9/11 - Still Hurts

A friend forwarded me this clip from the Jon Stewart show, the day he returned to the show after 9/11.

I am thankful I'm connected enough, healthy enough, human enough, to just sit here and cry.

To my friend Matthew Austin, GnySgt United States Marine Corps, who lost a leg to a sniper's bullet. Thank you.

To my friend James "JmyTom" Hackemer, Sgt United States Army, who lost both legs to an I.E.D. and later died. Thank you.

To my friends in Army, Marines and Airborne, still half a world away. Thank you.

And hurry home.

To the rest of us... remember those days. Remember the figherfighters, the first responders, the police, the civilian, the AMERICAN. Black, White, Red, Brown, Gay, Straight, Young, Old, Christian, Muslim, Republican, Democrat.... shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand... grieving, coping, recovering, rebuilding. Fill your heart and your mind with it.

And go. Make a decision today, do something today, with them in your hearts and minds. See if the world isn't a better place because of it.

I usually watch Meet the Press or other Sunday morning taking head shows before heading out to Church.

I used to turn the volume down, when they rolled the pix and names of those brave young men who died

in combat last week. Now I turn the TV off.

If I want to get mad, irrationally mad, I think about how those creeps were undoubtedly shouting "Allah Akbar" as they murdered.

There is something about that particular aspect that sends me to the moon.

I worked near the Pentagon on 9/11 - we were in an interior training room, and people had forgotten about us for almost 45 minutes before someone told us the govt was shut down. I had seen the news of the twin towers, but not the Pentagon. Once I finally got a hold of family, I headed to a friend's in Arlington, which took me almost 3 hrs - but I'll never forget the sight of the Pentagon with the damage. I went to work the next morning, with the smoke still in the air. Later, I'd meet a woman thru my daughter's preschool who lost her father as a firefighter at WTC - he was only months away from retiring. It still puts a lump in my throat to this day dealing with what happened. The fact that the skies in DC looked exactly as they did 11 years ago was eerie today.

-B

I turned all the 9/11 stuff off this year, last year's
coverage wore me out.

Vinnie Kane and I went to Marist College together. We were in the same dorm, Sheahan Hall. We used to play Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here on our guitars. I wish you were here, Vinnie.

My Boss's daughter was at a private NYC school that day, He and I drove near the Brooklyn Bridge and retrieved her late that afternoon. It was a long day, being at work to open for 6AM, and get home again. Then, I went over to the hospice where my significant other of 20 years was dying of cancer. She was already crying, and feeling quite bad. Just a terrible day in my life. I would say easily the worst.

I know what the second worst was. Hope I never have to face that day !

It was amazing, tragically amazing, to watch it all happen in real time, broadcast in high def by the networks.

Ineffably sad.