Where were you on 9/11?

[Randi]

I was doing something in the kitchen when I heard someone in the yard saying "plane crash". So I went to turn on the TV (CNN) and I was shocked to see that a plane had crashed into one of the towers. Then about ten min. later, the second plane hit - and we knew it was not just an accident. Both John and I were clued to the TV for the next couple of hours - in fact all evening. It was horrifying to see people jump from those towers.

[lvpets2002]

I was at work when one of our employees was on the internet & told us all to come watch this stupid plane in the air && then ask us all why was they not seeing the building.. At that moment not knowing that the plane meant to run into the buildings.. It was so so Horrible.. I cried for weeks..

[Bonny]

I was outdoors doing the cow & calf chores. When I came into the house, my hubby said you aren't going to believe what has happened in New York City. The TV was on there was a picture of the twin towers ablaze. I was like what happened? He said planes crashed into the twin towers. My thought was why would a plane crash into the towers let alone two? Then news of the Pentagon. I remember the rescue workers the most & all the efforts being made to save people in the towers before they fell. I remember smoke, dust, & papers floating all over the place coming down from the towers & thinking how safe was it to be around it inhaling it? Being attacked on the main land was a shock & surprise but then it was planned that way by our attackers. We must not forget about the plane that went down over Pennsylvania our heros on board that took the attackers down in a blaze of glory.

[Alysser]

I was in third grade at the time, all the kids were leaving school and no one knew why. Maybe the teachers knew, but they didn't say anything to us. My mom didn't pick us up (my sister was in the same school in 5th grade), but when we got home we saw what had happened. I didn't understand it at the time. My dad was on a plane that day going to Boston. We didn't know if he was dead or not at first, we didn't know anything. All I remember was that for all I knew my dad was dead. As a little kid, I just put airplane and crash together with my dad.

The next day my teacher tried to explain it to us, and she got through pretty well. Some people were crying, I was upset but I didn't cry much. I just remember how they kept replaying and replaying the footage for weeks.

My dad came home the next day, he rented a car and drove all the way home with his boss and whoever else went on the trip. He didn't feel safe staying in a major city, and he didn't want to leave his family again for awhile. Funny how he has not been on a business trip since. He knew some people in the towers, he spent alot of time in the City the next couple of weeks (he still works and for as long as I remember has worked for IT for the NYC). That's all I really remember.

[karlyb]

I was running errands all day and not listening to the radio. Mid-afternoon when I got home, my neighbor came over and asked me what I thought about what was going on. I had no idea what she was talking about and then she told me about the planes hitting the Towers. I went to my sister's house (I didn't have TV then) and watched the news the rest of the night.

I found out later that the daughter of my dear friend in Queens was working in Manhattan that day near the Towers. Cilia didn't know if her daughter was dead or alive until late that night when Maria was finally able to get home.

[Louie and me]

I was at work when a co worker said that her husband had called to say that two planes had hit the World Trade Centre. We were all skeptical that two planes would crash at the same time so we went to the presidents office (he had a TV) and turned it on to see replay after replay of the second plane flying straight into the tower. It was horrifying enough to see the people leaping from the building but devastating to see both towers collapse and realize how many people would have been killed, rescuers included. There were many tears. It was only later we learned of the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania crash. Since Toronto is only about 500 miles from New York and we worked on the 22nd floor of an office building we were sent home as were many workers in highrises in the city. Since no planes were allowed to fly over US airspace for many hours, most planes were diverted to various airports in Canada including Pearson International (the Toronto airport).

[moosmom]

I was sleeping after working the night desk at the Hartford Courant. My daughter called me frantic telling me to turn on the tv. She told me a plane had crashed into the twin towers. Now, my daughter is known at times, to be a "drama queen", so it didn't phase me. I was speechless when I turned the tv on and saw black smoke billowing from the twin towers. That's where I was, that tragic day in history.

[Miss Z]

I was nine years old at the time and remember coming out of school into a playground full of parents gathering and talking in shocked tones. The whole afternoon and evening, we had the television on streaming the footage of the towers collapsing. I think it was the first time in my life that I'd ever seen the news stream for the entire day on one event.

Don't think I comprehended the scale of the tragedy until some years later.

[kitten645]

LES. I'm a NYer and still remember every detail of that day. I'd JUST been at Kennedy airport that morning flying back from Milan on a business trip. I' only gotten home at 3AM and went to call my work that I wouldn't be coming in because of the travel nightmare. It was so surreal watching the first tower burn and then watching the second get hit. That's when I knew it wasn't an accident and we were under attack. Watching those people jump still horrifies me and makes me cry.
I'll admit to being a bit obsessed about 9/11. I've seen everything written, filmed, photographed about it.
I have a very personal story about it but I think LES will prevent my posting it for now.
God bless us, everyone.

[cassiesmom]

I'd started a new job just a few days before and was getting ready to go to work- I was going to the home office of a co-worker who worked from home. I remember Katie Couric on the Today show as I was dressing and putting on makeup saying that it was unclear why the plane was flying over lower Manhattan, maybe the pilot was ill. I wasn't in the office but at the co-worker's home - a vendor in Baltimore told us the office was closing and the entire staff was excused for the day. We pretty much kept working all day. When I got back to the office later in the day, they'd had the radio on almost all day. That's when I understood the magnitude of it. One of the passengers on the flight from Boston to L.A. was a part-time pastor at my church (Christ Church of Oak Brook, IL), so our senior pastor was interviewed and we had a prayer service the next evening. The most spooky part of it for me, like Karen said, was no airplanes- I live under a flight path to O'Hare so I'm used to planes all the time. I couldn't listen to the radio or watch TV for several days afterward, I just kept it on the classical station because that was about all I could handle.

http://sarahsotherblog.blogspot.com/...-mladenik.html

[Roxyluvsme13]

I was in 4th grade, 9 years old. I was just really confused as to why everyone was leaving early... The parents were coming and getting everyone and I was wondering why I wasn't going home. Our school didn't tell us what was going on and I didn't find out what had happened till I got home.

I believe we had a flag gathering the next day to remember those who lost their lives.

[Cincy'sMom]

I was at work. I remember our secretary coming back to the lab and telling us a plane had hit the WTC. AT that time, like so many other, when they eard of the first, wondered if it was a small plane, or what. It wasn't long before she told of us of the second. Even still, I didn't comprhend what was going on...sure that it must be some computer error with air traffic control, but never imagining that this was an attack or "on purpose". I remember going to the dance studio for lessons that night and my friend and teacher being upset as her neice lived in NYC and across the street. She was fine, it was some time before anyone knew.

We were talking about this very thing today at work, as a friend was watching a replay of some of the broadcast last evening. His 5 year old was watching with him. Even after all these years, how do you explain that to a 5 yr old?

[Casper]

I was a week away from turning 10 years old and in middle school. The principal was going around to all the classrooms and telling the teachers to turn the televisions on to the news. Now that I think back, that wasn't a very clever idea. I think half of the middle-schoolers were convinced the world was ending... I was too dumb to understand anything that was going on, so I just sat quietly in the corner.

[GoldenLover]

This will make me seem young to some... but I was in my senior year of High School when the towers were hit. I took post secondary classes at a college that year and got to miss most of my schoolday to go to college- just went for 3 classes. I had made it from college to h.s. a little early that day, so I went to sit in study hall while I waited for my next class to start. I was surprised to see the tv's in the corners turned on and the volume up- it was never that way in study hall. I whispered to my friend next to me to ask what was up and she told me that the towers had been hit by a terrorist attack. I watched the tv and learned about everything else. That day, every class was stopped. We just sat in class and watched the tv's. The teachers said it was history in the making, and it was more important than our normal lesson plans. It was such a strange, sad day- I will never forget it.

[Marigold2]

Working not far from Cleveland Hopkins airport in an office. The planes flew over our building all the time and I remember the eerie silence of that afternoon when the sky was with out planes.
My oldest was on an Aircraft Carrier heading for the Middle East, his ship was there first to protect and patrol.
I had but seconds to reach him by e-mail before total silence was mandated.
I wrote to him
I know where you are, I know where you are going, be careful. I love you Mom
He wrote back.
Don't worry. We will take care of it. Love you too.
I was so scared, I was shaking. My son was going over into the mouth of the dragon again. I had no idea what it all meant what would happen how long he would be gone.
My second son was in boot camp in TX. Would he be sent over as well?

God I was scared for my boys..................