Topic: Where were you, what were you doing on 9/11?
EleanorJune
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Yes they were Port Authority Policemen. But they wore turnout gear like the fire fighters I believe, while they were in the WTC. I have never seen the movie all the way through. I can never make it through more then 5 minutes at a time.
My father is a fire fighter. Retired now, in Michigan. He is the chief if a small hometown volunteer department. We lived in NYC at the time. My mom had gotten a job there, and the whole family moved.
The morning of Spetember 11th, I decided to have breakfast with my daddy, yes I am 25 now and still call my dad daddy! He has always been my hero, before anyone else ever thought of him as one. He was working engine 101 that day. I was up early for practice, and starving. I knew the guys would take care of me at the station. They always have the best food!
I had not been there 10 minutes when choas hit. I don't remember much of anything. Just everyone jumping to their feet and running to the truck. My dad yelled over his shoulder to stay right there. Don't you dare go anywhere. He had that smile on his face of "if you dare touch my food, we will have words when I get back".
I sat in dispatch for maybe a good 10 minutes when I noticed people coming in to the station and asking what they needed to do. I was confused, and thinking "need to do what?"
When I saw the tv finally and sat down to watch it with Kevin, he was staying over from his shift to wash his car, reality finally came to me. My dad was in one of the towers. At first I wasn't worried. My dad was the best. He knew what he was doing. It was a fire. But after a split second, I realized it was much more than that. Kevin got up and yelled at me to stay right where I was. Just like my daddy. I knew in that second, things were not going to be alright.
When the first tower collapsed, I lost control of everything. I am typically a very un-emotional person, but I couldn't contain myself. I started screaming and crying. I wanted to get out of the station, out of this nightmare. All I could think about, was my daddy is there. Was he in there? Where is he? Please don't be gone daddy. My insides felt as if they were boiling, yet I was shivering with fright. My hands were shaking so bad, I couldnt even pick up the phone to call my mom. I am not sure how long I cried, curled up under the office table in a ball. My cell phone rang and it was my sister in Texas. She didn't say hello, she didn't even make sure it was me on the phone. She just screamed at me "WHERE IS HE"? I couldn't even stutter a word to her, and yet in the silence she knew what I couldn't say.
My mom had the worst fears out of all of us. She didn't know where her daughter, husband and best friends were. She couldn't get through to anyone. Her calls never reached my cell phone. She finally got to the station about an hour or two later. When she found me sitting under the desk, we cried together. Her tears were out of fear, and gladness. She told me later she was afraid I had riden with them on their call. I was allowed to do that in a previouse town we had lived in, but not in NYC.
Finlly, in the darkness of everything, a few firemen I had nver met came to the station. We attacked them with questions, if they knew where my daddy was. None of them knew.
My mom and I sat there, forever it felt like. The burning inside me had gone, all that was left was numbness. A feeling of not knowing what to feel. Words can not describe it. I laid there with my head in my mothers lap, even though I was 18, I needed her. I had my eyes shut, afraid to open them to the scene surrounding me.
I felt a heavy hand lay on my shoulder, and felt my mother sob. When I opened my eyes, there was my fathers face, close to mine. An amazing surge of emotion rang throught me. I wrapped my arms around him and he collapsed next to us on the floor. We were all crying and holding on. I didn't care that he was bleeding, covered in brown dust. I never knew how hard you could cry until that day. I thought I had lost the man in my life, my daddy, my best friend.
We moved a few months later. My mom has a fear of being in large citys now. If we get in a crowded room, she has to be holding my dad's hand. Sometimes she leaves pink marks on his hand because she hold on so tight! My father still fights fire. He will until he dies. He loves his job, and we all respect him for it. Thankfully they live in a small town where the largest building is hospital that is 2 story! This makes my mom much more at ease. He has respitory problems, and recently has gotten migrains that come back 2 or so times a week. Just in the past few years was he able to share his side of the story. My mom and I talk about ours openly with people. It helps us to I think. But my daddy, he has a hard time. From what ha has shared, we know that he was at the base of the towers for a short time. He was radiod to come back three blocks to help set up incident command. When the first tower came down, he took cover under an ambulance. We know he was trapped under there for awhile and could not move. He still doesn't know who helped him out, but he said two teenage boys were using there bear hands to help dig a hole large enough for him to fit out. (I wish I could find out who they were. If not for them.....) He has nightmares too. And sometime's, if he hears something fall he has to excuse himself and will go to be alone somewhere for awhile.
He doesn't go into much detail, and we don't push. Maybe I am better off not knowing.
I was married to my wonderful husband on September 11th 2004. We dedicated it to the survivors, the perished, and all those who were effected. Instead of gifts, we asked for donations to the 911 firefighters family fund. We also released butterflys on the beach to take our prayers and thanks to all those who lost their lives.
I know I will never forget. My own nightmares remind me.
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EleanorJune- Wow that is an amazing story, and I am so glad that it had a happy ending. Your Dad is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. A friend of mine who worked in a prison, he was attacked, along with another man...the man that was his friend was stabbed 8 times, but survived. My friend has visions of that whole scene over and over. Sometimes things are just so horrible that it puts your body in to shock, and sometimes therapy is needed to deal with the whole thing.
I hope your daddy is getting some help. He sure sounds like a great guy.
My Dad was a fire man for 42 years, and he died 4 years ago of brain cancer. I remember as a kid...how many times he went out on calls...we lived right across the street from the fire department. My Dad was always the first one in the building. I remember he thought once that he had picked up a baby, because of all the smoke-he couldn't see...he just felt something moving under a blanket and wrapped it up...and it was the family's dog...everyone cheered when he came out with it.
I remember my Dad coming home smelling like smoke...and his face would be all black.
My brother has been a fireman now for 18 years. He recently saw an Amish house on fire, when he was driving by it....nobody was home...they were all at church...he said to me...try finding a bucket of water in an Amish house...he had to smash a hole in the chimney...and he got the fire out.
I remember when the movie "Backdraft" came out...my brother loved it, and he loves Ladder 49.
That is awesome that you got married on 9-11.
Such a great story.
[ 18. September 2008, 05:35: Message edited by: ISIS ]
Posts: 13484 | Registered: Aug 2003 | Site Updates: 0
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Originally posted by ISIS: Your Dad is suffereing from post partum stress disorder. Stress as the result of a traumatic birth?????
Surely you mean post traumatic stress disorder. And if so...Are you a psychiatrist? Have you ever assessed her daddy? Then please don't make sweeping diagnoses like that. She describes him as having nightmares and needing to be on his own from time to time, this does not indicate true Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and there are a myriad of other symptoms one would be looking for. He may well have PTSD but he is just as likley to be sufferring from a stress reaction, adjustment disorder or various other complaints. P
I do agree with you on one point though, I hope he is getting professional help for his problems.
Noms
[ 17. September 2008, 20:48: Message edited by: All hope is NOMS ]
Posts: 2517 | From: Living in oblivion. Third floor up. Nice views from the window.... | Registered: May 2004 | Site Updates: 4
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Eleanor June, thank you for sharing your story, it was incredibly powerful. My dad was a volunteer firefighter in our rural town, and at the time, I knew that if something like 9/11 had happened aroudn here, he would have been right there helping. I'm so glad you and your family still have your dad.
Posts: 3839 | From: Wangaratta, Vic, Australia | Registered: Jun 2004 | Site Updates: 0
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Noms-yeah I goofed on what I had written....thank you so so so much for pointing out...yet again...that I wrote a word wrong....but post traumatic stress is so extremely common in situations of "extreme stress"...that I think she probably knew what I meant to say. But, anyway if not...I am so glad you are always there to just fix everything.
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Guys - please don't start bickering on a thread, especially with such a topic as this one.
Isis, Noms is a professional in this field, and as such was doing what anyone in his position and with his training would do, whether online or face to face - ensuring that any comments about the health and well-being of a person were at the least factually correct, and that the help and assistance being sought was being provided by trained professionals.
It wasn't a dig at you, more a desire to make sure that no well-intentioned misinformation was passed on and that the story with the happy ending above continues to have a happy ending.
I note you have now edited your post above - I hope that this draws a line under this issue.
Now - back to work!
Posts: 3646 | From: Shermer, IL - where else? | Registered: Mar 2001 | Site Updates: 37
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EleanorJune
unregistered
37 Updates!
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There are so many stories without happy endings, that I wanted to share mine. Though the story in no way is happy, and I don;t consider the ending happy, I just consider my family one of the very lucky ones.
My entire family, including siblings that were not with us at the time, have all sought professional help. My dad continues to, and probably will for the rest of his life. He is still the wonderful man today that he was befor. He has made great progress over the years. Though, his mental ailments are not as bad as his physical. I still think his respitory issues are far worse than that. But I am not a doctor. I just go off what he tells me....that is after I have to call and pry it out of him after the doctors appointment! Usually bribe him with
Thank you to everyone for everything. My family has grown from this, and it has brought us closer. I hope that after reading my story, you call a friend you have not talked to in awhile, kissed someone you love deeply, just embrace the people that mean the most to you. I wish it hadn't taken this for me to be close to my family.
Thanks again everyone!! You are all such a great group of people. Though I have never met a single one of you, you still have a place in my heart.
ISIS- Thank you. And I send my prayers and thanks to your father. I know how difficult it can be, to watch your dad on the truck. To see him on the news. I am so thankful there are men and women like your dad, brother, and mine.
Stitch Groover- Please tell your father thank you, if you can. Being a volunteer is amazing. He can say "I save lives in my spare time". But above that, he is giving so much of himself so unselfishly.
Much love to you all.
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At the time i was stunned by the events.The images were unbelievable.I can`t imagine how it must have been like at the scene,or for all of them who had loved ones involved.Thanks for sharing your story EleanorJune.
Posts: 362 | From: Third rock from the sun | Registered: Nov 2007 | Site Updates: 0
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EleanorJune-Thanks for your kind words! Your pretty cool...you have a great attitude about life.
Paul...I know I wrote the wrong word...what I meant and what I wrote was wrong...so I did correct it. But, I do know the difference between the 2 things. Like I said...my friend who was a probation officer/hostage negotiator/counselor- suffers from post traumatic stress.
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And the point I was making was that just because you know someone who suffered PTSD doesn't mean you should make the assumption that someone else is.
PTSD is a medical diagnosis based on criteria laid down in DSM IV or ICD 10 and is not a term that should be thrown around loosely.
I base this on the fact that its my job, not because I knew one person who had it. (For the record in my 3 month tour of Afghanistan I only treated 2 genuine cases of PTSD. I have treated many more since)
Perhaps if you'd said he may have PTSD instead of he has PTSD then maybe I wouldn't be so annoyed at your on the spot diagnosis.
Noms
[ 18. September 2008, 20:18: Message edited by: All hope is NOMS ]
Posts: 2517 | From: Living in oblivion. Third floor up. Nice views from the window.... | Registered: May 2004 | Site Updates: 4
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I had just arrived at my workplace, in Valley Stream New York, not very far from Manhattan. I took a bus to work at that time. Had to walk a bit from the bus stop to my job and noticed how beautiful the morning was here in New York City, not a cloud in the sky.
The first news I heard was from a coworker who said another coworker said a plane crashed into one of the WTC towers. Soon enough the word spread around the office to the point where every gathered around the TV in the cafeteria to watch the news unfold on tv.
Work ended early for us that day. My office was near a shopping mall and the mall closed early. There was such confusion that even though I'd left work hours early I was still late getting home. Needless to say it was a sad, scary day.
I didn't know anyone personally who was killed that day, but of course was still sad for all the victims in NY, DC and PA.
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80'sRocked Play it Loud, Play it Proud
Member # 6979
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Just giving this thread a bump in case some of the newer Rewinder's feel like sharing....it's amazing that another year has past by so fast.
Posts: 3614 | From: Caught Somewhere in Time.... | Registered: May 2008 | Site Updates: 101
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buffalo-girl
She's going round the outside, round the outside...
Member # 7498
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i had just gotten to work that morning and heard it on the radio so we put the t.v. on and watched it all day so scary and sad. there were alot of things going on here in buffalo yesterday masses, benefits etc. we flew our special 9/11 flag at home can't believe it was 8 years ago already still seems like it happened yesterday?
Posts: 1236 | From: buffalo, new york | Registered: Nov 2008 | Site Updates: 0
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kevdugp73
He's eating after dark again....
Member # 5978
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I was at home and watched the news for two days straight...I finally had to force myself to turn the TV off...it was too emotionally draining...emotionally draining for someone safe and sound in Canada, so I can't imagine the effects on people directly invloved in the crisis. I have a painting of the Brooklyn Bridge in my living room, with the Twin Towers still in the pic...absolutely unbelievable. * On a side note...my neice's birthday is on September 11...so it's nice to remember the date for positive reasons as well.
Posts: 2148 | From: Nova Scotia, Canada | Registered: Aug 2007 | Site Updates: 0
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Living in England it was about 1.47pm when the attacks happened i can remember someone i worked with hearing on the radio that a plane had hit the WTC at that time they didn't know it was terrorists.We have a TV in our workplace so i turned it on and every channel had a report on the attack,i agree with everyone who says it's an event that changed the world we live in forever.One strange thing from that day that i remember is for the rest of the day at work the phone did not ring,it just seems that everyone wherever they were was engrossed in what was happening. In October 2007 i was able to visit New York and stayed at the Marriot hotel just a couple of blocks from the trade center site,even though it was just an empty pit then you could not get over what had happened there,and have to say i was left with a very strange feeling of loss having visited the place and the memorial museum.Maybe this is because it is a place that we have all seen on TV so much that we feel linked to the events that day.Also what bought hope the scale of the place was when i used the train to get out to New Jersey and it passed through the corner of the site,looking out the window when you are that low down reminds you how massive the place was. The only bit of that trip that i didn't like was when you were at the site just quitely taking things in people tried selling you pictures of the buildings getting hit on the day,but i guess there is scum everywhere trying to make money out of sad events. One more thing and sorry for rambling on like this,but the brass picture engraving along the side of the fire house across from the WTC site is a very moving peice of artwork.
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