OFF TOPIC: Taking a moment to remember

[TMR Design]

Sorry to go off topic and out of the realm of photography but I just wanted to take a moment to remember one of the most horrific and tragic days in world history, September 11, 2001.

To those that lost their lives, to those that lost loved ones, to those that lost friends and colleagues, and to those in all parts of the United States and the world.... never forget.

Thank you.

[greg20d]

TY It was a very sobering day the one thing I rememeber most was when they said 200 firefighters were lost my dad was a firefighter for 27 years in california I probably met 200 firefighters in my life that he worked with I still tear up over that

[justincase724]

Good call, TMR. I think it's easy for everyone to just go about this day without even a thought about what happened this day seven years ago. I am guilty of this, even though my wife was affected first-hand. One of her friends from work was on one of the planes that went down.

[gjl711]

My good friend lost his sister. She was a friend of mine as well. She has never been found. We are going out to lunch today and remember her.

[shannyD]

i remember the day this happened.. i had just found out that morning that i was pregnant with my son. and i remember getting a call from my husband telling me to turn the tv on. i was in shock. the joy of finding out i was baking a life was lost in the sadness that i felt.

knowing that my best friends, and my husband were looking at war, and a lot of deployments for years to come. today is a day that im feeling sad, and mourning the people we lost, and the troops we have seen fall to continue keeping us free.

i watch people go on with their life like nothing ever happened. just makes me sad.

probably why im rambling so much.

[In2Photos]

I am sure that I will spend my fair share of remembering today. While I did not lose a family member or a friend that day it has sure impacted my life and the lives of many, many more.

[gary88]

I saw ground zero a few months after the attacks, and saw all the people standing on a platform overlooking everything in complete silence, some holding candles and flags. A day I'll never forget.

[Becca]

It was a day I won't forget, that's for sure. We have a lot of people that fly quite frequently from our office and as 2 of the planes left from Boston we had some pretty anxious hours until we were able to locate everyone.

I flew over NY on a flight from Manchester, NH to Baltimore on Friday, September 14, the day they reopened the airports. It was an eerie day all around, but the smoke from ground zero that was still visible from the air made the entire plane go quiet as we passed over.

[asysin2leads]

I remember exactly what I was doing on that bright, beautiful, tragic Tuesday morning. Much like the JFK generation can remember where they were and what they were doing when he was shot.

I want say a thank you to those men and women who go into harm's way on a daily basis. Our military and our public safety services deserve a standing ovation. I know there are those on here who serve their countries abroad and I want to say thank you, too. It takes a special person to do what we do.

[Jim G]

It's funny that it even has an impact on people from foreign countries; I still remember what I was doing when I first heard about it (very late at night) and then sitting in front of the television the next day watching the footage in stunned silence.

[Mike]

I was helping my parents move house on that day when my friend rang me to tell me. I totally forgot about the moving house and went over to my friends'. I still shake my head when I watch the footage again. There was a very moving programme a couple of nights ago about the survivors of the Marriott hotel that was also destroyed by the collapse of the towers and it made me realise just how massive the destruction was, and how heroic people could be in a time of crisis.

[saravrose]

You know my mother and aunts can tell me exactly where they were when JFK was shot. I remember exactly where I was when the Towers went down. Sitting in my apartment trying to get through a chapter in my anthropology textbook and thinking that I was going to make myself late for class.

My father called and told me to turn on the t.v. and then hung up on me. I thought that he had to tell me what dang channel but it didn't matter. My first thought was that the footage on t.v. was the tackiest, most innapropriate movie trailer I had ever seen. And that the entire country was going to be incredibly offended. It took me several minutes to realize that it wasn't something that Hollywood had made up. But the image that sticks out most clearly in my head were all of the walls and fences with photographs of people who were missing from the Towers. And the feeling that whatever I thought I had known, or thought was true wasn't anymore. That the world as I had known it was going to forever be different.