remembering 9/11, where were you?

i'll never forget this day. i drove into chaco canyon, only to find a note on the locked door to the visitor center.
'park is temporarily closed due to national emergency.'
i drove all the way back out, still not sure what this was all about. walked into a little grocery store in a small town on the navajo reservation, forget name of town.
i was walking around shopping when i suddenly tuned into a radio report coming from the speaker in the ceiling. it was something about a terrorist attack in new york at the world trade center. there was this little old navajo woman standing next to me, completely motionless, listening with tears running down her face. i looked at her and asked, 'is this for real". she looks back and say, 'yes, son, it is real, a plane has hit the world trade center.'
right then my cell phone rings, my friend is calling from nyc, absolutely hysterical, her daughter was working on the 70 something floor of the tower that was just hit.
i tried calming her down, but wasn't much good.
i then drove into farmington and rented a motel room, spent the next couple of days glued to the tv.
by the way, my friends daughter is alive, she played hooky from work that day and was walking along a beach in new jersey, told no one. she walks in the door later that day to a completely hysterical mother.

I was across the river stuck in all the traffic that saved so many lives that day. I watched the second plane hit Tower 2. Watched the entire episode as it happened! Not one of my best memories!

Zindo

I had just gotten up and turned on the tv to see a building on fire. Thought it was a movie. Once I realized what was happening, I freaked out. Couldn't believe this was happening.

If there was ever a time I had wished that I never had left the military, it was around this time.

Well seeing as how i am still quite young compared to the rest of my life i came home from elementary school and was watching it replayed over and over on CNN i think.

I was woke up by the phone of a friend telling me to turn on the TV, which I did then watched it for the tragic hours afterward.

[edit on 6-8-2009 by N3krostatic]

reply to post by rubbertramp


I was at a project site on the NJ/PA border. We had a televsion in the trailer, we could get picture but no sound. Everybody saw the building burning and immeadiately knew it was going to come down any minute.

Unfortunately we were right, twice.

I was in my office and heard a radio report that a "small" plane had hit the WTC. I went to the other end of the building to get a signature and one of the ladies in the office yelled get in the conference room. We went in just as 2cd plane hit. Needless to we all sat and watched tv all day.

I live in Virgina and see fighters training all the time, but 2 days after the attack I saw a flight of 4 fighters rip over headed to fly CAP over D.C. fully armed. It was the first time I'd ever seen fully locked and loaded fighters in person. At least in southwest Virginia.

I was in Virginia working as an extra in a Hollywood movie (don't ask- it was an exceptionally stinky movie). I was waiting off camera for the scene I was goign to be a part of when one of the movie coordinators walked by and told us that terrorists attacked the WTC towers and they were completely destroyed. At the time I thought, "Yeah, right, and UFOs are landing in my back yard, too", and didn't think much of it.

A few minutes later, the filming came to a complete halt and they brought everyone to the center of the set and announced that a terrorist attack just occurred and they would reconvene later after they decided whether or not they would continue filming. When I saw the Hollywood actors standing there thoroughly stunned, and all the crew members who were in the National Guard were scrambling to join their units, that's when I knew it was for real. We all then ajourned and went to the caterer's tent and watched the news for more information. They had a moratorium on showing the footage for a long time so I never did see the actual footage of the planes hitting the towers until like two years later.

Later that night, as we sat around a bonfire, the attack was all we could talk about. There was one guy from the deep south that swore he was going to get his 9mm and shoot the first Arab he saw. We spent the rest of the evening trying to talk him out of it. I'm hoping he didn't do it. In the meantime, we were fairly close to a military air base (not sure which one) so all night I saw military transport planes flying directly overhead as they poured out of it.

Good God, that day brought out the absolute worst in people.

Saw the large hole and black smoke from tower one on CBS.
The other broadcast channels were out.
Then a fire ball came out of tower two.

One interview I never saw again on all the post 9/11/01 videos
was one about the plane missing the empire state building.
Never saw that one again.

Saw it on TV in the morning. I assume the feed was "live" ha! ha! Was completely shocked when the first tower collapsed, since there was no visible sign of flames coming from it when it collapsed, only smoke. Of course, this isn't to say that modern skyscrapers are designed to collapse at a near free fall rate 45-60 mins after they catch fire.

And of course, these were two modern skyscrapers which were designed to withstand a collision with a large 707 jet. And they were also designed to withstand high winds, just like bridges are designed to withstand such natural forces by swaying back and forth.

By the way, I'd like to have my future told by anyone who expected those buildings to collapse so quickly after catching fire. Especially since large flames were no longer visible.

I was in my second semester of college at home before an afternoon of class. My girlfriend at the time called me to tell me to turn on the news. I didn't go to class that afternoon.

At that moment in time I could've never foreseen the controversy that would arise over what really happened.

I was twelve then ... came from school at 13 o´clock pm (7 in the US). I was sitting in the front of the PC in the living room at around 3 pm local time, when mum came from kitchen radio and was talking about an airplane that crashed and a terrorist attack . We turned on the TV and tuned onto one of the two national chanels that are in our country.
And for the first and not last time I saw the first tower in smoke and 5 minutes later I saw how the second plane hit . Rest is history.
On that faithful day and moment the course of our history and lives of bilions were changed irrevesibily, more than we can imagne. And it was changed for the worse I think .

[edit on 29/03/09 by Durabys]

I was about eleven when it happened. My dad woke me up and pointed me toward the news.

Shortly after went to school and continued my day; I didn't really understand the gravity of the situation back then though.

I was working in office building across the highway (US Rt1) from Bayway
oil/chemical complex in Linden NJ. Me and my partner were in our room
in basement when our boss came in about 9:10 and told us 2 planes
had hit WTC and buildings were on fire. Thinking it was some kind of
joke we told him it that it was sick. No he said it was true - they had
watched the second plane fly into South tower from upper floor.

Went upstairs to top floor (5th) and watched as towers burned for next
45 minutes until 1st one collapsed and could not see because of smoke/dust.

Let us out at lunch time Had blocked all access roads, except one to
refinery complex with huge concrete blocks - heavily armed police and
correction officers from Eastern State facility (Rahway) were patroling enterance

Went home to my firehouse and listened to radio traffic from scene on
scanner - our chief had checked in with Passaic County NJ fire coordinator
and put us on standby in case needed. We were also covering for
neighboring city which had sent entire day shift to WTC site for fire
fighting/rescue.

I was 13 at the time. I woke up took a shower ate breakfast then i turned on the TV to my local news channel like i always did and saw WTC buildings on fire. I was like O my God that's Horrible i stayed glued to the TV then a few hours later they came crumbling down i was shocked...

I was in my studio, making beautiful objects for beautiful people.
It's all different now.

I no longer have a studio, or make anything.

It's a brave new world.

reply to post by whaaa


interesting comment, i used to survive and do quite well on my silver and goldsmithing along with various other artistic abilities, it's all pretty much over now. i still enjoy the work, but can't get enough out of it to survive on. i also blame the lousy economy.

I was in Louisiana. I watched it on TV. I remember them saying all day that we were in Afghanistan but that it had nothing to do with 911. I was wondering to myself at that point, "IF it has nothing to do with the the events then why are you talking about it news media?"

Turn off your propaganda box.

I was in Northern Cyprus at the time (I'm actually English).

I'd been out all day diving, getting my PADI Cert. We returned to the Beach Bar for a few Effes beers. There was a little portable telly on the Bar counter.

I was totally confused to start with, convinced I was watching a Hollywood Disaster Movie. Then the dreadful reality struck.

I spent the next 48hrs glued to the Radio (BBC World Service). I'd never really appreciated them till that point, but they became essential to me, sat in a jeep the middle of no-where, hunched over the radio. Constantly having to fiddle with the tuner as the signal drifted in and out.

The very surreal thing was the Islamic/Middle Eastern music that occasionally blotted out the signal. It sent shivers down my spine.

Very, very moving and evocative. The day the World changed forever IMHO.

I was at work in a high rise. One of my co-workers was late getting in and when she did she said a plane had hit the world trade center in NY. I didn't believe her at first, thought it was a sick joke. But then we went to the conference room to see the second plane hit.

At about 11:00 AM, the city shut down.

I remember feeling dazed, walking to my parking garage along with most of the city's workers. Traffic was backed up like I had never seen. But the most amazing thing happened. People were being polite and courteous to each other, they were all being kind and considerate of everyone else. I will never forget that.

Edit to clarify my statement above. I lived in Ohio Titorite not NY.

[edit on 7-8-2009 by Hazelnut]