...most of you will go the entire day without realizing that this is the 6th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil that resulted in the death of 2,974 people. I've read stories about surfers in New Jersey and New York who played hooky from their jobs at the World Trade Center that day because of epic surf, only to watch from 20 miles away as friends and coworkers perished in a towering inferno. Everyone remembers it differently, here's my take:
I woke to phone call from my friend Jamie. "Can you believe this sh** going on?" he said. "What are the waves blown out already?" was my first response. We had spoke about surfing the night before as some decent swell was expected due to some tropical activity. "No the surf looks fun. "Have you seen the plane that crashed into the World Trade Center? The whole thing is on fire."
I rose from bed and turned on the TV to see what was really going wrong. There was definitely something very wrong going down. I watched for a while and would've watched all day but my selfishness told me to surf. The pier was chest-high plus and clean with rolling sets abound. It was not an ordinary day anywhere...
After a few hours the onshore winds picked up and it was time to get the latest news on the plane crash. It was much worse than initially thought. It was a catastrophe. Most of that day remain a blur, although I remember watching TV for most of it, just dumbfounded. The next day would put me back in reality when I learned that someone I knew personally was in the World Trade Center that day, and wasn't a survivor.
I spent my teenage years in Middletown, N.J., which calls itself the "biggest small town in New Jersey." 37 Middletown residents lost their lives on Sept. 11, more victims per capita than any other place in the state and the second hardest hit city after New York. Hardly something to proud of, just stating a fact.
Philip T. Guza (pictured center, w/ sons Tom and Pete) worked at the 91st floor. Never had a chance. I my high school snowboarding days Tom and I would make frequent trips over to Camelback in Pennsylvania to ride their dinky little mountain. Before we could drive ourselves, Phil had the honor of making the 2-hour drive for us. More of a reader than a sporting type, Phil would spend 6 hours in the lodge rifling through books as we made 50 or so runs down the mountain, never being one to say "Have you boys had enough?" He was happy that his kids were happy, and that's all he wanted in life.
Never forget Phil and all those that lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
never forget...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
the waves really were good on 9/11.
I remember surfing the morning glass at the washout ,before the crashes,and then the PM session ,with the same buddies,but everyone had a distinctivly different look on their face.Everyone was real quiet ,guys were sitting on their boards,staring straight down.Not too many people out,considering it was one of the best days of the year. I remember somebody said it would be the end of air travel as we know it.The first estimates were for 10 to 20,000 deaths.For my generation, the old farts, is was the first real time awakening that we have enemies that want to harm us.Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't need their friggin oil and we could tell the whole middle east they could have their desert back.
"For my generation, the old farts, is was the first real time awakening that we have enemies that want to harm us."
Huh?
Unless you consider 25 to be "old".
I'll clarify.Never felt really threatened during the Vietnam War.We were taking it to them ,so to speak , rather than the other way around. Nothing else really aggressive happened to the US since Pearl Harbor,before my time.
The threats I'd learned of weren't first person,but came mostly from history lessons.Thats what I meant by real time.Most of our enemies during my lifetime I never felt all that threatened by.Perhaps because they were small nations like N Vietnam ,or abstract cold war ideological battles(Soviet Union).But 9/11 did introduce a new threat simply because of its nature . The world is different
now.Enemies with no return address.I can't think of any news occurence in my lifetime that so changed Americas psyche.In my humble opinion,it really was the first real time awakening of threats to our life in the good ol USA.All the other lessons of attacks came from history books.
Gotcha.
The first time the scumbag hood wearin muslims, who attacked Americans overseas for a decade prior, brought it to (harmed us on) our own soil....
Unfortunately, the whole PC culture has opened the door for America to be overrun. Case in point the Muslims who were not allowed to board an aircraft after acting suspiciously, chanting and what not, turn around and sue the airline for racial discrimination. Who knows if it was a "dry run" or not. Sad that a muslim who is in America wanting to kill innocent people drinking coffee at a cafe' will turn around and use our own pathetic PC values against us. Thank you liberal America.
we should of had an idea of what was coming.the wtc bombinf prior to 911.also there was the cole the us wmbassy.we also have our own nuts here.remember oklahoma
Well ,I clarified ,but I guess I didn't dumb it down enough for the right wing wacko.
got what? another blame it on clinton again?
If you're talking about me, again I have to say....
Huh?
Do you blame political correctness soley on Clinton?
And you never knew people in the world were bad and wanted to kill Americans before 9/11 and you think anyone who does, blames it all on Clinton...... gotcha... again.
To clarify and dumb it down for you. When I said "gotcha", I meant I understood you meant you were aware of the hostilites abroad towards America but that it was the first time they (muslims) brought it to our soil. I was giving you credit that I now take back.
No blood for oil, Bush lied and the rest of that shit I'm sure you drivel on a daily basis. Go stick a rainbow up your arse.
-right wing wacko
...and another thing, I remember that day well and also surfed the washout after leaving work around lunch time. I don't think it was one of "the best days of the year" by any stretch of anyones imagination, except maybe someone with a rainbow up their anus.
RWW
if there was a rainbow up my anus you would know. when you make your point by telling someone to go stick it ,you're generally showing the last bastion of the failed argument.
I was offering my observation.You're entitled to yours.But you sorta prove another observation of mine about posting on the internet.I try to avoid it because often times you get flak from some know it all kid who thinks they been there, done that.Usually their arguments are so weak or poorly presented you wish you hadn't bothered.They rip into whatever anyone says,but don't offer up much else. Using words they get from TV like PC ,liberal,but no depth of topic .You ask them what they're for ,they say nothing .But ask them what they're against ,and they go on and on..
OK, so you call someone a "right wing wacko" and they tell you to stick it, but they are wrong and guilty of name calling.... but not you...no siree.
Do as I say and not as I do? Again a very typical liberal stance while debating any subject.
What am I for.... noone asked by the way.
"no depth of topic".... terrorist on 9/11 used airplanes to destroy the towers... later muslims who could be or not be terrorists are acting crazy while waiting to board another plane. They are confronted but cry racism and sue the airline. I am against this, sorry if that offends your sense of righteousness. Considering the topic "never forget", I believe my input is within parameters.
I would think everyday would be the best day of the year if I had a rainbow up my anus.
I remember exactly where I was on this day. There was a tv in a closet at work and the secratary pulled it out. The whole office was watching in disbelief. Sad sad day indeed.
Just came across this post and cannot belive the extent of the insular world that some people in the usa inhabit. Im from the uk and while sept 11th was horrendous and evil and in know way can be justified. Welcome to the real world, the whole of europe has had this kind of massive loss of civillian life for hundreds of years. It is time to look beyond your borders and realise that wars do infact have concequences other than the production of material for hollywood. Again let me say the twin towers was a horrible event but you do not have the monopoly on suffering and the rest of the world are sick of the endless flag waving.
Insular! Insular! How dare you bring our diabetic poulation into this. Bloody Union Jacks...
Post a Comment