Most Americans remember the horrific events of September 11th 2001 through the lens of television news. We remember the tragic images of three iconic American buildings in flames and the gut wrenching image of fire in a Pennsylvania field that is the final resting place for the only American's who had the opportunity to resist this heinous and cowardly act. We remember the fallen heroes, the innocent dead, and lament the loss of the world we used to know before that harrowing day.
The most stunning effect of the 9-11 attacks wasn't the devastation that was caused or the lives that were lost, but the sense of patriotism and National pride that descended upon all American's. America was a lot smaller that day and in the days and weeks that followed. We were all mourning the loss of friends, family, and countrymen... as well as the loss of our own innocence. That however wasn't the stunning part. What was stunning was how complete strangers shared their anguish with people they had never met. In those odd and tragic days we were brothers and sisters. We were truly one nation under God.
Ten years later a little known chapter of the 9-11 saga has come to light thanks to the good people over at LaughingPlace.com. The accounts of two Disneyland cast members who were working on September 11th 2001, tell a story from an unexpected yet not altogether unfamiliar point of view. The article details the experiences of the cast & crew of the newly minted Disneyland Resort and shows us a view of what it was like at the only Disney Park that never opened on that horrible day.
This article will take you back to that day and provide, through some very eerie photographs a powerful, compelling, and haunting view of Disneyland that you have never seen. Walt Disney's original "Happiest Place On Earth" completely and utterly empty. These were not the first images of an empty Disneyland that I had ever seen. But when you see these photo's and realize WHY the park is empty, you begin to understand that the palpable sadness captured in these images extended well past the park gates. It was a quiet sadness that permeated this great nation from coast to coast.
Thankfully though, We would rebound. America would rise from that sadness and eventually show the world that while terror and violence may bring us to our knees, we will always rise above it. On the morning of 9-11 the American flag was quietly lowered to half staff. No one knows who actually did this, but two weeks later the Disneyland cast members, executives, and park guests would raise that flag to it's rightful place together. As one American family.
-Admiral Duke.
**Special thanks to LaughingPlace.com for letting us share their photo & video.
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