Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001?

**ANI4ANI** · 09-11-09, 09:30 AM

Where were you when you heard reports of the planes crashing into the towers?

**iso607** · 09-11-09, 09:48 AM

I was working for DOC at the time. I was the LT. in the kitchen and went to the countroom office to pick up my inmate rosters. The T.V. was on and I walked in about one minute before the second plane hit.

Never forget.

**Standard Dave** · 09-11-09, 09:54 AM

I was at home on summer holiday from University. I heard about it from the radio and then went to turn on the Tv and saw the various reports from 24 hour news channels.

**kjlaw** · 09-11-09, 10:13 AM

I was living in Washington DC at the time and lived across the river from the Pentagon aboard Bolling Air Force Base. I turned the TV to MSNBC just prior to the second plane hitting the tower. When the plane struck the Pentagon the impact knocked items off of the walls of my house.

My neighbor across the street had a husband who worked in the pentagon and we spent most of the day trying to call him only later to find out that he had been killed in the attack.

**jcsdscott** · 09-11-09, 10:21 AM

I was in Lafayette, LA to do a training class at a telemarketing site long since gone. Everything stopped as they rolled televisions in to show what was happening. We sent everyone home and I went back to my hotel to call my wife. It turns out she had a nightmare the morning I left because I flew out from St. Louis. She told me in her dream she saw a red, white and blue plane burst into flames, but she kept it to herself at the time because she didn't want to worry me. I never will forget that time in my life.

**pgg** · 09-11-09, 11:20 AM

I was working at the PD. My Chief called us when the first plane hit. Me and my partner drove down to a casino and watched the second plane hit on the TVs down there and then later the towers falling.

**Captain America** · 09-11-09, 11:47 AM

I just got to my office when my wife called me to let me know that a plane had hit the first tower. I turned on the TV just in time to see the second plane hit the second tower. I watched the rest of the events unfold feeling totally useless...........

**Pudge** · 09-11-09, 11:49 AM

I was working my 24 at the Fire Department and out in the apparatus bay mopping floors when one of the other FF's called and told us to turn the tv on in the living room. We turned it on just in time to watch the 2nd plane hit. We spent the rest of the day watching the Tv. Later that night a crew of off duty FF's left the station to go try to help.

**Buttercup** · 09-11-09, 04:40 PM

I'd just returned from a business trip the night before. There had been a fire at Newark airport so my flight was in a holding pattern for quite a while - I remember thinking that I'd have to watch the news the next morning to see what happened. The next morning I was at work when someone ran into the test kitchen to say a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. The whole department turned on a tv in time to see the second plane hit. One of my coworkers ran out of the building, as his wife was working in the South Tower (she, thankfully, was safe). Another coworker practically fainted - she was originally supposed to be on Flight 93 but had rescheduled her flight the evening before.

Driving home from work was eerie and almost surreal, the streets were practically empty and quiet and I remember listening to a talk radio station giving instructons on what to do about children waiting to be picked up at daycare centers and schools by parents who might not or would not make it there.

Everyone I know here in NJ, myself included, knew someone who died that day.

**CTR man** · 09-11-09, 08:17 PM

I think this about sums it up. This was taken from a previous thread on the same subject.

They let us all go home at noon.

Originally Posted by CTR man

I was driving my car on my way to work listening to the radio thinking how in the hell am I ever going to get on base. I am a civilian employee of the US Military (AAFES). When I got there it took me two hours just to get through the front main gate. Our beloved DOJ (now DOA) Police were not taking any chances, it was Threat Condition Delta, and they were searching everybody, and I mean everybody. When I finally got to my building, the TV was on in the main break-room and saw the second plane hit, the pentagon disaster and also flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Needless to say all resemblance of work was shot for the day except for any commercial trucks that needed to be unloaded. I remember thinking what is this going to do to our guys and gals in the military and their families let alone the tragic loss of life suffered that day. Most everyone sat glued to the TVs dumbfounded. I was numb for several weeks after that. It changed my life forever and brought a new meaning to me to support our personnel serving in the US Military. I still cringe every time I hear that we lost yet another soldier over there in Iraq or Afghanistan.

A few weeks later, one of my co-workers got together with a friend of his who runs a t-shirt printing business. They sketched out a design in honor of those who died that day and silk screened them on. I think everyone bought one. I wore mine today. Proceeds from the sale were sent to a relief fund to help the families of the fallen.

Never Forget!

**Second Chance** · 09-11-09, 08:18 PM

I was sitting at my computer chatting with my now wife, Jenn Beth. Getting dressed to head to court after a long nite shift.

**Jenna** · 09-11-09, 08:20 PM

I was at home. Some friends called me and told me what was happening. I tried to call my friends in New York but their phones weren’t working, so I called and emailed their friends and family members to see if anyone knew what happened to them. Fortunately they weren’t hurt, but like everyone else I was terrified and wondered if more attacks were coming.

**213th** · 09-11-09, 08:29 PM

I was in high school (yeah, i'm young). The principal called us to the cafeteria, told us what happened, put the tv on and canceled classes the rest of the day.

**lewisipso** · 09-11-09, 11:27 PM

I was en route to my office when the first plane struck. I heard it on the radio. I was standing next to Captain America when the second plane struck.

**TXCharlie** · 09-11-09, 11:30 PM

I was driving to work in Richardson, TX. When I heard about the 2nd plane, at first they didn't know what it was - I kinda figured it must have been a news helicopter trying to take video of the first crash, but by the time I got into the office, people had the news and video playing on the meeting room TV's. It was immediately obvious it wasn't no news helicopter.

The president of the company called a company meeting in the board room with the big-screen TV, and said that we could either watch it there, or go home and watch it. He likened it with Pearl Harbor, and was the first person I heard who made that connection.

**CTR man** · 09-11-09, 11:46 PM

He likened it with Pearl Harbor, and was the first person I heard who made that connection.

September 11, 2001. Another day which shall live in infamy.

To many of us who weren't alive yet on December 7, 1941. This is our Pearl Harbor.

**Sapper_132** · 09-12-09, 12:36 AM

I was on active duty, iit was early am some guys and i were out drinking at local bars in Korea. We had a class the following morning. We watched a little while then went back to drinking, then when the MPs showed up and closed down the entire city we knew somthing was up we went back to the hotel and shortlt after we got there the 2nd plane hit. We were on aleart for a week.

**IndianaFuzz** · 09-12-09, 01:21 AM

I had just woken up at about 2:45pm. I turned on the t.v. and was flipping through the channels. Geez, I easily could have headed to work not knowing what the hell was going on. While flipping channels, I hit CNN and saw images of some kind of damage. I couldn't tell what it was. I see this wreckage kind of on an angle. For some reason, the first thing I thought of was maybe the leaning tower of Pisa had fallen down. Then finally I got some sound about what had happened. It didn't really even fully register at first. I head to work and see the massive lines at the pumps, and I didn't even comprehend yet why people were trying to get gas so much. It was so surreal. While at work I heard more radio reports of what had happened, and it started to sink in. That day was the start of the worst week of my life. Dealing with the effects of the terror attacks perhaps left me even less able to handle what happened six days later when a good friend of mine was killed in the line of duty. Just a couple days after the attacks and a couple days before his death, my buddy Jason Baker said to a group of school children (and it fits for everyone), “have faith, support the government at the local level, be vigilant, pray for national leaders, reflect on what happens to us as a nation, and say thanks to public safety, fire and police personnel”.

**Morris** · 09-12-09, 12:48 PM

I was home, taking care of my little girl when my wife called in a panic. I watched and knew things had significantly changed for Americans that day. The news was horrifically mesmerizing. Roll call was at 1500 hours that day for my usual shift. My wife came off for the childcare handoff and looked at me frightened. I told her things would work out, kissed her and I went to work. It was a grim roll call. The order of the day was to turn on the overheads and light the houses. It was nonsense but that action of the lights gave the small city a sense of calm, especially considering Seattle's largest water resevoir and diamond in their water supply system was in our city. While feeling altogether silly for driving around with the lights on, I also understood. Calls were dispatched, responded to and dealt with. The patrol life rumbled on.

I remember calling friends who were still in the Guard and active duty military service, telling me flash traffic for deployment orders had already gone out (very, very front edge guys and some SF types). A friend called from NYC. He was injured with the loss of part of a hand but he was alive. He had been evacuating the second tower when the strike occurred. He was the only guy I knew back there.

I got done at 2330 and drove home. The streets were unusually empty. People hunkered down around their electronic campfires, watching the horror and wondering what was next. I remember standing on my deck at the house after getting home and there was zero air traffic save the distinctive howl of F-15s from the 142nd FIG at Portland IAP flying CAP missions over Seattle. It was a sound that will never be forgotten, especially on such a quiet night. I tasted the unease as I sat in the chair, looked up and listened.

I crawled into bed with my sleeping wife and daughter and laid there, hearing the 15s fly back and forth. I remember saying a prayer from those in New York, DC and to my friends who were repacking their deployment bags.

The graying dawn finally saw me asleep.

**Motorwaycop** · 09-12-09, 02:49 PM

I was at work and some of had come in for a brew. We turned the tv on just in time to see the second plane hit.

I was thousands of miles away and felt that I should do something as I just felt helpless.

None of us moved from the TV for the next couple of hours, I can only think the rest of the UK was watching TV as the radio was silent for all that time.