9/11 terrorist attacks, September 11, 2001, by Anonymous

From MemoryArchive

Who: Anonymous
What: 9/11 terrorist attacks
When: September 11, 2001
Where: USA

I am a U.S. Navy Veteran, that served on active duty from 1984-1993, in various hot spots of the world, including the Persian Gulf, during the Oil Tanker War.

One month prior to the WTC Attacks, I was walking around, more or less homeless in Pittsburgh, PA near the Federal building. I smelled smoke, and heard screams, and Helicopters. These images were so powerful, I could not ignore them. It was like they were there, but they weren't. I was confused. I kept smelling smoke, but didn't see any fires, or helicopters. I was thinking this was some weird flashback, to my experiences as a 1-inch gun operator on board a U.S. Navy ship in the gulf, or the SFO Quake of 1989, my ship was in SFO that day.

I had had problems sleeping, mood swings, crying fits, for the last ten years, but did not want to go to the VA, and get help, only to become a burnt-out war vet, locked in a ward somewhere. I remember thinking, "Damn, this is some weird stuff, man, I got to just give in, and go to the VA, screw it." I sort of came out of it when I was almost killed by a Pittsburgh city bus, because I was wandering in the street. That was a real eye opener. For real, I now knew it was a flashback, or something, I was having. I had to get help.

I got to a VA shuttle. I went to the VA, PTSD clinic, in a fog. I had to pull out my driver's license to remember my name. I made an appointment for further treatment, and some medication, I got a job referral, from a VA outreach program. 3 weeks later, I was working for a legal firm, scanning documents for companies and firms in new york, mostly corporate briefs and emails for pending legal cases. People that we emailed to, back and forth, every day, worked in the WTC. Sept 11, I was at work, Some girl came into the room, saying World War III had started, and New York City had been hit. I remember thinking "That's bulls**t, it's not a military target like D.C., the missile fields in Montana, or any other strategic bases." She kept crying and screaming. Everyone was running out the door. I figured "What's the rush? Pittsburgh is in the top 20 hit list, and if it's true, we got a half hour to get out of town, and we'll never make, it, the bridges will be jammed. We'll be vaporized." Our supervisor came in, and took charge, he told everyone to keep calm, to go home, and try not to panic. Some people continued to keep working, but he told them, "We're closed, go home, you'll get a full day's pay." I had a friend, a gal at the next desk from me, she asked me what I thought. I said "We won't know for quite some time." I walked with her to the bus stop. By now, the streets of downtown Pittsburgh were as predicted, a madhouse. Every bridge jammed. Cars trying to go out on the inbound lanes. It reminded me of The Loma-Prieta Quake of Oct 1989. Total panic, end-of-the-world stuff. I thought, "Wow, no s**t, this is what I trained for my whole 9 years in the Navy, and here it is." And so, being there, I was not scared.

I decided to walk, because my bus ride home was not happening. All the while, looking up in the air, wondering if I would see the flash, through the clouds. Well, I kept walking, got hungry, figured I'll go to the Hotel across the street from the Federal building. People were RUNNING left and right. nearly hitting each other with cars, horns honking. Bedlam. Chaos. Sirens. I walked into the hotel, they had a T.V. on in the lounge. Lots of male business travllers in suits, shaking their heads. Women in business suits, crying into cellphones. I saw the WTC on the tube, burning. I though, "Oh, Plane Crash. Man, wow. Hard core. No survivors. Not a war, and the day off." No thought at all that the building would go. Then as we watched, the second plane came, LIVE, and went for the second tower. I KNEW, before it hit. Jihad. Holy war. US vs THEM. The World Was Going To Be Very Different, After Today.

I remembered things I had been told in counter-terrorist courses over, and over, and over. We were vulnerable. But everything I had been taught was small scale: car bombs, grenades in a trash bag full of coke bottles. A couple of bad guys with an AKM, or an Uzi SMG. Nothing like this. I felt that Pittsburgh was safe, but that New York was not going to be safe for any U.S. citizens with brown skin for many years. I thought, "Now maybe the civilians can understand, what military veterans have had to go through, in combat." We watched, as people were diving out of the towers, just all the horrible stuff we have all seen of those images. Women started SCREAMING in the lobby, totally freaked out.

I thought, "Holy war. Clinton should have taken out Iraq. My time there was wasted."

I looked around, and thought, "Now you all can wonder, 'Will I live through tommorow?' Like I used to. Welcome to hell, welcome to war. Welcome to The Real World of Geopolitics. Your Previous Clinton Administration has failed you. The people get the government that they deserve."

I then realized, my three weeks ago experience, was some kind of precognitive flash to these events. To this day, I believe that. I had similar experiences in the Gulf, that saved my life, many times, just a "Knowing" before really bad situations came up, like Vietname-era Jungle patrol point men army vets had told me about. The VA says it is just a symptom of my illness. When I talk about it, they want me to increase my medication dosage.

U.S. Navy Veteran, now diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder, at 70% disability.

Co-opted from Wikipedia's Personal Experiences Page