Never Forget...

[IndySteel]

...what the ROP did to us 16 years ago today. Below is an email from Act For America.


Never Forget



On September 11th, 2001, we made a promise to those who were taken from us to "never forget." To never forget those whose lives were cut short. To never forget the evil we witnessed. To never forget the sorrow, mixed with fear, and anger we felt. To never forget the enemy that did this to us.

But as I look around our current political and cultural reality, I can't help but note, how many have forgotten that which they vowed they never would....

In the aftermath of 9/11, flags flew on every corner. Athletes couldn't hold back tears as they stood proudly for the national anthem before game time. Americans from all backgrounds came together under one American identity to support our President. We didn't care about PC, because we knew that the survival of our very way of life was at stake.

Nowadays, the flag is considered a hate symbol on college campuses. Athletes are framed as heroic for sitting during the pre-game anthem. Celebrities and even politicians get away with encouraging the assassination of our President. Even temporarily pausing travel from terror ridden nations is labeled "Islamophobic" by political leaders and the disgraceful mainstream media.

What happened? Where did that patriotism go? Where did that unity flee to? What happened to the cohesive will to do whatever is necessary to defend our way of life in the face of pure evil?

Anyone under the age of 21 has no real recollection of 9/11, and the fact we only show clips from that horrific day once a year on the History Channel leaves an entire generation vulnerable to censorship-driven brainwashing from radical anti-American educators, who seek to cover up the truth about our radical Islamic adversaries.

I encourage all parents, and all patriots for that matter, to sit down and actually watch the video of that day with one another. Go on YouTube if needed, the footage is all there. Take some time today to reflect on the reality of what happened. Don't close your eyes, no matter how hard it may be.

Actually watch the planes crash into the towers. Listen to the phone calls of passengers saying goodbye to their loved ones. Watch the towers crumble to the streets. Listen to the audio of first responders climbing 80 stories to save complete strangers. Our nation has forgotten what it felt like to witness this attack and it is only through remembrance that we can begin to restore the unity, and will to survive that followed.

We must re-establish the unapologetic patriotism we shared in the aftermath of this day 16 years ago.

We must support our President when he does what is necessary to protect us, regardless of personal or political differences.

We must educate ourselves and those around us about the threats we still face as a nation.

It is out of the horror of this day, which reawakened flashbacks of my terror-ridden childhood in Lebanon, that I started ACT for America. I never wanted my children to have to live in the same fear I did growing up, because of the same exact enemy.

Please take some time to remember the events of this day, and those taken from us, while encouraging others to do the same. If you'd like to learn more about taking action on behalf of your country, please visit actforamerica.org, and unite with us in defense of freedom, and the survival of Western civilization.

Because Never Forget, Means Never Forget.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

So far this morning I've not heard the words "Islamic extremism" uttered on TV.

 

[Tim Steelersfan]

I suggest we each share stories about that day and where we each were when the Religion of Peace brought this country to it's knees for a few days.

At the time, I was working for a company, a small start-up, that was based out of Toronto. The company had been recently acquired by an Israeli-based company. We had training, and I was in Toronto, as I was every two weeks. The company was in one of the 3 tallest buildings in downtown Toronto, First Canadian Place:

The news came in during training that a plane had hit one of the towers. Everyone was thinking Cessna or some small plane. 10-15 mins later "OMG, another plane hit the other tower." Everyone simply got up out of training, headed down one floor to the massive auditorium center with TVs. Everyone was in there, President of the company included and we just watched the horror unfold. I was frantically trying to reach my wife at home with our baby. Got through and told her to get out of there (we lived in MD, a suburb of DC) and head to my parents two hours west. At the time, rumors were flying around - bombs going off all over DC, the Pentagon had been hit, etc. She left.

As the news unfolded, they began discussing the FAA re-routing all flights still in the air out of the country...to Toronto, Mexico, etc. They cautioned they didn't know if terrorists were still aboard other planes.

The realization set in quickly. You could see the eyes of everyone in the room. Planes...terrorists...headed here and we are on the 34th and 35th floors. The President said "That's it. Everyone is dismissed. Wait to hear from me as to when we re-open operations again."

So I leave, walk three blocks to the Sheraton and proceed up to the 24th floor. Sigh. 9/11 was Tuesday. I spent all week trying to get out. No flights. No trains. No rental cars. Every day, holed up in the same room, wearing the same clothes, calling the same travel agents. Finally on Friday at noon, I get a call - "I have a rental car for you, at Union Station. But you have to be there at 12:30 or they are giving it to someone else." 30 minutes??? I throw everything into the bag, run out, check out in a flash and run through downtown Toronto, arrive in a sweaty mess and got my car.

I drove 10 1/2 hours down from Toronto down to DC. The route took me through Williamsport, PA, home of the Little League World Series. As I drove through Williamsport, the locals were standing out along the road holding candles. It was surreal.

I hit a hotel and did the final 2 hours the next morning. My wife son and I had to go get my car which was parked in the parking garage at Reagan National Airport. If you've not been to DC, Reagan National is basically next door to the Pentagon, which had been hit. We dropped off my rental and I went to my car. It was covered in soot and dust from the explosion and and ensuing fires from the Pentagon crash. We got my car, then drove up and back on 395 to view the gaping hole in the Pentagon. Couldn't help but cry again.

 

[thesteelcity]

it may be 16 years ago, but still feels like yesterday. The images will stay with me forever.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Was in my office at my now-former company, had shooed everyone out and back to work and sat down to finish my birthday cake. Yes it is. Radio on, they say a plane hit the WTC. Now in Pittsburgh at the time this was not long after Flight 427 crashed coming in to Pittsburgh Airport so we're thinking "Hmm, must've been that faulty rudder control again". Then 20 minutes or so later we hear that a second plane hit the other tower and I said "That was no accident. Probably Muslims." Simply a logical idea since this was before I hated Muslims. I graduated from a small high school in western PA in a class of 207. Two guys I graduated with were uncomfortably close to disaster that day. One was one of the people in NYC covered in dust running the other way and another is career military and was working in the Pentagon.

My ex-girlfriend at the time, who I still socialized with occasionally, worked at PPG downtown. I called her cell to tell her to get out of the building and she said they were already evacuated and told to go home.

 

[JMM]

I was at home and actually first heard about it on SteelerNation.com I flipped on the TV in time to see the second plane hit. At that point we all knew it was an attack..

I remember going outside that night and not hearing any air traffic. It was totally surreal. No idea what was going to happen next and my fear was they'd hit a nuke plant or a dam.

 

[IndySteel]

I was at work. A friend called to tell me about the first plane, so I turned on the radio in my office. After the second plane hit I watched the coverage on the tv in our conference room the rest of the day. I remember ordering a couple of those American flags for cars the next day. The 1st ex-Mrs. IndySteel was in Scotland on business at the time. I think it took her a full week to get home.

 

[Tibs]

I suggest we each share stories about that day and where we each were.

I had just started a new job as a consultant for a local printing firm. I was sitting at my desk when the first videos hit the net around 3 pm local time. I didn't think much of it, surely this was a film shoot or something. I kept thinking that, why is this a big deal? They're shooting a movie, for sure. CGI stuff, must be. About a half an hour in, I still kept thinking this was a big mistake, a misunderstanding of some sort, no way this was really happening. After an hour, as the news feeds were locked in, I realized this was very real.

My friends from the US Embassy and expat business guys all gathered at my buddy's place, about 15-20 people, sitting around a tv in stunned silence. We stayed there for 8 hours or so, till about 2 am our time, watching the events unfold. This group of friends and colleagues were always loud and boisterous any time we got together, be it at a bar or a social gathering. For the first time our whole group fell silent. Conversation was limited to people whispering among themselves or simply sitting in silence. Our Marine buddies guarding the Embassy were on high alert as it went on lock down.

It was a direct hit to the gut, a feeling I'll never forget.

 

[hamster]

I learned a lot that day, and in the following months. It shocks me that after 16 years, a great many still have not learned.

 

[Shane Falco]

I was working as a paramedic next to Pittsburgh International Airport that day. I watched it all happen on good morning America. Generally our crew room was a ball busting and fun atmosphere. That day and the days following we weren't sure what our Jobs were going to be like.
In a related story, about a year prior, my partner and I were called to an apartment in Moon Township to a complaint of chest pain. In their apartment was a map of Pittsburgh International Airport as well as a flight simulator and pictures of various buildings. We didn't know what to think of it at the time.

 

[Steeltime]

I was on the left coast, up at 5:30 a.m. for early morning mediation, scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. downtown. Had Today on as the morning crew switched over to a developing story about a plane crashing into the WTC. Video early showed showed a massive fire, and the Today group discussed the first plane strike.

Still watching the video feed as we all saw a second plane fly into the second WTC building. Will never, ever, ever forget seeing that. Stunning. Devastating. Horrible. Intentional. One of the female members of the Today crew asked, "What is going on with air traffic control?" But to me it was clear what was going on. Terrorist attack. Was supposed to leave home by 6:30 a.m. to get downtown but stayed and watched a bit longer. Finally, heading towards door at about a quarter to 7:00 when the TV crew reports that a plane had apparently flown into the Pentagon.

Drove downtown, listened to radio during drive, and as Tim reported, heard numerous unconfirmed reports of other explosions, heard reference to another plane apparently crashing in Pennsylvania, arrived at destination a little before 8:00 a.m. The business involved numerous parties, so the mediation conference room was packed with people. Several were crying. Had to be 25 people in the room, and it was eerily quiet. Television was on and we all watched news reports until about 8:45 a.m., when the mediator sent us home.

Got home quickly, watched replays of the towers collapsing, New Yorkers running. Watched until late in the evening, with wife and two kids. Daughter was 13 at the time, and earlier that evening was crying, asking, "Who would do this? Why?" The answer is the same now as it was then - crazy psychos because they are hateful animals who hope to destroy what is decent and replace it with their version of hell.

Oh, and bin Laden, I hope a group of mackerel ate your dead *** and shat you out.

 

[bmoritz]

I was at work. A friend called to tell me about the first plane, so I turned on the radio in my office. After the second plane hit I watched the coverage on the tv in our conference room the rest of the day. I remember ordering a couple of those American flags for cars the next day. The 1st ex-Mrs. IndySteel was in Scotland on business at the time. I think it took her a full week to get home.

My experience was very similar to Indy's. I was at work. My buddy next to me stood up and told me his wife just called him, a plane hit the World Trade Center. At the time, we just thought it was a small biplane, and a sad accident. A little while later he stood up and said "A second plane just hit the towers". I looked at him and said "We're at war".

The rest of the day was a terrifying mix of rumors and false stories of attacks, nobody knew what was going on. We found a tiny old TV, and everybody was huddled around it. I remember choking back tears as the towers fell. I will never forget that day.

 

[CharlesDavenport]

I was in the car on the way to an appt. Heard about first tower on the radio. Stopped for a cup of coffee at a QuikTrip and the guy behind the counter said they just hit the second tower. I remember saying out loud, well, that's no accident, and just went back home to watch the news.

Based on the lack of border control, it seems like our government forgot.

 

[scstillerfan]

I was in my office in my former employer, an electric utility. Our dispatch room was across the hall. We ran TVs on news and weather channels continuously. A dispatcher ran in and told me a plane hit one of the towers. We walked back over to see the news coverage. It wasn't much later when we saw the second plane hit, and everyone went quiet, followed by tears. All I could think about was those innocent people that died for no reason. Of course then everyone went on high alert, thinking more attacks were to come. Unfortunately that was true.

The pain slowly turned to anger as everyone searched for the criminals. It seems like yesterday.

 

[Buster]

I was off that day because my sales group was rewarded with a trip to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and an Orioles game that night for hitting our sales numbers. We were to head out at about 11 am, so I had run out to grab a breakfast sandwich for Mrs. Buster. Was listening to Imus in the truck. Warner Wolf was off but called in to the show to say that he could see from his apartment that one of the towers were on fire. They mentioned that reports were a small plane had crashed into it. By the time I got back to the house, my wife was watching on the Today show. We watched the second plane go in. I also remember Katie Couric wondering if something was wrong with air traffic control. Hello??? Pretty obvious at that point, it's terrorism. Continued to watch the events unfold. Needless to say, no trip to Baltimore that day. By afternoon everything was eerily quiet except for the sound of fighter jets at high altitudes since I'm about 75 miles from D.C. And 10 miles from Camp David.

 

[hamster]

My wife flew out of NYC to Pittsburgh on September 10th. A freaky thought.

 

[oneforthebus]

I was at home in DC with two toddlers. My husband also happened to be home that morning, he was supposed to fly out somewhere that afternoon.

Watching the Today show or something when the breaking news came on. I called my sister, she lives in a NYC suburb. Got my brother in law. He worked in NYC for years but was at home because he'd recently lost his job. Told him a plane just hit the World Trade Center. He knew dozens of people who worked in that building. At the time we were talking about it like it was just a freak accident. Then we saw the second plane hit.

His phone immediately went dead. I was unable to reach them by phone for a couple of days after that.

My husband's brother called us from his office in DC. He could see clouds of smoke and flames coming from the Pentagon. Another sister in law worked at the Pentagon at the time. We couldn't reach her. My husband told his brother to get the hell out of his office building and out of the city. He ended up walking numerous blocks and finally got a cab to our house.

Fighter jets started flying over our house. We were in Northwest DC near Maryland so nowhere near the action, but of course we had no idea what was going on in the city at that moment. Were we being attacked? It was terrifying, but surreal, like being in a movie.

Then we watched the first tower collapse. Clouds of smoke and then nothing. Gone. What a gut punch. Took a few minutes of stunned silence for it to really sink in what had just happened.

My brother in law who I was disconnected from that morning had been hired by a startup. A few weeks before 9/11 their funding got pulled and he was out of a job. Had he not lost his job he would have been at a breakfast meeting at Windows on the World that morning.

Closest connection to me was a brother of a high school friend of mine, classmate of my younger brother. Worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, super guy, funny, smart, married with two little girls. I sometimes see pics of his beautiful kids through mutual friends on facebook. He would have been so proud. RIP Denny.

 

[Steelin]

Was in my office at my now-former company, had shooed everyone out and back to work and sat down to finish my birthday cake. Yes it is. Radio on, they say a plane hit the WTC. Now in Pittsburgh at the time this was not long after Flight 427 crashed coming in to Pittsburgh Airport so we're thinking "Hmm, must've been that faulty rudder control again". Then 20 minutes or so later we hear that a second plane hit the other tower and I said "That was no accident. Probably Muslims." Simply a logical idea since this was before I hated Muslims. I graduated from a small high school in western PA in a class of 207. Two guys I graduated with were uncomfortably close to disaster that day. One was one of the people in NYC covered in dust running the other way and another is career military and was working in the Pentagon.

My ex-girlfriend at the time, who I still socialized with occasionally, worked at PPG downtown. I called her cell to tell her to get out of the building and she said they were already evacuated and told to go home.

Also on my birthday. I was having a rough .morning kids etc. Then i walked into our breakroom and all hell broke loose.

 

[IndySteel]

Pence gave an awesome speech in Shanksville, PA today. He's no where near the dynamic speaker that Trump is, but damn, this is powerful. If you're not moved by this then you are a terrorist sympathizer. Watch to the end.

 

[IndySteel]

BTW, Pence is the brother of the ex wife of a good friend of mine. I met him in the mid nineties. He had a local radio show here back then. Dude is salt of the earth. He needs to wait for four more years though! Yeah baby!

 

[IndySteel]

The guy who was falling head first in the white shirt and black pants...I'll never forget that image. He had to be thinking about his family that he couldn't tell goodbye as he plunged to his death.

Yet we are supposed to let these same terrorists into our country. **** you, terrorist sympathizers, and **** you Obama for opening up our borders the last 8 years to let Muzzies flood into our country. That mfer needs to hang for treason.