September 11th, 2001 – where were you?

tinak33

I was 21, in college, in class, when my teacher ran out of the room. Then she ran back in, said "a plane crashed into the WTC!" and ran back out again. We were all sitting in there like, what just happened? What did she say? What's going on?
Then she came back in and said "Another one hit the WTC!"
Class was dismissed, I went down to another building where there was a TV, and everyone was crowded around it seeing footage of the 2 planes hitting the WTC. They closed the college, and dismissed everyone. About half the students left and traffic was crazy. The other half of us sat in our cars listening to the radio and crying. People speculating about who was next, others trying to contact family members.... I had no cell phone at the time, so I didn't try to call anyone.
I just sat in my car and cried.

klkarlen

I was at work in a tall office building in Hartford, CT, my husband who worked from home called to tell me that a plane had hit the first tower. We all thought perhaps a small plane, and we all started trying to get to the news on the internet and it was not happening. So I stayed on the phone with my husband and shared the news with my team, and as the news got more ominous and the first town fell, I decided to go home for the day. When my husband asked why I told him that I would rather be home than a sitting target in a high rise office building.

We sat at home numbly watching the TV, waiting for our 6 year old daughter to come home, and try to explain it to her. They didn't sent the kids home early that day, so I don't know what their experience was like in the schools.

Some time later my dad told me that his former office in the Pentagon was 5 doors away from the section that was hit. He had retired two years earlier.

JDMac82

17 years ago today...

I woke up after a long weekend doing an operational readiness exercise. I got ready for class, flipped the TV on to see the first plane had hit WTC. Watched wondering WTF happened??? Then boom second plane hit. I knew something was off. Called my unit, got the info needed. Walked to class, called my mom, she works at a Govt Bldg, she was being sent home, bldg was locked down, security actually had weapons on them she said. Went to class, sat thru and don't remember any of it. Second class, walked in Prof said class was cancelled due to the events on the East Coast. Went to the union, saw some other Mil friends, we discussed it and then two of them said they had to report. Haven't seen them since, but they are still around. Went to practice, and tried not to keep looking at my phone, wondering wjen the call would come.

Fast forward 5 years, Iraq deployment 1. Have been fortunate to be home the rest of them. But my nephews, nieces and son have all grown up safe and free. Not because of my service but due to our grandparents and parents.

In my opinion 9-11-01 was the United States 21st Century Pearl Harbor, if you will.

Before so many had never known what a punch to the face and gut felt like.

But today 17 years later, I will NEVER FORGET the feeling of watching Terror knock at our door step.

Sep 11, 2001 is not the only reason why I wear the uniform. But it's surely one of a few defining moments that keep me servicing!

renovagirl

@JDMac82 - it might be cliche but - thank you for your service and sacrifice.

JDMac82

@renovagirl thank you for your support

KosmosKitten

Sophomore in high school. Chemistry class. A teacher ran into our room and practically screamed at our teacher to turn on the television. We spent the better half of the morning watching everything slowly fall apart as events unfolded, all work forgotten for the day.

Classes did not really commence for the rest of that day. None of the teachers had the heart to do much of anything, but we were all required to be there all the same.

elsie6hickman

I was working in Washington for the DoD. I had a couple of people in my office and someone stuck their head in and said a plane just hit the World Trade Center. We all thought it was just an accident. A few moments later, same guy said "the other tower was hit". Rumors were flying everywhere - that the Pentagon was hit (it was) and the State Department was hit (it wasn't) and that planes were headed to the Capitol and the WH. I was supposed to have a meeting with some contractors, but when they came in, we just sat around the conference room in shock. Out the window, we could see smoke and we knew it was the Pentagon. One of my colleague's brother was killed in the attack on the Pentagon. He worked for the Army budget office and was an office on the E (outer most ring) where the plane crashed in. They released all of the government employees to go home all at once. It took me 3 hours to get home. I will never forget seeing the sign "Defcon D" (meaning under attack). That night, everyone who ever knew me and knew I had worked in the Pentagon called me to see if I was okay. I was worried about a number of friends - they were on the other side of the building and they said they just felt it shutter.
For months after, every time I went to the Pentagon, all I could smell was jet fuel. People talked about seeing dead bodies in body bags out in Ground Zero (the middle of the building). One of my colleagues was at the bus stop right outside where the plane struck. He said he didn't hear it, but felt the concussion. He didn't get back the building for hours and we didn't know if he was hurt or not. For days afterward, friends that worked in Crystal City said there were papers blowing around the street - a grim reminder. No one wanted to go to any of the shopping malls around the Pentagon, because no one knew if it was a singular attack or if there was more to come.


A week after the attack, we were told to tell our employees to have their prescriptions, and a blanket stowed in the office, because we were a soft target and if there was another attack, they would be required to shelter in place. For weeks, the Washington Post wrote articles about the people that were killed, articles about people that were severely burned and were saved by someone or helped save others.


I will say this: we had a pretty tight knit office before that, but after that it was even closer. A few people I knew had to take disability retirement - some who had seen the plane crash into the Pentagon and one woman in my office whose mother lived a couple of blocks from thee WTC. She became extremely depressed and fearful and could no longer stand to come to work.

leex2782

I was at a job interview at a Disney warehouse when it happened

SoleTrainer60

I was in a Sears store. They had televisions on display. The special news bulletin came up suddenly on the screens. It stopped me in my tracks. I started praying for our country and was praying for my family.

dmcnur

I live in Australia and work as I registered nurse. I woke up to get ready for a morning shift and could not believe what I was seeing and hearing on the news.

maureenkhilde

I had just arrived for work, when one of my employees stopped me and said a really odd report on the radio. A plane had hit one of the WTC buildings and we were like what, how? Then less than 20 minutes later the next one hits. And we realize this is no accident. Then I am on the phone trying to reach employees who were there for a big meeting, that was held in home office, instead of NJ where we normally held meetings. Then one of my supervisors is in tears and needing to go home as her dad works in the WTC. Luck was on his side that day. He spilled coffee on his uniform, and went home to change, missed his subway train so went in later. And therefore was not in the WTC when the plane hit. Meanwhile we were getting updates all morning, and TV's in conference rooms and Cafeteria were all running about that day. Every year this is such a sad day.

zcb94

I was around 7 at the time and had done a round of schoolwork and scooted over to be with my family, play and watch some TV. As usual, we had it tuned in to the news and I saw what appeared to be two skyscrapers, equal in dignity. Out of the cloudless blue sky came a plane and a bunch of smoke/fire resulting from collision with the first tower. Before I could wrap my young brain around that, in came a similar plane from the opposite direction, which created yet more smoke and fire. Before I could blink, the towers' remains lay in a pile of rubble and plumes of smoke while news of the many injuries/casualties began pouring in. It was a sad day but that memory leaves me feeling eternally grateful for the love of (our choices of Higher Power) and the service of our first responders, paramedics, firefighters, soldiers and police officers that put their lives on the line for ours.

81Katz

Driving to work. Heard it on the radio. They thought it was an accident at first.

Vikka_V

I was in school.

Was at a really bad point in life and 'out if it', I didn't realize what had happened.

I remember walking into a common area and everyone fixed on the TV.

I just went about my day, I was in my own world trying to get by, kinda oblivious.