Comments on: This Week in the World: 9/11 changed everything. What did it change for you? http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/10/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/ By Meryl Runion and SpeakStrong, Inc. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:24:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: merylrunion http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/10/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1885 merylrunion Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:49:02 +0000 http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/09/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1885 Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. Wow. That’s all I can say. Wow.

]]> By: Cynthia Mueller http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/10/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1741 Cynthia Mueller Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:12:53 +0000 http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/09/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1741 My phone rang around 5:45 am. I heard my brother's voice asking "Where does Carrie work?" I couldn't figure out what he was asking and why he hadn't said "Hello." He just kept asking where our sister worked. Finally, I answered that her office is near White Plains airport. He instructed me to turn on the television and I sat up in bed to watch the next plane hit. I hung up and called my sister, who was 8 1/2 months pregnant. Her husband works in the NY Stock Exchange bldg and she was unable to reach him via phone. He was missing for approximately 8 hours. Throughout the first three or four hours, I was unable to respond, to get up and get dressed or do anything except call my sister and my three brothers, and a couple of friends. Then call again and again. On 9/11/01, I had just closed my business down and everything had to be out of the building by 6:00 pm. By 11:00 am, I was up and dressed and loading boxes into vans in a daze. I couldn't catch my breath. I couldn't cry. I just kept my body moving -- pick up a box, move the box, load the box, turn around and pick up a box... The hardest part? It was all too hard to process. The phone calls to victim's loved ones from the planes, the people jumping, the people running in the street, the buildings falling, the smoke, the rubble. The absolute silence in our skies when all the air travel was suspended. The sight of fighter jets flying combat air patrols over our borders. The relentless news coverage I used the terror attack to keep from feeling the loss of my business I'd started from the ground up. I used the loss of the business to keep from feeling the horror of the terror attack. At the first available opportunity to fly, I hopped a plane to JFK and stayed with my sister while she gave birth to her second son. The miracle of a new life...that was my medicine. My phone rang around 5:45 am. I heard my brother’s voice asking “Where does Carrie work?” I couldn’t figure out what he was asking and why he hadn’t said “Hello.” He just kept asking where our sister worked. Finally, I answered that her office is near White Plains airport. He instructed me to turn on the television and I sat up in bed to watch the next plane hit. I hung up and called my sister, who was 8 1/2 months pregnant. Her husband works in the NY Stock Exchange bldg and she was unable to reach him via phone. He was missing for approximately 8 hours. Throughout the first three or four hours, I was unable to respond, to get up and get dressed or do anything except call my sister and my three brothers, and a couple of friends. Then call again and again.

On 9/11/01, I had just closed my business down and everything had to be out of the building by 6:00 pm. By 11:00 am, I was up and dressed and loading boxes into vans in a daze. I couldn’t catch my breath. I couldn’t cry. I just kept my body moving — pick up a box, move the box, load the box, turn around and pick up a box…

The hardest part? It was all too hard to process. The phone calls to victim’s loved ones from the planes, the people jumping, the people running in the street, the buildings falling, the smoke, the rubble. The absolute silence in our skies when all the air travel was suspended. The sight of fighter jets flying combat air patrols over our borders. The relentless news coverage

I used the terror attack to keep from feeling the loss of my business I’d started from the ground up. I used the loss of the business to keep from feeling the horror of the terror attack.

At the first available opportunity to fly, I hopped a plane to JFK and stayed with my sister while she gave birth to her second son. The miracle of a new life…that was my medicine.

]]> By: Alice Kieft http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/10/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1719 Alice Kieft Tue, 11 Sep 2007 21:54:57 +0000 http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/09/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1719 9/11 Where were you 2001? Body: I was on vacation. I had just had some coffee, and was sitting down to watch "The Price is Right" and flipped on the tv and saw the first plane going into the towers. I though, OMG, I must have an old station where they are showing war movies! Then, live coverage revealed it was real. I started crying and did not stop for days. I was l.iving in NYC when the towers were built. There was so much outrage because they would ruin the skyline! Now, without them, the skyline does not seem real. I worked for a Travel Agency that booked about 50% of the passengers on those flights out of Boston...not the terrorists, but the everyday folks like you and me. I went to work that next day and our agency had set up an emergency line for our travellers who were grounded and needed to get home. We had one client who was grounded in St. Louis. His wife had been on one of the WTC flights and he had to get home to his children. We hired a Chauffered Limo with 2 drivers to drive him straight through for 24 hours...he was able to be with his kids when they were told. There were so many heros that day, that it is hard not to cry again. I flew home that Oct. for my niece's wedding, and the security at Boston Airport was unbelievable, but no one complained. We were all still in shock. Today, I am thinking of all the men and women who were killed that day, and all those who went into the buildings to help-some of whom did not come out - and all those who helped on the ground at hospitals and trauma centers. All those who cared enough not to ask if they got sick from the thick air, would they be able to afford the medicine they need. Some of those people today are asking that because they cannot get insurance or afford their medicine. What kind of a country are we where our insurance companies penalize those who helped that day. Sorry...I was going to go into the healthcare system on another day, and I will. Today let us just send light to the survivors and the families of those who were so courageous that day... 9/11 Where were you 2001?
Body: I was on vacation. I had just had some coffee, and was sitting down to watch “The Price is Right” and flipped on the tv and saw the first plane going into the towers. I though, OMG, I must have an old station where they are showing war movies! Then, live coverage revealed it was real. I started crying and did not stop for days. I was l.iving in NYC when the towers were built. There was so much outrage because they would ruin the skyline! Now, without them, the skyline does not seem real. I worked for a Travel Agency that booked about 50% of the passengers on those flights out of Boston…not the terrorists, but the everyday folks like you and me. I went to work that next day and our agency had set up an emergency line for our travellers who were grounded and needed to get home. We had one client who was grounded in St. Louis. His wife had been on one of the WTC flights and he had to get home to his children. We hired a Chauffered Limo with 2 drivers to drive him straight through for 24 hours…he was able to be with his kids when they were told. There were so many heros that day, that it is hard not to cry again. I flew home that Oct. for my niece’s wedding, and the security at Boston Airport was unbelievable, but no one complained. We were all still in shock. Today, I am thinking of all the men and women who were killed that day, and all those who went into the buildings to help-some of whom did not come out - and all those who helped on the ground at hospitals and trauma centers. All those who cared enough not to ask if they got sick from the thick air, would they be able to afford the medicine they need. Some of those people today are asking that because they cannot get insurance or afford their medicine. What kind of a country are we where our insurance companies penalize those who helped that day. Sorry…I was going to go into the healthcare system on another day, and I will.

Today let us just send light to the survivors and the families of those who were so courageous that day…

]]> By: Mary http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/10/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1718 Mary Tue, 11 Sep 2007 21:50:04 +0000 http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/09/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1718 I was thinking about this on the way to work this morning. There are still many remembrance activites around the country on September 11. 9/11 was tragic and it has affected me and my family profoundly. It was surreal watching it on TV, could this really be happening? I have become more protective of my family. I also do not take air travel lightly anymore. I also think though that as a country, we should remember that even though this tragic event occurred, it is one event and we can take this one day to remember that one event and the people that suffered and those that died, but there are so many countries that could take all 365 days to remember events like this...acts of terrorism and living in constant fear. I was thinking about this on the way to work this morning. There are still many remembrance activites around the country on September 11. 9/11 was tragic and it has affected me and my family profoundly. It was surreal watching it on TV, could this really be happening? I have become more protective of my family. I also do not take air travel lightly anymore. I also think though that as a country, we should remember that even though this tragic event occurred, it is one event and we can take this one day to remember that one event and the people that suffered and those that died, but there are so many countries that could take all 365 days to remember events like this…acts of terrorism and living in constant fear.

]]> By: Patty Thomas http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/10/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1713 Patty Thomas Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:03:05 +0000 http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/09/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1713 My experience was how it changed my patriotism. Although I believed I was patriotic I really did not do much about it. I think I had a false sense that our nation was so powerful that no nation would mess with us in a way that could really impact our people directly. This made me pretty blase about political issues and how they related to me. I also did not do much to support or even appreciate what our military does in sacrifice to keep us safe. I feel that in general we all recigonize the importance of our Fire/Police and Miltary forces. Will all the political objection to the war No One critizes our military. My experience was how it changed my patriotism. Although I believed I was patriotic I really did not do much about it. I think I had a false sense that our nation was so powerful that no nation would mess with us in a way that could really impact our people directly.

This made me pretty blase about political issues and how they related to me. I also did not do much to support or even appreciate what our military does in sacrifice to keep us safe. I feel that in general we all recigonize the importance of our Fire/Police and Miltary forces. Will all the political objection to the war No One critizes our military.

]]> By: slccom http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/10/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1710 slccom Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:17:59 +0000 http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/09/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1710 In contrast with you, Meryl, I learned on 9/11 that we have outstanding leadership. Fighter planes WERE scrambled, once we were sure we were under attack. President Bush continued to calmly read to the children until he had some definitive information. Some commentators apparently seemed to believe that he should have stopped and started running around the room, screaming, instead. I was watching it live, and there was massive confusion at first. The initial plane hit and seemed to be an accident, which is not unheard of. Until the second plane hit we had no idea that we were under attack. All other planes were promptly grounded, and had Flight 93 continued instead of being brought down by heroes, it would undoubtedly have been shot down. Until that time, there was no reason to have a policy to shoot down civilian airliners. Now there is. Yet, should something happen and one be shot down, do you imagine that the "other side," whomever they happen to be, would be any less noisly critical, spinning the event to suit them? Our leadership made mistakes, no doubt. Yet, others seem to believe with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight that they would have responded perfectly. Mayor Guilliani responded with outstanding leadership, getting a traumatized (and temporarily nearly unrecognizably polite) city through a period of agony. The wreckage was cleaned up in less than a year. That was essential to the healing of the city, and it was accomplished. Was it done perfectly? No. Are there people suffering with lung diseases and post-traumatic stress syndrome? Yes. Would things be different if the wreckage would have still been there two years later? Yes, and it is unlikely that people would have suffered less. I cannot imagine what I would have done had I been in a leadership position, but what I saw was a smooth, well-thought-out and well-coordinated response to the immediate emergency. As a civilian, I am not privy to command decisions; nor should I be. Our leadership walked a fine line between handling the emergency and plunging the entire country into massive panic. We did NOT reveal what all was done on a military level for good reason: you reveal it, your enemy knows what it is, and now you are in a more precarious position. Yes, everything has changed. My respect for my leaders has grown immeasurably. My contempt for the press has grown likewise. In contrast with you, Meryl, I learned on 9/11 that we have outstanding leadership. Fighter planes WERE scrambled, once we were sure we were under attack. President Bush continued to calmly read to the children until he had some definitive information. Some commentators apparently seemed to believe that he should have stopped and started running around the room, screaming, instead.

I was watching it live, and there was massive confusion at first. The initial plane hit and seemed to be an accident, which is not unheard of. Until the second plane hit we had no idea that we were under attack. All other planes were promptly grounded, and had Flight 93 continued instead of being brought down by heroes, it would undoubtedly have been shot down.

Until that time, there was no reason to have a policy to shoot down civilian airliners. Now there is. Yet, should something happen and one be shot down, do you imagine that the “other side,” whomever they happen to be, would be any less noisly critical, spinning the event to suit them?

Our leadership made mistakes, no doubt. Yet, others seem to believe with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight that they would have responded perfectly.

Mayor Guilliani responded with outstanding leadership, getting a traumatized (and temporarily nearly unrecognizably polite) city through a period of agony. The wreckage was cleaned up in less than a year. That was essential to the healing of the city, and it was accomplished. Was it done perfectly? No. Are there people suffering with lung diseases and post-traumatic stress syndrome? Yes. Would things be different if the wreckage would have still been there two years later? Yes, and it is unlikely that people would have suffered less.

I cannot imagine what I would have done had I been in a leadership position, but what I saw was a smooth, well-thought-out and well-coordinated response to the immediate emergency. As a civilian, I am not privy to command decisions; nor should I be. Our leadership walked a fine line between handling the emergency and plunging the entire country into massive panic. We did NOT reveal what all was done on a military level for good reason: you reveal it, your enemy knows what it is, and now you are in a more precarious position.

Yes, everything has changed. My respect for my leaders has grown immeasurably. My contempt for the press has grown likewise.

]]> By: DLPoff http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/10/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1703 DLPoff Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:05:44 +0000 http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2007/09/09/this-week-in-the-world-911-changed-everything-what-did-it-change-for-you/#comment-1703 The attacks of September 11, 2001 have made me more wary of sharing my political opinions. One of the ugliest effects of the attacks is they made many Americans adopt a attitude of "If you don't agree with us, you are our enemy." Not only is that attitude very sad, it is against democracy and the ideals for which our nation has always stood. Just because someone disagrees with our nation's response to September 11 does not mean that person is a traitor or does not feel the tragedy of the attacks. Sadly, America has become more intolerant as a result of the attacks. DLPoff The attacks of September 11, 2001 have made me more wary of sharing my political opinions. One of the ugliest effects of the attacks is they made many Americans adopt a attitude of “If you don’t agree with us, you are our enemy.”

Not only is that attitude very sad, it is against democracy and the ideals for which our nation has always stood. Just because someone disagrees with our nation’s response to September 11 does not mean that person is a traitor or does not feel the tragedy of the attacks.

Sadly, America has become more intolerant as a result of the attacks.

DLPoff

]]>