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01/09/2026 6:03 pm
I know that I will regret posting, but here goes. I don't want 9/11 to be forgotten.
Rob was my partner for 20 years. He was a Mensa, extremely high IQ. He was from Slatington PA, a blue collar family. At University he studied Drama and Journalism. He danced in 'Chorus Line' on Broadway. He was the editor of a theater magazine. He was writing a novel, hopefully to get published. One of his short stories had already been published and he presented at a conference in New Orleans.
Sept. 10, I was in the Middle East teaching at a University. Talked to Rob about how I was coming home, he might leave our home in NYC, both of us start somewhere else. Sept. 11, Rob was at a law firm at the Trade Towners. I watched Rob die live on CNN while I was in the Middle East. My partner of twenty years.
Yes, we were a gay couple. It took years to identify his bits. I had no rights to his bits. His parents put his bits in an urn, they died, Robs urn I found out was sold for $5.00 at a garage sale.
I can only hope we do not forget the people that died 9/11. They were people with histories, people with dreams for their futures, people that loved them.
Al
01/09/2026 6:14 pm
Sorry for your loss.
John Bono
North Jersey
01/09/2026 6:30 pm
Rob will never be forgotten, nor will that terrible day in American history.
I take great comfort in knowing that America was once a nation held together by a common cause.... that Friday, after 9-11, my wife and I left the house for the first time in days, and we ended up at a restaurant.
As we waited, with others, for our table I noticed something I had never witnessed before, nor since.
About 25 of us, all from diverse backgrounds, gender, and ethnicity, sitting in that horse-shoe-shaped lobby were touching each other. Every one of us was either "shoulder to shoulder or knee to knee." There was room to spread out a bit, but silently we sat - as if to say - "We are all Americans, and we are all New Yorkers." No one complained, no one moved; twenty-five strangers were united.
No sir, 9-11, and all those who perished, will never be forgotten. You may not possess Rob's last remains, but you have something more - you have Rob.
01/09/2026 6:56 pm
Al, that is terrible. I'm truly sorry that happened to you. I couldn't even start to imagine what you went through that day. He, nor any of the others will be forgotten. 💯🙏
01/09/2026 7:00 pm
I am also sorry for your loss and I hope that you have great memories of the years you and Rob had together. I WILL NEVER forget about the souls who perished and I hope others don’t either. I know that at the Garden Grove car show that Friday, 9/11, there is going to be a special remembrance. I am not missing that night. Please don’t regret your post.
Steve
01/09/2026 10:02 pm
None of us who lived through it will ever forget. I am truly sorry for what happened to your partner and the aftermath. That's tragedy piling on tragedy.
John Kuvakas
Warrenton, VA
02/09/2026 3:08 am
It is not an event that can be forgotten, even if it is not mentioned. Sorry for your loss, Abaucom.
One of the unacknowledged tragedies in our society is what gay couples go through, when one dies and his/her belongings become the property of parents who may not have appreciated what was shared between the son/daughter and his/her partner. How can they appreciate the importance of a photograph taken on an anniversary, or an item purchased together to commemorate a special event? When I was doing estate planning I was still in my mid twenties and gay couples were my primary focus, for I had already witnessed the scenario you described and it was heart-wrenching, even to someone outside of their circle of friends. Someday, differences between folk will no longer be a dividing factor. A Pollyanna view? Perhaps, but I have high hopes.
02/09/2026 6:18 am
1) I know that I will regret posting, but here goes. I don't want 9/11 to be forgotten.
2) I can only hope we do not forget the people that died 9/11. They were people with histories, people with dreams for their futures, people that loved them.
Al
1) I hope you don't.
2) I will not or can not forget the people who died on 9/11/2001. As John K. says, none of us who lived through it will ever forget.
I think it was last year around this time we all discussed where we were when the Twin Towers were hit with a maximum terror attack.
I was talking on the phone with my late daughter, from Texas, who was terrified. 6 months prior she was in the towers on business. We stayed on that call for hours on end. No, I guarantee I'll never forget if I live to see 125!
02/09/2026 8:21 am
@perrone1 I was in my home office and a friend called and told me to turn on my tv. Unfortunately, that was when the second explosion occurred. The truth about what happened on that day is out there, in plain sight, for anyone who wishes to know the facts. A truly horrific day in the history of the US.
02/09/2026 5:16 pm
That's a harrowing story, Al. I'm sorry you went through something so horrible.
No, I can't imagine any of us forgetting that day. It's branded in my memory like it happened yesterday. What is amazing to me is how long ago it was but how vivid the memories are.
Steve Jacobs reacted