Ron’s Time Tunnel: What Were You Doing?

On By ronbrownxIn Ron's Time Tunnel

911attack1

 

  • 08:30, on the morning of September 11, 2001, I left home, headed for work on my new job as the EMS Director for Clay County EMS. I drove south of Highway 27, in my 1995 black Firebird, listening to my “Candy Rain” CD by “Soul for Real”.
  • 08:46 Flight 11 crashes at roughly 466 mph (790 km/h or 219m/s or 425 knots) into the north face of the North Tower (1 WTC) of the World Trade Center. ”~Wikipedia.  I, of course, was completely unaware of this event, as I cruised blissfully through the country side.
  • At 09:03, I walked into the dayroom of Clay County EMS just as; “Flight 175 crashed at about 590 mph (950 km/h, 264 m/s or 513 knots) into the south face of the South Tower (2 WTC) of the World Trade Center, between floors 77 and 85.” ~Wikipedia. I stood there in awe and wondered to myself and possibly aloud “What the F**k?”—I was still using profanity at that time.

As the story developed, we learned what had happened.

The story and the subsequent set of events and circumstances it spawned filled the news airwaves. Any other events or concerns were forgotten.  Does anyone remember Gary Condit? He was a politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the House of Representatives for the 18th congressional district in the state of California from 1989 to 2003.

He was also the lead story before the tragic terrorist events of “9-11”, who purportedly had an extramarital affair with intern; Chandra Levy, which was exposed after Levy’s disappearance in May 2001.  He was also alleged to have murdered her. That story disappeared from the news.

The economy was tanking. President George W. Bush was under considerable fire for his failing economic policies. During this time, EVERYONE forgot about the economy and Ms. Levy’s death and banned together in a united front against the terrorists. The “patriotic spirit” was at an all-time high. The political parties forgot about their differences and pledged to work together.

Finally, politicians would reach across party lines!

Finally, “Partisan Politics” would be nullified!

Finally, our country could again, move forward in a spirit of unity instead of stagnating in a pool of hate, vengeance and petty bickering!

Finally, brotherhood would prevail!

But alas, the “Human Factor” was destined to show up and show out!

Alas! our natural, self-serving tendency would rear its ugly head.

One day, in the aftermath of the tragic events, and during the “Feel Good Era”, I remember having a conversation with one of my EMT’s Lloyd Brown aka. “Lightning”. I said, ‘“Man, you just watch, everything is all love, hugs, kisses, and handshakes right now, but just wait and watch. In a few months or a year, it’ll be business as usual. Everyone will have gotten over this patriotism, brotherhood and love shit. The politicians will be back at their same old political bullshit and ‘Bi-Partisan’ fighting. All will be ‘un-well’ with the world again.”’ NOW LOOK AT TODAY’S STATE OF AFFAIRS!

If anyone out there is contemplating ways to honor the lives lost on that fateful day in 2001, I suggest the following: Post memes, wave flags, have parades and special events to mark the “9-11” Tragedy, BUT MORE THAN THAT! LET’S TRY TO REMEMBER THE FEELING WE HAD AS WE UNITED IN A COMMON CAUSE. THAT’S WHAT IS NEEDED; NOW MORE THAN EVER!

47 thoughts on “Ron’s Time Tunnel: What Were You Doing?”

  1. Pingback: Ron’s Time Tunnel: What Were You Doing? — seekthebestblog – Traveling around the world

  2. Lennon Carlyle

    Powerful post Ron! Indeed so true. Why can’t we get that unity back? Not just on this day once a year but everyday know we’re all in this together? Well said…..very well said my friend.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. T. Wayne

    I was at work when the news broke. I actually saw it online at first; the office I was in did not have a television set, no radio was on, and the building wasn’t wired for cable. Someone brought in a television to try to pick up one of the broadcast stations over the air, but the reception was bad. After a couple hours, it was decided to close the office, because no one really felt like working anyway, and the schools were all closing. I left the office and went to the school to pick up my niece and nephew from school.

    I do remember how “united” the country was after that event, and much like you say, things turned once the situation had faded into the rear view mirror a good ways. I also remember thinking that our younger children had now lost a sense of innocence; a sense that America wasn’t immune from terror-like attacks and acts and it made me a little sad. Seeing the country get together after the attacks raised my spirits; and it’s going to take that kind of togetherness to bring America back now. I don’t know if that’s possible, but I do know it is necessary. We can’t keep turning on each other like this; a house divided against itself cannot stand.

    Liked by 2 people

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    2. ronbrownx

      Thanks for the input T. Your use of Lincoln’s quote is so appropriate.

      I just hope it doesn’t take another tragedy for us to put aside petty differences and unite for the common good!

      Liked by 2 people

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  4. A @ moylomenterprises

    On that tragic day, I was heading to work. Our shuttle train was above ground. We could see the smoke off in the distance but thought it was just a fire. We transferred to another train (underground). We had no idea our train was heading toward danger. The smoke we saw was from the first impact.

    As we got closer we could tell something was wrong. Trains stopped. They made us exit. We didn’t know what was happening. Once above ground, we saw the chaos.

    We had to walk the rest of the way to our destination or find a way to get back home if your job was in that area.

    The client I had that day, had a job interview in the World Trade Center. She overslept. She would have died that day. Her building was hit first. We were glued to the TV jaw-dropped all day. The images were horrific and simply unbelievable. That was indeed a sad day. Too bad the human heart so quickly forgets the vows we make for change. That too is sad.

    I’ll be with family this 9/11.
    A family reunion of sorts. We reconnected at a funeral earlier this year and have now pledged to make more of a effort to keep in touch. Hopefully this will be a new family tradition we pass on from generation to generation.

    Thanks for sending us back so we never forget the promises we made.

    Great post. ☺

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Wow A.

      We are all honored and very much humbled to have a comment from a witness to the actual events. If we were traumatized, I cannot imagine how it affected those who were actually there. Ron can kinda speak to that as, you may have read in “My Jams ’95” (Comments) He was tasked with cleaning up the aftermath of the Khobar Towers Bombing in Saudi Arabia back in 1996 when he was active duty with the US Air Force.

      Some of our family friends also lost a 22 year old son on the USS Cole in 2000.

      As I said above, I am holding a different vision from how things are now. One of peace. I know you will hold that vision too.

      Thank you so much for your comment.
      Stay blessed and enjoy your family ‘reunion.’
      Gwin

      Liked by 3 people

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      1. A @ moylomenterprises

        Yes, a vision of peace sounds great. We need to spend more time showing love to one and all.

        Thanks to Ron and all those who serve, our thanks to them is eternal.

        Best wishes to you as well.

        Liked by 2 people

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      2. ronbrownx

        According to all of my sources Cuz that peace you mentioned and that we all desire is rooted in LOVE.

        It sounds so simple but is so hard to achieve. A simple equation that even I (as algebraically challenged as I am)could solve. In an equation where L =Love, U=Us, and P=peace. L+U=P.

        It all begins with love, but there is so much hate. But just as light drives out darkness, love drives out hate.

        Liked by 2 people

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      1. A @ moylomenterprises

        Absolutely. Thanks for taking the time to point out how quickly the human mind shifts and and how little value we place on the promises we make.

        Thanks also for your courage to serve. We are forever grateful. Hugs 🌷

        Liked by 1 person

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  5. By coincidence I was at Dobbin Air Force Base; then I was stuck there recalling all base personnel. I think from that point, I was stuck there for over 24 hours and didn’t realize it until my adrenaline wore off. You know how the military works with their Threatcons. We went from Threatcon Bravo to Threatcon Delta within a matter of minutes. The base was locked down; only mission essential personnel was allowed on base. I had to call someone to pick up my son from school and drop him off the next day. Good thing I had friends who already knew the deal, so I was already prepared for the worse. Being in the military you have to keep your dependent care plan up to date.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. ronbrownx

      Thanks for the comment FREE! Let me introduce you to my blogging friends. Hey guys, this is Fredonia Lewis, I call her FREE!. She’s a friend and also a retired Air Force veteran.

      Thanks for giving us a snapshot of what those times were like for the active duty members of the military! Your insight into this matter is welcome and appreciated.

      Come again

      Liked by 1 person

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    2. Hi Free!
      Welcome!
      I’m Ron’s cousin, Gwin (aka Lady G).
      Glad you came by.
      BTW, I felt you-we went and got my baby from school too!
      A lot of parents were doing that.
      None of us knew what was happening so we all chose to be safe, rather than sorry.

      Hope to see you back again 🙂

      Like

      Reply
  6. Tareau Barron

    Also remember the Yankees won the world series, the Patriots were winning football games. All the all American sports teams were winning. Ron is absolutely right. Everyone remembers the niceness, the hugs, the tears. American Flag merchandise flew off the racks all over the country. (Obviously the biggest oxy moron is that most of the American flag apperal was made in China) But yes that’s why alot of conspiracy Theorists suggest it was an insiders job. (Loose Change & Fahrenheit 9/11) whoever was the brains of the operation (I still don’t think it was Osama Bin Laden) succeeded in their mission. Not only were thousands of lives lost, but our infrastructure and economy tanked. And just think, the economy is just starting to recover a little bit 15 years after.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. ronbrownx

      Wow my Man! That’s it. That’s what I’m talking about. I’ve heard some of the conspiracy theories, I’m still undecided about that though. If Osama didn’t do it, he sure reveled in the aftermath of it.

      The root word and objective of ‘TERRORism” is TERROR. It is designed to instill terror into the hearts of its intended victims. As you so succinctly stated in your last comment, it appears to have worked.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. Tareau Barron

        Thank you for the inspiring article, I forgot to mention that earlier. Yes I kind of regret not enlisting in the military but it is what it is. And I 100% agree with everything you just replied too. Just look, who profits from war and terror? Think of the private sectors that boomed after 9/11. The treatment of aloud Arabic brothers and sisters. The fear. Remember anthrax? Swine flu? H1N1? Etc. Most of those stories came and went. And in no way am I comparing a tragedy like 9/11 to those. What I am comparing is the benefactors from all those bad things. They have one common denominator.

        Liked by 2 people

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        8. Tareau Barron

          Lmfao not Anna Mae! “And if you don’t like it, you can take ya old ass back to Nutbush!” Obviously that wasn’t the best quote of the movie.

          Liked by 2 people

  7. Wow! It seems that everybody knows exactly where they were and what they were doing when the towers came down.
    I had just come in from walking after taking my son to his primary class. When I got home, I turned on the TV and saw the image and overheard Bryant Gumble reporting that a plane had just hit the first tower when, within an instant, it seemed, another plane hit the second tower.
    I went from thinking, “tragic accident to something else is going on” almost immediately.
    My Dad called.
    He said, “Bay, go get Ric from school!”
    I got in the car and got my son.
    A plane had hit the pentagon and one had crashed elsewhere. When was the next shoe gonna drop? Where was the next plane gonna go?

    I’ll never forget it as long as I live.

    But then, as you pointed out, we went from togetherness right back to crazy!
    Exactly where we sit today.
    So sad 🙂

    I’m trying to hold a better vision for us; but it will take many more others to join me. I know that you are too.

    Awesome piece!
    But what else did we expect?
    Love you,
    Lady G.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. ronbrownx

      Thanks Cousin of mine!!!!!! As always your comments are right on point and so insightful. 911 is one of those landmark events like; Kennedy being assassinated; the space shuttle Challenger blowing up; Martin Luther King being assassinated etc. EVERYONE, of a certain age, can remember the details of that event. I once did some research on this phenomenon–as you know, I deal with memories a lot in my writing.

      The reason we remember these traumatic events in such detail has several plausible theories, however, all of the theories seem to attribute this phenomenon to activities in the amygdala–the portion of the brain dealing with intense emotions like fear and anger–and the hypothalamus, which deals with memory.

      It seems that the memories may be more acute because of the presence of an “adrenaline” type chemical whose presence in the brain increases during times of stress, thus stimulating the amygdala and the hypothalamus to retain more detail of the events and surrounding events.

      Another theory by Dr. Barney Fife attributes the phenomenon to the ‘Petula Obendalla’ LOL.

      Cuz, I find it fascinating, thinking about it now, that the two of us, along with many others, can now know things like; when I was walking up the stairs to my job, you were just returning from your walk. As you entered you looked at the TV and saw the broadcast while at the same, I was leaning against the doorway in the dayroom of the EMS station, watching he same broadcast.

      I feel a kind of special connection knowing and realizing this.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. This is very intriguing cous! It is very interesting to think about why traumatic events are impressed so deeply in our minds. One would think that the trauma would prevent us from taking in such details; maybe that’s only the case when the trauma happens to you directly.
        Yeah, there still exists a bridge of connection between the two of us that formed as we were doing the same tasks. We didn’t know that then but that doesn’t dismiss the presence of that bridge.
        I LOVE when you go all deep!
        LOL!!!

        Liked by 1 person

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  8. Tareau Barron

    I was at my God parents house in the city. That day, I had to do my ASVAB test for the US Air Force. My friends had came over from school to tell us about the terrorist attack. I was in disbelief. I remember the recruiter blowing up my pager and house phone trying to reassure me that everything would be ok if I decided to join. I also remember how nice everyone was to us (as black people) after 9/11.

    Liked by 2 people

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    2. ronbrownx

      Hey Tareua! I was in the Air Force too; 1979-1999. Your recruiter sounds like the typical Air Force recruiter; more worried about meeting his quota than ANYTHING.
      And you’re so right, everything was lovey dovey right after the attack; black hands and white hands, joined together against the “TERRORISTS”.

      Thanks for the comment Brah!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

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