The Bin Laden is dead thread
 

Maybe there is a thread already... I hope I have posted this in the right place...

Since the news of Bin Laden's death within the last hour (at post time) I have thought back on some major things in life as well as what actually brought me to my present world of miles, points, travel and airline-isms.

It was mentioned on the news that every time any of us go to an airport, we are presented with things that are the way they are because of this one man and his efforts to cause problems for America and the world.

It affected me personally because my own father was a victim of AA flight 11 and since that time I had gotten into this almost survival-mode type of thinking for a while...

You come to really re evaluate the need for family, other loved ones and friends. You look around and care about people you have lost and people you know who live far away from where you are now. You slow down in some ways, and you have to go faster in others.

You also start to think with some stress in your every day life--I know I did at that time. Everything was about security and preparation all of a sudden, and sometimes that just plain stinks. It's also really inconvenient. But you do begin thinking this way and you have to in order to cope.

For example, what would you do if you had a fire in your home, or had to leave immediately, etc. What would you bring with you?

There are so many important things, but face it, in some trivial aspects, I suppose you'd grab your money, keys, checkbooks and important papers too... for me, I included my mileage statements because I had earned some award points and well, they were mine and it was time to really pay attention to this stuff. Anything, in fact, that had that sort of value was something to pay attention to. Maybe it was the stress. Maybe some was impractical or just plain silly, but I guess I got overwhelmed and had to deal with it, and my thinking I had some sort of control over the fate of these little miles and points gave me some sense of control over my current situation. I dunno.

Anyway, it was because of this that I joined a website forum called the frequent flier forum. And later I found and joined FlyerTalk shortly after running the NYC Marathon. Hence the name. And NYC had a new connotation for me and my family--a strange familiarity that one often only associates with being home, even though all it really was was a nice city to visit time to time, a home to a rival baseball team and the new de-facto burial site for my late father. maybe his spirit was making me feel a different thing about the busy place, and now I must say that whenever I visit, I do feel rather... happy to be there.

And I owe a lot of my own travels to places my father had been and to many he never got the chance to enjoy, to this place we often call home as well.

That's my story and tonight, since Bin Laden is dead, it kinda makes sense to me a bit more. Hope others have thoughts on this stuff as well.

:)MM

Congratulations. I am sure all Americans are feeling proud tonight, but most especially are the families of all of the victims of 9/11.

And to our US Military men and women: Job well done!

This thread was closed a short time ago as there is a very active thread on this topic in OMNI/PR.

But a PM from a very well respected FT'er caused me to reconsider this thread here as apropos for CommunityBuzz.

So let's keep this open and active here to discuss the personal or community feelings we may have had regarding 9/11.

Thanks.

PS: Let's keep the political rantings and ravings confined to the OMNI/PR thread and reserve this for discussing personal reactions to this event.

_______________________________

Cholula
CommunityBuzz! Co-Moderator

We all are very extremely happy to hear. We are so successful for US Troops who are supportive to brings the justice. I am very proud for US Troops are hard working to lead the OBL into the small cave in Pakistan and well served for US Troops are working too hard for all of those years. We are appreciated it for ours contributions for US Troops. Lets brings our troops back home and it will be ended the wars.

Thank you Marathon Man for sharing your very moving and sad personal experience. I can understand how you were led to FT. My 32 year old cousin was a victim in one of the Towers and left behind a wife and 3 very young children as well as his parents. While looking for answers, any answers to this tragedy which affected thousands of people, I happened to literally stumble upon a news item about this website; Flyertalk. At the time, for me, it was about people connecting with one another in the wake of this tragedy.
I joined FT 10 years ago in October, 2001. I hope that the victims feel some sense that justice has been served and draw some comfort from this.

Community is the first place I came last night when I got into my S. Cal hotel and heard the news... not unlike what I did on 9/11 (when I woke up in my S. Cal hotel and heard the news).

The events of the last 12 hours bring back such a rush of memories and emotions... of the hours and days after 9/11 and of how changed our travel patterns for the last decade have been. I'm happy to still have this Community as we celebrate the closure of this chapter in our nation's history - and await what comes next in the war against terror.

Marathon Man, thank you for sharing your story - I was moved when I read it last night. You are so right about how the events forced all of us to reconsider our travel, our relationships, and our lives. I was still a bit of a "green" traveler on 9/11 (although I didn't think it at the time) and a lot of my colleagues in consulting found reasons to move to nontravel positions in industry within the year after 9/11. Others of us became firm in our resolve to continue to experience the world first-hand. I remember a lot of marriages and births in my life in that 2002-2003 range right after 2001 as so many I knew sought stability and comfort at home. FlyerTalk became a rock for me with my travel life, that home regardless of where I was.

thank you everyone for your thoughtful and kind words and stories. And yes, it has been a bit of a moment here to relive some of the feelings and experiences... especially since the weather where I am was a sunny clear day yesterday and it seems to look that way today as well.

But when people asked me how I was doing with regards to family loss, I learned to reply with, "as well as can be expected" and that's still what I say today.

Now, though, I have, like many here, learned so much about travel--the ways to get it done for free (I had at that time obviously thought the airlines 'owed me' this) and how to avoid hassle in security and check in. So in a way, like with so many things, something good came out of it.

As a tribute to all those who had to suffer through this, my mother even started a peace-related forum and while I wouldn't normally push outside sites and promote such issues in FT, the website is: www.alfilipov.org

(the site may be in overhaul right around now and some sections could be not working)

MOD thank you for leaving this open but if you choose to merge it with the other thread, that's ok too.

I read all the stories here and I am moved by the experiences of them. But now we have another day to remember where we were when we heard.

:)MM

Thank you for sharing, Marathon Man. In these trying and tumultuous times, I'm glad we've each other to look to.

I'm glad this thread emphasizes the FT community aspect to the news and not the political which is indeed better kept at 1 of those many OMNI/PR threads.

To expand on my earlier reaction, one of my first reactions was to think back to that dark day almost a decade ago. I as all here have been forever changed by that dark day, in my college major, in my view of charity and greater causes, and in my public/political involvement. I wasn't a part of FT at the time though I'm glad I am now and have read the moving threads from those difficult days. I know that the spirit here of community and sharing has been made stronger by FTers and vice versa. We are a community of fliers and for us, the attacks are even more personal. In darkness, light shines stronger, so may our light shine brighter yet.

I indeed also freshly remembered and relived the many emotions these many years since 9/11 when our world changed forever in ways even thusfar unimaginable. I hope that all who have found comfort through FT find comfort in the news today.

"Tumultuous" is indeed a good word to use in this case.

I was reading a book last night, listening to a German radio station via the internet. It was 00h00 and I was just about to go to bed but the morning news came on the radio and the top story was announced - "Osama bin Laden ist tot". Whoa. That changed everything and I ended up surfing, watching and listening to a lot of different news channels last night.

But a few hours after the actual announcement of bin Laden's demise I wonder still, how I feel. I think I'm a bit happy that they actually got that *&#@ who killed indiscriminately and who twisted religion to his own end.

On the whole though, I think back to that day almost 10 years ago. It was of course a day that started so brightly and ended so darkly. And I think, with a twinge of sadness but with a stronger feeling of finality that that day is now truly over. A chapter has closed and we can all move on now.

And that I think, makes for the beginnings of a good day.

Marathon Man, thank you for sharing your story.

Thank you for reminding us of the very personal connection to these events, and reminding us of the importance of relationships with our loved ones and friends.

Shanksville, PA isn't too far from my parents' house, where I was living at the time, and Mr. Kipper reported to 2nd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team on 9/11. We were dating, and because news in Norfolk & Yorktown, VA was not reporting the exact location, just saying, "Western PA," when Mr. Kipper finally did reach me, he was concerned for me. Here I was, concerned for him, thinking he was going to get sent somewhere that day, and he was worreid about me. :confused:

As a result of those events, I think our relationship took a more serious turn far more quickly than it otherwise would have, and as a result, we've been married for a while now. :)

We have stopped by Shanksville, and it's incredibly moving, not just to see the field, and to think of what happened there, but also to see the items left at the temporary memorial and to think of what those who died meant to those still living.

Thank you for sharing Marathon Man ^ and I'll reserve my other thoughts and comments for the thread over in OMNI/PR

Justice has been served.. Quite a few memories surfacing last 10 years with last nights' announcement.

I was trying to think of something but this says it. So +1 here & thanks marathonman for sharing your story. My thoughts & prayers are with you all..

Somehow, perhaps since I work in the "media", Bin Laden's death really hadn't brought me back to the memories of 9/11 until I read Marathon Man's sensitive post. I met MM over the weekend at FTU and we had a few interesting conversations... you never mentioned your personal connection to 9/11, but why would you have? It's not something easily dropped into a conversation.

My company lost a work colleague, at the TV transmitter site near the roof of the North Tower. His funeral the next week on Staten Island was incredibly sad. I'll also never forget all the shell-shocked looking people plodding along walking North in Manhattan, hours after the towers came down.

My best friend was involved in the -first- World Trade Center attack, in 1993. He had to walk down 75 stories or so to get out of the building. Sadly, he died 4 years ago anyway, of natural, if untimely, causes.

For 10 years, while our forces and agencies searched and searched for Bin Laden, many said "You know, when we finally get him, it probably won't really change anything." Maybe, maybe not.