9/11 Remembered

A special prayer given by a SGM at an ANCOC graduation on September 12th, 2001.

"Lord, make me an instrument of your wrath.... Give me the strength to crush the insolent bastards that make war on my country.... Allow me to grind the bones of my enemy and drive his line to extinction.

All this I ask without remorse

Amen"
 
Now I don't have the greatest memory, but I remember where and what I was doing when 9/11 occurred. I was sitting in my barracks room, getting back from the chow hall....I turn on the tv and see a building smoking. I'm thinking, ok... looking like the WTC has a fire.... then plane number two flies into the building. After that it was chaos, and preparation for deployment.
 
I had just finished a CIP APFT. Walked into the Det and watched in shock, horror, and anger as my fellow countrymen were incinerated. Later that day we received a call from the RIO and we've been busy ever since.

I will never forget.

John
 
Im watching the memorial services now.

RIP

Vengance is being brought by American angels of death.
 
I will never forget

I was in my office..there was a patient getting chemo in a room with a TV on. I heard all this commotion in that room..went to see what was up..and saw the second plane hit. I still feel the palpitations in my chest..my brother was in the Trade Complex that day. I spent the entire day on the phone with family, trying to page him, trying to get his cell to ring. Talking to his bosses at the home office trying to figure out where he was. Thank God he got out and we located him that night...in a Hampton Inn with about 16 other people.. banged up, shaken..but gloriously alive. It was the single best phone call I have ever had.
 
I was on my way in to work. Listening to the radio about sports when they announced that a plane hit the WTC. Guys made a joke that it was piloted by the head coach’s for the Jets and Giants. Then number two hit……………. Got to work, and started doing a frost call for my platoon.

Got hold of all Marines in my platoon except one. FDNY. He survived but lost his entire engine.

Most of us spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday working at ground zero. 2nd Bat 25th Marines lost FDNY and Marine Cpl Sean Talon. Weapons Company.

4 other Marines lost their lives as well. NYPD and Transit Police.
 
My Cousin Steven Genovese just got off the phone with his father My Uncle Jack and my Aunt Peg that morning when the first plane hit. They tried to call him back and could not get through. Both my Aunt and Uncle had just retired from the Securities Business the year before and they both survived the 93 bombing.

Steven died along with everyone from the ENTIRE firm Cantor Fitzgerald and he left behind a beautiful wife and two small children. We indentifed the body from dental records three weeks later.

He was a good man and a great dad.

I went to the local recruiting station the next day with my records to see what I could do. The Army Recruiter was cool. He looked at my medical shit and said that he would try but there was only a slim chance I could get a waiver. We looked each other in the eye and he knew I would go in a second if my country called. He shook my hand and we prayed together.

I won't be writing anything else the rest of the day. I want to be alone with my thoughts.

God Bless us all.

William Hazen
 
condolences

Mr Hazen,
Im very sorry for you loss. And thank you for your service.
Regards,
Chopstick
 
I'm sorry for your loss, Bill.

I was sitting on a park bench on 106th St. and Broadway. It was such a beautiful day. I was on a phone call, was put on hold and the person never came back. I remember now hearing a lot of fire sirens, but not thinking much of it. I hailed a cab and the driver practically screamed at me, "Two planes hit the WTC!" I knew right away it had to be terrorism. I wanted to get to a television and see for myself. I was in shock, running up my block, but I felt like I was in slow motion. As I got in the front door, my husband called and told me to go get the kids from school and he would be home as soon as he could. He worked on a trading desk in Rockefeller Center and was on the phone with a guy from Canter Fitzgerald when the plane hit and the line went dead.

I was the first parent to get to both of my kid's schools. I jumped into another cab to go back uptown to pick up my son when I heard on the radio the Pentagon getting hit. It felt so overwhelming.
 
I was in the bush in Africa, I managed to see about 5 minutes of the footage then, I still havent seen it all.

I didnt go to the commemerations today, I ran into three fireman on the train, I went over and shook their hands and thanked them for everything and told them I appreciated what they did, They shook my hand firmly and said nothing, Ive been feeling guilty all day.....
 
I arrived in New York Dec 2001, I went to the WTC site to see the still smoldering pile of rubble, I remember the terrible smell...
 
I was attending Airman Leadership School at Kapaun Air Station in Germany at the time. I remember I was standing in the gym waiting to check out some volleyball equipment when someone said a plane had just hit a skyscraper a few minutes before. It all snowballed from there. I have never felt anger so intense as on that day. Prayers out to those who lost loved ones.
 
I was working nights at the time, and for an unknown reason my radio alarm clock switched on right after the first tower got hit. I ran upstairs to watch the television and watched as everything on 9/11 unfolded. I emailed my Log Chief right before the 2nd tower was hit, about needing to come in, and never felt more useless in my life when he told us all to just sit tight until we got further word.
 
I was in basic training. We were cleaning our shit becasue graduation was on the 13 of Sept. The drills were being (relatively) nice to us at that point so they gave us a radio to listen to music.. thats when we heard something about the WTC but it was not clear what just happen. At the beginning of the cyle one of the drills put a old busted ass tv in the back that didnt really work but over the last weeks, we had got it to work nicely. So we go back there and jam our coathanger in the back, do a little shimmy and than we had tv.. and the news. About 1minute later i watched the second plane smash right into it.. and right than.. somehow.. i knew that my life had just changed forever.

I can even tell you where I was when 3rd Batt jumped in and took Kandahar. It was late october. I had just got back from the chow hall and called my mother. She told me that she had just picked up the paper. She asked me if I had seen it, I said 'no' so she opened it up and read the front page to me. "RANGERS TAKE AFGHAN AIRPORT" (something to that effect). I just thought "...fuck" and that was that. I still have that newpaper too. Little while later I was soaking wet and freezing my ass off in FtLewis waiting to hear about Anaconda....
 
I was getting ready for work, had a late appointment that day and chose not to go to the office first. I never, ever turn the TV on in the morning but that morning for some reason I did. It was Katie Curic talking with a woman who phoned in to say she thought a small plane flew into one of the Towers.

I stood there in shock as they showed the footage...and then watched in horror as the second plane flew into the other Tower. I remember dropping to the floor, knew we were under attack and sat there the rest of the day and night watching...crying...feeling sick for my fellow Countrymen and their families...and overcome with rage.

Never forget.
 
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