teacher today if there was a plan to pause and reflect and honor those lost. The response was basically that there wasn't a planned observance. She said she told her teacher they should make an effort to remember and honor not only those lost that day, but in the days, months and years since. The teacher agreed and has set aside time for remembrance and discussion to help those that didn't live through it understand and hopefully grasp the immensity of what happened.

I thanked her for making the effort to carry on with something she only knows through exposure and the sharing of what happened as it is so important that these things be remembered and honored.

My day will start with the raising of our colors and a salute to our flag. Then another salute to all those we've lost and a prayer in my heart throughout the day for those left to carry on.

NEVER FORGET

Hooah

Dan and John, God Bless YOU and God Bless America. 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

What a long day ...

Between the anniversary of 9-11, the evil manifest in Charlie Kirk's assassination yesterday and, for me, the event at my beloved alma mater today (the U.S. Naval Academy) that absolutely consumed my afternoon ...

One can not help but consider that our Nation and our world are hurtling towards the darkness described by the Apostle John in the book of Revelations.

What are we to do?

As I stated 3 years ago (above), we hold to what we know is good -- our faith in God and in each other. Here in our little corner, seemingly inconsequential ... but is it? Let us resolve to hold the darkness back. Stand with each other. Build on our commonalities to hold each other up to keep this dream of our forefathers alive. Put aside what petty differences we have and concentrate on our bonds, whatever they may be. We are stronger together. Even if just with grease and wrenches, let a renewal begin here. With us.

Let's not forget the day's sacrifices for another year. The best way to commemorate is to build back together. Forget the differences as they are petty. Seek the bonds. They are what make us strong.

And may God continue to bless this great Nation.

Semper Fidelis!