Where were you on 9/11

[Chatbrat]

We were on our boat @ Ortega River Marina-Jacksonville, Fl--was walking to the heads/ showers & heard some reporting on the marina loudspeakers-once I figured out what was happening -went back to our boat--woke the Admiral & said "something big is happening" put all the TV's on

Next day went to NAS/JAX & said "take mew off the retired list' was told I was too old

Few weeks later went to the Navy ball @ NAS/JAX--most moving event of my
life--see the young officers male/female in dinner dress raising their glasses in a salute to the fallen.

[alanmcdonald]

I was driving between two Honda plants in Ohio. When I got back to my office they had shut down all Internet access.

[golfing eagles]

I was in our morning partner's meeting and the TV had the first tower burning and that there was some sort of crash----didn't look like a small prop plane damage to me. Then we saw the second tower hit and had the awful realization that this was an attack. My son was in the air flying TO Boston at that time and was immediately diverted to land in Indianapolis. My brother and nephew both were working in Manhattan, visited the World Trade Center often and we couldn't get any communication about them (they were OK). One of our bridesmaids father worked in the #7 building and a jumper missed landing on him by 4 feet---he's hasn't been the same since. Two of my high school friends from a small graduating class of 99 died that day, a trader for Canter-Fitzgerald and a NYC firefighter. Another friend here in central NY, a drug rep for Pfizer, was married to a Quantas airline executive. He had dropped her off at Logan and drove down the Mass. Pike to Auburn to visit family. She was on the second plane, he heard the flight number while driving.
That afternoon we were to have our final twilight golf league scramble, which we discussed cancelling. The chairman and I stood up and spoke, expressing the opinion that if we cancel, if we change our way of life for these (fill in the blank), then THEY will have won. We dedicated our play to the memory of those who perished
So, if from time to time I might express extremely harsh views about ISLAMIC terrorists and anyone who makes excuses for them, I apologize, but I think I have better reasons than most, except for the victims and their families.
Remember the victims, NEVER FORGET, and God bless America

[mixsonci]

I was working at the State Dept building in Washington. We watched it on the TV monitors throughout the building. Soon after they evacuated us but didn't tell us why, later heard a rumor that they were afraid the SD building would be targeted. They never told us to go home for the day, just told us to leave the building. So we waited outside for an hour and then just decided to go home. Many people left the building without their belongings and coats. Lucky for me, I brought my purse out with me or I would not have been able to get home without money and my house keys.

[laryb]

We were at Madame Tussaud's in London, when a security guard told us that planes were flown into the White House, the Empire State Building, and The Pentagon. We couldn't get out for 6 days, and only had reservations for 2. The Melia White House told us we could stay there for 80% off our original price, and threw in a full breakfast everyday. To this day, we always try to stay at a Melia hotel when their available.

[Jima64]

Between customer stops on my route. Called my wife and told her to turn the tv on.

[villagetinker]

I was coming back from a meeting, met a supervisor in the hallway and he told me to go home our 22 story building (tallest in Allentown PA) was being evacuated and all employees were being told to go home. Got home about 10 minutes before the second plane struck. WILL NEVER FORGET TO IMAGE I SAW LIVE ON TV.

I was on vacation (planned) for the next several days, and our house was in the landing path for ABE (Lehigh Valley International Airport), and I was working on a project in the backyard, NO PLANES were flying. It was several days before I heard and saw a plane, and I will not forget that eerie feeling.

[JerryLBell]

I was at work. A guy a couple offices down heard something about a plane hitting a building in New York, pulled out a small TV and the word went out from there. Not a lot of work got done that day.

[Sable99]

I was sitting at my desk in the US Capitol when the first and second plane hit the towers. When the plane hit the Pentagon, my boss called and said "get out" and hung up. Luckily, I had put my keys, purse and sunglasses on my desk when the first plane hit. I picked them up and ran down the backstairs of the Capitol.

I will never forget standing on the grassy area between the Capitol and the Supreme Court. It was a bright, sunny day and some of my co-workers took pictures of the Capitol because they thought it might be the last time they would see it. Then, the police started screaming over and over again "run, run, they are going to shoot it down". They meant the plane that went down in Pennsylvania. A co-worker's husband took me to their car and we stayed several hours watching TV in his bosses home a few blocks from the Capitol.

When the police finally let me get my car off the Capitol grounds, I began my drive home. The DC streets were eerily empty. The Pentagon was still smoldering when I drove by. I soon found out that a member of my church was in the Pentagon when the plane hit his office. The only reason he is alive is because he was in the bathroom but he still was horribly burned. He wrote a book (Refined by Fire) about his experience.

[Bavarian]

was in a Telemetry Data Station checking out some new calculations and displays for an upcoming test. Our Contractor came in and told us about two planes flying into WTC. Watched rest on a monitor we used for TV. The Station was on lock down, so could not leave until much later. Saw the towers fall, and the explosion at the Pentagon, were not sure if aircraft or bomb. Some people from The Test Center were killed in the attack.

[dbussone]

I was just finishing a consulting engagement outside of Boston and was driving to Logan Airport to catch a flight home. On the way in I heard about the first tower being hit. I pulled over and listened some more. Instead of continuing to the airport I called 2 colleagues working just outside of New York. They related that tower 2 had just been hit.
When I heard that I called my secretary and told her to call Hertz and let them know I was keeping the car. I drove to NY, picked up my friends and we drove back to Nashville. Hertz told my secretary to tell us to be careful and take out time.

We returned the car to Hertz at the BNA airport 2 days later. The agent said he was glad to see us. And Hertz never billed us for use of their car on that trip.

The highways were quiet and mostly absent of traffic except for military vehicles. Very spooky.

[jimbo2012]

About 40 miles away, on Long Island.
Had several members of the family we were tracking to see if they were ok, one was a fireman called to the site.

All was ok with them but a very trying few days.

Another good friend was a Vet asked to go downtown to treat the search dogs.
Many had foot pad injuries.

[looneycat]

I was in Manhattan on a contract with HBO and saw it all. was alerted by a scream from a co-worker whose husband was vaporized by the first plane to hit. we stood around numb until the second and then spent nine hours getting out of the city. the horrible images are burned into my psyche for the rest of my life.

[deestatham]

I was home waiting for a phone call. Finally received the call that my 32 yr. Old cousin was indeed killed in tower 2. It was an awful day and our family has never totally recovered. His son was 1 yr old. All grown up now but never will know his father.

[Biker B]

I was on 14th street and 8th ave. in Manhattan. After the first plane hit we went to the roof of our construction project and witnessed the rest of the horror.

[TheVillageChicken]

In Germany. We were scheduled to fly home on 9/12, but didn't get out until just under two weeks later.

[looneycat]

I was home waiting for a phone call. Finally received the call that my 32 yr. Old cousin was indeed killed in tower 2. It was an awful day and our family has never totally recovered. His son was 1 yr old. All grown up now but never will know his father.

that is awful, another consultant I know was in the second tower. they were being told to stay calm....he chose to run down the stairs as fast as possible and didn't stop until he was far from the tower.He came from eastern Europe and said whenever someone said stay calm you had better run.

[redwitch]

I was getting ready to go to work in San Francisco, listening to GMA. The first plane had just struck and the announcers were doing their best to be calm while laying out different theories as to what caused the plane to hit. When we saw the second plane hit, we all knew it was not a freak accident but an act of terrorism. Words cannot describe the pain I felt at seeing this incredible act of cruelty.

My ex-husband was working in the east wing of the Pentagon. He was MIA for the entire week, with both his mother and I calling anyone we knew to find out if he was okay. Turns out he had gone to NYC to help with Clean-up logistics, his specialty. He was fine but ultimately died from mesothelioma, which was more than likely caused by asbestos exposure from the Towers.

I had one client and one friend on the SF flight that went down in Pennsylvania.

It is truly a day I will never forget. May all those who died in the attacks or because of the attacks know they will always be in our hearts.

[John_W]

I was in Baltimore watching the morning sports updates on ESPN since MNF was played the night before. I remember the Denver receiver Ed McCafferty had what looked like a bad leg injury or break. One of the announcers on ESPN said something I've never heard on TV before or since. He said, there is something big going on, so you all might want to switch to one of the news channels or networks.

I switched on the Today Show and saw Katie and Matt talking about one of the towers getting hit, then I saw the second tower get hit. I don't know why, but I left and went to the local grocery store to pick up supplies. I went to the next door liquor store and noticed they had something else on TV and had no clue of what was going on. I told them to keep plenty of help on hand, it will probably be busy night and you might want to switch your TV to another channel.

The other thing I remember was, it was probably one of the most beautiful fall days I've ever seen. There was the bluest sky without a single cloud and the weather had just a slight nip in the air. Thinking about it now, the terrorist had the perfect weather to carry out their mission. Too bad it wasn't a cloudy or overcast day.

[dbussone]

that is awful, another consultant I know was in the second tower. they were being told to stay calm....he chose to run down the stairs as fast as possible and didn't stop until he was far from the tower.He came from eastern Europe and said whenever someone said stay calm you had better run.


I'm glad he paid attention to his own suspicions.

[MikeV]

I was where I am now. Cancun Mexico. We were not allowed to leave the country for four days. When we flew home to Albany NY we flew directly over the site. All we could see was smoke rising up from the site. The passengers were totally silent.

[Brencpa]

I was on a flight from Detroit to Kansas City, MO. We weren't told anything until we landed other than we were being rerouted and all planes were being grounded. Very eerie feeling. Will never forget that day.

[deestatham]

that is awful, another consultant I know was in the second tower. they were being told to stay calm....he chose to run down the stairs as fast as possible and didn't stop until he was far from the tower.He came from eastern Europe and said whenever someone said stay calm you had better run.

You're right! We talked with him a few minutes before the tower fell and he said he was told to stay calm and not try to move out of the building. He did as he was told and the rest is history. Your person did the smart thing.

[TrudyM]

Being in Seattle I was at the bus stop a 6 am when I first heard about it. Didn't get the details until I got to work. I had a nephew who worked in the area of the towers didn't know if he or his wife were safe until that night.
All the buyers in my division at Macys Northwest were on a buying trip in New York. They were stuck as all flights were canceled. Some rock star I can't remember who leased them his plane so they and the buyers from California could get back.

[Carla B]

We were on our sailboat (our home) in Annapolis, having just sailed from New York City down the C&D Canal. My son in New Orleans called and woke us up. "Mom, where are you?" "One of the twin towers has just been hit by an airplane, and they think it's the work of terrorists" We immediately turned on the TV and saw the second tower fall. So awful.

[Nucky]

I worked at a concrete plant in Elizabeth N.J. we were pouring a landing pad at Newark International Airport. When word of the attack came on the radio we dug out a small black & white tv and watched the reports. The customer at the airport told me to stop shipping the mixers because he was calling off the rest of the pour. We had everyone back to the plant and on the way home in about an hour and a half. The drivers returning from the airport reported that they had a clean view of the twin towers. Two of the toughest men in our company were really hurting when they got back because they couldn't contact their wives who worked in the Twin Tower area. Worst situation I ever was presented with in my life.
That evening because all the bridges to Manhattan & Staten Island were closed thousand of people were stranded in the streets of Elizabeth N.J. we went to BJ's and bought cases of water, diapers & snack style food and just drove around our neighborhood trying to comfort anyone we could. The whole area was a mess. The next morning the smoke from the buildings was in our yard at our home. We loaded up the family and drove an hour and a half away to a trailer that we owned in Pennsylvania. The camping season was over but they allowed about 12 families to return from the possible harm we faced by staying home.
It was a terrible time, being out of touch with our jobs, the rest of our family and not being in our routine was terrible after 3 or 4 days we returned home. The most eerie thing was there was no plane traffic at all..it was so quiet. Occasionally a Fighter Plane would pass by quickly. The guys at work who were worried about their wives found them after a day. Work returned to "normal" in about a week but our life was never the same. I personally put 1010 wins traffic & news radio on before my feet hit the ground each morning and listened to that radio all day while I was awake until my oldest son said that they had won because I was on that damn radio all the time. It was 10 years before I listened to any other station. I had to seek a professional mental health provider to talk to. She straightened me out in a few visits. On the anniversary of 9/11 last year I found out a grammar school pal was killed in the Pentagon that day. I had lost contact with him years before but have many fond memories. He was a high ranking Naval Officer. After about a year someone announced that they were going to cut the lock & chains of several bicycles at Metropark Train Station In Iselin N.J. because they confirmed that the bikes belonged to people in our area who died in the attack that day. I forever will be proud of our country and the way the people in our area pulled together for a long time afterwards. The night that George Bush threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium was a bright spot for all of us when we needed it the most. God Bless America.

[rjn5656]

I was supposed to be coming out of the subway at 9 am at the Twin Towers. But my meeting was moved up to the prior day.

[applesoffh]

I was sitting in my apartment in Maspeth, Queens, NY. From the back of the apartment we had a clear view of the East River, from the Empire State Building to the Twin Towers. On that fateful day, as the Today show was interrupted by a news bulletin, I heard that a plane had crashed into the WTC. My immediate thoughts were "how could they not see that building?" Of course, we found out within a couple of hours that it had been a terror attack. I watched the collapse of the buildings from my window. I could smell the smoke for days, an otherwise sunny sky overtaken by never-ending grey. The banks were immediately closed. The courts were shut down (my husband was working in the courts at the time). There was no cell phone service. The schools were on lockdown until parents could pick the kids up. Friends and neighbors had to walk home from Manhattan, either over the 59th Street bridge, or one of the bridges linking Manhattan to Brooklyn. Buses were running, but subway service was halted. A friend was killed. That night, the bright lights of the search and recovery effort could be seen for miles. The eeriest thing that night, though, was the sound of fighter jets in the sky, instead of planes getting ready to land at LaGuardia.

[applesoffh]

I was supposed to be coming out of the subway at 9 am at the Twin Towers. But my meeting was moved up to the prior day.

I can't imagine how you must have felt that day. There were many stories of people such as yourself, that, for some reason (twist of fate? hand of God?) were not there, when they would have been.

[dbussone]

One of my buddies was scheduled to fly out of Boston on the flight that went into a tower. On Sunday he developed a toothache and cancelled the flight so he could go to the dentist.

Muhlbach1, deestatham, looneycat, and everyone who suffered a loss directly, I pray that we shall never forget what happened on 9/11. The only thing that I can recall that comes close was my dad telling me about the reaction of everyone after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

I absolutely agree with golfing eagles though about our current leadership. Both sides seem to have lost their moral compass.

[BobandMary]

Mystic Island, NJ. 90 miles South of Manhattan. On vacation that week. Drinking coffee, watching TV, and planning to take our boat out. I remember every second. God bless America.

[bestmickey]

While getting ready for work, I was listening to the Today Show. I was in shock watching what was happening, especially when the second plane hit. I decided I couldn't go to work, I was just too afraid. I worked at the State government's main complex in Albany, NY. I worked underground, directly under the tallest building in the city, named the "Tower Building". There was no way I was going to work. I watched the tragic events all day long.
I will never forget, nor forgive.

[twoplanekid]

Alerted to turn on the TV in my office, I watch in astonishment the smoke and flames coming from the first tower. As a pilot, I could not understand how an aircraft could hit it on such a beautiful day. After the second plane hit the other tower, other local Red Cross members and I were all activated. A local girl, Alicia Titus was a flight attendant on United Airlines Flight 175 which was flown into the South Tower.

The Urbana Rotary Club established a Freedom Grove park on the south side of Urbana which now has a steel beam from one of the towers. I flew my Piper Cub over the park today to take aerial pictures of the 750 flags that will highlight this year’s 9/11 memorial event.

News - WTC Memorial Dedication September 11 at Freedom Grove (http://www.urbanaohio.com/news/5/126/)

[bluedivergirl]

So many of you have suffered so much. My heart goes out to you.

My story is more mundane. I worked in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. I was listening to the radio on my way in to work. It was a beautiful fall day. The announcers broke in with the reports of a plane flying into the Twin Towers. In just a few moments the announcers panicked, stating there was another plane, and we were being attacked.

I flew into the building, and all the young architects turned to look at me. I told them what had happened. I could see the disbelief in their eyes.

A few hours later the boss came in. I could see he knew. I stated: They hit the Pentagon. His face turned white, and he went into his office.

[chuckinca]

Dodge City, Kansas Liberty Garden:


(My wife on phone in background of 2nd pic)


.

[lambchop285]

i was 1 block away from the WTC and in lockdown due to the attack... I watched people die and and watched people jump from the buildings. i went to 18 funerals....
I WILL NEVER FORGET

[golfing eagles]

i was 1 block away from the WTC and in lockdown due to the attack... I watched people die and and watched people jump from the buildings. i went to 18 funerals....
I WILL NEVER FORGET

Nor should you or any of us.
Every 9/11 my wife and I put out a small table with a yellow rose in a vase, a candle that burns all night, and an 18 inch American flag in memory of those 3,000 innocent victims. Next year, when we are full time in TV, we WILL do the same. Given my feelings I already posted about that day and those who perpetrated that heinous crime, God help the self-appointed neighborhood to neighborhood 8 inch garden gnome police informant or anyone else who mentions "deed compliance" NEVER FORGET.

[Taltarzac725]

I was probably bugging people on my computer about getting practical materials in libraries for survivors/victims of crimes in my 224 613 Project.

I later went into volunteer at the East Lake Community Library, Palm Harbor, Florida from around 3-5 or so and talked about this horrible crime with the still in shock new Library Director there Manny Leite. Nice man by in large who got along great with the teens who would come in after school.

I volunteered Mondays and Tuesdays back then at East Lake Community Library as well as Palm Harbor Library on Saturday afternoons. I was trying to get my foot in the door for gainful employment in a library in that area. Had a lot of interviews and was very careful with each one, but never got hired.

I am still fighting for better access to practical materials for survivors/victims of crimes accessible through or in libraries but have been doing this mainly now on Facebook where I can share documents related to the 224 613 Project.

My older brother Robert I believe knew some of the people who worked in the Twin Towers. I do not know anyone who worked in those Towers as far as I am aware.

[LI SNOWBIRD]

I was at work on Long Island about 40 miles away. Specifically I was in my supervisors's office discussing my use of a comma in a procedure I had written. A "comma" REALLY??How absurd compared to what tragedy was happening in the real word. It kinda gave me a new perspective on what really matters in life. Never forgive--never forget.

[Bonny]

Jill Sherman, Daily Sun, was at my house to take pictures of me for the paper. She was doing an article for the Sun on blondes. Very hard to focus while the photographer was taking my picture.
It did turn out to be a great article and picture.

[Chi-Town]

I was getting ready to head to an account just south of downtown Chicago. Someone called me to turn on the tv. That call changed me forever. This picture represents what we all are doing today.

54769

[rayschic]

My husband and I worked in the telephone company building directly across the street from the Trade Center. When the first plane hit, they evacuated our building. I went downstairs and outside and saw the hole in the tower. People were saying that a plane had deliberately struck the tower. I didn't believe it at first, but I was at ground level when the second plane hit. It was the loudest noise I have ever heard. I hadn't found my husband yet in all the chaos, so I couldn't leave the city. People were falling from the tower and it was just awful. I finally found my husband and we got out but I will never forget.