9/11. Like it was yesterday.
- Thread starter mikep
- Start date
Never forget. The tragedies of September 11th, 2001 and Benghazi September 11th, 2012.
On this day I woke up in my hotel room in Miami. I was attending a street survivor officer trainer course, and the class didn't start till mid afternoon. So I woke up and turned on the news just in time to see the second plane hit. A day I will never forget. Always remember, never forget.
On this day I woke up in my hotel room in Miami. I was attending a street survivor officer trainer course, and the class didn't start till mid afternoon. So I woke up and turned on the news just in time to see the second plane hit. A day I will never forget. Always remember, never forget.
Mr.W.
Professional
"Hope and change." Right. . .And less than a decade later the American people elected a president named Barack Hussein Obama.
"fundamentally transform America'
HayesGreener
Ronin
Unknown author. It will grab your heart
It was the dogs. The dogs are what got me.
A few years ago we visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and we saw a lot. Twisted steel girders. Baby-faced portraits of the deceased. Mutilated emergency vehicles.
But it was the dogs that wrecked me.
The dog exhibit is pretty small. Located in the far corner of the museum, with photographs of search and rescue dogs.
You see dogs nosing through rubble, wearing safety harnesses. You see them in their prime. They’re all deceased now. But they were spectacular.
There was Riley. Golden retriever. He was trained to find living people. But, he didn’t find any. Instead, he recovered the remains of firefighters. Riley kept searching for a live survivor, but found none. Riley’s morale tanked.
“I tried my best to tell Riley he was doing his job,” said his handler. “He had no way to know that when firefighters and police officers came over to hug him, and for a split second you can see them crack a smile—that Riley was succeeding at doing an altogether different job. He provided comfort. Or maybe he did know.”
There was Coby and Guiness. Black and yellow Labs. From California. Surfer dogs. They found dozens of human remains.
And Abigail. Golden Lab. Happy. Energetic. Committed. Big fan of bacon.
Sage. A border collie. Cheerful. Endless energy. Her first mission was searching the Pentagon wreckage after the attacks. She recovered the body of the terrorist who piloted American Airlines Flight 77.
Jenner. Black Lab. At age 9, he was one of the oldest dogs on the scene. Jenner’s handler, Ann Wichmann, remembers:
“It was 12 to 15 stories high of rubble and twisted steel. My first thought was, ‘I can't send Jenner into that…’ At one point, [Jenner] disappeared down a hole under the rubble and I was like, ‘Ugggggh!' Such a heart-stopping moment..."
Trakr. German Shepherd. Tireless worker. Worked until he couldn’t stand up anymore. Trakr found Genelle Guzman-McMillan, who was trapped for 27 hours among the debris. Genelle was as good as dead, until the cold nose poked through the mangled steel.
Apollo. German shepherd. An NYPD police dog. Coal-black muzzle. Liquid eyes. The first dog on the scene, only 15 minutes after the attacks. Apollo worked 18-hour days. Once, he was nearly killed in a fire during his search. But Apollo had been drenched in water and he was quick on his feet. No injuries.
Jake. Labrador. As a puppy, Jake was found on the side of the road in Dallas. Abandoned. Left for dead. Like trash. He had a dislocated hip and a broken leg. They made him a rescue dog.
Jake worked until his body threatened to collapse from exhaustion. After his shifts, local New York merchants saw his rescue-dog vest and treated him to free steak dinners in upscale Manhattan restaurants.
And, of course, there was Bretagne. Golden Retriever. Easygoing. Dutiful. Obsessed with food. Her owner and trainer, Denise Corliss, a firefighter from Harris County, Texas, brought Bretagne to Ground Zero while the rubble was still hot.
Bretagne went straight to work. She worked for 10 days solid. Ten agonizing days. Bretagne never quit. She napped onsite.
Denise recalls: “...There are images of Bretagne going to where she was directed to search, into the unknown, the chaotic environment. But even then, she knew who needed the comfort of a dog, and which firefighter needed to hold her close and stroke her fur.”
After 9/11, Bretagne also helped recovery efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Ivan. She retired at age 9.
Old age finally overtook her, she had a hard time using stairs, so Denise installed an above-ground pool to keep Bretagne’s joints limber.
In retirement, Bretagne became a reading dog at a local elementary school. First graders, too shy to read aloud, would read to a white-faced, elderly retriever who looked them in the eyes and smiled.
Bretagne visited students with special needs. She visited students with autism. She visited everyone.
She suffered kidney failure at age 16. She was put to sleep on June 7, 2016, and became the last of the 9/11 rescue dogs to end her earthly career.
Bretagne hobbled into the Cypress, Texas, animal hospital, one sunny Monday, only to discover the sidewalks and hallways were lined with firefighters, first responders, and rescue workers who saluted her.
Her remains were later escorted from the hospital, draped in an American flag.
We do not deserve dogs.
It was the dogs. The dogs are what got me.
A few years ago we visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and we saw a lot. Twisted steel girders. Baby-faced portraits of the deceased. Mutilated emergency vehicles.
But it was the dogs that wrecked me.
The dog exhibit is pretty small. Located in the far corner of the museum, with photographs of search and rescue dogs.
You see dogs nosing through rubble, wearing safety harnesses. You see them in their prime. They’re all deceased now. But they were spectacular.
There was Riley. Golden retriever. He was trained to find living people. But, he didn’t find any. Instead, he recovered the remains of firefighters. Riley kept searching for a live survivor, but found none. Riley’s morale tanked.
“I tried my best to tell Riley he was doing his job,” said his handler. “He had no way to know that when firefighters and police officers came over to hug him, and for a split second you can see them crack a smile—that Riley was succeeding at doing an altogether different job. He provided comfort. Or maybe he did know.”
There was Coby and Guiness. Black and yellow Labs. From California. Surfer dogs. They found dozens of human remains.
And Abigail. Golden Lab. Happy. Energetic. Committed. Big fan of bacon.
Sage. A border collie. Cheerful. Endless energy. Her first mission was searching the Pentagon wreckage after the attacks. She recovered the body of the terrorist who piloted American Airlines Flight 77.
Jenner. Black Lab. At age 9, he was one of the oldest dogs on the scene. Jenner’s handler, Ann Wichmann, remembers:
“It was 12 to 15 stories high of rubble and twisted steel. My first thought was, ‘I can't send Jenner into that…’ At one point, [Jenner] disappeared down a hole under the rubble and I was like, ‘Ugggggh!' Such a heart-stopping moment..."
Trakr. German Shepherd. Tireless worker. Worked until he couldn’t stand up anymore. Trakr found Genelle Guzman-McMillan, who was trapped for 27 hours among the debris. Genelle was as good as dead, until the cold nose poked through the mangled steel.
Apollo. German shepherd. An NYPD police dog. Coal-black muzzle. Liquid eyes. The first dog on the scene, only 15 minutes after the attacks. Apollo worked 18-hour days. Once, he was nearly killed in a fire during his search. But Apollo had been drenched in water and he was quick on his feet. No injuries.
Jake. Labrador. As a puppy, Jake was found on the side of the road in Dallas. Abandoned. Left for dead. Like trash. He had a dislocated hip and a broken leg. They made him a rescue dog.
Jake worked until his body threatened to collapse from exhaustion. After his shifts, local New York merchants saw his rescue-dog vest and treated him to free steak dinners in upscale Manhattan restaurants.
And, of course, there was Bretagne. Golden Retriever. Easygoing. Dutiful. Obsessed with food. Her owner and trainer, Denise Corliss, a firefighter from Harris County, Texas, brought Bretagne to Ground Zero while the rubble was still hot.
Bretagne went straight to work. She worked for 10 days solid. Ten agonizing days. Bretagne never quit. She napped onsite.
Denise recalls: “...There are images of Bretagne going to where she was directed to search, into the unknown, the chaotic environment. But even then, she knew who needed the comfort of a dog, and which firefighter needed to hold her close and stroke her fur.”
After 9/11, Bretagne also helped recovery efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Ivan. She retired at age 9.
Old age finally overtook her, she had a hard time using stairs, so Denise installed an above-ground pool to keep Bretagne’s joints limber.
In retirement, Bretagne became a reading dog at a local elementary school. First graders, too shy to read aloud, would read to a white-faced, elderly retriever who looked them in the eyes and smiled.
Bretagne visited students with special needs. She visited students with autism. She visited everyone.
She suffered kidney failure at age 16. She was put to sleep on June 7, 2016, and became the last of the 9/11 rescue dogs to end her earthly career.
Bretagne hobbled into the Cypress, Texas, animal hospital, one sunny Monday, only to discover the sidewalks and hallways were lined with firefighters, first responders, and rescue workers who saluted her.
Her remains were later escorted from the hospital, draped in an American flag.
We do not deserve dogs.
KillerFord1977
SAINT
Sooo… Recusant, if you’re DB Cooper, we stand to make a lot of $$$ if we turn you in
Hiding in plain sight on a gun forum.
I want to know how you fared on the parachute down ??
BET7
Ronin
Well we know he lost at least $5800 in the Columbia River, so it wasn't a perfect trip down from the plane & landing.Sooo… Recusant, if you’re DB Cooper, we stand to make a lot of $$$ if we turn you in
Hiding in plain sight on a gun forum.
I want to know how you fared on the parachute down ??
Recusant
Hellcat
What better way to illustrate the definition of one who refuses to submit to an authority or to comply with a regulation.Sooo… Recusant, if you’re DB Cooper, we stand to make a lot of $$$ if we turn you in
Hiding in plain sight on a gun forum.
I want to know how you fared on the parachute down ??
Recusant
Hellcat
I was in my first class of the day, an eight grade Civics class. I was told that something was going on in NYC and I turned on the class TV and saw that the top of Trade Center 1 was on fire and heard that a plane had struck it. When the second plane hit it obviously on purpose I told my class that it was an attack and the US was at war. I looked at kids and wondered how this would affect their future.
powerboatr
Professional
agreed its hard to believe how fast time flies and it certainly for me feels like last week in the grand scheme of things
I was at pcola leading the Class A school for young sailors and marines to learn about aircraft.
Command sent out an alarm, fire doors closed etc and put EVERYONE on lock down, and of course no one knew why as we set about locking all the doors and letting the students know we had to delay lunch dismissal
then it slowly filtered out and we managed to get a TV in the hangar and mustered all the students so they could at least see what the world was doing.
it was a most difficult day as an instructor, more questions than we had answers. Finally around 4 pm we were allowed to let the students be dismissed and hit the chow hall.
Nothing was the same afterwards.
I was at pcola leading the Class A school for young sailors and marines to learn about aircraft.
Command sent out an alarm, fire doors closed etc and put EVERYONE on lock down, and of course no one knew why as we set about locking all the doors and letting the students know we had to delay lunch dismissal
then it slowly filtered out and we managed to get a TV in the hangar and mustered all the students so they could at least see what the world was doing.
it was a most difficult day as an instructor, more questions than we had answers. Finally around 4 pm we were allowed to let the students be dismissed and hit the chow hall.
Nothing was the same afterwards.
belladonna
Hellcat
My post two years ago..
ddeuce22
Professional
A few years back on this forum I wrote a pretty long diatribe about my experience that day, and what alot of people never hear about: The days and weeks after. I realized after I had typed that out and re-read it... that I had actually never truly unpacked the events and my personal experience of all that transpired. I never got it out, or off my chest, so to speak.
It's hard to see all the posts. It's hard to go back and think about how many people were removed from my life. Friends, Family, Role Models. I remember when I got my first office job which was about 2 years after, it was for an executive car/limo service and one of our clients used to be a company called Cantor Fitzgerald. Essentially the entire company was wiped out as they had massive office space on the upper floors of one of the towers. We backed up the database for that entire client and never removed it from our dispatch system, so the names would never be forgotten. I can tell you for sure that they still exist in the database today. I think they are still in business today, amazingly enough.
If I can find the post I will edit and put a link here, if anyone wanted to read.
It's hard to see all the posts. It's hard to go back and think about how many people were removed from my life. Friends, Family, Role Models. I remember when I got my first office job which was about 2 years after, it was for an executive car/limo service and one of our clients used to be a company called Cantor Fitzgerald. Essentially the entire company was wiped out as they had massive office space on the upper floors of one of the towers. We backed up the database for that entire client and never removed it from our dispatch system, so the names would never be forgotten. I can tell you for sure that they still exist in the database today. I think they are still in business today, amazingly enough.
If I can find the post I will edit and put a link here, if anyone wanted to read.