Malc44:
I was working for an air freight company on that fateful day. I had my air cargo security clearance certificate which allowed me to transport “known” cargo to airports which don’t need the hand checking and x raying of non known air cargo, but when the attacks came on 9/11 then all bets were off. No one could have forseen what happened as happening. Everything that was due to be shipped out via aircraft was screened no matter what.
It was also one of those JFK moments (for all who can remember it). Everyone knew where they were when they heard the news.
I was on my way to a pick up in Northallerton. Called at the McDonalds on the A1 for a bite to eat and a coffee and the staff and customers were talking about it. Went back to the truck and it was all over the news, so I phoned my office and they said what had happened. From that moment on everything changed forever.
I was delivering a parcel to a customer, spent the next half hour watching it unfold in his living room.
Every parcel we collected from then on had to be opened and hand searched, even x-ray wasnt sufficient.
Malc44: I was working for an air freight company on that fateful day. I had my air cargo security clearance certificate which allowed me to transport “known” cargo to airports which don’t need the hand checking and x raying of non known air cargo, but when the attacks came on 9/11 then all bets were off. No one could have forseen what happened as happening. Everything that was due to be shipped out via aircraft was screened no matter what.
It was also one of those JFK moments (for all who can remember it). Everyone knew where they were when they heard the news.
I was on my way to a pick up in Northallerton. Called at the McDonalds on the A1 for a bite to eat and a coffee and the staff and customers were talking about it. Went back to the truck and it was all over the news, so I phoned my office and they said what had happened. From that moment on everything changed forever.
Are you sure?
I’m pretty sure I was told on my several level 4, level a+b, and level D courses that known cargo originated because of 9/11 or was it because of lockerbie? I can’t remember, it was all a money making [zb] excercise anyway. Had to do the same courses 3 times, just the courses had different names, all at a nice cost to me
Was post Lockerbie, all to do with unaccompanied baggage and unknown cargo.
was sat in a warrior opv in the omani desert when the battery captain came round on the tuesday night to tell us he had heard about it on the worldservice, pretty much thought that with all the hardware that the services had on that excercise we wouldnt be going home any time soon but we did
2001 was pre wagon driving for me and I was sat at my desk after lunch and the phones went strangely quiet. Someone received a call from credit control asking if we had heard about New York. We hadn’t. The rest of the afternoon was spent in disbelief as the news got worse, and worse. When I got home I was glued to the news.
I’ve been to New York and Ground Zero twice since 9/11/01 and seeing the site where the towers and the surrounding buildings once stood was a very eerie sight.
New York is an amazing place and I cannot wait to go back.
I was trucking north up the A6 between Ambergate and Cromford talking to my mate on the old “chicken box” when he heard on the radio that a plane had hit a skyscraper. Thought that it was “just” an accident, then a few moments later he said about the second plane, we then new that something horrific had occoured. Never dreamt that its repercussions would still be going on ten years later though.
I’d just left an OC’s O Group when one of the lads declared “WW3’s just started!”, then we had a few sherbets in front of the TV in the Mess. I bet Noraid’s coffers plummeted big style that day.
I was in bed after a night trunk. The TV was on in the bedroom when it woke me up. I thought in my sleepy state it was a movie until I heard the wife crying downstairs Spent the rest of the day somewhat in shock as we tried to get through to friends and family in the U.S. on the phone. It was about 7/8 pm before we finally got through. The shock and feeling of impotence in their voices was haunting. The women had bought out the local grocery stores and there wasn’t a bullet to be bought for miles The men were oiling and cleaning their guns not knowing what else to do really. Apparently the town was flooded with cops and the local National Guard deployed too, as we have a potential terrorist target there
I was at home,worked in a factory at that time.I was talking to my cousin who was part of the 6th Precinct of the NYPD who told me to turn on the TV,then told me he had to go as he was needed,thank god wasnt there at the time they fell.
I went up them towers 9 months before they fell and to say they were huge is an understatement,awesome experience which i will never forget.
Went back around easter when they had the 2 flood lights where they fell and ive never experience anything like that before or since,anyone whos been to New York will say its hectic to say the least but when I visited ground zero you could hear a pin drop.
Seeing all those photos of people who lost their lives on that wall will live with me for the rest of my life.
wqaiting to unload at renault at Flins-sur-Seine listening to simon mayo on 5 live and as someone said before thought a light air plane hit towers. not much work done that day,
and also don’t forget all races and religion were affected that terrible day
Scarab:
I was 16 and at college at the time, having a bit of a fumble with a young lady in a cupboard in the Physics department, when we both emerged from the cupboard, expecting the hustle of a busy class in which we could disperse un-noticed, the room was deadly silent and everyone was crowded round the TV in the corner watching it unfold, turned up just in time to watch the second plane go into the towers.
Think its about time the yanks got over it all now though, if the rest of the world was to go on about terrorist attacks as often as the Americans do then every day our TV’s would be filled with memorial services. Perhaps they should be? I don’t know. But I know I’m sick of hearing about it 10 years on. But hey, at least I’ve got some happy memories of that day
Can’t remember the girls name though!
So you’re sick of hearing about 9/11,and reckon the Yanks should get over it,you beggar belief.
How about the other 89,yes eighty nine ,countries that lost citizens on that dreadful day ? Any thoughts for the relatives of the 343 firefighters that died whilst saving over twenty thousand innocent people from the towers ?
How about the hundreds that jumped to certain death from the burning towers,at one stage emergency crews said the sky was raining bodies ? These poor people who are edited from TV footage and press photos because the images could be upsetting,FFS.
Glad you enjoyed 9/11 2001,but have a thought for those that still endure it ,day after day through no choice of their own.■■■■■ to be them eh ?
Filling up with diesel at Ducklington service station; Overheard people talking about it as I hadn’t had radio on for most of the day as it was so crap.
Walking back from the Pub with Brother In Law who had come over from the States with the rest of the family, 10 in total. Just sat watching TV thinking it was a film not the real thing. They couldn’t get a flight back to the States for 2 weeks. Their airline had them go down to Gatwick on 2 false alarm’s saying yes the flights are back on.
Just dispatched an aircraft to New York, they turned around over the Atlantic and came back when they closed the airspace. Didn’t have a TV in the hangar so just listened on the radio. Tragic day.
I was tipping at Sainsbury’s at Buntingford and we all got turfed out of the new warehouse(at the time) for a fire alarm test…
A driver mentioned that a plane had crashed into the first tower and then another said one had also gone into the next tower too and it was a large passenger jet,thought nothing of it until i got my keys back and put the radio on,jesus christ!!,i couldnt believe it !!
Pulled over into the first layby heading back up the A10 and put the tv on and watched the first tower collapse live on tv,absolutely horrifying to watch.
I vistied NYC the next year and i totally agree with newmercman,it was very humble and upsetting site to see,the placards with missing members of famillies still posted around the nearby church railings,my heart just sank for all the missing people and those who’d lost mothers.fathers,sons,daughters.
I visited Ground Zero again this year when i went in June and it was still quite humbling,espicially when we went to the 9/11 memorial museum/shop,god i just burst into tears when i watched the videos,me and the mrs were blubbering wrecks,and we wearn’ the only ones.
I love New York City so much.
I was asleep in a van with no radio after picking up a replacement part and waiting for an address somewhere is Scotland. Got a text message with the address and something about a plane crash in New York. I arrived late night in Scotland, the chap on the gate never mentioned a thing, seems annoyed I had woken him up. I arrived home at 4.00am, made some food and turned the telly on
Quite often when touring in the states we would end in New York while the band did TV/PR stuff, mostly in Brooklyn is where we would stay, nice euro style bar up a side street, then a bagel shop would open at four in the morning, get a bagel and walk up to Brooklyn Heights or promenade not sure the correct name and from there it was a fantastic view of Manhattan lit up with the towers dominating the view
We did the same thing with a band in 2002 and the view is not at all the same. On that tour we went to ground zero, we found a quite spot, but there was a lot of tacky souvenirs being sold, we ended up a few blocks away at a fire house chatting to the fireman which was a humbling experience.
flat to the mat:
So you’re sick of hearing about 9/11,and reckon the Yanks should get over it,you beggar belief.
How about the other 89,yes eighty nine ,countries that lost citizens on that dreadful day ? Any thoughts for the relatives of the 343 firefighters that died whilst saving over twenty thousand innocent people from the towers ?
How about the hundreds of people killed in the UK due to terrorist attacks in the past 20 years? Do we plaster the worlds papers and newsrooms with them every year/5 years/10 years? no. We move on, remember those people that died, but don’t let it affect us because thats what the terrorist scum want.
flat to the mat:
So you’re sick of hearing about 9/11,and reckon the Yanks should get over it,you beggar belief.
How about the other 89,yes eighty nine ,countries that lost citizens on that dreadful day ? Any thoughts for the relatives of the 343 firefighters that died whilst saving over twenty thousand innocent people from the towers ?
How about the hundreds of people killed in the UK due to terrorist attacks in the past 20 years? Do we plaster the worlds papers and newsrooms with them every year/5 years/10 years? no. We move on, remember those people that died, but don’t let it affect us because thats what the terrorist scum want.
I stand by my statement, the yanks should get over it and stop shoving it down our throats!
There were 67 Brits killed that day. A lot of the coverage in this country was in memory of those people. Are the deaths of those 67 in one atrocity not worthy of airtime or remembrance ■■. It was an unparalleled act of terrorism in piece time that killed thousands.
Nobody is shoving anything down your throat, you have an off switch.
The rest of us choose to remember those lost and that is why it’s being remembered in such scale. It was an event of both tremendous tragedy and of history. It’s only from history than man can learn. This is why the prisoner of war camps in Germany and Poland are kept, to educate in the hope that such events shall never happen again.
i was painting the ceiling of the pub i was taking over ready for opening with a new refurb on the friday, heard on the radio that all flights world wide were grounded as the first plane had struck, put the tv on and flicked to one of the american news channels on sky to see the second plane hit, thought at first that was news coverage of the first plane but it turned out to be happening live, jaw dropping, none of us could believe it…
I thought in my sleepy state it was a movie until I heard the wife crying downstairs 
