I have listened to the broadcasts of the tape of Betty Ong aboard American Airlines flight 11 on September 11th several times and can only marvel at her professional calm in the face of an unbelievably terrifying situation. I wonder how many of us would have had her composure in that setting. Everytime I think I've gotten closure and have moved forward from this terrible day in our lives, I am jolted and heart-wrenched by the amazing acts of heroism by people like Betty Ong that to date I had not yet heard. I am reminded to honor these heroes in my soul again and again and again.
God bless and keep you, Betty. You are a hero.
Definitely a heroine in her own way. Lest ANY of us forget who our true enemies are, look at this link below, please!
There are many of us who forget that freedom comes neither easy nor free, but painfully earned, often at the cost of lives.
"TANSTAAFL", a quote from Robert A Heinlein.
Play hard, live fully and always remember........
Clif
Year after year our training is reinforced with emergency cabin response techniques even going as far as simulating emergency calls in stressful situations. Betty was an example of courage and composure in a situation some of us flying for years have never encountered. Her instincts took over immediately allowing her to follow steps we repeatedly learn in training.
What some of you shouldn't forget is that two crew members lost their lives from trying to prevent access into the FD. We're trained not to open that FD door under any circumstances because opening it means giving the emeny total access. LFA's & Pursers are your first chain in command and ultimately the first to risk their lives for us. I am courageous but after 911, i've never worked 1st class since.
Flt Attendant
if there should be closure. Because if we all allow closure what then becomes of the phrase, "we will never forget." It's been 2+ years and there is still a blend of sadness and anger on my part.
There was a documentary we saw some months back called Winged Migration. It was up for an Academy Award last year and it's all about different types of birds and there migrating habits. Please believe me the documentary was more interesting than it sounds. Anyway, they must have filmed these various birds over a several year period of time. Now some of these birds travel 10,000 miles each way and then back - every year. They fly the same exact route each and every year, and to get where they are going they utilize visual markings along the way. There was one scene that lasted all of 20 seconds and it showed these particular type of birds flying past the Trade Center. Obviously those birds were filmed at least two years before the documentary's release. Afterwards, having coffee, my wife asked me if I thought those birds would now get confused because a key marker was gone and would they still be able to make it to their destination. Needless to say we both got extremely emotional, at a Starbucks no less.
I guess I just pontificated a whole lot, when I could have simply said the overused phrase, I feel your pain.
As of 1/28/04- - I have not forgotten.
Flt Attendant, are you an asp, too??
I am still pissed at the PLO for blowing up a couople of cousins in Europe, a couple in Israel. The IRA blew up my sister's friends dad in London in the late 70s.
Fuck them all- those who would try to use innocent deaths for a political cause.
But Americans are going to have to get past 9/11. Remember the D-Day officers' chant. Get up move inland! More likely to die on the beach than iff you keep going.
If we resolve to rise above- we win. Change our lives and get all defensive- THEY WIN!
Recognise that THERE WILL BE MORE CASUALTIES. Possibly many more.
But we will remain and we will appreciate the sacrifice- just stay in motion.
Sorry, I never meant to suggest that we should forget -- how could anyone ever forget??? That day changed all of us forever. What I meant to say is that I'm trying to move forward. I guess "closure" was a poor choice of description.
I have spent more than twenty years on mountains helping people to overcome their fears. The point is not to stop feeling fear, because fear is a natural and healthy response to danger, but to not give in to fear, to not be ruled by fear.
Some people in our government sense that the American people are ruled by fear right now, and they want to use that to take away our freedoms and grasp more power for themselves.
But I believe the American people will wake up and realize what is happening. It's not a liberal or conservative thing - many freedom-loving conservatives have joined liberals in fighting to preserve our liberties.
Basically, I think the American people have much more courage than the politicians give them credit for. The main reason I lead climbs is help people to realize that they are capable of much more than they think they are capable of - they just need a chance to find that out for themselves. The American people have this chance now.
I don’t know if anything can be accomplished by not forgetting. Nor should it, should it? Not forgetting is a very subjective and selective feeling. I see not forgetting as somewhat of a personal reminisce; such as, in not forgetting a relative or pet that has died. There are only a few structures that are no longer around that I would put into that never forgotten/personal reminisce category: Polo Grounds, Tiger Stadium, the Sands and Desert Inn. But those were all planned destructions/implosions in order to put up a newer and improved edifice in the name of progress, corporate profits and all the other capitalistic good that has made this country great. Understanding the reasoning why these buildings came down, allows the feelings of remorse and sadness to be overshadowed by pleasant reflections of the great times spent in those glorious venues.
The trade center however was not planned. It was a calculated and vicious assault. It was brought down for no other reason than the murderers’ purpose. There is not a comprehensible understanding to help diffuse the feelings of anger and sadness. Any time I give thought to the couple nice lunches we had there, it is quickly eclipsed by outrage. Every time another infringement of a personal liberty is forsaken in the name of homeland security, it adds to the existing grief as if salt was being rubbed on an open wound. You will see further abridgements in the very near future, with even more to follow when we are exposed to future attacks. I am fairly confident that given time this particular wound will heal but some scar will be left; ergo, I will not forget.
It is good not to take things for granted. In my adult life I have never taken anything for granted or felt any guilt. I fully understand and totally appreciate all that I have. I never for a moment underestimate how truly fortunate I have it. When I was in college, a relationship was ending and I found solace at the time in Joni Mitchell’s album Ladies of the Canyon, which I must have played a few hundred times. One song in particular, Big Yellow Taxi, had a tremendous impact on me, especially the one lyric,”don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”. Well at the time I didn’t, but I learned that lesson so extremely well, I still know the words to that song and listen to its message each and every day.
I am glad to see that you allowed 9/11 to move you in a positive direction by pursuing both a greater political and intellectual understanding. My o my, someone that can comprehend the political spectrum, employing intellect. You have no idea whatsoever what a potent combination that can be......and how extremely rare.
Targetting innocents is wholly different than collateral damage. Whilst the effect is the same, here, intent goes for a lot!
on't forget
Got to say NOSC- Your post really got me a bit cheesed off
not at you- you're an angel
but with the way you tossed around the term Genocide.
Genocide is very specific. Has only really happened a couple of times.
The Nazis tried to kill all of my relatives.
The Tutsis tried to kill all the Hutus
Some 19th Century Europeans and Americans did make concerted efforts to wipe out some indigenous peoples (the Mandan killed by infected trade goods, the Aboriginals hunted in Tasmania)
After that it gets sketchy
even the Terrible atrocities committed by the Turks against the Armenians does not stand up to the genocide test easi;y as there is little evidence that the Turks really wanted to wipe out the Armenians- but they did want to terrorise them. But the effort was really more political to end what they saw as treasonous behaviour by some Armenians- one reason they left some un molested.
Otherwise, people can do terrible things to each other- but we have a name reserved specifically for an attempt to wipe out a race. It does not happen often and when it does we really need to figure out what went on.
Remember that the Mongols killed about 6 million or so chinese when they conquered china and still were not genocidal. They killed as many people as they needed to end resistance.
Violence is viiolence- let's not move actions up or down the scale just because of our feelings or cute terms.
That said, I forgive you for mis using the term- almost everyone in America does with relish.
BTW- most innocents who died in the Revolutionary war? Killed by Our side!
Tories were usally less virulent.
But I am alone in thinking Rev war bad thing and Civil War also.