Where Were You On 9/11/01?

[Anthony W.]

I've always wondered what other people were doing on 9/11/01? How did you react? What was your first thought? How did you hear about it?

I was in 1st grade. School had just started at 8:45 - 3 minutes after the 1st plane hit. The TV was on and reports were already coming in. My teacher was white as sheet - I asked her what was going on. She told me that a plane had just flown into a building in New York and that her son lived in a building close by so she was waiting to hear if he was alright. Everyone was watching the TV when she gasped as we watched another plane fly into the other tower. The reporters were saying something about an attack. I was shocked - and was in shock as the towers were hit again, and then we all got news of the one that crashed, and the one that hit the Pentagon.

We didn't do much of anything in school that day. All the teachers were worrying about family and friends of theirs in New York.

The next day was the first day that ever went by without me hearing a plane fly overhead on the approach to Indianapolis International.

[TLAM Strike]

I was in class (senior year HS), when someone on the PA said a plane had hit the WTC. I couldn't understand what they were saying because we had a bad speaker in the room, you had to be right next to it to hear what someone was saying, but the teacher said just as much. My buddies and I sort of assume it was some tango (I can't use the term we really used on this forum) with a Cessna packed with C4 or some such, it wasn't until lunch we learned it was a passenger jet and that they hit the Pentagon. We spent most of the day in the school's conference room watching the TV.

Sort of worried all my buddies since almost half had decided to enlist at this point, and we knew there was going to be a war over this.

BTW: One of my buddies went Nat Guard and did a tour in A'stan and the other went Navy and did a patrol in the southern gulf, his brother went army but got a medical discharge for a bad back (he later died in a car crash a few years ago) and his other brothers were in the Marines and USCG at the time, the Marine did a tour in Iraq and is now back state side last I heard.

[Falkirion]

I was on a school trip to Indonesia, 4 days into it in fact. Have to say being in a majority muslim country at the time didn't worry me in the slightest. They were all as outraged and upset as we were. Called home that night and broke down into tears. After that I got a little bit sick due to the local cuisine, but once we made it back to Bali and I got some western styled food into my belly I was fine. Home in Australia about 10 days later. Devoured the info in the papers I'd asked my parents to save for me and came to the conclusion that a big military response would be mounted by the US. Wasn't wrong either.

[Rockstar]

I was at work. We had heard a plane slammed into the WTC so we turned on the news. Though truly shocked, some of us remembered something similar happening to the Empire State Building a longtime ago. We were all speculating, chattering on what it was this time. Pilot error, weather, ATC, flight controls, engines, etc etc. All of a sudden the camera caught another plane come crashing in and it got real quiet in the office. Nobody moved we sat there and stared at the screen for hours listening to and watching events unfold.

[AJ94CAP]

I was in school. We went on lockdown and then after all aircraft were down around the area we went home. I was too young to really know what was happening at all, but I remember watching the news in our classroom when the second plane hit. I didn't know who did it, I didn't know why, but I did know it was a horrible event. And now almost a decade later, I still shiver when I think about that day. My father works across the river from the Pentagon and he says he saw the smoke from the Pentagon.

He said that when everyone expected chaos and rioting, he had never saw such kindness from everyone that day. Everyone bid each other good luck and put aside grievances and all came together. Such a tragic day.

[FIREWALL]

I was home getting my first cup of coffee and went back to the bedroom and my wife was in tears and pointed at TV. She couldn't talk she was crying so hard I couldn't under stand her.

Later when she calmed down she, told me of the close friends of hers that I'd met with once with her a couple of years ago and had hit it off right from first handshake, I remembered in an instant they both worked in the WTC Tower 1 When I got over the shock I, just laid there in bed hugging my wife for the rest of the morning.

[August]

I was in North Kingston Rhode Island just finishing up on some phone work at a out patient clinic when news of the first plane hitting the WTC came over the receptionists radio.

[razark]

My (now ex-) wife woke me up that morning with the news that a plane had hit a building in New York. My first thought was of the B-25 the hit the Empire State Building in WWII, and thought no more of it as I got ready for class. Later, I turned on the TV, and found out about the second tower, and then they reported about the Pentagon. I completely forgot about going to class that day. Spent most of the day watching the TV.

[Castout]

Though I'm not American I still remember that day. I was in Singapore doing my tertiary education. Saw it on TV in the student dorm and was wtf. I knew that would bring some retaliation actions/ consequences. Action times ahead.

What I didn't know that that retaliation would still going on by 2011(Afghanistan and Iraq deployment, both are still quite unfinished business, both are a mess with corrupt officials in both countries you can even say repressive for Iraq)

[Stealhead]

I was in My AGE shop doing a PM on a power unit at Ramstein AB Germany it was actually in the afternoon due to time zones for me but it was really strange because the shop was sort of empty that day and just before the afternoon 15 minute break another airman and I heard a report on AFN radio but the news they had at this moment was about it having been a small private plane crashing so it did not sound so serious in fact we both commented on how bad the pilot or confused the pilot must have been.

We both walk into the break room and TSgt Campbell is standing there looking really serious which was odd for him.He had the ThreatCon DELTA placards in his hand and they where the real world ones not the training ones when you see those come out you know right away something has happened.He told everyone around about what was known at the time this was before the second plane hit so it was not 100% confirmed yet but the base commander went to DELTA anyway.

We saw the second one hit live on AFN (it was NBC news). Basically that was a moment I wont forget because I knew right then that something serious was happening.Then a few minutes later after the Pentagon got hit they gathered up some of us to go to the armory to get M-16s because it was unknown then what else might happen.I guess it felt like Pearl Harbor and myself at least I thought if they come at this base on foot to attack us I am unloading.

People say that it was a really nice clear day in most of the US and it was also a very nice day in Germany(or at least in my region) that day.One very strange thing happened early that day though while several of us where outside a duck just dropped form the sky dead right over top of us.Maybe it was an omen.

Germans started putting tons of flowers around both main gates and one guys wife was German and she made us must have been 1000 different cookies she said she did that to help the younger people who where not married and away from their parents and homes to feel less home sick.

[jumpy]

Sinking a pint or two in the pub.
Back when I had the money for that sort of thing :x

[Reece]

I was home, and it was near midnight here when the towers collapsed, the reporter was clearly stressed, this was probably the most horrific scene I have seen unfold "as it happened", I don't mind saying I broke down, never do I want to witness anything like it again, my heart went out to all the loved ones!:wah:
Something I will never forget, damned Muslim extremists!!:nope:

[BossMark]

On my way home from work, couldn't believe what was going on :nope:

[Anthony W.]

My mother said my father was pulling.out of the driveway when he just stopped the car where it was, walked to the door, and said, "Turn on the news."

[Anthony W.]

Sinking a pint or two in the pub.
Back when I had the money for that sort of thing :x

Is that a joke?

[magic452]

I had just woke up and turned on the news about 5 minutes after the first plane hit and just sat there all day watching everything.

I sometimes use to say " I think I'll watch the morning news to see if the world ended and nobody told me" I said that that day and for many in NY the world did indeed end. I haven't said that since.

Magic

[Flaxpants]

Sitting in a restaurant in Koh Samui eating lunch. My neighbour at the time was an american, when I got back home I told him what had happened, at first he thought I must have been joking....till he turned on his TV.

[jumpy]

Is that a joke?

Why do you ask?

[Betonov]

Preparing my books in my room while watching a movie. It was a start of my first year at a high school. A friend of mine called me that the US was under attack. My first thought was a millitary invasion (World in Conflict anyone?) but then proceded to tell me that airplanes have struck the WTC. Turned on the TV and there it was.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

I was in 7th grade and I had habit of checking what have happened around the world right after coming home. I opened TV and there it was. At the time North Tower was in fire and few minutes later United 175 hit South Tower. I was quite shocked and angry. I knew that someone will pay heavy price for this but Afganistan War came as surprise to me.

[Hottentot]

No idea. I heard about the whole thing only next day in school. Nutjobs were already fantasizing if it was the Russians who did it.

[Rhodes]

Doing my driving exam! And listening in the radio, of course the examiner and my instructor were allways talking about what was happening. The attack, not my driving.

[AVGWarhawk]

I was at work. My trucks were loading for the days deliveries. A few were already on the streets starting their routes. One driver came to my office stating a plane hit a one trade center tower. I did not think much about it. He came back later and stated a second plane hit the second tower. At that point I knew something was not right at all. The day progressed as we know it. I pulled my trucks out of DC for safety reasons. That night I hugged my kids knowing their childhood would be very different than mine. The world would never be the same. I was in utter disbelief.

[Anthony W.]

Why do you ask?

Because this event was our second Pearl Harbor.

16 year old German's account from a magazine I was reading at the doctor's office, "in a nation where waving its own flag was too great a show of nationalism, here we were, all dressed in red white and blue, waving flags and singing anthems"

And you said it like it was nothing

[Hottentot]

*Gets popcorn*

[AVGWarhawk]

Jumpys response was honest. Drinking some beers at the time. When he could afford it. Simple enough.

[TarJak]

I was in bed sound asleep. When I got up I watched the wall to wall coverage on tV for a while before going to work. It was a very strange day at the office as one of our major competitors at the time folded that day as well.

[Bilge_Rat]

I was home sick from work that day, had a massive migraine the night before, something which almost never happens to me.

When I woke up and turned on the TV, the first plane had already hit and the tv commentators were still trying to figure out what had happened. I was watching when the 2nd plane hit, stayed glued to the TV the rest of the day.

[Takeda Shingen]

I don't remember.

[jumpy]

Because this event was our second Pearl Harbor.

16 year old German's account from a magazine I was reading at the doctor's office, "in a nation where waving its own flag was too great a show of nationalism, here we were, all dressed in red white and blue, waving flags and singing anthems"

And you said it like it was nothing

As you're only a young lad, I'll offer some free advice: don't allow your preconceptions to run away with you, it usually makes your indignation look foolish.

But I'll not hold it against you for all that.

[Dowly]

Think I was at mate's place when another mate txt'd me saying the WWIII is
about to kick up. :hmmm:

[Osmium Steele]

Packed all 3 kids into my truck to drop the oldest of at school. Listening to the local jocks talk about the first plane.

2nd plane hit just as we got to the school. I thought, "That's it. We're at war."

Drove to Wal-Mart to do some shopping with the 2 toddlers. Watched the first tower collapse on a TV there. I just got angry.

Watched the 2nd tower collapse at home.

Remember it clear as a bell. Like watching the Challenger blow up while on lunch break in Sub School in Groton, CT.

[Anthony W.]

As you're only a young lad, I'll offer some free advice: don't allow your preconceptions to run away with you, it usually makes your indignation look foolish.

But I'll not hold it against you for all that.

So true. I am very sorry for my percieved such contempt.

[Marcantilan]

I was in Court.

A Court clerk I knew put me aside and told me that a plane had hit one tower. I remembered then the 40´crash of a medium bomber in the Empire State Building and we both tought the plane was a little Cessna with a lost pilot.

Ten minutes later, I was checking a file in another Court and other clerck informed me that the second tower was hit and the news are saying that 80.000 people are missing.

I ran to the firm and I saw the short videos of the planes in nearly collapsed internet. I think no one worked that day, all people were really shocked.

[AVGWarhawk]

I don't remember.


I bet you were in Allentown PA. :hmmm:

[Herr-Berbunch]

I was playing PS in 6 Supply Regt. RadOps portakabin on Salalah Docks (Oman) during Ex. Saif Sareea II when someone burst in and told us to put the news on NOW. Being Comms guys we were the only place bar the mess hall that had a TV feed. Looking at the aftermath of the first flight we thought it was an accident, the second flight appearing we all said, 'it's that bloke bin Laden from the Int Briefs!' And sadly it was true.

A couple of days later I nipped up to see the rest of my guys at Thumrait which was by then heaving with USAF guys and many B-1Bs.

[mako88sb]

My wife and I got married Sept 10/2001. Kind of a strange day for a wedding as it was a Tuesday I believe. She wanted to get married on our 2nd anniversary date that we met . The next morning we where relaxing in the hot tub looking forward to the future. I got out to check the weather forecast. The first plane had hit and 5 mins later, the second. It was just unbelievable. We where glued to the TV for most of the day.

We live in Calgary and soon heard about all the diverted flights that where landing here. The airport viewing parking lot is only 10 mins away and I spend some time there every week plane spotting. Should of been a great opportunity but from Sept 11 until a couple months later, I never went. Even the thought of it turned my stomach. Just curious if any other plane spotting fans had the same reaction?

[Stealhead]

Sept.11th 2001 was a Tuesday so you got married on a Monday.That is a bit unusual I suppose though I never got into the Monday is the worst day Wednesday is "hump day"(middle of the week) to me each day is a day and what you make of it.Of course Sept.11th was not a normal day by any means.

[mako88sb]

Sept.11th 2001 was a Tuesday so you got married on a Monday.That is a bit unusual I suppose though I never got into the Monday is the worst day Wednesday is "hump day"(middle of the week) to me each day is a day and what you make of it.Of course Sept.11th was not a normal day by any means.


Your right of course. Just checked by clicking back on the Win7 calender. Should of done it in the first place.

[Jimbuna]

I was at home watching the news in sheer disbelief!!

[August]

As you're only a young lad, I'll offer some free advice: don't allow your preconceptions to run away with you, it usually makes your indignation look foolish.

But I'll not hold it against you for all that.

What were you doing in a bar on a workday afternoon? :hmmm:

[Jimbuna]

I'm sure jumpy will respond for himself but he could have been day off, night worker, holiday, sick leave, unemployed, weekend worker.

[jumpy]

aah!

:oops: :DL

Taking an extended lunch break... I was engaged in some building work at the time and we had run out of materials; with nothing further to do for the day, we bunked off to the pub.
I remember it well because it's one of the few times that has ever happened when I've been working, and for the surreal scene unfolding on the 6 foot sports bar tv projector screen. One of the few times it was not showing endless second division football matches to shouts of "gerrinthere!" by the various clientèle.
It would come as no surprise to know there was utter silence, too.

[August]

aah!

:oops: :DL

Taking an extended lunch break... I was engaged in some building work at the time and we had run out of materials; with nothing further to do for the day, we bunked off to the pub.
I remember it well because it's one of the few times that has ever happened when I've been working, and for the surreal scene unfolding on the 6 foot sports bar tv projector screen. One of the few times it was not showing endless second division football matches to shouts of "gerrinthere!" by the various clientèle.
It would come as no surprise to know there was utter silence, too.


Just teasin ya brother! :salute:

[Oberon]

I was at school. At first I thought it was a small Cessna which caused minimal damage to the tower. I was not a particularly big fan of Mr Bush at the time and I figured that it was most likely someone protesting against his presidency. Then, as I was heading home on the bus, myself and Nagy listened to the radio on my walkman and we heard the first mention of jetliners and it was about then that I finally realised the depth of the situation. I got home and told my Mum to turn on the telly as 'something big is going on!' We spent the rest of the day watching it, as the Towers came down, I think we were all aware that this was the day that the world changed forever.

[August]

I was not a particularly big fan of Mr Bush at the time and I figured that it was most likely someone protesting against his presidency.

Just curious Oberon about what you didn't like about Bush given that he really hadn't been in office long enough by that time to have made much of an impression one way or the other.

[FIREWALL]

As I think this threads posts might get a bit emotional. so, we should be a bit more sensitive to those here that lost friends and\or God forbib family members.

I don't think Jumpy meant anything uncareing. He just posted where he was at and his situation.

As I said this topic Emotions are kinda Raw. :yep:

[Oberon]

Just curious Oberon about what you didn't like about Bush given that he really hadn't been in office long enough by that time to have made much of an impression one way or the other.

One has to remember I was younger then, and more under the sway of the fuss that the left kicked up around the time. I was also more left-wing back then than I am now so I was inclined to believe what people around me said about Bush (or Dubya as we all called him back then) and the trouble that he was going to cause for the world and (more importantly for me) to the environment in terms of wild animal protection.
Of course, two thirds of what was predicted about Bush never happened and the rest was spin, and looking back on it now I realise just how much hyperbole there is about US presidents both left and right. Up until the 2000 era though, I had no internet and thus the emotion behind US presidential choices didn't really effect me because I had no real connection to the States.

The benefit of hindsight, eh? :haha:

[jumpy]

Just teasin ya brother! :salute:

:D

As I think this threads posts might get a bit emotional. so, we should be a bit more sensitive to those here that lost friends and\or God forbib family members.

I don't think Jumpy meant anything uncareing. He just posted where he was at and his situation.

As I said this topic Emotions are kinda Raw. :yep:

Quite so.
Maybe I was a little terse before; sharpness of tongue has always gone hand in hand with lack of sleep, but there you go.

Apart from the whole sight being, well, what it was, the most odd thing about all of it was some footage from inside one of the shops/cafe places on one of the streets leading away from the buildings - the camera showed people running in the street outside, driven before a huge cloud of dust, blown on the wind of the collapse, like the people outside were actually a part of the advancing cloud, like some human vanguard of the ruin... and the view through the window swiftly fading out to opaque darkness, with the occasional half realised object suspended in the dust rushing past the glass accompanied by the dumbfounded noises of those taking shelter behind the counter at the back of the shop over the grinding of concrete and steel.

I'll certainly remember it for that.

I don't feel any deeper connection with any of the people there that day - I guess I did not know any of them, and for that I'm kind of glad... who would not be glad, after all, to escape such a trial of loss?

I suppose it is difficult enough to fathom the intent behind such a thing from half a world away, let alone have to feel the events of that day on a more intimate and far reaching level.
I could say more, but I don' think it necessary.

[AVGWarhawk]

I was at school. At first I thought it was a small Cessna which caused minimal damage to the tower.

We think alike. When my driver told me a plane went into tower one I thought a small plane made some serious miscalculations. When he said another plane hit the second tower it got my attention that this was more than minor incident.

[sharkbit]

My wife and I played hooky from work-we went to see the Broncos and Giants play at Invesco field the night before on Monday Night Football. I was still in bed when my wife got up with our 5 month old daughter. She starts yelling my name and runs in saying airplanes had hit the WTC and Pentagon and the WTC had collapsed.

We pretty much stayed glued to the tv all day watching and rewatching the video. It was so hard to turn the tv off that night and go to bed.

I freaked a little bit after I heard at least one of the planes had come from Boston. My sister was supposed to fly home with her husband and friends out of Boston that morning. I called my mom right away and said she was fine. They were lucky-they hadn't returned their rental car yet (they had stopped at a museum that morning) and were able to keep it and the rental company allowed them to use it to drive home to Denver.

I work for an aircraft charter company, so of course we had all of our aircraft parked for a couple of days. However, one of our airplanes was allowed to fly blood, FEMA members, and some supplies to New York before any civilian airplanes were released to fly. I talked to the flight crew after they got back. They said it was pretty uncanny flying along with no other radio traffic on the radios and being the only civilian aircraft flying. They also said they could see the smoke from NYC from about 200 miles out.

Sad day for all. :cry:

[kiwi_2005]

I remember seeing the first clips of it on the TV and saying to myself some idiots have just gone and woken the sleeping giant.

[Penguin]

I was working that day. We got the news about the plane that hit a WTC tower and continued. We were filming a guy in a, aehm penis costume when we got the news about the second plane.
It was clear that this was in no case an accident, so we called the shot off, not the right day for filming guys in weird clothes. We watched the news, mostly silent, even the most cynical guys were speechless when the towers collapsed.

In the evening my bff came over, as she was quite upset and didn't want to be alone this evening. We drank tons and talked and speculated, both having a very uneasy feeling and worries how the fool in the White House would react, kind of a pre-war hunch.

Later during the night, rocket attacks on Afghan camps were shown - does anybody remember this? We felt as if some retaliation already started.
I got sick of the continious loop of the stock prices on the news channel, while watching the pictures of this day, so I put Gaffa tape on the lower half of my tv. :nope:

The next day at work our boss told us that the production is on halt and he did not know when or if it starts again but we would be paid as long as the money was there, for the next 2 weeks.

[Stealhead]

We think alike. When my driver told me a plane went into tower one I thought a small plane made some serious miscalculations. When he said another plane hit the second tower it got my attention that this was more than minor incident.

Did they really say in detail the type of plane?Like I said in my post the local AFN radio DJ actually did say "a small private aircraft"(this probably just before the second plane hit when we where hearing this on AFN) only which resulted in my friend and I commenting on poor or confused piloting skills.When we saw the Tsgt with the THREATCON DELTA placards the idea that it was related to WTC was pretty far from our minds we at first thought it was another attack on a military target some where like the USS Cole (which it also turned out to be) so we weren't even thinking of the World Trade Center at first thanks to the incorrect first report.I guess it depended the media outlet.

From Penguin "Later during the night, rocket attacks on Afghan camps were shown - does anybody remember this? We felt as if some retaliation already started."

I am almost certain that you must have been seeing some old news footage of the cruise missile strikes that where done in the late 90' early 2000 after USS Cole and the embassy bombings.A very "special" unit that does "special" things had a building near my old shop on base if something would have happened we would have known.I can say that some "special" guys started showing up at the "special" place on the 12th and they had long hair and wore civilian clothes and one had been in Somalia back in 1993 with Delta.

[Buddahaid]

I was away from home at a training facility near Madison and had to wait a couple more days to get a flight back home on the following Sunday. Others in the class were going to drive ridiculous distances out of fear of flying but I figured that was about the safest flying I would ever do. I ended up being one of about ten people on a wide body heading back to SFO.

The weirdest part of this whole thing was the next few days when absolutely nothing was in the air. Very surrealistic and surprising in that it was so noticeable.

[razark]

Later during the night, rocket attacks on Afghan camps were shown - does anybody remember this?
I remember hearing the reports, along with denials that the U.S. was involved.

[Bilge_Rat]

I remember that in the interval between the first and second plane, TV commentators were speculating that a small plane may have hit accidentaly. No one had seen the first plane hit and no one was sure what had happened. I was watching CNN.

Any doubt was pretty much dispelled when the 2nd plane hit, you could see right away it was an airliner and it seemed to happen in slow motion. I remember I could not quite believe what I had seen and even the CNN news anchor were speechless for what seemed an eternity, although you could hear voices gasping in horror in the background.

I have to admit even after all these years, I still get a bit choked up thinking about it....

[Penguin]

From Penguin "Later during the night, rocket attacks on Afghan camps were shown - does anybody remember this? We felt as if some retaliation already started."

I am almost certain that you must have been seeing some old news footage of the cruise missile strikes that where done in the late 90' early 2000 after USS Cole and the embassy bombings.A very "special" unit that does "special" things had a building near my old shop on base if something would have happened we would have known.I can say that some "special" guys started showing up at the "special" place on the 12th and they had long hair and wore civilian clothes and one had been in Somalia back in 1993 with Delta.

:hmmm: interesting, yes this could have been to illustrate earlier strikes. IIRC - and I was quite non-sober ;) - they said later that it was some inner-Afghan fighting, between different fractions. But it just came back to my mind when writing down my memories of this day, have to check it out again. We watched NTV - if you remember this station, the only 24h news channel we had at this time, and a real lousy one - I can imagine that they used stock footage to bring some dramatic "news".

[Platapus]

That Tuesday, I was a contractor at a TLA facility. I was supporting the wargaming and simulation division. Tuesday mornings I was on my way to the team staff meeting. I passed one of the monitors in the hallway and saw one of the towers on fire.

"Man, that must suck, I hope they can get the fire out" I thought to myself as I hurried to my meeting.

Shortly after the meeting started, we heard the "rumour" that an airplane had crashed in the first tower. Shortly after that, we got word that a second had crashed so this was no accident.

Now the weirdness started.

On 11 Sep 2001, the TLA facility was having an exercise. During such exercises, selected people are given scripts to use. For example at 10:05, a participant needs to call into the exercise desk that they "smell smoke in stairwell 14". That type of stuff. It helps the people running and evaluating the exercise.

It is only natural to involve the people who work exercises such as the exercise and simulations division. One such person was in our staff meeting. After the second plane hit he got real quiet. In his hand was an index card with his script. At 0945 he was supposed to report "seeing an airplane crash into one of the towers" of the TLA facility.

Needless to say, the staff meeting and the exercise was canceled.

Creepy to say the least. I think he still keeps that index card script.

[mapuc]

I was at home, playing games on my computer, when my doorbell sounded. I yelled at the person outside, that the door was open and in came my little sister.

-I have tried to contact you by mobil and ordinary phone
-Why
-haven't you heard what's happen in New York!
-No, have been playing for the last 2-3 hours. What is that has happened in NY?
-Turn on the tv.

I turned the tv on and my sister gasped
-Ohhh my good both have been hit, she almost yelled.
-???
-When I turned my tv off, only one of the Twintower had been hit.
- To get updated, I searhed for information on the teletext and on the internet.

Many thoughts went throug my head and I was watching tv all night long


Markus

[Anthony W.]

That Tuesday, I was a contractor at a TLA facility. I was supporting the wargaming and simulation division. Tuesday mornings I was on my way to the team staff meeting. I passed one of the monitors in the hallway and saw one of the towers on fire.

"Man, that must suck, I hope they can get the fire out" I thought to myself as I hurried to my meeting.

Shortly after the meeting started, we heard the "rumour" that an airplane had crashed in the first tower. Shortly after that, we got word that a second had crashed so this was no accident.

Now the weirdness started.

On 11 Sep 2001, the TLA facility was having an exercise. During such exercises, selected people are given scripts to use. For example at 10:05, a participant needs to call into the exercise desk that they "smell smoke in stairwell 14". That type of stuff. It helps the people running and evaluating the exercise.

It is only natural to involve the people who work exercises such as the exercise and simulations division. One such person was in our staff meeting. After the second plane hit he got real quiet. In his hand was an index card with his script. At 0945 he was supposed to report "seeing an airplane crash into one of the towers" of the TLA facility.

Needless to say, the staff meeting and the exercise was canceled.

Creepy to say the least. I think he still keeps that index card script.

Very creepy.

But there had been a private WTC security study (non official) done that demonstrated a suicide plane attack - and they had been planning and doing drills for them. They knew it could happen.

Still - extremely creepy.

Guys, do you all mind if I write an article for the school/local paper about your accounts? I never intended to write an article on this, but, your stuff is inspiring

Apart from the whole sight being, well, what it was, the most odd thing about all of it was some footage from inside one of the shops/cafe places on one of the streets leading away from the buildings - the camera showed people running in the street outside, driven before a huge cloud of dust, blown on the wind of the collapse, like the people outside were actually a part of the advancing cloud, like some human vanguard of the ruin... and the view through the window swiftly fading out to opaque darkness, with the occasional half realised object suspended in the dust rushing past the glass accompanied by the dumbfounded noises of those taking shelter behind the counter at the back of the shop over the grinding of concrete and steel.

I'll certainly remember it for that.

I don't feel any deeper connection with any of the people there that day - I guess I did not know any of them, and for that I'm kind of glad... who would not be glad, after all, to escape such a trial of loss?

I suppose it is difficult enough to fathom the intent behind such a thing from half a world away, let alone have to feel the events of that day on a more intimate and far reaching level.
I could say more, but I don' think it necessary.

I'll drink to that. After my twin died when I was 13, all I said for 3 years was, "well this kinda sucks."

As we say in Indiana - or at least my corner of it - amen.

[Ria]

I was at a school field trip (6th grade) at the wildlife reservation, but due to the events it was canceled and headed home.

[FIREWALL]

:D



Quite so.
Maybe I was a little terse before; sharpness of tongue has always gone hand in hand with lack of sleep, but there you go.

Apart from the whole sight being, well, what it was, the most odd thing about all of it was some footage from inside one of the shops/cafe places on one of the streets leading away from the buildings - the camera showed people running in the street outside, driven before a huge cloud of dust, blown on the wind of the collapse, like the people outside were actually a part of the advancing cloud, like some human vanguard of the ruin... and the view through the window swiftly fading out to opaque darkness, with the occasional half realised object suspended in the dust rushing past the glass accompanied by the dumbfounded noises of those taking shelter behind the counter at the back of the shop over the grinding of concrete and steel.

I'll certainly remember it for that.

I don't feel any deeper connection with any of the people there that day - I guess I did not know any of them, and for that I'm kind of glad... who would not be glad, after all, to escape such a trial of loss?

I suppose it is difficult enough to fathom the intent behind such a thing from half a world away, let alone have to feel the events of that day on a more intimate and far reaching level.
I could say more, but I don' think it necessary.

That response Jumpy shows me a man made of good Fabric as we say over here. I .:salute: You.

[Highbury]

I was at work. I heard that a plane had hit one of the towers but I barely gave it a second thought. I actually just pictured a small plane in my mind and thought some dummy ran into a building flying where he shouldn't have been.

Couple hours later I was outside driving forklift, and it was right under one of the flight paths to Vancouver Intl. Airport. I saw a Southwest Airlines plane coming in and thought "that's odd.. never seen one fly here." It quickly became obvious that the airport was way busier then normal, and alot of unusual airlines were flying in. Obviously this was from all the planes in US airspace having to land in Canada.

After that I went to my car to listen to the radio for a bit, then went and told my boss I would like to head home and sit in front of the TV, which I did for many hours.

[Lord_magerius]

I was at school at the time, one of my friends told me and I just thought it was the start of one of his random jokes. Didn't believe it until I got home and saw on the news.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

@Anthony W. I don't mind. You can use that small piece of text under condition that you post your article here in General Topics so we can read it.

[mookiemookie]

It was my senior year of college in Connecticut. I had just woken up in my apartment. It was a Tuesday morning, I know that because I had my English class at 10 that day. I put a pan on the stove to cook up some eggs, and I flip on the news to hear the latest on Gary Condit, that scumbag who I was sure killed Chandra Levy. Only this morning the morning news shows weren't talking about Chandra Levy. A plane had crashed into one of the WTC buildings. I thought to myself, "gee that sucks, what kind of idiot pilot can't see a friggin huge building in front of him?"

Then I realize "ohhhh (excrement), my parents are supposed to be there today." My parents were in NYC and one of my mom's friends, a chef, had told her to go see his friend at the Windows on the World restaurant at the top floor of the North Tower. So as all this is going through my head, I watch the second plane hit the other building live on TV. I realized that this wasn't an accident. Someone was deliberately flying planes into buildings. I say to myself that I'm skipping class. No way am I going outside if someone's attacking the northeastern U.S. The rest of that morning is kind of a blur. I remember frantically trying to get through to my parents' mobile phones, just to make sure they weren't anywhere near the buildings. When the buildings fell, I went into a total panic. Around noon, I get a call from my aunt who lives in Colorado. Apparently my parents had gotten through to her and told her that they were ok, they had been on their way into the city when they got to a bridge and had been turned around by the police who had shut down every road into the city.

Absolutely frightening day.

[August]

One has to remember I was younger then, and more under the sway of the fuss that the left kicked up around the time. I was also more left-wing back then than I am now so I was inclined to believe what people around me said about Bush (or Dubya as we all called him back then) and the trouble that he was going to cause for the world and (more importantly for me) to the environment in terms of wild animal protection.
Of course, two thirds of what was predicted about Bush never happened and the rest was spin, and looking back on it now I realise just how much hyperbole there is about US presidents both left and right. Up until the 2000 era though, I had no internet and thus the emotion behind US presidential choices didn't really effect me because I had no real connection to the States.

The benefit of hindsight, eh? :haha:

Dig it! :|\\

[jumpy]

Guys, do you all mind if I write an article for the school/local paper about your accounts? I never intended to write an article on this, but, your stuff is inspiring

Knock yourself out - I have no objection.

@Anthony W. I don't mind. You can use that small piece of text under condition that you post your article here in General Topics so we can read it.

Ditto.


That response Jumpy shows me a man made of good Fabric as we say over here. I .:salute: You.

aww :oops: stop it already :)