Heartfelt emotion and images, memories too, condolances to all victums and involved persons, particulaly those whom are still suffering now.
I had just started my 1st term of the year proper of a 2 year AVCE/Advanced GNVQ in Engineering, at Rugby College on the Monday before.
I got to class at 09:02, and our morning class lecturer, whom was also our head of year was late - I made it in ok. Shortly later we the class (of 15 students), all thought he was running late as per usual - following what we gathered of him from induction the week previous.
Minutes later he came in to say, the WTC been hit by a plane. He invited those of us interesed (inc' myself,) and a few others followed him down stairs to one of the engineering labs with a TV in it on the ground floor.
I remember those of my fellow pupils and the engineering dept staff there watching, were all thinking many things "Is this real? it must be an accident, some ones pushed the 'big red button"(I was born in 79', so remember the feeling of Cold War ever present possibility of MAD) etc.
We all were shocked that this could happen, of the lives lost, those trapped...
Dazed, chatting, curious, theorising, we travelled upstairs to the 1st floor to tell those of the class whom didn't follow us down the befallen events.
Another lecturer found a spare TV, and we set it up in the classroom, and watched events unfold. Time passed unseen as the media also theorised and replayed shots from cameras on the streets below inside.
Then a while later as we still in hindsight sat watching dumbfounded like a bunch of 'rubber neckers', we all realised it wasn't an accident as such, as the 2nd plane arced in...
"Was it diehard Soviets? Was it some begrudged US Citizens? Had the flight software been hacked? Was it the Real IRA or the like? What, why, who, what next, where next, were things going to go nuckear in a kneejerk reactions by US or ex Soviet?"
We all fell silent or whispered, thinking upon all and worse ideas, causes and permutations. We stood, sat or hovered uncertainly between chair, desk or standing as the fires took hold, the news showing all as it occured and what had occured so far ina montage, as the first poor souls choose to jump rather than burn, or tried to smash windows out, or signal passing helicopters.
We all saw the people at the windows, those deciding wheather to stay or jump, the falling, the trapped, the inferno's, the visible flashes within prior to the collaspes, the tradegdy, forever burnt in our retinas, upon our memories, in our human hearts, the anguish, the lament...
I then remebered my stepfathers oldest son, John, a stepbrother I've only once (in 94'), who worked for an insurance company in one of the towers. I felt a sickening feeling spreading, for him, my stepfather...
Our lessons didn't reallt start that day until after lunch at 1pm, well until the next day.
I later learned that his stopped off to get a newspaper breakfast snacks, from a news stand at one of the underground stations, missing his usual train - he would be quite late for work considering the train traffic of the morning in NY, but it saved him.
The train he was caught to carry on, was one of the ones that was stranded a mile of so between stations close to the WTC complex. He lost many many collegues and freinds, and was both grateful and ashamed of being dalayed at the newstand/kiosk.
In hindsight I always couldn't grasp that my mother could remember so clearly Kennedy being shot as a young Rugby girl, now I understood understand such clarity of memory.
For all whom are no longer with us, from whichever creed, background, culture, religion (or non religion), country of birth, race and lifestyle, for the humans lost so horrendously, I will not forget. I cannot. We should not.
I cannot but help feel, and I sincerly apologise for this opinion; We should also remember the joys, loves, hates, quibbles, foiables and human aspects of those lost, to use them temper and restrain those human needs for vengence, to dillute the memories of the lost with our survivors wrath, we do no justice to their memory.
May the monsters who are known by fate/god/gods/goddess, whom did this remain in eternal limbo, forever feeling the all the pain torment of those whom suffered at their dispicalbe decisions actions.