Yesterday was the eleventh anniversary of the murderous tragedy of 9/11...but no one here even mentioned it.

It looks like the members here kept the NASCAR thread up to date, though, and that's a real tragedy.

"Friends of my Brother, friends of my Sister, died in that " horrifying evil ". My brother would also have died, but he missed his train that morning. The memories of that event are very personal, and very painful.
For me, at least, there are some things that should not be made into annual public spectacles.
It was on that morning, watching the collapse of the towers, that my "r e l i g i o n" left me, and my Faith and belief,in the Almighty God, replaced it. I no longer have any use or tolerance for the "power of Man".
I would prefer that each of us remembers that day in our own private way. Wounds of the heart should never be poked and prodded for "public sensationalism" , or "political gain".
I celebrate the heroes of that day, I do not celebrate the event itself." - CPO, USN, RET
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The above is my own personal response to the pain and loss of that day, and in no way represents my responsibilities as a moderator on this board. any who take issue with this, please do so by PM, and not by posted reply.
Thank you in advance,
Pete

I don't think I'd assume that no appearance of a thread (on a train forum) regarding the anniversary of 9/11 signifies a lack of reverence, respect, and awareness of the day by the membership. Certainly in the past we have had threads noting America's Memorial Day, similar threads honoring veterans of Canada, the UK, and Australia, celebration of the 4th of July, remeberence of Pearl Harbor Day, etc. These are, of course, welcome. Perhaps next year, Mountain Man, you might start such a thread yourself on the 11th if you don't see one and wish to express a memorium on the forum.

Ralph

I agree with Ralph, nobody posting anything doesn't mean that no one cares, or took the time yesterday to pay their respects. You can be pretty sure that most people did so in their own way.

I, too, remembered, since the news media made it a point to say that the 2012 remembrances/tributes would be scaled back. It was no surprise to me, since the 10th was a bigger anniversary than we had in 09 and 10. I'm sure the 20th, 25th and 50th will be large ones too... as is the case with WWII and other war tributes.

I did think of the two 9/11 "contacts" I had - one friend works in New York and his subway train went under the area about an hour before. Also - the band that plays at the local renn faire, is here now and I was the one to tell the band leader/song writer, that one of his fans had written some of one of his songs in a note to his girlfriend, in preparations to proposing to her on 9/15/01 (her birthday -- this is according to his friend that delivered the note to said girl). Her boyfriend died in the second tower... she had the note framed. I told the band leader what I had read about one of his songs, he asked me to cut out the article and bring it to him the next week. I did.

I had it framed for him. I handed it to him and said; "I have no idea why you sing and write music.. (Laughing ) You never have any effect on anyone... We both chuckled at this. He sincerely thanked me as we both teared up.......

As far as the NASCAR thread, it's one of the few jobs I have here. and as you know - I'm getting old.. I have it on my calendar so I remember to update the thread every Tuesday after the penalties (if any) are given out. That's the only reason that thread was updated, it was Tuesday. As ezdays commented.. I shed a tear or three, for people I never knew, will never meet, but have a surreal connection with.

Something else too, to think about. I was born in 58. I don't remember WWII, save for what i learned form others telling me. Anyone born in the last 10 years and all future people, will be the same toward 9/11 - they will only know things second hand, whether it be from being told or the videos from the day. It's a LOT different "living through it" and just hearing about it.

Like Viet Nam, The Berlin Wall coming down, The Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK in Dallas, Nixon/Watergate, Man on The Moon..... All those, I "remember" - I lived through them.... Anything else: FDR, WWI, Korea, etc. are only what I've been told or seen on TV - all second hand. Such as it will be, for millions of people, only what they are told about 9/11.

Whether it be "the" 2 towers, people killed needlessly by terrorism and/or war...
................We still must never forget

To be fair, is it really necessary to have a thread for every anniversary here? Believe me when I heard all about it yesterday, and to be honest, I just don't like hearing about it. I'm not at all suggesting that i have put it out of my mind, but there comes a point when hearing snippets of radio news announcements of people screaming in shock as planes fall out of the sky, and others jumping to escape the flames kinda gets to you. I'm never going to forget it, but I don't need any additional reminders.

Every Saturday I cross over into Staten Island, I can see Manhattan way in the distance. For years, i saw the empty patch of sky where they used to be, and now I see the new building growing with each week. I remember coming home and seeing it all unfold on the news. In December 2001, I had the experience of seeing the wreckage for myself, and passing all the flattened and destroyed fire trucks staged along route 440 in Staten Island. There were people in there.

To me, I get a weekly reminder of all of that when I see that new building. So I'm kinda glad that others here don't see the need to bring up September 11 either, since Trains are supposed to be the hobby that allows me to escape from this madness.


The reality is, dwelling on this doesn't really do a lot of good. It just fills me with an impossible rage, it gets to the point where I wish I could just fry every single one of those "terrorists", and just burn them off the planet. But you know what? All that will do is enrage more people, and just make everyone that much closer to killing eachother needlessly. Its carthartic on an evil scale, and the short term satisfaction it may have brought does not help us be better in the long term.

I'd rather be hearing about how this country has progressed since then, and how we have overcome the sort of destruction that September 11 was supposed to mean for this country, but thats just me.

....................

9/11 certainly wasn't forgotten here in the UK either. Even without a 'personnel' connection to the tragedy, those images will live with me and my family forever. Neither was it forgotten by the British media.

One of the most moving moments of my life was being in LaCrosse Wisconsin during the 2010 remembrance of 9/11.

That does not mean I expect, or even want to see mention of it on a hobby forum where I come to escape the realities of every day life.

Just my feelings.

Cheers,

Kev

Mountain Man,

That was a real needless cheap shot towards this forum. As a New York City citizen and a first responder who was there that day, it's an event that's never forgotten. I knew a lot of people who died that day and will never forget the sight of US Army soldiers entering the city by the truck load wearing hazmat suits. It was a science fiction nightmare come to life. There have been numerous reminders and at the same time, brushes with death in NYC.

I was supposed to be in the immediate area of the World Trade Center that day doing research.

It's not the first time NYC has had to deal with terrorism. In 1997, there was a plot to blow up Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue/ Flatbush Avenue terminal during rush hour. It was nothing but luck that stopped it from happening. The plotters' bragged to their roommate who was horrified at the destruction that was planned. He found a nearby NYPD patrol car and tried to explain the situation. The cops didn't speak any Arabic, so they took him back to the police station for an interpreter. When the plot was uncovered, an ESU Unit (NYPD's SWAT team) was sent to the apartment. The ESU point man was lucky in that he shot the perpetrator who was inches from the detonator button. If the bombs went off, it would have taken out an entire city block.

Once again, I was supposed to be in that station around rush hour when it was supposed to happen.

Quite frankly, despite all these brushes with terrorism, I'm more afraid that some idiot with a gun (possible assault rifle) is going to have a bad day and take it out on everybody else. He'll have access to these weapons because a bunch of 2nd amendment yahoos believe that they may one day have to take up arms against the government. It's happened before and it will happen again.

So you'll have to excuse me if I just want to go on this website for a respite from the everyday world and decide if my track plan is good or a piece of crap. Or if I want to see the NASCAR standings. If someone wants to put up a reminder of the event, great. If someone wants to criticize members for not remembering the event in print, I take great issue.

Moving forward is how you beat the terrorists, not dwelling on it.

I don't own a gun, but I'm a second amendment Yahoo. Our forefathers put that amendment in there because they felt there was a need for it.
Charlie

9/11 will never be forgotten.

The soldiers that fought and the thousands that died fighting terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan will be.Their Government will cut VA health benefits as a thank you to those that boldly went forth and survived.

And that's sad since they gave all willingly to protect their country.

Brakie Wrote:- - - they gave all willingly to protect their country. - - -

There are times when I believe that only those who have "given all", or put themselves at severe risk, in the belief that their freedoms are worth the sacrifice, can truly understand just how important, and valuable that "risk, and sacrifice" is.
As I have mentioned in several PM's, the oath of enlistment is to defend the "Constitution of The United States".....not the government. It is in *that document*, that the real beauty, and power, of our Nation resides.

For those of you who read my wife's book, you will recognize this poem she wrote that proceeded chapter one. The book starts off with the family getting ready to meet the train carrying the body of one of her brothers who lost his life in Korea. The book does a flashback and you don't know which brother it is until later on in the book. The poem she wrote tells all about senseless sacrifices and losses made just to preserve peace...

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Hey Don, that is quite a nice poem, your wife writes wonderfully. What is the name of her book?

jglfan Wrote:Hey Don, that is quite a nice poem, your wife writes wonderfully. What is the name of her book?

Her book is named, "Mama's Diamonds", and it's about a young girl growing up in the late 30's through the 50's. Two of her brothers go off to Korea, only one comes back. I did offer a signed copy of the book here at a discount to members about two years ago, I'll look that up and make the same offer to anyone now.