9/11/01 Where were you?

anemoneprose

This question is asked once a year, evey year.

It is...and while I answered, I still find it annoying that people do this...every year. And the whole thing is played on TV...every year. I remember being at work on 9/11/02 and they played everything on the radio. It was awful.

I don't find it annoying (which is why I read the threads. Of course, you can choose not to). I read these threads because each year I see 9/11 through someone else's eyes.

I think it IS important. I teach young adults, and see that already it's lost its significance for some of them. A post 9/11 world is all they've really known...I try to explain to them that myself and many others lost a bit of ourselves, a bit of our innocence that day.

I don't think young people can understand the feeling of relative security western Gen X + people were lucky enough to experience for such a long time, or how mind-blowing, paradigm-moving an event it was.

I don't sentimentalize it at all, it was just such a pivotal event we all took part in even as witnesses.

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ginakiki

I was in college and saw it on TV. The school was told to go home. I live in NY so I was waiting to hear from my step father he was in the city. Also my 3 cousins and my uncle were there. My step-dad walked over the bridge to Brooklyn to my uncles where my 3 cousins met up. My step-dad was covered in dirt and ashes. Also my stepmother worked in the World Trade Center but was recently let go before 911, she was upset and loved her job. Everyone on her floor died. I told her it was a blessing she wasn't there. Still very sad....God bless everyone who died that day your in our prayers xoxo

coolraul07

I was driving into work when the first plane hit. I turned on the same morning show I always listen to on the commute expect to hear the usual music and shenanigans. Apparently it just happened a couple minutes prior because they described it rather plainly. They didn't provide any detail descriptions or anything, just that a plane ran into one of the tower. I was thinking that it was a small prop plane because I heard that that had happened to the Empire State Building decades ago. I had NO idea that it was a jet, let alone a large commercial one! So I kinda-sorta listened to the story and drive into the office as per usual. At my then place of employment, it was a very closed-in environment with entrances on every parking decks level directly to long hallways and 90% of the people had their own office. As such, it was normal for me to park and get right to my office without seeing anybody. I knew something was wrong because I saw people in the hall clustered in small groups. Curiousity got the better of me and I went around the corner to the co-worker who was responsible for hiring me. He told me that it was a large plane and what gossip he had heard thus far. That's when another person popped by and said a 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower so it was obviously a deliberate act. There weren't any TVs nearby and radio reception was horrible in that building, so we tried to get web updates but of course Internet was bogged down. No work was getting done as we were all in the hallways comparing notes.
After a while I heard my phone ring so I ran back around the corner to my office. It was my Mom and she said that the Pentagon was hit. One of my sisters was retired AF and worked in the Pentagon and Mom couldn't reach her office or cell! I ran all the way down the hall to my manager's office! I barely told him what's what and he told me to leave before I could even ask! I ran to my car and zipped to my Mom's house, only about a 5-10min drive from work. She was hysterical watching the news and flipping between all local and national news channels. We used her landline and both of our cell phones to keep trying to reach my sister at every known number we had for her. I had finally calmed Mom down explaining that circuits were tied up and she'll call us and soon as she can because we could get the word out to everyone else (e.g. her sons, etc.) As we finally took a break from calling, the first tower fell and Mom went hysterical all over again! The rest of the morning and afternoon was a blur of horrific videos, information, rumors, etc. Mom is the matriarch of the family so everybody calls her. I fielded dozens of calls from friends and family trying to find out what we knew. Finally late that afternoon, we finally received a call from my sister! Between power outages and busy circuits, she pretty much had to walk 5 miles before she finally found a phone to successfully dial out... a landline at a restaurant. She told us that she was OK and we assured her that we would spread the word since there was a long line of people needing to use the phone she was at. The next hour or two found my Mom and I calling everybody and letting them know she was OK and that she'd talk more later. Once things settled down, I found out that she was indeed in the Pentagon AND on the side that was hit, BUT she was one ring further inside from where the damage extended! She heard it, felt it, and saw the fireball and smoke, but she was completely unharmed and evacuated as per normal procedure. A few months later, she happily transferred to a different department that worked off-site from the Pentagon!
I personally don't know anybody else that was in the Pentagon or Twin Towers, but to use LinkedIn's lingo, I have many 2nd and 3rd degree contacts that were but they all survived. Several months later when we were doing our remote DR testing in Philadelphia, there were several companies that were in the WTC that used the same place as their backup datacenter (DC). So much so that some of our testing for the next couple of years was degraded because of scarce resources because so many companies were running 24/7 in a backup DC that was designed for sporadic outages not dozens and dozens of companies losing their DCs at the same time. Needless to say, the normal frustration and high-stress of our DR testing was completely set aside because we were in the same space with people for whom it was very real and not a test.

CantStopWontStop92

I lived in Detroit at that time. When the news broke, it felt like the whole city was evacuated. Being a fairly large city, we were so scared that we were a target as well. At Purdue this is a tradition we have at every home football game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdLpYYW4njk Important words to remember:)

Maidofmer

on my way to the 7th grade

ehorn625

At work. Live in Jersey, have a brother who worked on the NY Stock Exchange who witnessed unimaginable things up close and in person. Also, lost a family friend. A day I will never forget. It is our generations' Pearl Harbor.

80sFanatic88

I was at school. They didn't allow us to go out for recess that day.

DonM46

At work.
A co-worker stopped at my office door and told me about it.
As word got around, people started crowding into the conference room to watch it on the big TV.
When it was announced that it seemed to be an act of Middle East terrorists, an ordinarily prim & proper secretary yelled, "Eff'n sheet-heads!"

michael1976_ca

i was at home
i was shocked that it happened and i stayed glued to the tv that day
the states is my neighbous and i don't like seeing any one get hurt

MeanderingMammal

So MFP what are your stories?

I was in the Operations Room at a military establishment that I worked at, providing direct operational support worldwide. At the time was had live operations on the go in a number of locations. I was working with a USAF Major who made a few observations around the likely reaction.

One of the operations we were supporting at the time was called Saif Sarrea, a very large exercise in Oman where we'd deployed several Brigades as well as Royal Navy and Royal Air Force assets. That Operation very quickly morphed into what we knew as Oracle.

Wasn't my first experience of terrorism, I've lost a few colleagues in Northern Ireland and about a year before I'd been in West Africa, dealing with what was essentially terrorism. Hasn't been the last either.

bestjuneever

I was in fourth grade in computer class. All I can remember is three teachers staning and staring up at the TV talking about something. I had no idea what was going on. Then I finally went home and turned on the TV and sat on the couch by myself. No one was home and I was worried for my parents even though we were in NJ. I just didn't know what was happening so I was scared.

My feelings about 9/11 though, came much later. I am older now and I can understand it now. I have no family tied to it but I still get very sad on 9/11 or even when I think about it. The worst is even listening to recordings from that day. I feel horribly sorry that people had to lose their loved ones in such a way, filled with hate. It's terrible.

Luvmesumkenny

I was in bed 8.5 months preggo with my first child. After watching the second plane hit the second tower I went into Pre labor. Luckily the contractions stopped.

tinavflynn

I was in 8th grade. I live in Indiana and during that time we were taking ISTEP testing (state testing and what not). I didn't find out until after lunch!! They made us do our testing, like nothing had happened. After lunch, I was in my English class and the teacher says, "Our country was attacked this morning. And we are in a state of emergency." She turned on the TV and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "This can't be real!" Then I felt angry that they didn't tell us sooner and just let us believe everything was fine!!

Ed98043

I was asleep (West coast) and my mom called to tell me to turn on the television because someone flew a plane into the WTC. At that point everyone thought it was a horrible accident but then second plane hit and the sick realization came. I had to go to work so the rest of the day I was on the computer - it was hard trying to find a news website that wasn't crashed from too many users...I finally found the Sydney Morning Herald and continually refreshed it all day. Later at home I just sat in front of the television in disbelief.

PlanetVelma

I was in bed 8.5 months preggo with my first child. After watching the second plane hit the second tower I went into Pre labor. Luckily the contractions stopped.

I was preggo @ the time too! Altho, not quite that far along (I was 6.5 months along). I was @ work - i worked @ a mercantile, which is a fancy word for a store that carries lumber, appliances, shoes, clothes, etc.... We had an employee meeting that morning.

Aferwards, I was helping the Radio Shack guy set up some displays and turn on the TV's, etc....that's when we saw the 2nd plane hit.

After that we sold more ammo/shotguns/than ever before. I watched minimal news coverage after the first day because I would start having contractions and some other awful sensations. So for several weeks my son and I watched every Disney movie known to man....I think we watched the Emperor's New Groove like 100,000 times before my daughter was born.

earvizu92

8 months pregnant............uncertained about what kinda world I would be bringing my child into.....

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cwolfman13

I was just getting up to head to class for my first calculus exam of the semester. I thought surely it would be canceled and kept phoning the University, but they were still on schedule. I reluctantly left the t.v. behind and headed for class. When we got there the professor pretty much said this was B.S. and said we could take the exam a different day. She released us from class and I headed home...when I received word that finally, the University has closed up shop for the remainder of the day.

AngelicxAnnihilation

I was in grade 1 and had no idea what was going on I just remember hearing my mom talk to my friends mom about a plane crashing into a building in America.

brandynot

Reading through this thread was hard. Its like it brought back all of the emotions from that day. I am actually fighting back tears from my eyes.

I was no where near NYC on that day, but it gets me so emotional to remember it all. I saw the damage from the first plane on a tiny TV in the autoshop while my car was getting worked on. I dropped it off and walked into the waiting area and the gentleman at the desk asked me if I had seen what happened. For some reason it didnt register until I saw the image of the second plane...I realized it wasnt a movie...it wasnt a TV show...it was live TV and actually happening. Still remember that feeling...it gives me the chills even now.

It is a day I will never forget...every moment...every emotion.

redladywitch

I am in tears as I type Tony.

I remember my husband asking me to turn on the TV. We were in shock watching the TV. We were both crying and asking why.

The kids were still in bed. I home-schooled both of them. My morning hugs lasted a bit that day.

We live in a Navy town and a part of the base houses nuclear subs. Things were chaotic and yet quite organized in our town. There was a lot of tears, hugs and support during that time. There always has been.

My husband and my father were in the Navy. I have brothers that were in the Air Force and the Army.

I'm crying again.... Our youngest will be 19 in a few months. He will be joining the Marines. It's bittersweet ya know. We're proud of our boy, really....I'm just a little scared.

RenCara

I was teaching my first grade class in upstate NY. It was a surreal moment... heart-wrenching and painful!

keef1972

Working. Thought it was some kind of joke when I heard a mother and son talking about it.

ThinkThinMommy_2010

I was sitting in my classroom(fifth grade) our teacher turned on the television and had us watch the news and then told us if we didnt understand we could ask our parent when we got home. Of course being 11 we pretty much understood and it was heart wrenching.

misterwah

I had just woken up here on the west coast of Canada for another day of "the early shift." Any other week I would have seen it in the news later. But I heard something on the radio as I was drifting out of my dream state about a plane hitting the WTC. What the?! I wasn't sure if I was consciously hearing this but I figured if something like that were happening, CNN would be covering it.

I flipped on the tube about 30 seconds before the 2nd plane hit. I was completely stunned. I watched the towers fall. I was very, very, late to work. But I didn't care. And apparently nobody else did either. We don't live or work in any related industry such as EMS, finance, army, etc., but the human connection kind of jumped back to where it should ALWAYS be, for a day or two. I really don't think it affected any of my friends as much as it did me. But my now-wife is from Wisconsin and, well, it wasn't an easy day for her so maybe that's why. I dunno.

In any case it sucked. And it sucked even more that Dubya went to war and killed hundreds of times more civilians unapologetically. And it's still going on every single day. It's so sad that this one infamous day has ended up changing our world in so many negative ways. Mostly by the choices of a small few. That's not the way to honour the dead. So, so, sad.

I watch the memorials as I can. My heart is always tugged and my thoughts always go out to everyone that was directly affected by the events of that day 11 years ago.

Sarahs2576

Sitting in a 911 center on the west coast...anxious about what might be coming to my area, trying to prepare myself if there is such a thing in anticipation of the unknown....my heart in my throat for those 911 Dispatchers taking all the un-imaginable calls that they were. Praying for a miracle as I watched the towers fall knowing many lives of Civilians, Police, Firefighters, EMS were undoubtedly were going to be lost. Regardless of the varying opinions of the events in the months and years to come after the attacks....this moment....this specific day....should always be honored and remembered.

acm123acm

I was actually in a sporting goods store, buying arrows for deer hunting. I started watching the tv there about 30 seconds before the first tower fell.

I wound up buying quite a bit of rifle ammo as well :-}