Recalling What It Was Like 5 Years Ago

I was awakened five years ago this morning by a frantic phone call from my friend Tom (aka Angry Tom) in Virginia. It around 6:15 a.m. PT, and as far as I can recollect he screamed into the phone, "Omigod turn on the TV they ran planes into the World Trade Center and just blew up the Pentagon and all hell is breaking loose and Jesus turn on TV are you awake sorry to wake you up but wake up you've got to wake up omigod the towers look like they're gonna fall or something gotta go bye!".

Still in a stupor, I hung up the phone and went back to sleep for perhaps a half-hour, whereupon my eyes snapped open and I wondered, "Wait a minute. Did I just dream that phone call?" To make sure, I shot out of bed and turned on the TV just in time to see the first of the two towers buckling and tumbling to the ground in a dusty, mangled, ghastly heap. And I thought I was hallucinating. The TV stayed on for the rest of the day and night, and then the next day, and the next. It was riveting, it was gut-wrenching, it was unfathomable. Armageddon had come to call in real time, instantly dwarfing anything that we had previously experienced on television in terms of both scope and horror. And it haunts us still.

In the mind's eye, it remains hard to believe five years later that this thing even happened. But life goes on, and so much has been forgotten or, at least, greatly diminished in the memory. That this will remain the biggest news story of our lifetime for perhaps the rest of our lives is all but certain. At least, we should all hope so. But watching replays of the news coverage from 9/11/01 remains nearly impossible. That's when you know we haven't really completely moved on emotionally.

Comments

[OldOldLady Of The Hills]

It's so true, Ray. I participated in a wonderful Project this year...2,996 where one blogger is assigned one person who persished on 9/11 and you write a post remembering that one person...! It really brought the "personal" directly into one's heart in a way that I think was needed, here on this 5th Anniversary. Researching all you needed to to write something that would have some real meaning was the key to making this a very personal thing. over 3,400 people have participated and I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I want to say---this is one of the saddest days for all the survivors of 9/11, but in truth, they each live with this incalcuable loss every second of every day, and they will live with this through eternity. I don't know how they do it. I Bless them all.
And Bless You Too, Ray.

[The Big Sis]

This whole unbelievable tragedy has already taken on a sanctity and reverence in some ways akin to the Kennedy Assassination. People seem to need to discuss it in much the same way. "Where were you the morning of 9/11?"

I remember exactly where I was when Kennedy was assassinated (Melrose Avenue School playground) and I'll never forget the morning of 9/11 either. It binds us as a country.

[Theodora]

With regard to the ratings war -vs- Network Terrorism; I had no intention of watching the CBS presentation. But since it was a documentary I felt it had more value than the other fabrication. It was compelling --and I'm not sorry I invested the energy.

As mentioned previously, I went to NYC in 2001 --was supposed to be there in September, but plans were rearranged by a small act of God... Had I followed the original 'charter' --I would've been part of the ashes on 9/11, since my sister wanted to have brunch in the Tower's Windows of the World restaurant.

I'll never for get the **chills** that went thru my spine that early August morning --on the Long Island Expressway. As we neared the Midtown Tunnel --Manhattan's skyline, with the Twin Towers --was mocked by an overcrowded tomb-stoned cemetery. The irony was a picture that replayed in my mind for the past five years...

I was unnerved being caught in the cacaphony of The City --and the incessant drone of sirens and street corner 'prophets' yelling about the end of the world nearing...

The silence in Fort Worth --by contrast --is deafening. And I was beyond thankful to be back in my surrogated home --despite NYC having been my home in earlier decades...

When I saw the TV coverage of the first plane crashing into the Tower --my first instinct was: "Those crazy filmmakers really missed their mark."

I really thought it was another Bruce Willis epic gone astray... That perhaps the pilot meant to bank the craft's wings and fly between the buildings....

But logic settled in --and I wondered how in the hell a permit would've been granted for such an idiotic stunt...

When the second plane hit --I swear I could feel the pilot's anger as he approached & crashed...

It will forever haunt me.

As for people becoming blase to tragedy of this nature --I think we've been inundated and mayhap --desensitized to insane violence.

We have the news media --and Hollywood Fantasy Factories to thank for that.

Foremostly, we have an ineffective government who thinks blowing smoke up the ass of it's constituents is more appropos than doing something to secure world peace and financial stability.

In that CBS documentary, it was ironic that the filmmaker was chastised by one of NYC's 'finest' policemen: "Take your F*&@n camera and letter and get the F*%k outta here... This ain't f*&@kn Disneyland..."

Indeed...