9/11 2001

[Drmojo]

where were y'all when you heard the news?
Me: Cleveland Clinic in rounds that morning. Patients told us to watch TV in the day room. Airport closed as reports of plane # 3 was heading west.
Scary time
Went home and hugged my girls.

[jumphigher]

My wife and I were in Cancun for my Birthday. We ended up stuck there 3 additional days because of course the planes were grounded.

This event had a profound impact on me - still does. And although I dont think about it all the time, I'm still extremely angry at the scumbags who killed all those innocent people, and our govt asleep at the wheel which let it happen.

[fiamme red]

I was too close at the time to see the events in perspective. I was shopping at the farmer's market on Liberty St, 1/2 block away from the Twin Towers, about to make my purchase and go down to the PATH train to get to work in Jersey City. I had no idea what happened, and only left after the second plane hit.

[Nooch]

Senior in high school about 45 miles away from the city.

In between classes someone mentioned a plane hit the tower -- I shrugged it off figuring it was a Cessna or something. Ducked into the A/V room and saw the extent.

None of my classes put the tv on that day, and i don't remember talking much about what was happening.

[phcollard]

I was working for a newspaper at that time.

I remember my project manager urging me to go the news room. When I passed the door the TV sets were all showing the first tower burning. The room was packed. Almost every employee was there. But the room was totally silent.

[Steve in SLO]

In my call room at the hospital at 6:30ish watching news so I could stay awake as I was finishing a call shift. I remember it quite clearly, and I remember thinking "Oh ***** and Oh my God."
A few hours later my wife found out her favorite cousin was in the plane that hit the second tower. It was a bad day.

[GregL]

I was working on a project at the Frankfurt, Germany airport. First heard about it from my German colleagues who were listening to the radio in our car as we drove from one worksite to another. After the second tower was hit, we drove to the airport computer center. Like so many people worldwide, we watched the towers fall on CNN. It was devastating, all the more so because my wife and two year-old daughter were thousands of miles away. The only peace I felt was knowing that my family was safe in our home, with my mother and father-in-law there to take care of them if I couldn't get home for a long time. My wife was so supportive. I told her I didn't know when I would come home, but I would somehow make it home in one (living) piece.

My German colleagues were incredibly kind and considerate. They asked me and my American co-worker if we felt able to continue working (we were planning to be there for two weeks). By the next morning, we felt sufficiently recovered to go back to work. It was eerie seeing all the planes from the US airlines parked together on a remote ramp for the next several days, surrounded by German police and military units with armored vehicles.

When it was time to return to the US two weeks later, outbound security had been doubled. It was sobering to go through two security checks, surrounded by police in full riot gear, carrying military rifles. An older German gentleman next to me in line observed the security proceedings and remarked "The gangsters have already won." Once on the plane, I had an entire 30 seat business class section all to myself. I bet there weren't 50 people on the entire plane! I had my own personal flight attendant. After a while, I told her she really didn't have to check up on me regularly, I would just ask if I needed anything. When I finally arrived home, it was wrapped in a bear hug by my little girl. She knew that bad things had happened because of airplanes while daddy was away and was very glad to have me get off one. Then and there I decided that my business traveling days were going to be much reduced!

Greg

[dougefresh]

sophomore in college. my first class of the day was late, like 10 or 11 am. typical late rise to the day. i went outside and there were some guys doing roofing work on the place i was renting at the time. they asked me if i saw the news; i replied "no". they told me to go in and turn on the tv, didn't matter what channel.

spent the rest of the day glued to the tv as most professors did the same.

[SleepyCyclist]

If ever a good example of flashbulb memory.

Residency in LA.

Running around for morning rounds when noticed nearly everyone standing around TVs throughout the hospital. Odd. Stopped to see what was up. Just stood there ... shocked. Unbelievable.

Still seems unbelievable today. Horrific.

Prayers for everyone.

[brownhound]

Midtown Manhattan.

I couldn't go home to Brooklyn because the subways were shut down. Later I found out they didn't know if the subways would flood drowning everyone on account of the WTC path station being demolished. But they didn't want to instill mass panic, so let them go.

I sat in my office, watching people stream uptown all day covered in cement dust, and a few with blood. At about 4 pm., I walked to try and give blood without luck. At about 5 or 6, I finally found a running train. When the train emerged from a tunnel and rose on a trestle, I turned to look at Lower Manhattan. I guy said to me "don't look, they just ****ing took it all, don't look." Many people around me wouldn't look. Some cried.

That night people wandered the sidewalks of the neighborhood (Park Slope), not wanting to be alone, putting out flowers, candles and signs. It's the only time I've seen people pound on closed church doors, trying to get in. There was an overpowering odor of burnt plastic everywhere, and the cloud of cement dust started to settle on Brooklyn. Didn't sleep that night, but listed to the radio news.

The truly frightening thing about 9/11 is that we didn't how it was going to turn out. We didn't know if it was the first of 100 planes being flown into buildings. We didn't know if it was Pearl Harbor.

[parris]

I was working transport and we had just brought a group of inmates into local court. We finished our business and got ordered back to the facility along with all other transport teams. We watched the towers come down from intake.

[54ny77]

was in midtown, and i was supposed to be in tower 2 that morning, but was running late. still don't have the muster to go see the 9/11 memorial in detail. have only walked past it, quickly, on the sidewalk. will get there when i'm good & ready. that's trivial in light of what others suffered through or continue to suffer through today. so much loss and pain. terrible. may the many souls rest in peace.

[William]

I was in my room at the Hilton in Minneapolis getting ready to go to a training seminar. Turned on the news while I was getting ready and heard about the first plane and the news casters talking about an "accident/crash" into the tower. Then watched live as so many others did when the second plane came into view and struck the second tower...as my heart sunk I also realized then exactly what was happening. I didn't go to the seminar and I just stayed in my room, called my wife, and watched everything unfold. Then I spent the next three days trying to get home to my family in Portland. After many on and then cancelled flights I finally was able to get a rental car and drove across half the country to get home.





William

[Libraio]

End of a workday in a garage I worked at the time in Rotterdam (Netherlands), we heard an absurd news item. Work seized, we listened to the radio for more info and went home early. When I came home my parents who don't watch telly or listen to the radio were oblivious to the tragedy on the other side of the world. Television was on the rest of the day.
My wife and I went to NY a couple of years ago and visited the memorial site. Both of us were very impressed. Still unbelievable sixteen years later.

[ftf]

Originally Posted by Nooch

Senior in high school about 45 miles away from the city.

In between classes someone mentioned a plane hit the tower -- I shrugged it off figuring it was a Cessna or something. Ducked into the A/V room and saw the extent.

None of my classes put the tv on that day, and i don't remember talking much about what was happening.

Huh this is very interesting.

I too was in highschool, also a senior at the time, and we watched it on TV, eventually we went home. However I will never forget when our teacher asked us how many of us were going to sign up for the military in response, and other rhetoric along those lines, I'm sure you can guess.