Where Were You on Sept 11, 2001

[tallman]

The days following...

Yes.

IN our neighborhood, 200 + homes, before 9/11 there were about 4 flags flying.

Mine, my neighbor (a WWII vet) and a couple more.

In the next week everyone scrambled to find one (there was a shortage) and the neighborhood ( and city ) was festooned with Old Glory.

Stayed this way for a while and then eventually the numbers decreased.

Now if you walk around you see mine, my neighbor, and a couple of others.

Mine has flown since 4/1/87 at this home and I plan to continue until ...

The unity that came from the terrbile event was an opportunity for the nation to bond and move to a better place.

I'm afraid that hasn't been the outcome.

[KevinH]

There was an astounding level of civility in the aftermath. It was great to see.

 

I agree and I miss that attitude.

[Ken H.]

I was at work when the word starting to go around and like others couldn’t really get an Internet story as available bandwidth everywhere had gone to nothing. So we all headed to a conference room, where someone had turned on the TV, just before the second hit. I can remember turning to my boss and the both of us saying almost simultaneously, “This is going to be bad. Really, really bad.” And we could tell we both meant not in the immediate tragedy sense, but in the long term implications.

 

Not too long after that I got a call from a co-worker who had taken my plane (had a Cherokee D at the time), she was on the ground about 100 miles away (due the grounding of all air traffic) and could I come and get her? At the time she seemed more concerned about the plane than the events. So I left work and my attention was diverted to that for the rest of the day. Still, all the way down to where she was I kept listening to the radio and thinking, ‘if this is all true (who did it) this is going to be a game changer.’ And not in a good way.

 

 

 

[Tom R.]

At that time, I had a job that allowed me to work from home here in Cincinnati. Although many acquaintances assumed I watched TV all day while “working” at home, I literally never turned it on. On September 9th, due to the incompetence and apathy of one of our major airlines, I got stranded in Omaha, NE and missed a speaking engagement on September 10th. So, on the morning of September 11, I was sitting at my computer writing the most eloquent, scathing email I had ever written.

 

My wife, who was already at her job that morning, called and asked where Tom, Jr. (then 24 years old) was working that day. (I knew he was traveling but, since I was unaware of what had occurred, was not conscious of the fact that he was very near the site in PA where flight 93 went down.) My wife then asked a question I’ll never forget; “You don’t have the TV on do you?”

 

Turning on the TV, my world stopped. All I could think of was Tom, and the people I had met a few years earlier while visiting Oppenheimer Funds on the 33rd and 34th floors of one of the towers. We learned quickly that Tom Jr. was fine. Days later I learned that all Oppenheimer Funds employees made it out safely. Within minutes of my wife’s call, I walked back over to the computer and hit the delete key on that email.

 

I can remember feeling guilty for many weeks after 9/11/2001 if I found myself laughing and happy. And, I noticed and enjoyed how Americans came together in a time of disaster. How soon many forget.

 

 

 

[SPG]

I was working a roadjob for road construction, when a driver told

me what happened. I thought " We will never be the same"

A week later I am in NYC along with countless other cops,EMS, and others doing what needede to be done. I was working perimeter security at a fed location, and will never forget the politness and gratitude from the locals

[1springer]

I was in a Wash. DC hotel getting ready for a meeting at the puzzle palace. I never made the meeting.

[bakerzdosen]

There was an astounding level of civility in the aftermath. It was great to see.

Not for me.

 

I was in Santa Barbara. My boss woke me saying "we're gonna have to try to figure out how to get you home." Suffice it to say, I was somewhat startled. He told me to turn on CNN.

 

I ended up working until 3pm (I was scheduled to leave that day from LAX anyway.) It's always interesting being at a newspaper (even a small local one like Santa Barbara's) when something newsworthy is happening... Things are really buzzing as you would imagine.

 

Our travel person told me that she couldn't get a hold of National Car rental (I had one from them) but she had reserved one for me at LAX. Uh huh... yeah, right. Possession is 9/10ths of the law.

 

I did call National and got right through. They said "drop it off anywhere for no extra charge." So, I headed back home to Provo.

 

I listened to whatever news reports I could find from that point on. I was gonna stop in Vegas for the night, but I'm not one to really "stop and smell the flowers" so I kept at it.

 

So, 30 miles south of Provo (hence my quote from David) I got a performance award. (The ironic thing is that for some odd reason I had taken my V1 on this trip.) I had a car on my tail for probably 20 miles prior to that. I would accelerate, he would follow. I'd decelerate, he'd follow. He simply wouldn't pass or slow down. Finally, I accelerated up to somewhere around 90 and he dropped off. About 10 minutes later, he reappeared in my rearview mirror. Turns out it wasn't him. The LEO didn't really believe my story (even when the other car honked when he passed). Nor was he feeling overly "civil" despite the days events. It's stuck with me though...

 

I also didn't understand what they meant by the towers collapsing. I thought the tops had just fallen off to the side until I got home and actually saw what was going on (at 3 or 4am) on CNN. Radio did NOT do that justice...

[Fubar]

I was unemployed and watching CNBC's Mark Hughes until the second plane crashed then sat glued to the tube switching from one news outlet to another for around the next 8 hours while I called every human being I knew. From the start I felt to my core that there was no way either of these plane strikes was unintentional.

I was truly amazed that the bldgs. fell. Figured they would burn a bunch but never that they would collapse.

As for visiting "ground zero", not for me.

[Slyder_Steve]

Something I don't often share...

 

I was woken up at about 3:00am (Guam time) and told to turn on my TV. I watched the second plane hit the tower. I remember Gen Hugh Shelton (then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) tell the military to "be ready" and I packed a bag. A few days later, I kissed my wife and kids goodbye and headed out to bring harm to some yet to be determined badguys.

 

It was a few months later when I first heard Alan Jackson on AFN radio signing "Where were you?" It took a few moments for me to figure out what he was talking about, then it dawned on me that there was an impact to my fellow Americans, and the world, that I just honestly hadn't considered. I'd been so busy doing what I'd been trained to do that I just hadn't thought of anything beyond...retribution.

 

Shallow? Yes, but that was my reality.

 

It was pretty easy to find motivated people in the military who were looking for some payback. We'd signed up before the world changed. Now most of my people don't know what the world was like prior to 9/11.

 

I'll someday make a trip to NYC and a field in Pennsylvania, but that's a few years away.

 

Take care,

Slyder

[beemerman2k]

Whether you visit the site or not is a personal decision, but I have long admired those buildings, and I have been up to the top of the South Tower and admired the view from there. I remember trying to see the bottom of the North Tower from the top of the South Tower observatory and marvelling that I was so high up that I couldn't see it. That area of NYC was real and personal to me, so I had to go and see for myself that it wasn't there anymore.

 

Personally, I would highly recommend a trip to that spot. Being there brings it all home in that you get to appreciate the scope of what happened that day. Maybe now that it's all cleaned up, this is no longer true. For me, however, being there was everything and I am very glad I went.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Maybe now that it's all cleaned up, this is no longer true.

 

There's not much to see there now. I was there last fall, and the site is surrounded by a tall, tarp-covered fence, pretty much like any other construction site. There is a pedestrian bridge you can get onto that gives you a bit of a bird's eye view so you can appreciate how big the place was. There is also a museum near the site, though I didn't go in there.

[Matts_12GS]

I'll someday make a trip to NYC and a field in Pennsylvania, but that's a few years away.

 

There is a group planning a memorial SS1K ride from Dulles area next year with police escorts past the pentagon and I know the Shanksville area is included in the route. I'll add info as it becomes available.

[ESokoloff]

 

 

 

Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?

 

 

The morning started off in the typical fashion, getting ready for work while listening to NPR. They were discussing an aviation accident at the WTC.

I flipped on the TV. Talk of a small plane striking one of the towers.

When the second plane slammed into the second building it was clear this was no accident.

I attempted to wake my sleeping wife who was reluctant to get up. She was sleeping in that morning resting up for a big day at Disneyland. She never left the house. Disneyland like so much of the nation remained closed that day.

On the way into work I remember seeing a Police officer pass by in a patrol car & I just wanted to thank him for doing what he does.

As I made my way in, I was listening NPR & heard Bob Edwards say something to the effect that one of the towers was gone.

Until I arrived at work & saw a replay on TV, I could not accept what I had heard.

 

Restless sleep at night the next few days/weeks after trying to digest the images from that day.

[Silver Surfer/AKAButters]

I grew up in Brooklyn and they were just completing the towers when I left for Vietnam in January of 1971. They were the last thing I saw flying out of Laguardia AP on my way overseas, Wow! What a spectacular sight and memorable send off. After my service, I only returned to visit.

On the morning of September 11, 2001 30 years later, I had just gotten out of the shower and was sitting on the edge of my bed toweling off. I looked up at the TV and thought I was watching the preview for some new diaster movie. When I realized what was going on, I yelled to my wife and suddenly she began screaming. When I got her calmed down enough to speak, she reminded me that her sister worked in Tower 2. Fortunately, she was on the 7th floor and one of the survivors which we did not find out until later that evening.

My sister in laws son had just driven her to work that morning and witnessd the attack and the collapse in gridlock traffic on the Verazano Bridge. I can't imagine the day he had.

[RichEdwards]

I was watching the TODAY show when they cut to an emergency news brief that an airliner "accidently" crashed into one of the twin towers. While they were showing live pictures of the burning tower, the second plane hit the second tower.

It was unbelieveable.

p.s. My older son worked in that area and emerged from a subway station as the debris rained down from above. For two hours I didn't know if he was safe.

[KevinH]

I'll someday make a trip to NYC and a field in Pennsylvania, but that's a few years away.

 

There is a group planning a memorial SS1K ride from Dulles area next year with police escorts past the pentagon and I know the Shanksville area is included in the route. I'll add info as it becomes available.

 

Flight 93

Flight 93 Design

[TyTass]

I was a USN reservist on active duty for a couple weeks in Fort Worth - attending C-130T Loadmaster training. Watched it all unfold on TV from my motel room, as we were not permitted on base - being non-essential personnel.

 

Initially, I felt pity for the victims and their families, but then I began to worry I might have lost some people I knew (I did, though it was a while before I found out as we were not close, being only former business associates). Of course, like most people I hoped all those responsible would be punished (or perhaps just simply eliminated), not as a matter of blind retribution but definitive statement of our right to exist unassailed (to my mind).

 

To be perfectly honest, my most pervasive thought was "when would I be mobilized?" and how would I manage to make everything happen that needed to happen both at home and in my professional life when it did happen. I didn't find out for another 1.5 years (to the day) - and then it only lasted for 6 months.

 

My heart goes out today to all the victims families, but perhaps even moreso to the first responders, soldiers, marines, sailors, & airmen who all willingly gave their all - and in so many cases gave their lives - in responding as best they knew and/or as they were directed to respond to such a heinous terrorist act.

[brennaman]

I remember I was in a car with a friend when we turned on the radio and heard the initial reports as they were coming in. For the first few minutes, we just kept looking at each other without saying a word, trying to hear all of the details. He had just gotten out of the Marines, and I was still in the Air guard. My wife and me were 1 month out from the birth of our first (and only) child. Finally I looked at him and said, "We are at war, this is our generations Pearl Harbor". My first thought was to my unborn son, wondering what kind of world he was coming into. My friend also had a 1 year old son at the time, and we both hoped that we (the USA) had the stomach to finish what we both thought we be a long war. I think we both had a feeling that this had to be Islamic terrorist. I knew that it would just be a matter of time before my C-130 unit was activated, and he wondered if he would be called back into the Marines. My son will be 9 this Oct., and we just talked to him about it. He knew something significant had happened on 9/11, but not what it was. I showed him the video of the aircraft hitting the towers, and his only thought was why are those people so mean. From the day it happened, till today, I still hope that we can finish what they started before my son is of age to serve.

[Firefight911]

I awoke that morning in Santa Rosa, got my cup of coffee, and went in to the living room to watch the morning news. I broke down in to tears the moment the TV came on.

 

I was not scheduled to work that day but did have class that night. You see, I had just quit work as the Assistant General Manager of a major multi-million dollar linen supply company one week earlier. I was pursuing my passion full time. I was almost half way through Firefighter Academy and we had class that evening.

 

I had walked away from a 6 figure income one week earlier and was working for $7.92/hour as an EMT for private ambulance company at the time.

 

I went to class that evening, called my class to attention at role call (I was the class leader), and had our lead instructor lead us through a moment of silence and a prayer for all those lost as a result.

 

The impact of that day will never leave me and it forever solidified my decision to do what I do to this day - serve others through my profession as a firefighter.

 

Tomorrow, September 11, I will be manning Engine #36 in Folsom, CA. Wave as we pass by!

[Huzband]

 

Tomorrow, September 11, I will be manning Engine #36 in Folsom, CA. Wave as we pass by!

 

I'll do so in spirit. Thank you.

[moshe_levy]

I was riding my Sportster to work in Bergenfield, NJ, and I was taking the LOOOOONG way in via the Palisades Parkway. I was late, as usual, and could see some smoke on the NY skyline through the scenic lookout points as I neared my usual turnoff. When I got to work, I walked in and everyone was glued to the TV.....

 

That night, I picked up my ex father in law, who walked out of the city with the masses back into NJ. He worked very close to WTC, and said that the footage we saw on TV fails in every way imaginable to capture the mood, and actual events, of what it was like to be there living through those moments.

 

-MKL

[Mike O]

I won't forget the moment I learned what had happened. I was in London and giving a briefing to a conference room full of IBM Executives. As was the signal my wife and I had previously established, she would call once and if convenient, I would answer the phone. I was in the middle of my presentation when the phone rang. In one of those rare occasions I had forgotten to turn the ringer off that old Nokia phone. I noted the caller ID and apologized for the interruption but recalled that I couldn't turn the ringer off. So I set the phone down, continued with the presentation.

 

Not 15 seconds later the phone rang again......

 

A bit embarrassed again, here I was giving a technology pitch to technology executives and couldn't even turn off the ringer. But I knew something important and since this was our emergency signal excused myself and answered the phone.

 

On the other end was my wife....hysterical and in tears. She tried in a broken voice to explain to me what was going on (the airplanes, the Pentagon). I stood at the front of the conference room, the preso paused, and the room silent, the IBM execs trying to not appear annoyed by this interruption (they had no idea what was happening)

 

After what seemed like several minutes (but was less than 20 seconds), I told her that I loved her and hit the 'End' button on the phone. I tried to put on as professional a face as I could at that point. I looked across the audience and said "That was my wife. She just told me that two airplanes has crashed into the World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon."

 

Most of the audience sat in disbelief. One picked up his cell phone as it started to ring. Another looked up at me and remarked, that it must be a joke; Another commented that it was like something he imagined out of a Tom Clancy novel.

 

Within minutes, across the IBM facility loudspeakers, an announcement confirmed to all in that building what I had learned and just minutes earlier communicated to the audience. They asked folks to gather in the conference and lunch rooms where they were setting up televisions. And for those wishing to leave, please do so in an orderly fashion.

 

The IBM Executive hosting this meeting excused everyone in the room and thanked me for visiting and asked if I needed anything to please let him know (they were keenly aware that I was visiting from the U.S.A.

 

Gathering my things, I headed past the security guards and stopped at a television they had set up. I couldn't believe what I was watching. Skynews (the British equivalent of CNN) was streaming live coverage and by this time was accounting the fact that British citizens were affected. After reaching my hotel in Windsor, I just couldn't watch any more. More news coverage detailed the the massacre, I sat in my hotel room and after seeing enough coverage....

 

I cried.

 

I wanted so desperately to hug my wife, to participate in the patriotism, and most importantly, I wanted to be home with family, friends and my fellow U.S. Citizens. I was delayed for a week since traveling home from outside our 48 was even more difficult than traveling within.

 

I did and often do, thank my British hosts with whom I developed a common bond. They were incredibly hospitable and understanding of my dilemma. While this didn't happen on their soil, it might as well have.

 

Let's never forget. God Bless America!

 

Mike O

[Whip]

I am watching the events unfold on TV for the first time. I never really understood the time table and how it looked on TV. I am getting choked up. I can why Mrs Whip was so upset when I finally called her.

 

 

 

 

[Bronx Cheer]

I was in Boston getting ready to board a 767 heading back to Salt Lake. I was stuck in Boston for 5 days. I was just about ready to drive a rent a car back when I was able to catch a flight out of Providence RI.

A few hours earlier and my plane might have been one of unlucky ones.

[gottago]

I had the TV on in the living room and was listening to the news as I got ready for work. Nothing the newscasters were making sense. I came out and sat down on the couch just as the second plane hit. My mind couldn't comprehend the scene. I guess I was on autopilot and continued to work. I was sitting at a red light at a major intersection when the towers came down. The light changed and no one moved. I looked around and seen the people in the cars around me crying in disbelief. I made it to work but don't remember how. The day was spent in front of the TV in the conference room.

[beemerman2k]

I find my eyes welling up with tears again just reading these accounts. That was by far the single worse day I have ever experienced. Nothing else I have had to endure compares.

 

The pain and anger are still in my heart and I don't believe they will ever leave.

 

Hate won the day that day, but my country showed it's marvelously wonderful true colors in the days following that attack. Flags, patriotism, and civility everywhere! -- in stark contrast to the scum who perpetrated these attacks.

 

For me, those days that followed are the time when I was most proud of my country for anything that happened in my lifetime. I saw for myself the true majesty of this place in the richness of character and kindness of the American people.

[bayoubengal]

I was moving into a new house and got a call from the pilot scheduler at my AF Reserve unit. "it's so good to hear your voice" said Andrea, a tall pretty leggy blonde AF Academy grad, and Northwest pilot. "Great to hear your voice too" I flirted back.". "Thank God you are OK"... She was calling all the airline pilots in the unit to check status.. Less than 90 days later we were all recalled to active duty and happy to be there...

[90%angel]

We were in Florida on vacation at DisneyWorld. We were going to the World Showcase that day, which didn't open until 11, so we had slept in late. I turned on the TV to get the weather report after my shower, and saw tower 1 on fire. At that point, the newscasters thought it was still an accident. I stared in disbelief as the second plane hit. I called to Russell in the shower that the planes had hit the WTC and it was NOT an accident. As he got out of the shower, they were getting word of the Pentagon hit. All we could say is "what the hell is going on here!??"

 

We sat glued to the news for the next two hours, not really knowing what to do. We decided to go on with the vacation, vowing to not let the terrorists win. I wanted to get out and talk to people about what was going on anyway. But alas, no one was talking. Everyone who had ventured out just sat like zombies with blank or sad looks on their faces not saying anything.

 

We got to Epcot, and it was still open at that time, so we proceeded inside. However, there was security standing at the entrance to each attraction. At around 11:15, they made the call to evacuate the parks and shut them down in the interest of safety; no one knew what the bastard terrorists were going to hit next. The evacuation was very orderly and calm, and they said our tickets would be good for another day (I still have mine though!). It's interesting to note that a lot of the people who look like tourists at a Disney park are really a part of the security team undercover. That little old couple on the park bench suddenly had ear pieces and walkie talkies!

 

They had just been about to start a parade when the evac order came, so they were whisking the castmembers back to safety. I'll never forget the site of all the Disney characters clinging on to a British style double decker red bus for dear life as it sped through the park, Goofy's ears flapping in the breeze. How can you laugh and cry at the same time!?

 

We went back to our room and watched the news the rest of the day and called family to check in.

 

The parks were open the rest of the week, so we tried to make the best of it. A lot of people were leaving; getting home however they could, and no one could get to the parks due to the planes being grounded. That, plus a hurricane off shore which was making it rainy kept the crowds at the parks VERY light. Eerily light, actually. Being the only two people on Space Mountain was kind of weird. Having employees stand at the front gate and cheer for any patrons willing to come was bizarre too. Having a moment of silence for the fallen (where they turn off all the park's music and ambient noise) was twighlight zone time.

 

We had to fly back on the day after they started flying again. I was nervous about it, but Russell figured it was probably the safest time since everyone was on heightened alert. Of course, as hard as you try not to be, you're suspicious of everyone on the plane. We had an uneventful flight back to Dallas (where we had built in an overnight layover to visit his family on the way home), and then had a few cancellations and delays the next day since they were trying to fly a lot of people back to where they needed to go after three days off. Made it home with no problems.

 

Truy a memorable vacation, but not in a good way, sadly.

[HighAngleHell]

I was attending a conference in San Diego. There were people from all over the country there. It was to run all that week. I was still on east coast time since my home at the time was in the Washington DC area. I got up and turned the news on in the hotel room to see that one plane had hit. I immediately thought of a story I had read when a B-25 had struck the Empire State building. When the second plane hit I was enraged. I thought to myself, when are we as a nation going to stop fooling around with these savages. The conference was soon derailed and all efforts were made to get people home. I ended up not getting back to DC for about 10 days. I had flown out of Reagan and had parked my truck there. If you recall the government closed that airport after the event. I flew into Dulles and took a cab to Reagan to get my truck. It was a ghost town. I went into the terminal and was stopped by a policeman wearing a helmet and carrying an M-16. I told him I wanted to get my truck. He said I had the distinction of having the last vehicle in the parking structure.. He said not to be upset but my truck had been opened and searched at least two times. As I drove hom to my house in Burke, I saw the scorched section of the pentagon. It made me nauseous. When I got back to work I was told I would be one of several people going over to a hotel in pentagon city to take claims from the next of kin of the deceased from the pentagon attack. I will never forget speaking to some of those people and the shock and disbelief on their faces. There was one single mother of two children that was killed. I remember having to work for days to find a relative. So sad. My mom and dad had preplanned a visit with me about a week after I returned from San Diego. I took them to the mall and to see all the sights. On the ride home I told them that at a specific point on the freeway you could look out the rear window and see the damage to the pentagon. My mom did and when I looked at her through the rear view mirror, I could see her crying. That will stick with me forever.

[Heck]

Well, before around 8:30am Pacific time, I was starting to celebrate my birthday. After that time, not so much. In fact since then, not so much.

The day has since become much more somber as the events of that day are remembered.