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

[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!
Something I will never forget, damned Muslim extremists!!

[BossMark]

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

[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.]

Originally Posted by jumpy

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

Is that a joke?