8th Anniversary of the Destruction of the World Trade Centre.

[firbeck 860]

I can't believe that so many years have passed since this happened, what were you doing at the time. I recall that I was moving furniture from my ex-wifes garage into a rental van, she phoned me from her office and told me what was happening, I went into her house, put on Sky News and watched with horror as I saw live the second aircraft slam into the building. I recall trying to dismiss it from my mind as I loaded up the van, but people were out in the street, mothers were collecting their kids from the local school, everyone was wandering about in shock.

Perhaps our US friends can enlighten us as to how they felt at the time. It was a bit of a kick in the backside for American untouchability, though watch 'The Atlantic War' on Channel 4 on sunday night and see how they allowed it to happen to themselves before, 60 odd years ago.

My immediate reaction was that they should have nuked Jeddah and Mecca immediately, but no doubt the scumbags responsible were hoping for that to happen, after all, they all like to go off to Allah singing and squirming with delight at the number of 'Infidels' they have brutally murdered, trouble is, they must be running out of virgins in hell, could be a problem for the immoral rag head b@st@rds, lets hope so.

[Limey 242]

I was at work when I heard about the first one - we turned on the TV and watched the second one. By then, the internet and all phone lines were so locked up there was no point trying to work. Hung around until the towers collapsed, then went to try to help out Mary dealing with it at school. By then (mid-day), there were no aircraft flying - which was very strange. You don't realise how much noise pollution there is until it goes away! A very odd, eerie silence!

As to the way it was dealt with both before and after by our beloved government (I had just become a citizen about one month before it happened), I have nothing but disgust. ALL the culprits were from Saudi-Arabia - but what do we do - try to blame it on Iraq! If the Bush's weren't so buddy-buddy with the Saudi monarchy, I wonder what would have happened? As for Bush's efforts to get Bin-Laden "dead or alive", he soon gave up on that, didn't he? I do wonder how he managed to bribe Blair to go into Iraq with him, but that's another story I guess!

[firbeck 860]

Interesting comments Limey, personally I blame most of the worlds problems on Pakistan, we still allow their 'citizens' into this country, whatever their excuses are, they claim to be a responsible, world nation, but they are just devious liars, manipulated by militants and the so called great and good of Islam. Please don't tell me that Mrs Bhuttos death was unpreventable, they hate women in power, end of story.

I gather that our SAS/Parachute Brigades were minutes away from catching Bin Laden but were forced to give up the chase because the US troops felt that they had the God given right to capture him instead, subsequently, their lack of preparation allowed him to get away. No doubt the evil bastard is living it up in Islamabad helped by a frightened, cowardly and manipulated government, showing whichever face of Janus they wish to present to the world.

[jonesy 1]

I remember being at work and someone said that a plane had crashed into the trade center. We didnt believe them as they were "unreliable" with their stories they told.

Sure enough it was on the internet news channels for all to see. I still cant watch the clip without feeling something

A couple of years ago we were in the US at the anniversary, and that was a strange feeling, and then a couple of weeks ago we took a trip to New York, and ground zero was on the list of places to visit. Seeing the site all this time on, and the amount of land that the trade center buildings stood on, you get to realise that this was even more horrendous than you originally thought! It was my intention to grab a load of photos to put on my website, and go back in a couple of years and grab some more... but I really couldnt bring myself to take more than 2. Its an eerie feeling walking around near the work site, but something that I'm glad I did.

[plantfit 7,691]

I had just finished repairing a grading screen at Notts coated stone in Colwick when my boss phoned me to tell me to get to a TV and see whats happened, I told him I was nowhere near a TV, he told me to go home and watch it, Oh my god what a shock I had, at first I thought I was watching a film but as the news unfolded I realised it was real. What a sad loss of life. Here we are 8 years on and we still haven't crushed the evil empire in the east

Rog

[Beefsteak 305]

I gather that our SAS/Parachute Brigades were minutes away from catching Bin Laden but were forced to give up the chase because the US troops felt that they had the God given right to capture him instead, subsequently, their lack of preparation allowed him to get away.

I think you may have watched an episode or two too many of "Ultimate Force" Pete.

I was in the ware house at work (God it feels strange saying those words) when the company owner came in with a big grin on his face , saying that a plane had just gone in to the twin towers, (He genuinely and mistakenly thought it was a light aircraft on a pleasure flight that had made an emergency landing and had ran into the base!!) Then the news continued to filter through, and got worse and worse.

After work we all headed to the pub to watch the news and saw the second tower come down , the boss obviously felt a bit guilty about his flippant remarks earlier and bought the beer all night, before closing with these words (Which I think will stay with me till my dying day)

"Well it kind of knocks all my problems in to a cocked hat !!"

[mick2me 3,033]

I was at a job in Belper when I got a call on my mobile, to tell me the news of the first planes impact. A tragic accident?

Soon to be disproved by the second impact! We returned to the office later to see the news broadcasts.

I also remember Being at Los Angeles LAX airport waiting to travel back to the UK, when the news reports of the first bombing of Iraq were

broadcast. I saw them in the bar there.

Driving home from work one afternoon, I was driving along Tamworth Road Long Eaton, when news reports came on the radio of the Concord

Crash. I stopped and rang work and they did not believe me.

When I heard the early morning news of the death of Princess Di, I was driving to work near to the old Cinema (name?) opposite the Prior Pub.

I stopped there and rang home with the news.

When The SAS stormed the Iranian embassy in London, I was sitting in my car in the car park on Fletcher gate.

[poohbear 1,360]

I was firing a Smith & Wesson at a target on the pistol range at Newton Aerodrome when someone said "Hey...have you heard Kennedy got shot?"...My response..."Yeah go on then" waiting for the rest of the joke.

[firbeck 860]

Nah, I tried watching 'Ultimate Force' once Beefsteak and that was enough for me.

One problem we had later in the day after the Twin Towers, and lets not forget the Pentagon, was that we were living under the flightpath for Stansted at the time and everyone in the village, including us, was very twitchy for a few days. Later that week there was a problem with a flight into Stansted and it was escorted in by two Tornados, prepared to shoot it down if neccessary, my son saw it roar over the village and crapped himself. To recall, I think that a pair of armed Tornados were constantly on patrol around the Thames Estuary for about a week afterwards.

[Limey 242]

Another interesting 9/11 story - my stepson was in the navy at the time and he was due to leave on his first cruise on an aircraft carrier (the JFK - the last diesel carrier). Anyhow, they knew nothing about it as they left Jacksonville, FL about 8:00am - they were supposed to be off on a shakedown cruise to the Caribbean. About a mile out, the ship turns left instead of right! Their aircraft start to board, but they are all armed! Then they start to load live ammunition - to the extent that every spare space had a bomb or an ammo container in it!

They spent a week cruising up and down between NY and DC - then went off to the sun!

[firbeck 860]

Operation 'Noble Eagle' apparently, who thinks of these names!!!

There you go, I never realised that the JFK wasn't nuclear powered, I'm sure it was the US carrier I saw during the 50th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, a bloody big ship.

Talking of JFK, when I heard the news that he'd been assasinated, I was lying on the floor doing my geography homework, the telly was on and it was the Tonight programme featuring an article about the problems with our armies Centurian tanks. Isn't it strange how you can remember such things in detail. I recall my old man ranting and raving that the Russians must have done it in retaliation for the Cuban Missile Crisis and that we were all doomed.