9/11 Commemoration at WVU

I was unable to post any blogs yesterday, so will do my annual commemoration to that day today.

From the Sptember 11, 2022, DA, West Virginia University's Independent Newspaper "WVU observes 21st anniversary of the 9/11  attacks with annual vigil" by Christina Rufo.

To commemorate the 21st anniversary  of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, West Virginia University held its annual wreath laying ceremony Sunday morning.

As part of the ceremony, cadets with the Army and Air Force ROTC will stand for a 24-hour vigil at the University's 9/11 memorial site, located at the University's 9/11 memorial site, located in front of the Downtown Campus Library.

Cadets played "Taps" and observed a moment of silence Sunday morning in recognition of the exact time that the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The vigil will last until 8 a.m., Monday.

Interviews With First Responders Tells the Story-- Part 3: 'I Gave Everyone General Absolution, and I Kept Running' Toward the Burning Tower

Among the units arriving from outlying boroughs was a Staten Island battalion commanded by Chief Thomas Vallebuona.  "The thought in my mind is, we were going to end up like the people in Pompeii, totally buried in ash and dust," he recalled.

The Rev. John Delendick, a fire department chaplain, had just finished saying mass at St. Michael's Church in Brooklyn when he heard about the attack.  He arrived at the site as first responders and civilians were fleeing for their lives.

"We were running along, and a cop is running next to me," Delendick recalled.  "He says:  'Father, can I go to confession?' I looked and said:  'This is an act of war, isn't it?' He said:  'Yeah, I believe so.'  I said:  'Then I'm giving general absolution.'  I gave everyone general absolution, and I kept running."

Interviews With First Responders Told 9/11 Story-- Part 2: Oral History

I stop my blogs every September 11 to remember.

"For those who survived that day it was luck, not skill," according to James Canham.

Why would anyone accept those odds in return for a first responder's modest paycheck?

Fortunately, survivors can speak for their for their lost comrades, and recount what happened, thanks to interviews made by the New York Fire Department shortly after 9/11.

Of course, the sooner you can get a person's recollections on paper, the more accurate they are.

Interviews With First Responders Told the 9/11 Story

From the September 10, 2021, Chicago Tribune by Ron Grossman.

New York firefighter James Canham was supposed to have off on September 11, 2001.  His wife worked in Manhattan, not far from the World Trade Center, so he drove her to work and headed back to their home in Brooklyn.

Once home, finding an answering machine message about an airplane hitting the north tower of the World Trade, he grabbed gear from a nearby firehouse and got a lift back to Manhattan.  Working his way up to the 11thfloor, he rescued a woman and an exhausted cop and found an office with a working phone.

"This is real bad, I'm going to be here for awhile," he told his wife.  "Go home, get the kids, stay out of Manhattan."

Canhan got out of the tower just before it collapsed.

9-11 Disease Deaths Grow

From the September 11, 2018, Chicago Sun-Times "Deaths from 9/11 diseases will soon outnumber those lost on that day" by Nancy Cutler, USA Today Network.

In the 17 years since September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, nearly 10,000 First Responders and others who were at the World Trade Center in New York City have been diagnosed with cancer.  More than 2,000 deaths have been attributed to 9/11 illnesses.

And, this article was a year ago.

And, these figures will get worse.  By the end of 2018 some expect that more people will have died from their toxic exposure from 9/11 than from the attacks.

Robert Reeg of Stony Point, New York, is a retired New York City fireman who was seriously injured in the South Tower collapse.  In the past 17 years he's seen many fellow First Responders fall victim to those illnesses.

"You lose track, there's so many of them," he said.    As for his own health risks, he said he doesn't dwell on it.  "It's at the back of your mind.  But you can't let it control you."

Continued On My Running the Blockade Blog.  --Old Secesh

"Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)?"-- Part 5

This was supposed to have been posted yesterday on the actual anniversary, but unfortunately we lst our internet access, so I will go with it today.

I am doing the lyrics to the song that really sums up that day 18 years ago, "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)' by Alan Jackson.  I already had four parts yesterday on my blogs.

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Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow

Go out and buy a gun?

Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'

And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns?

Did you go to church and hold hands with some strangers

Stand in line to give your own blood?

Did you stay at home and cling tight to your family

Thank God you had somebody to love?

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When they put out the desperate calls for blood for the Twin Towers, I greatly doubted taht there would be any survivors from that catastrophe.

Death of Bin Laden

OK, this is a Civil War blog, but when something this big happens, it will be recorded.

We were in Springfield, Illinois, at an old Route 66 roadhouse called the Curve Inn, so-named for its location along a curve on the road as it left the city on its south side.

The place had a good crowd, music was loud, beer cold and games on TVs. One TV was changed to CNN which was saying that the president was going to have a news conference. Being this late, it must be important. We were thinking perhaps something was going to be done to Big Oil because of the gas prices or help was on its way to those poor people in Alabama and the South after last week's tornadoes.

We were caught completely unaware when the bottom of the screen flashed that Bin Laden was dead. After a moment for it to sink in, there were cheers all around with many toasts and smiles.

We left and went back to the TraveLodge on 66 and tuned in to CNN for Obama's speech. Ended up staying up quite late so am a bit tired this morning.

Last night, I was switching to other stations (like I had after 9-11) and found C-Span was showing Arabic station El-Jazeer(?). Mostly interviews with US officials, but there was an interesting one with a member of Pakistan's government. I took from it that they didn't know at all.

No Closure Yet, But Justice Served. --Old B-Runner