10 years on...anyone care to share 9/11 thoughts?

Patched this together over a few pints of Hop Rod Rye.
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Having been on the “outside” of EMS for over a year now, I can’t honestly say how I feel coming up to the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Yeah, it was the one major reason I got into EMS in the first place, but having put over 6 years of my life into it, and after running the gamut of ups and downs, code 3 runs and 24 hour shifts without a single call, I suppose the best descriptor I can come up with would be “blank”.

That’s right.


Blank.

I’m not sad, proud, patriotic, or otherwise emotional in any sense of the word. As we’ve all been force-fed the same nauseating images of that day on TV, I can’t help but wonder why we need to be reminded about events which we will, more than likely, never forget. Shock value has become utterly meaningless, and we (as a nation) have become zombie-fied in a way to simply expect this kind of treatment from our TV’s. We have 24-hour news agencies broadcasting the same interviews, live footage and overly-biased opinions as they did just an hour prior, and in the end, we’re becoming a nation of chubby, desensitized bastards.

Either way, back to the topic at-hand. I decided to take a leap of faith by enrolling in the RN program at Cuesta College, and I did so mainly because I realized how much I enjoyed being an EMT. I won’t try to explain it, because all I would likey spout off would be the stereotypical “I like helping people” and “I enjoy the rush”, and using those excuses would be a complete cop-out on my part. Some EMT’s & medics really are adrenaline junkies. I’m not one of them. Some do it for the sense of power when they're holding someone’s life in their hands. Not me. I’ve seen people die, I’ve helped a few people live, I’ve assisted quite a few with minor medical problems, and I should be able to walk away from that career feeling upbeat & positive about it. That just isn’t the case here.

In fact, I couldn’t say why I loved being an EMT, the same way I can’t say why hundreds of firefighters, EMT’s, medics, police, public utility personnel and ordinary citizens went willingly into 2 burning skyscrapers to save people they didn’t know. Maybe it’s some kind of affirmation that we’re simply f*cking alive? Perhaps “living in the moment” or “helping your fellow man” has something to do with it? I don’t know. In my time as an EMT, if I was ever called on to make the same choice those hundreds of EMS workers and civilians did, I like to think that I would be able to do the same.


RIP the 3,497.

All respect to our first responders! Firemen EMT Police....
It is a great injustice that many of them suffer today with little help from the fed gov. They did this country its greatest service in the last 100 years. Many of these people are dying of cancer or are no longer able to work because of health problems or injuries. Yet this gov bails out banks to the billions for hedging BETS they lost on! Not the people who fearlessly risked life for others. I think 9-11 from this point on should be a day that America stands up for it people that stood up for them... End Rant

It has been 10 years since the tragedy. With that being said here goes.



In all seriousness my thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones on that day.





I'm sure someone will get offended by the video I posted, but no malicious intent was used in the posting of said video.

I wouldn't typically post anything like this, but since I see there is some light-heartedness on the subject I think I can.

All I have to say is... be careful who you trust. Who do you think are the real terrorists? Are they the KKK, Castro, the Commies, the Muslim Brotherhood? Or your own 'government'? Don't fall into the hype.

My condolences for those who lost their lives and the families affected.

I wouldn't go off of my post as a general gauge of how lighthearted the thread is. I'm sure I'm going to anger someone.

I grew up in Jersey, and a lot of my friends parents worked in NYC, and were at work in Manhattan when the attacks happened. It was a really traumatizing event for a lot of people and still is. I feel deeply for everyone who was directly effected by the tragedy.

That being said, I have lots of family in Israel, and this ten year anniversary reminds me about the level of tragedy they go through on a much more regular basis. Regardless of political opinions, I think today should be spent reflecting on the damaging effects that hatred has had on the world, in our own backyard and elsewhere.

It's pretty much a day of rage for me.

EdWort said:

It's pretty much a day of rage for me.

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I have to agree with Ed on this, I remember that morning quite vividly... I was at work getting a cup of coffee, I happened to be looking at the TV in the lobby wondering what was going on when the second plane hit the towers. I immidiately thought that we were under attack.

The largest nuclear power plant in the US is a short distance outside of town, a general local panic set in that it could be a target as well.

I have the TV on watching the events of that day unfold again, I shed a few tears as the towers came down. I am not ashamed, I am still angry.

My thoughts are always going to be with those who lost their lives on that day, I knew one of the folks who perished on that day (I was at one point, employed at Akamai Technologies).

However, I think that we need to do a better job of remembering those who have died fighting the 10 year war that came about after that day, as well as those who are still suffering physical side effects of either being a first responder, or being injured in combat.

So many folks still suffering, so many more families effected by this tragedy than just the 3400 who died on that day.

We're still feeling the effects of that day economically and socially (you can't get through an airport security checkpoint these days without a special private show with an anonymous TSA agent).

I am not a fan of all the ghoulish attention on what seems like intimate details of the day, the newly released "tapes" from the airlines and air traffic control - it's downright morbid to me and seems like something better suited to tabloids than the mainstream media, but that's just me.

Yes, it was a horrific day (I was sitting in the living room of my apartment - my housemate and I drinking our coffee and watching Good Morning America, when it all started).

However, the 10 years that followed have been no cakewalk for this country either - and I think that is sometimes lost in our collective culture.

God Bless my fallen brothers and sisters, you will not be forgotten. Peace be with those who have had to live with the losses of this tragic day.

10 years ago it was my 17th birthday. Today I'm 27 and have been a firefighter for about 4 years now. Today we had a ceremony in which our department received an artifact from the wtc. There were so many thoughts running through my head as I looked at the piece of twisted steel.

I try and avoid anything '9/11' related until September 11th. On that day, today, I take time to reflect on what happened that morning. It is the only time I allow myself to dwell on it. I don't want it to become useless 'mind clutter'. I want to remember it fresh, I want to keep that memory crisp and unpolluted. There is a varied sense of 'innocence lost' from before 9/11 that I want to remember.

Mermaid said:

However, the 10 years that followed have been no cakewalk for this country either - and I think that is sometimes lost in our collective culture.

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I wanted to focus on this thought more than any of your others, because I can't agree more with that particular statement. All we have to do is rewind the tape 10 years, and realize that life was pretty f'ing peachy-keen before. Since then, we've become divided by religion, political affiliation, economic status, and a number of other sociological statuses...and for what reason? We were attacked by a group of lackluster, Muslim extremists?

Trying my best not to get into a deep rant about it, but for f*cks sake: why continue living on the edge of chaos when all we realistically have to do is take a step back, gain some perspective, and realize that we made it through that sh*t-storm? Remember the past, yes, but stop letting it hinder us from progressing us forward.

*2 cents, etc.*