OT - NO POLITICS Hard to believe it has been 20 years....

[pgm16]

Canada rocks!

And if Hurricane Larry hits you don't worry we'll be right there to help!

Oh he is hitting, & thanks for the offer my friend !

 

[Fenway]

 

[Ladyfan]

I can usually hear a few planes going into Manchester NH. For a couple of nights all I heard were the fighter jets. It was weird and scary.

 

[Bruinaura]

Let's also remember the Pentagon and Flight 93.

When I think of what the people on that flight must have gone through, knowing the towers had already been hit and they were next in line, it gives me shivers.

My dad worked for the Defense Mapping Agency and thus often visited the Pentagon for work. He retired about ten years before 9/11, and passed away in May 2001.

I'm convinced that had he still been living, he would have returned to work and done everything in his power to help find Bin Laden. If there was a hole in the ground anywhere on earth, dad would have found it.

 

[Alicat]

Let's also remember the Pentagon and Flight 93.

When I think of what the people on that flight must have gone through, knowing the towers had already been hit and they were next in line, it gives me shivers.

My dad worked for the Defense Mapping Agency and thus often visited the Pentagon for work. He retired about ten years before 9/11, and passed away in May 2001.

I'm convinced that had he still been living, he would have returned to work and done everything in his power to help find Bin Laden. If there was a hole in the ground anywhere on earth, dad would have found it.

They don’t get the attention they should.

The passengers of Flight 93 were heroes.

 

[Bruinaura]

I was at home, had a day off between temporary job assignments. I was, of all things, in a hockey chat room, having a conversation with a guy, Five4Fighting. He lived not far from the WTC. I had the television on, tuned to TBS. They cut into Little House on the Prairie. That was my first clue something big was happening, because TBS didn't show news. By that time the second plane had hit. I asked Five if he was watching the news. He wasn't. I said you need to turn it on, now. A few minutes later he said he could see the smoke from his window. We didn't talk the rest of the day and probably not for some time afterward. If ever, I don't really remember now.

I remember being glued to the TV for a couple days, until I realized I was making myself sick with the constant news. Plus my dad had died just a couple months before. That was a terrible, terrible year.

 

[Bruinaura]

They don’t get the attention they should.

The passengers of Flight 93 were heroes.

I remember I used to get angry at the media when the constant focus was on New York. I mean, yes, that location lost a lot more people, but the Pentagon and 93 were every bit as tragic. America was attacked. Not just New York.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

I still can’t believe they hit both towers and got the nearly the entire country (and much of the world) to watch them collapse on live television with thousands inside. Just a mind numbingly evil act.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

I remember I used to get angry at the media when the constant focus was on New York. I mean, yes, that location lost a lot more people, but the Pentagon and 93 were every bit as tragic. America was attacked. Not just New York.

This is very true though the “New York theater” was by far the most shocking aesthetic.

 

[Bruinaura]

I still can’t believe they hit both towers and got the nearly the entire country (and much of the world) to watch them collapse on live television with thousands inside. Just a mind numbingly evil act.

And this was before cell phones were ubiquitous. I can only imagine the horrific videos had this happened ten years later. There are some youtube videos containing audio of 911 calls that are more than horrible enough.

 

[Bruinaura]

This is very true though the “New York theater” was by far the most shocking aesthetic.

Oh yeah, I mean, I get it. It's just human nature. But at the time it felt like New York was frequently the only focus.

 

[Alicat]

I remember I used to get angry at the media when the constant focus was on New York. I mean, yes, that location lost a lot more people, but the Pentagon and 93 were every bit as tragic. America was attacked. Not just New York.

I still get upset but I make it a point to watch the specials on the Pentagon and Flight 93 so I can learn about the events there.

The one thing no one has ever been able to explain is why did the top 2 hijackers go to Portland, ME and fly into Boston that way.

 

[Chevalier du Clavier]

I still get upset but I make it a point to watch the specials on the Pentagon and Flight 93 so I can learn about the events there.

The one thing no one has ever been able to explain is why did the top 2 hijackers go to Portland, ME and fly into Boston that way.

In Maine, an unanswered question remains about the events on 9/11

After two decades and countless hours of investigators poring over details and conducting interviews, however, just why they came here first remains a disquieting mystery that may never be solved.

 

[CDJ]

It’s absolutely crazy to think about how they were able to successfully fly a plane into the pentagon. We were so naive back then. Didn’t think it could possibly happen to us.

the world is such a different place now. That was truly the beginning of a new era

 

[Fenway]

Echoes from 9/11: A joint production of 1010 WINS & WCBS 880 - 880 Extras - Omny.fm

When the planes hit the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, many New Yorkers relied on 1010 WINS and WCBS 880 for updates as chaos broke out in their city.

Anchors, reporters and producers at both radio stations monitored and described the catastrophe as it played out in real time, with no sense as to exactly what had happened or what was yet to come.

 

[Fenway]

I still get upset but I make it a point to watch the specials on the Pentagon and Flight 93 so I can learn about the events there.

The one thing no one has ever been able to explain is why did the top 2 hijackers go to Portland, ME and fly into Boston that way.

Maine NEVER made any sense.

For starters that 6 AM US Airways flight from Portland to Boston was always a crapshoot because of early morning fog in South Portland.

Then even though both airlines used Terminal B at Logan each airline had separate security checkpoints.

Then for their last meal on the planet, they ate at a Uno's in South Portland.

Atta was caught on video being at the Portland Public Library 2 weeks before

Former Maine airline ticket agent recalls encounter with 9/11 terrorists

SCARBOROUGH, Maine —
Twenty years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, former U.S. Airways ticket agent Mike Tuohey does not blame himself for failing to stop plot ringleader Mohammed Atta.

Tuohey was on duty early that day at the Portland International Jetport when Atta, along with fellow al Qaeda terrorist Abdul Aziz al Omari, arrived less than 30 minutes before Flight 5930 to Boston was scheduled to take off.

"It was a flight at 6 o'clock, a commuter aircraft; it only held 19 people," Tuohey recalled in an interview at his home on Wednesday, three days before the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

The flight was half full, and Atta and Omari were the last passengers to arrive.

Atta, an Egyptian, and Omari, a Saudi, held $2,400 first-class tickets to fly from Portland to Boston to Los Angeles.

"These guys looked like they might have been on business travel," Tuohey said. "They didn't do anything to raise any real suspicions. They had probably practiced this countless times at different airports."

Tuohey asked what -- even back then -- were standard security questions.

He recalled saying to Atta and Omari: “Has an unknown person asked you to carry an item on board an aircraft? ‘No.’ They’re supposed to say ‘no.’ And have your bags been out of your sight since you packed them? They have to say ‘no’ to that.” So, Atta said, ‘Nah.’ But he doesn’t look at you. This is what I first noticed. His head is tilted off to the side. He’s got a smirk on his face, and he kind of looked at you sideways and said, ‘No.’

“The other guy is just shaking his head,” Tuohey continued. “I don’t think he understood a word I said.”

When Tuohey asked for identification, Atta and Omari showed their Florida driver's licenses.

“Now, Atta, still smirking, he throws it up on the desk,” Tuohey said. “I had this thought, exact thought in my mind – ‘If this guy doesn't look like an Arab terrorist, nobody does.’ Alright, because he just seemed so miserable, and I gave myself a slap, a mental slap, and said, ‘That’s not right, you shouldn’t be doing that.’”

Each terrorist brought one bag to check, but due to their late arrival, their bags were flagged automatically for a positive bag matchup – not to be loaded until after the passengers had boarded, a standard pre-9/11 security measure meant to stop baggage bombs like the one that blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

"The bag check time was 5:43, it said on the bag tag," Tuohey said. “Don’t put that bag on unless you know these people actually made the flight.”

Tuohey declined to issue the last-minute strangers their Boston boarding passes for American Airlines Flight 11, a 7:45 a.m. departure. Atta was unhappy.

Tuohey said, "He looks at his envelope, and he looks at me and says, 'They told me one-step check-in.' I said to myself, 'Uh, oh, this guy knows I have his boarding cards here, and I'm not giving them to him.' I hope he doesn't give me a hard time.”

Tuohey assured them, as first-class passengers, they’d be top priority to board in Boston, but Atta pushed back.
“They told me one-step check-in!” Tuohey recalled Atta saying.

"I said, Mr. Atta, if you don't get upstairs very quickly, you're going to miss your flight altogether," Tuohey said.

Unfortunately, they did not miss their connection.

 

[Alicat]

Maine NEVER made any sense.

For starters that 6 AM US Airways flight from Portland to Boston was always a crapshoot because of early morning fog in South Portland.

Then even though both airlines used Terminal B at Logan each airline had separate security checkpoints.

Then for their last meal on the planet, they ate at a Uno's in South Portland.

Atta was caught on video being at the Portland Public Library 2 weeks before

Former Maine airline ticket agent recalls encounter with 9/11 terrorists

SCARBOROUGH, Maine —
Twenty years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, former U.S. Airways ticket agent Mike Tuohey does not blame himself for failing to stop plot ringleader Mohammed Atta.

Tuohey was on duty early that day at the Portland International Jetport when Atta, along with fellow al Qaeda terrorist Abdul Aziz al Omari, arrived less than 30 minutes before Flight 5930 to Boston was scheduled to take off.

"It was a flight at 6 o'clock, a commuter aircraft; it only held 19 people," Tuohey recalled in an interview at his home on Wednesday, three days before the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

The flight was half full, and Atta and Omari were the last passengers to arrive.

Atta, an Egyptian, and Omari, a Saudi, held $2,400 first-class tickets to fly from Portland to Boston to Los Angeles.

"These guys looked like they might have been on business travel," Tuohey said. "They didn't do anything to raise any real suspicions. They had probably practiced this countless times at different airports."

Tuohey asked what -- even back then -- were standard security questions.

He recalled saying to Atta and Omari: “Has an unknown person asked you to carry an item on board an aircraft? ‘No.’ They’re supposed to say ‘no.’ And have your bags been out of your sight since you packed them? They have to say ‘no’ to that.” So, Atta said, ‘Nah.’ But he doesn’t look at you. This is what I first noticed. His head is tilted off to the side. He’s got a smirk on his face, and he kind of looked at you sideways and said, ‘No.’

“The other guy is just shaking his head,” Tuohey continued. “I don’t think he understood a word I said.”

When Tuohey asked for identification, Atta and Omari showed their Florida driver's licenses.

“Now, Atta, still smirking, he throws it up on the desk,” Tuohey said. “I had this thought, exact thought in my mind – ‘If this guy doesn't look like an Arab terrorist, nobody does.’ Alright, because he just seemed so miserable, and I gave myself a slap, a mental slap, and said, ‘That’s not right, you shouldn’t be doing that.’”

Each terrorist brought one bag to check, but due to their late arrival, their bags were flagged automatically for a positive bag matchup – not to be loaded until after the passengers had boarded, a standard pre-9/11 security measure meant to stop baggage bombs like the one that blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

"The bag check time was 5:43, it said on the bag tag," Tuohey said. “Don’t put that bag on unless you know these people actually made the flight.”

Tuohey declined to issue the last-minute strangers their Boston boarding passes for American Airlines Flight 11, a 7:45 a.m. departure. Atta was unhappy.

Tuohey said, "He looks at his envelope, and he looks at me and says, 'They told me one-step check-in.' I said to myself, 'Uh, oh, this guy knows I have his boarding cards here, and I'm not giving them to him.' I hope he doesn't give me a hard time.”

Tuohey assured them, as first-class passengers, they’d be top priority to board in Boston, but Atta pushed back.
“They told me one-step check-in!” Tuohey recalled Atta saying.

"I said, Mr. Atta, if you don't get upstairs very quickly, you're going to miss your flight altogether," Tuohey said.

Unfortunately, they did not miss their connection.

I'm glad the ticket agent was able to move on. I've seen him on a few specials and he always seemed like he had a lot of guilt allowing them to pass through.

The Maine connection will never make sense to me

 

[Fenway]

I'm glad the ticket agent was able to move on. I've seen him on a few specials and he always seemed like he had a lot of guilt allowing them to pass through.

The Maine connection will never make sense to me

20 years later investigators have never been able to figure out the Maine connection.

For something that was so well planned I can't believe Atta did not realize Terminal B at Logan had two separate segments in 2001.

Today after a massive renovation you can access all gates in Terminal B after security but that wasn't the case 20 years ago.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Maine NEVER made any sense.

For starters that 6 AM US Airways flight from Portland to Boston was always a crapshoot because of early morning fog in South Portland.

Then even though both airlines used Terminal B at Logan each airline had separate security checkpoints.

Then for their last meal on the planet, they ate at a Uno's in South Portland.

Atta was caught on video being at the Portland Public Library 2 weeks before

Former Maine airline ticket agent recalls encounter with 9/11 terrorists

SCARBOROUGH, Maine —
Twenty years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, former U.S. Airways ticket agent Mike Tuohey does not blame himself for failing to stop plot ringleader Mohammed Atta.

Tuohey was on duty early that day at the Portland International Jetport when Atta, along with fellow al Qaeda terrorist Abdul Aziz al Omari, arrived less than 30 minutes before Flight 5930 to Boston was scheduled to take off.

"It was a flight at 6 o'clock, a commuter aircraft; it only held 19 people," Tuohey recalled in an interview at his home on Wednesday, three days before the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

The flight was half full, and Atta and Omari were the last passengers to arrive.

Atta, an Egyptian, and Omari, a Saudi, held $2,400 first-class tickets to fly from Portland to Boston to Los Angeles.

"These guys looked like they might have been on business travel," Tuohey said. "They didn't do anything to raise any real suspicions. They had probably practiced this countless times at different airports."

Tuohey asked what -- even back then -- were standard security questions.

He recalled saying to Atta and Omari: “Has an unknown person asked you to carry an item on board an aircraft? ‘No.’ They’re supposed to say ‘no.’ And have your bags been out of your sight since you packed them? They have to say ‘no’ to that.” So, Atta said, ‘Nah.’ But he doesn’t look at you. This is what I first noticed. His head is tilted off to the side. He’s got a smirk on his face, and he kind of looked at you sideways and said, ‘No.’

“The other guy is just shaking his head,” Tuohey continued. “I don’t think he understood a word I said.”

When Tuohey asked for identification, Atta and Omari showed their Florida driver's licenses.

“Now, Atta, still smirking, he throws it up on the desk,” Tuohey said. “I had this thought, exact thought in my mind – ‘If this guy doesn't look like an Arab terrorist, nobody does.’ Alright, because he just seemed so miserable, and I gave myself a slap, a mental slap, and said, ‘That’s not right, you shouldn’t be doing that.’”

Each terrorist brought one bag to check, but due to their late arrival, their bags were flagged automatically for a positive bag matchup – not to be loaded until after the passengers had boarded, a standard pre-9/11 security measure meant to stop baggage bombs like the one that blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

"The bag check time was 5:43, it said on the bag tag," Tuohey said. “Don’t put that bag on unless you know these people actually made the flight.”

Tuohey declined to issue the last-minute strangers their Boston boarding passes for American Airlines Flight 11, a 7:45 a.m. departure. Atta was unhappy.

Tuohey said, "He looks at his envelope, and he looks at me and says, 'They told me one-step check-in.' I said to myself, 'Uh, oh, this guy knows I have his boarding cards here, and I'm not giving them to him.' I hope he doesn't give me a hard time.”

Tuohey assured them, as first-class passengers, they’d be top priority to board in Boston, but Atta pushed back.
“They told me one-step check-in!” Tuohey recalled Atta saying.

"I said, Mr. Atta, if you don't get upstairs very quickly, you're going to miss your flight altogether," Tuohey said.

Unfortunately, they did not miss their connection.

Isn't it the case that the rumors of Atta previously being in Portland before 9/10 have never been verified and are considered by the FBI to likely be inaccurate?

The best theory I have seen on why he and his colleague travelled there the day before the attacks is the simple one that they wanted to try and shake any potential tail they may have had from American security agents. It makes sense - if agents were tracking the other guys who went straight to Logan, then at least you'd have these two, including one of the eventual pilots, coming from elsewhere and therefore potentially avoiding detection. It doesn't quite check out as wholly convincing, but sometimes people in strange situations do strange things that are not wholly logical. Reality is though that we'll never really know for sure.

 

[Fenway]

Isn't it the case that the rumors of Atta previously being in Portland before 9/10 have never been verified and are considered by the FBI to likely be inaccurate?

The best theory I have seen on why he and his colleague travelled there the day before the attacks is the simple one that they wanted to try and shake any potential tail they may have had from American security agents. It makes sense - if agents were tracking the other guys who went straight to Logan, then at least you'd have these two, including one of the eventual pilots, coming from elsewhere and therefore potentially avoiding detection. It doesn't quite check out as wholly convincing, but sometimes people in strange situations do strange things that are not wholly logical. Reality is though that we'll never really know for sure.

@Aussie Bruin - Officially, the FBI, Portland Police, and the Maine State Police have never discounted it.

Based on timestamps it does appear he had some knowledge of the area around the Maine Mall.

For whatever reason Atta left a boatload of evidence in the rental car from Boston he left at the Portland Jetport. It seems like he wanted the world to know he was the mastermind behind it.

But as you said we will never really know.

 

[Fenway]

I'm glad the ticket agent was able to move on. I've seen him on a few specials and he always seemed like he had a lot of guilt allowing them to pass through.

The Maine connection will never make sense to me

@Alicat

 

[LouJersey]

Never gets any easier for any of us. For those of us that were grown adults, we will never forget, but the thing I will never truly forget were the people of different races, cultures and political affiliation coming together that day. I recommend "A Day in America" (not sure if exact name) to all. It's not an easy watch, but you will be proud of your country and it's people and that's a nice feeling on this dreadful day.

 

[Ladyfan]

Never gets any easier for any of us. For those of us that were grown adults, we will never forget, but the thing I will never truly forget were the people of different races, cultures and political affiliation coming together that day. I recommend "A Day in America" (not sure if exact name) to all. It's not an easy watch, but you will be proud of your country and it's people and that's a nice feeling on this dreadful day.

Also around the world you could feel the support.

 

[08SeaBass08]

I was four days into my teaching career. No experience or any concept of how to address or handle it.


The LA Kings mascot is named "Bailey," in honor of Ace.

 

[Alicat]