9/11 Then and Now – A Few Memories Shared

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9/11 Then and Now – A Few Memories Shared

September 14, 2011 by pbenjay

The posts I thought I was going to do did not get done, quite obviously. And it’s not because I brushed 9/11 aside. Quite the contrary, Sunday night turned out to be the most emotional 9/11 I’ve had since the 9/11.

I went to a memorial service held in the Great Auditorium and within minutes I was in tears. Between the solemnity of the occasion, the bagpipers, the flags, the orchestra, the two choirs and the speakers, not to mention the building, I was a wreck.

And why I didn’t think to bring tissues, I don’t know. The speakers were all great but I have to say I was definitely partial to the Baptist Minister, former Secretary of State New Jersey. He was quite the preacher man!

As I promised, I would post any memories sent in to me about 9/11/01, please read Heather’s account of that dreadful day, my generation’s day of infamy.

We had left Maine early on September 10th and were planning to stop in NYC to visit our daughter the next day. We stopped overnight at a hotel in southern Connecticut to allow ourselves a relaxed time the next morning before heading into the city for our lunch date. As we were getting dressed, my cell phone rang and it was our oldest son calling from his then home in Hatboro, PA asking if we were watching TV. We had not been but the moment we turned it on, the only images we saw were the scenes of the first plane and then the second plane smashing into the World Trade Center buildings and the attendant misery as a stunned world watched. Everybody was speechless and most of the hotel guests gathered in the lobby to watch the large TV and perhaps share the comfort of being around others

Needless to say, we did not go into Manhattan that day but rather, several hours later, skirted around and headed south on the NJ Turnpike. We were one of the only cars on that road. The plumes of ash and smoke were clearly visible from the NJ side. The rest stops were deserted and nearly all food outlets within them were shuttered. The northbound traffic consisted of fire trucks and emergency vehicles ONLY. It was a surreal spectacle and a surreal experience.

To this day, whenever we pass along the NJ Turnpike, we look over toward Manhattan, and we remember the tragedy of that horrific day.

I’ve blogged about Capt. Timothy Stackpole, whose memorial bracelet I ‘ve been wearing for 10 years, my recent encounters with a fellow blogger and with Michele, two people who actually knew Captain Stackpole and went to his wake and funeral. And last year I did a blog about 9/11 Then and Now. See link below.

https://pbenjay.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2914&action=edit

I featured the photo of the empty shoes which so poignantly spoke to the loss of so lives and how the left behind living try to cope when there’s no one there to fill those shoes. That memorial display was in New Jersey and in New York City…