9/11/2001 - Where were you?

[TheGrayRider]

9/11/2001. 20 years ago tomorrow. Never forget. I knew two people who were killed at the Pentagon.

I was working in NW Indianapolis that day. The Twin Towers falling was the most dramatic and shocking part.

A special thanks to the first responders that day and to our military who defended our country in two wars thereafter. They are the true heroes. Where were you on 9/11/2001?

 

[Nick87]

High school freshman U.S. history class. Never forget that.

 

[SFC B]

I was in the field at Fort Lewis, WA we were woken up a touch early at 0530 by the news. The rest of the day was spent with the command trying to let anyone with people in NYC call them. No cells were allowed in the field. Then everything went even more to shit when the POS of a BDE Commander we had informed us (through the chain, of course NOT himself) that even though our exercise was over we would not be allowed to go back onto main post and our families for 2 more MFing days because of his "schedule". If we would have had actual ammo he would have been fragged. When I finally got home, found out my family had been locked on base. Then I watched the video......once. Never since, never again. It hurts my heart that even after THAT and 20 years of war, people still do the "it was only a few bad apples" crap. I pray to for all those lost to the plague of islamic extremism and am thankful for those who will stand against it.

 

[jeremys4]

Weird deal I was a freshman in high school my brother was a senior we slept in the living room that night for some reason. Our mother came in at 6:00 am and said a plane just hit the World Trade Center. We had no idea what that even was. Saw the second plane hit and watched both towers fall.

 

[madtom]

8th grade algebra.

 

[Bigjay73]

Crying on the couch

 

[Corn king 60]

I drove tractor- trailer (United parcel service) for 40 years.I’ll never forget it, I was standing at the dispatch window waiting on my paper work so I could leave. I agree seeing the planes hit those buildings is a image that will never be erased.and yes many thanks to the first responders I can’t imagine entering those buildings with a plane stuck in each of them. I live about 45 minutes from Shanksville pa and have been right after it happened and been back since they have it mostly finished and I found it to be a very sad experience to listen to phone calls made from the passengers on flight 93 to loved ones. Yeah something I’ll never forget. God bless the U.S.A

 

[dirtclod Az.]

0500 getting ready for work at a property mgmnt. co.
I turned on the t.v. and saw a plane hit a tower, I almost
changed the channel because I thought it was a movie.
Then another plane came in and I realized what I was witnessing!
Late for work watching the towers fall...

 

[Hunting Wife]

Senior year of college. Had just finished at the gym, walked in to my apartment, turned on the news to see if there was an update on Ed McCaffery’s broken leg from the Monday night game (I was in Colorado), and saw both towers already smoking. Watched them both fall shortly after.

Took a shower, then walked to class a little later. It was on all the TVs in the Student Center. There were big crowds watching, but it was totally silent. I remember the entire campus having an eerie, depressed feeling for quite a while after. A lot of confusion, helplessness, sadness.

 

[Addicting]

Installing a 24’ tall garage door over a trash compactor pit. Heard it on the radio. Didn’t know what to think, saw it on the news later that afternoon.

 

[Dsnow9]

Was getting ready for school, freshman year of highschool. Turned on the tv, wasn’t aloud to watch tv during the week and never watched tv in the morning. Within seconds the news came on about the first tower being hit. As I watched my grandmother called, also didn’t usually happen in the morning. Had her turn her tv on seconds before the second plane hit. The rest of the day was spent at school watching, praying, and spending time together as a student body.

 

[rwc101]

4th grade social studies where we watched the news each morning to introduce us to current events.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Physics class. Someone came in and whispered something to the instructor, and we turned on the news. We all thought it was a tiny little plane that crashed and we were cracking jokes - no idea people had died. Then we saw the second plane hit and we realized what was going on.

 

[MontanaElkHunter25]

I was in home with my mom watching the news when it came on I was only 5 at the time but I still remember my mom falling to the ground and my step dad had came home an hour after with my siblings.

 

[NM34R]

Stationed at Aviano AB, It. My mother was visiting so I was on leave and we were traveling from San Gimignano to Cinque Terre. When we arrived the Hotel staff told me how sorry they were for our loss and that I needed to call my base immediately. Once I got off the phone I went and found a tv to see for myself. At the time nothing was known at the base so I had to check in daily to get updates and see if I had to return to base.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

On a farm treating a cow for hypocalcemia. Farmer told me and I thought it was a small plane until I saw the news. So sad.

 

[mrcowboy]

Second year of Graduate school. Driving from University of Maryland to Rutgers University to get on boat to sample sediments on Hudson River. I'll never forget that day.

 

[Nameless Range]

I was a Junior in high school. Was watching the news at home in the morning after the first tower was hit. Got up from the couch to take a leak. Heard my little brother say, “Holy Shit!” The second tower had been hit.

I distinctly recall initial reports on the news that it was a missile, and that the death toll of the towers collapsing could be as high as 25,000. The confusion of chaos and fallibility of initial reports.

Our football coach, who later went on to a larger school and won numerous Montana state championships there, gave an incredible speech the following Friday night before a game. About the heroism of folks climbing stairs to their deaths, and others intentionally crashing a plane. 17 year old me had never been so moved. I’ll never forget it.

Strange time to be alive. Still is.

 

[LuketheDog]

Junior year of college, my mom called me and told me to turn on the TV, I didn't have one in my room and walked down to the dorm lounge where there were 20 or so others already watching...very sad day, I'll never forget it

 

[pre6422hornet]

I was 27. 3 months into a new job as a factory rep for Volvo Cars. Driving a S80 Executive from Toledo Oh to Ann Arbor Michigan to visit Sesi Volvo. Rolling Stoves CD in the CD player and when I passed Detroit International Airport it seemed weird that there were no planes in the sky. Kept driving and listening to Mick and the Stones. Arrived in Ann Arbor and walked into the dealer...no one was there. Chuck ( sales manager) pokes his head out from around a corner. " Pat get in here". I walk into the lunch room and we ( the entire dealership staff plus Mr. Sesi) are huddled around a 12" black and white TV. Joe didn't believe in having TV's at the dealership.

I watched it live in black and white as the second tower was hit. No one talked for a good five minutes. Joe looks up and says " everyone go home we're closed".....

I drove back home and didn't leave for a few weeks. Had two colleagues who missed there flight on Sept 10th to LA from Newark and had a decision to make. Take the redeye and arrive at 4am LA time or wait and take United 93 in the AM. They called their wives... One wife says " come home and sleep in your own bed". The other wife says " just sleep on the plane". They decided to take the redeye.

To this day besides seeing the Space Shuttle disaster in 6th Grade, I will never forget those details from Sept 11th.

I flew out of Detroit 6 weeks later and it was the eeriest feeling. Only 4 or 5 of us on the flight, airport a ghost town.

Our 6 year old daughter in first grade came home today and talked about the planes that crashed in the buildings as they watched the videos today in school. Amazes me how it can be 20 years and I can close my eyes and be right back in Sesi Volvo watching it happen.