Saturday 911 2010

When I got up this morning and was having my coffee I said to Donna remember 9 years ago what happened today, she knew right away that it was Sept 11th and we had a rough 24 hours on that day.

My mother & fathers generation were the same way on Dec 7th, I remember my Mom saying everybody remembered where and what they were doing on Dec 7th 1941 when we were attacked by Japan at Pear Harbor.

On that morning in 2001 I was in my office at Lake Sherwood enjoying a slow morning after the conclusion of the summer season, I had just refilled my coffee cup when, Linda the Dispatcher said “Sam hurry you’ve got to see this,” I went in the office and a news flash was announcing that a plane had crashed into the World Trade center and there was a picture of the smoking building. I remember telling Linda what a terrible accident and that my Granddad had told me about a plane (a B-25) crashing into the Empire State Building during WW2 when it was lost in the fog. I called for Mary & Chris to come in from their offices and see this and not to much longer later we saw the second plane hit the other tower. Right away my cop & military instincts kicked in and I said, this is no accident, we are under some kind of attack, and who could be doing this.

We were like most Americans glued to the TV and it wasn’t until later in the afternoon after the collapse of the towers and they were showing the burned and damaged fire equipment and police vehicles that had been a block away that Mary said “Sam doesn’t your son Sam work close to that, I guess that was the first that I realized that he was in great danger and said “ yeah his office is about a half block away and his office faces those buildings.” Needless to say I went into  my office and tried for the first of dozens of time to call him and got the same recording that I would get for the next 24 hours that the long distance service to that area code had been interrupted and would be be available soon.

Donna and I tried until the next morning when we received a call from my other son Tim in New Jersey who said he had just heard from Sam and that luckily he was not in his office but on a business trip in New Jersey and was safe, he said that Sam had said the phone service was out all over the New York area and he would call us when he could. We later found out his company offices were heavily damaged and it would be a year before they were allowed back in, but that his co-workers had evacuated safely.

A couple of weeks later I received a picture from one of my friends that I traded train pictures with that was taken two days before the attack ( 9-09-01) It was taken at the Hoboken train terminal and he was focusing on an old commuter coach not even realizing that the WTC Towers were in the background across the river. He got more than he bargained for because  this cannot be done today.

Sept 08-01 View from Hoboken Rail Terminal

Sept 09-2001, Another view by the same photographer.

Today's view from Sam Jr’s Office.

I know most of my fellow blogger’s remember where they were and what they were doing and I for one am glad we have had the resolve to try and make this a better world, and that yes we are safer in this country today for those efforts, and yes we will defend our freedom from any cause that wishes to take it from us.

I guess with all the controversy in the news lately about an Islamic Mosque wanting to locate near that site, I have been giving it a lot of thought, and one of the freedom’s we enjoy is the freedom to choose and practice a religion of our choice, I guess to since in my own lifetime I made the conscious decision to defend these rights and freedoms. Maybe we should all sit back and take a deep breath and say what difference would it be if it were a Christian Cathedral, or a Jewish Synagogue or for that matter a Moslem Mosque, it is a house of God and we have made it a freedom to go there and worship without fear.

Hey Rigg’s wants to show you he is still the same old happy guy he always is, but he slips once in awhile and just has to be a stealer.

This time it’s the Satellite Remote Control.

Mom, trade you for a treat from my Treat Can.

Here’s another picture of him giving Dad directions to the doggie park.

                The next drive turn right Dad.

Well that makes for an interesting day here in Dardenne Prairie, hope I didn’t offend anyone with my feelings but sometimes I am like AL of THE BAYFIELD BUNCH and I get carried away with my opinions and I say something that might cause hard feelings with another blogger who doesn’t share my view. Anyway You 'all be safe out there,hear. Sam & Donna…Oh yeah it’s EH for my Canadian friends….