it was a crystal blue morning....

[joycenalex]

and i was on my way to work. i know exactly where i was standing when trish told me about the first plane. when the second plane hit, i found an old radio in the storeroom and turned on NPR. by the time we learned about the 3rd plane, the very early internet hookups we had at work were all trying to reach a news organization website. annies dad called her from pennsylvania cause he heard the crash in shankeville and wanted her to know he was okay. i think about the airtraffic controllers who saw the planes disappear from their screens, i pray for the guard who was doing his duty at the tomb of the unknown as the plane screamed past his station to find the pentagon that crystal blue day, not so long ago.... god save the united states of america, amen and amen.

[Kirsten]

I think no one who lived to see that day will ever forget the moment he learned about the horrible events. I, for my part, will always remember that dreadful day. Here in Germany, it was afternoon already; I was at work when I got an email from a friend... I remember how I drove home, listening to the scary news on the radio, then rushing home to turn on the tv, and my computer, to see how my American friends were doing... And I remember talking to a friend on the phone, who was deeply shaken, like I was, and we both cried....

I think I have must have seen these pictures of the burning twin towers a hundred times or more on tv now, and still they are driving tears to my eyes.

Today, my thoughts are with those who have lost their lives that day, and with their families and friends, but also with those who have lost their lives in the wars following the terrorist attacks. So many people's world has never been the same since 9/11!

Kirsten

[moosmom]

I was sleeping, having worked the night shift at the newspaper, when I got a phone call from my daughter to QUICKLY turn on the tv, that a plane had hit the WTC. My daughter, being the drama queen she can sometimes be, had panic in her voice. I flipped on the tv just when they were announcing it. All I could do was cry. I was more worried about my former sis-in-law than my own brother, because she owns a travel agency and travels VERY frequently.

I don't think anyone will forget exactly there they are and what they were doing when this tragedy struck. I know I won't.

Thanks for this wonderful thread, Joycenalax. I think it's a wonderful tribute to all those who gave their lives.

May I suggest a moment of silence for those fallen, and the families they left behind?? Let's also go and light candles.

[Pam]

I was driving into work and heard about it on the car radio. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. When the boss got in we cancelled all of the patients for the day and we went home to sit in front of the TV and cry.

[pomtzu]

I was in my office and on the phone with a client in TX. She was working from home and had her t.v. on and said a plane had hit the WTC. We speculated about how big a plane - she thought a commuter plane. After the conversation was over, I went into the kitchen at work and turned on the t.v. and saw the horror unfolding, and by that time, many of my co-workers were streaming in since they were getting word of it too.

My boss called in to me a short time later, wanting to know what was going on. He was stuck on a plane waiting to take off from Baltimore, and none of the passengers were being told exactly what the problem was. As I was speaking with him, I learned the Pentagon was hit.

Such a terribly sad day for all mankind - one you wish you could forget. Those images are burned into my mind, and nothing short of my own demise, will make them go away.

Peace to all - to those who perished, the injured survivors, and the loved ones of all of them.
May God protect us all..............

[Catherinedana]

I was born and raised in Brooklyn NY, worked in Manhattan for many years and my former husband actually worked in the WTC before we moved to FL. It had been an emotional, confusing morning already because my mom went to the hospital in an emergency situation, my husband was in or on his way to Boston for business and I couldn't get in touch with him and I was actually home from work that day. I was talking on the phone with my sister trying to find out what was going on with my mom and heard about the first attack on the news. They didn't actually know what was going on yet. Then the second plane hit and everything became different in my entire life. It was like they crashed it right into my heart. . .this is my hometown and I knew people who worked in and around that area. I still had some family there and couldn't get in touch. I remember it like it was yesterday.

I recently found out that a childhood friend of my lost her husband who was a firefighter in the 9/11 attack. I have tried to get in touch with her to no avail but I hope that one day I will see her again and give her the hug that is waiting for her.

My heart is back in NYC today.

Cathy

[Sonia59]

I was at work, it was the afternoon and someone heard the news about the first plane on the radio. I tried to search for more info on Internet. When I came back home I watched the news on TV and saw the images! It was so unbelievable. That day and the days after, I think we all felt very close to our American friends, wherever we were in the world.

[finn's mom]

I was asleep in bed when the first plane hit and my brother woke me up and we watched the second plane hit together. It was surreal and it took me awhile to really grasp that it was actually happening. I worked really close to the DFW airport at the time and it was a strange strange day when I did go into work later that afternoon. I worked with a man whose mother worked at the Trade Center, I don't think I ever found out if she was there when the planes hit.

[RICHARD]

I slept with the TV on for days afterwards.

Like Karen said, the skies were so quiet. There are three airports within 8 miles of my house, and there is ALWAYS some kind of plane traffic moving around.

The sound of fighter jets did make me stop and look up, strange to hear war planes buzzing overhead.

[blue]

The first plane hit either before or on my way to work. Didnt have a radio in my Samurai, it was stolen a few days before. First thing I heard when I got to work was some jackhole flew a plane ito the WTC. We all thought it was a small plane like a 2 seater Cessna, my brother in Chicago thought the same thing. Heard the news about the second plane live while driving to the job site. I was wiring by myself so I kept the radio tuned to the AM news all day and kept the radio close. The plumbing crew a few sites down were just sitting on buckets in the garage around their radio.

Im glad I only listened to the radio all day, my brother sat glued infront of the cable news all day.

The local station played parts of Bush's speech today, that brought on an 8 year old flashback.

Obama's sauce was weak with his speech today.

[kuhio98]

It was very early in the morning here in Alaska. I was scheduled to fly to work that day. After watching the coverage, it became evident that no planes would be flying that day -- or for quite some time.

I was home safe and sound with my loved ones, but I ached for those who didn't know where their family members were.

When air travel was available and I flew back to work, a monument wall with photos of the heros on United Flight 93 were posted. We stood there and read the bios. We even memorized the names. Sadly, I realize that I have forgotten most of them. But, I will never forget Todd Beamer's cry of "Let's roll!" Their efforts saved untold lives in Washington DC.

http://www.unitedheroes.com/whotheywere.html

[DJFyrewolf36]

I was still in school...I remember waking up for class and my mom telling me to look at the news. I ended up seeing the second plane hit the WTC. I remeber gaining a lot more respect for one of the Sacremento morning radio shows for the excellent coverage they did. I drove about 40 miles one way to the school and was impressed at the respect the radio people showed, and the respect of the people that called in.
At the school, classes were for the most part canceled. I sat in the business media classroom and watched the news. Im shocked as much at the whole thing now as I was 8 years ago.