Guestbook - Page ONE

COMMENTS:  Aloha Ben, What a fascinating site - and life! I was drawn to it via Google while referencing Hawaii Raceway Park.  I began working there in 1967 after a tour with the Wolfhounds (loved the  ) and covered racing in Hawaii for many years with my Hawaii Racing News tabloid newspapers. I have a website http://www.hawaiimotorbeat.com/ that is currently reviewing some of those early HRP years and was hoping you may more recollections - or even some photos - of the time your Dad was it's manager. I'd love to share them on my Hawaii Motorbeat site. Mahalo for your kokua - Paul

'From Here to Eternity' barracks Headquarters (HQ) barracks Wolfhounds HQ - 27th Infantry sign

  Email address How'd you find us?
City, State, Country URL to Jamrent page:

Sat 03 Apr 2004 16:42:29

V. G.

Link from Apt Assn Owners & Affordable Rentals posting

Milwaukee, WI

Obsoleted as of October 2004.

COMMENTS:  My husband and I own two single-family rental properties and are interested in other investment property.  I noticed your posting and was very favorably impressed by your website design and information - very nicely done!  Plus I really liked your Rental Agreement and Application - mind if I make similar use of them?  [ Webmaster response to this request was: "Yes, of course you can copy and use them - just don't try to claim them as your own or sell them to others -- the site and forms have just recently been updated.  Use the HTML page as a template for your own site, should you wish to do so, and please link back to mine as the source of the template." ]

  Email address How'd you find us? City, State, Country URL to your web site:

Sat 13 Mar 2004 16:14:10

Franklyn

Link on http://woodfloorist.com

Centralia, WA, USA

WoodFloorist.com

COMMENTS:  Lots of interesting Links.  Especially like the twin towers links.

  Email address How'd you find us? City, State, Country URL to Jamrent page:

Wednesday, March 10, 2004 3:48 PM

Kathy Berken

browsing

Clinton, Iowa

JJHolzhauer.com (obsoleted)

COMMENTS: Hello,

I thought I was sending an e-mail through your web site.

This is about the Holzhauer family tree. I found a web site with information about the Holzhauer family of Milwaukee.  My mother was Isabelle Holzhauer.  I can probably give you some clarification on the info on the site.

Perhaps we are related.  My maiden name is Greif.

I'm trying to create a family tree myself.  Any info we can share would be most welcome!
thanks,
Kathy Berken

The Arch, L'Arche in Clinton, Iowa

  Email address City, State, Country URL to Jamrent page:

Friday, May 30, 2003 12:42 PM

Heather Holzhauer

Milwaukee, WI

JJHolzhauer.com (obsoleted)

COMMENTS:  Great website!  I can't wait to see how my part of the family fits in.  Thanks for all the work.

  Email address How'd you find us? City, State, Country URL to your web site: URL to Jamrent page:

Mon 26 May 2003 09:52:36

Micheal Allen Holzhauer

Name Search

Hohenfelds, Germany

http://ncoleadersbook.com

JJHolzhauer.com (obsoleted)

COMMENTS:  Very Interesting Site

  How'd you find us? URL to Jamrent page:

Thursday, May 15, 2003 5:19 PM

Sandy

searching

Finney Library

COMMENTS:  Hi Ben   -   I really enjoyed your website.  There's a lot to take in.  I wanted to ask you a few questions but I wasn't sure if this was your email address.  The work you are doing is very impressive.  I grew up around that neighborhood back in the 1960's and 70's.  I enjoyed reading some of your stories and saddened by others.  I especially liked your family photos.  I came across your website when I was looking for information on Finney Library - one of my favorite haunts many years ago.  It's neat they built a new library though.  Anyway, hope all is well with you and your family.  -   Cheers, Sandy

  Email address How'd you find us? City, State, Country URL to Jamrent page:

Wed 07 May 2003 03:43:25

Xenia

Searched on google for LeBlanc

Canada

Notables.Terriau.net (obsoleted)

COMMENTS:  One comment on your site is that there were so many LeBlancs that the women kept their own names after marriage.  This is not the reason - according to French law women kept their birth name from cradle to coffin as their legal name.  Thus it is found in all official documents and only in common-life were they referred to as Madame followed by the husband's surname.  This custom remains in Quebec to this date.  In the former Acadia and other French lands now under other governments, English common law is used which is that women automatically change their names when they marry.

  Email address

Wed 29 Jan 2003 03:00:13

Dan Knauss

COMMENTS:  Dear Mr. Ciriacks - - My wife found your web pages this AM, and I have been reading through them quite a bit.  You have an impressive and interesting mind.  -Dan Knauss

  Email address

Mon 27 Jan 2003 17:00:17

Ice Cream Lover

COMMENTS:  Cool site!  I'll be back!  Thank you!,  Ice Cream Lover

  Email address

Thu 03 Oct 2002 20:35:14

David Lindon

COMMENTS:  Nice site.

  City, State, Country

13 Sep 2001 11:29:16 am

Ben Ciriacks

Milwaukee, WI, USA

COMMENTS:  I saw what you saw as it happened, too, but on the TV.

Normally, I listen to the best local talk radio station, WMCS 1290 am, from 7:00 to 10:00 am each morning while working on websites on the computer.  During the normal discussion with one or more of various local community leaders, Eric Von, the host, made comments about a fire in the World Trade Center towers.  After the second comment, I turned on the TV above my head to the right of my computer work station to see if it was being covered.  It was.  In a few minutes the second plane appeared.  It wasn't until the 2nd plane hit that everyone knew that this was a terrorist attack - the first wasn't a fire or a bomb -- it was the first suicide attack on the twin towers.

The camera angle had the 2nd tower hidden behind the first.  It looked like the 2nd plane was another hit into the first building - making me think after listening to all the intial reports in the first hour that two planes had been flown into each building -- making 6 (versus 4) hijackings in all.

It didn't hit me until I was relating the news to a painter working on my neighbor's house next door that there were no bombs - the fully fueled planes were the bombs!  Not knowing what exact times they had all taken off, I was thinking that the Newark plane might have left the earliest so that it could be flown into the Sears Tower in Chicago simultaneous with those into the other targets.

When the media reported that President Bush was flying back to Washington from Florida, I said to myself:  "Boy, that's just what the terrorists are probably waiting for."  Fortunately, the people protecting the president aren't as dumb as those in the media (and a lot of others who criticized him for not getting back to Washington right away) and took him to unscheduled areas to thwart any planned attacks on Air Force One.

If a plane was really going to try to hit another plane in the air, its pilot must have been the most well trained of the bunch.  That may have been why it went so far before turning around - it was waiting for communications regarding the whereabouts of Air Force One.  The passengers who prevented that from happening are the REAL HEROES in all of this.

That crash site should become a monument to them and a reminder to all air travelors about what our responsibilities should be when confronted with hijackers.  It's obvious the other flights had too little time for the passengers to attempt any actions - especially since us passengers receive no training or instructions on how to help the crew neutralize unruly or hijacking passengers.  Instead of being instructed about using our seat cushions as floatation devices WHILE FLYING OVER LAND, maybe we should be instructed how to immediately surround and incapacitate a passenger who suddenly stands up and attempts to disrupt the peaceful operation of the airplane.  (Each plane also needs to have at least a half-dozen straight jackets, with leg binding straps, to incapcitate these types of passengers until the plane lands.)

Subject: What I saw yesterday

Dad,

... all the lines have been pretty dead since the attack.  Jen talked with Jim and said he would spread the word...

I just got back from Jersey (5 minutes ago).

I was stuck there for 24 hours following the attack.

I was in Weehawken yesterday paying a traffic fine.  My appointed time was 9:00.

    I got there at 8:45.  The Weehawken court house overlooks the Hudson directly across from the space that was formerly occupied by the WTC Towers.  They used to dominate the horizon from this vantage.  Naturally I started gazing up at them thinking about nothing in particular, when I noticed one contained a gaping, smoldering, black hole.  I immediately called Jeannine on the cell and she (on the street in Manhattan taking the kids to school) hadn't heard a thing, nor had the people around her (I could hear her ask strangers).  I said, "Well I am telling you I can see a hole, lots of smoke ... geeze somebody bombed it I think."  I asked her to call me back when she heard more.

    As I am watching the Tower I noticed what appeared to be a helicopter coming in for a very close look at the damage.  It was a speck on the horizon getting larger by the second ... it appeared to be veering towards the towers as if to circle.  I remember thinking "Those a$$hole reporters, they are just going to get in the way, ..."  The speck continued to grow larger and proceeded to disappear, from my vantage, into the smog surrounding the upper structure of the building.  I thought "Wow, how can they maneuver in smoke?"

    - 2 seconds later my question was answered with a tremendous fireball, much like God's Barbeque soaked with way too much lighter fluid.  It was surreal, not unlike watching a 3D Imax feature.  This was numbing, and it took a while to actually get it ... it wasn't a helicopter, it was going way too fast, and before it disappeared it was way too big ... it was a plane.

    Honestly , when I saw those two towers cascading down about 30 minutes later I could feel the world change.  It seemed so sudden but in slow motion all at once.  My senses had to be deceiving me.  How can this be happening?  Where are my Kids?  Is Jen on the street, Get inside!!!

    In the ensuing chaos (Mothers wailing, police setting off in a race for Manhattan, people just generally going into hysterics) I managed to bum a ride with a guy in a hot rod to get me to the ferry to try and get across back home.  I just walked up to his car that was playing the radio reports and said that my family is over there and I need to get to the boats.  At very high speed we went the wrong way on many roads, dodging traffic and ignoring traffic lights in order to get to the landing before they shut it down.  To no avail.  The boats were only dropping people off, no pickups, no exceptions - this was the Coast Guard.  $hit.

    Sometimes you just need to shut up and sit tight, my instincts said now was that time.  So, instead of lying and pretending to be Dr. Ciriacks on his way to help out, or something like that, I just turned and walked the 3 to 4 miles back to the court house, got my belongings and walked to Tom and Theresa's.  Matt (one of the partners at my company) managed to call me on my cell (most service had long disappeared) and I asked him to get a hold of Jen.  He did and left me a message that everyone was safe.

    Being satisfied that things were ok for the present, I got out my video camera (ironically I had it in the car for my court appearance) and started shooting.  I will forward the footage once I figure out the best medium.

    This morning I got on the first boat over, though the bridges and tunnels are still closed off.  I am now at my office sending this.  There are going to be at least 10,000 dead, maybe as high as 40,000.  This is not really a guess, more like a fact.  Once those planes hit, whoever was on a floor above it had no way to exit, regardless of time before the buildings collapsed.  Sadly, initial reports (radio from the scene) indicate that rescue workers going up the stairs to assist in evacuation and those WTC employees trying to exit (down the same stairs) may have mutually slowed each others progress; this may end up being a critical factor leading to both the very high death toll of fireman/police stuck in the building as well as WTC inhabitants who never got out before the building(s) went down.

    40,000 people normally work in those complexes.  There are only about 2100 hospital casualties.  That leaves lots to account for.

    The streets are now abandoned, lots of tired police mill around directing what little rescue traffic there is, there are still some wailing sirens making their way through the new landscape that is lower Manhattan.

    Thomas

We met only once back in 1972 when I accompanied Jack, Nancy, Lynn, Johnny and Karen on a trip to Albuquerque via Nebraska.  Am glad to hear it's still cold enough to remind everyone you're not in Hawaii.  Would hate to think that farming the plains got easy all of a sudden.

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