Where and What were you doing on 9/11?

[wrightme43]

I was driving to work when the first plane hit. At work watching live when the second one hit. All of us were still at work watching when the towers fell.
The next day our countrified redneck butts all stood under the flag pole and said

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."



Then we sang this song

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q65KZIqay4E]YouTube - God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood[/ame]

Sang the Star Spangled Banner, cried a bunch, then we prayed out loud to God and went back to work.








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[bushboarder]

I was getting ready to go to my kinesiology class in college. I turned on the tv while eating breakfast right after the first plane hit. I was in disbelief.
I sat alone in front of that tv for hours. Like Nelly said,I can't forget the images of people jumping from the tower to get away from the heat and smoke. A terrible day.

 

[StratLC]

I was in my living room in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. My wife had just left for work and I noticed Charlie Gibson talking about smoke coming out of a twin tower. I figured a small plane or helicopter accidentally ran into it, and while looking at the screen you see the second jet approaching and careening into the second tower. Then news broke that a plane hit the Pentagon. No, I'll never forget that day as long as I live.
StratLC

 

[DaveOTZ]

I was living on the upper east side of Manhattan and showering while my then GF was starting her day at work... I was laid off for two weeks at the time and listening to Howard Stern... He was talking to Pamela Anderson... They announced the plane crash and most of the crew repeated the news at the time that it was an accident, Howard said it sounded too odd to be an accident I started to get angry. I toweled off and started to get dressed tried calling my wife but the phones were dead... We just got this crappy AT&T phone, but it was the first to offer a txting package... The second plan hit and I started walking with a small radio in my hand (my wife worked in Astoria Queens) I wasn't scared but I was frustrated and angry I kept thinking about my family escaping persocution in eastern europe I felt ready to fight but against who? Walking past 62nd street I found a blood bank and figured that was the most productive thing I could do... I waited an hour and gave blood... Walked across the 59th St bridge with a multitude of other NYers... I remember looking up and thinking about what a beautiful day it was... Maybe if it were overcast, the ignorant hatred of a few would have missed their targets... I saw a box truck with men sitting in the back (they seemed to be middle eastern, but looking back I could've been imagining) taunting construction workers walking behind them. When the workers started to rush the truck they closed the door and didnt open it while it was in my sight... Walking somewhat aimlessly because my only sense of direction was following numbered streets I tried txting my wife and it worked but we just txted short messages that we were ok... At 31st and 36th I looked up and saw fighter planes right above me... I man wearing a kaftan and a beard walked up to me apologized and holding my arm asked me to take a cold water... I took it and told him that we were all attacked he said thank you... Walking... finally find the building near the con edison power plant... more fighter jets... I walked inside and her boss the owner of the company asked me how I got so dirty, I said the city was under attack and I walked over the trains aren't running and cabs cant cross the bridges... I found my wife and we took a train from queens to Long island where we stayed at my parents... we watched Joe Dirt and slept on an aerobed... the next day we stayed in my childhood room and watched the news... My wife was docked a days pay for 9/12... She quit her job... we watched the news... We went to the zoo and museums... 9/11 didn't change my life... 9/11 only assured my belief that there are really damaged people in this world that are so amazingly desperate that they are willing to kill others to achieve their ends... I already knew this... This frustrated me... Armchair superheros with WOW bumperstickers next to Kill Osama bumperstickers frustrate me... I guess 9/11 preceded by a ****ty recession that we never recovered from and worsened last year and the continuing refusal of people to rebuild for a better use of that land, rebuild our confidence rather than "not if, but when", rethink our violent and non-violent strategies, rethink wars on ideology... Too many Americans that day and too many people since...

 

[Botch]

Instead I'm going to mention what I did/heard this evening, the eighth anniversary:

I'm the Chief Engineer for the 309th Missile Maintenance Group at Hill AFB in Utah, and I just got back from the 309 Maintenance Wing Dining Out this evening. Our guest speaker was USAF Major General "M", and he was in the Pentagon that morning. I've heard two or three great speeches in my life, this was definitely one of them. 350 people in that room while he spoke, and you could've heard a pin drop while he gave his account. He was close enough to the strike point that he had trouble breathing during the evacuation.
An extremely sobering night, despite my trip to the grog bowl.

 

[CdnMedic]

I was working on the farm that day.
Of course, my normal pickup that has the radio was broke so I was in the junker without a radio.
On one of my loads in, my uncle came out and said a plane had hit a tower in NY. I thought it was just an accident. On my next load in he said a second plane had hit!
I was only 17 so I didn't know what to think, other than that the states were under attack. I fully expected them to also hit the CN tower that day as well.
We finished the work day, and instead of my normal nap after work, I stayed up to catch up on the news.
That's the first day I heard of Al queda, of Osama and started learning about the real world out there.
8 years later, here I am getting ready to go over and kick some ass in the next few months. I knew the middle east was going to boil over, I just didn't know when and I'm hoping I'm part of the solution.
One of my favourite songs is "the taliban song" by Tobey Keith. When I start to wonder why I'm headed over, I just listen to it and get pumped to send them home to Alla! Kind of weird for a medic to say that eh?!

 

[macem29]

at that time I was selling construction equipment for a CASE dealer and I was
on the phone with the manufacturer's finance branch in Wisconsin when the
2nd plane went in (I'm Canadian) I was put on hold for a long time and then
the gal on the other end came back and said she had to go, the office was
being evacuated because America was under a terrorist attack, and she hung
up....I was stunned and confused...happened to be driving by a large electronics
retailer and stopped in to watch the wall of TV's, then I understood what was
happening...emotions in this order: shock, sadness, anger...I'm now in
Afghanistan working pretty hard for not much much money but what I saw
that day made it a no-brainer when I was offered this civilian position to help
out as best I could to end the terrorist culture here, been here 6 months now,
6 more to go....and my rose colored glasses have been wiped clean, only
2 possible courses of action as I see it, stay for a long time and kill with impunity,
or get the heck out now and leave these savages to their own devices, there's a
third option, one involving a mushroom cloud that's also popular, can't see it tho

 

[bushboarder]

only 2 possible courses of action as I see it, stay for a long time and kill with impunity,
or get the heck out now and leave these savages to their own devices, there's a
third option, one involving a mushroom cloud that's also popular, can't see it tho

Staying for a long time will lead to more fatalities for us. Leaving them to their own devices will allow them to spread their disgusting idiology. The third option might take care of it, but it obviously can't be the solution. Tough choices. Stay safe over there.

 

[jerdman89]

7th grade science, got to class and the teacher already had the news on

 

[ReblTeen84]

Sitting in my Govt class, senior year. The principal announced the attacks over the PA. I was in my comp tech class when the towers fell, we all watched it on TV. I had family in the Pentagon at the time, thankfully all were ok. Also had family that are part of NYPD, all were ok as well, though finding out took awhile.

 

[Jez]

I'd just flown from Oslo to London that morning. I got on the train back home, got in about 1pm. I was having a sandwich and watching some lousy movie - can't remember what - when the camera suddenly cut to Jon Snow sitting in the Channel 4 newsroom. No intro, nothing. I remember stupidly looking at my watch since the news is normally at 7pm, then I heard him say "We are getting reports that a plane has crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York". Then they showed some footage of the impact. I called my parents in Norway and told them to put on the BBC News. I watched the whole thing unfold, transfixed by the images on the TV, and can remember that I just had this huge lump in my throat and felt like crying - thinking that the world would somehow never be the same again.

 

[dako81]

I was in 8th grade, sitting in my social studies class when the lunch lady came in and whispered something to our teacher.

He turned on the TV and we saw that the first tower was damaged. We watched for a couple of minutes and saw the second plane hit.

We all just sat there watching, not really knowing what to think. We saw the towers fall and then shortly after parents started picking up their kids. My mom picked me up from school and we watched the news the rest of the day.

My dad usually listened to the radio at work. He also has one of those daily calenders where each day is an individual page that you can remove. 5 years later when I landed at job at the same company I saw in his office the page for Sept. 11, 2001 with two times written on it posted up in his office as a constant reminder.

 

[macem29]

One of my favourite songs is "the taliban song" by Tobey Keith. When I start to wonder why I'm headed over, I just listen to it and get pumped to send them home to Alla! Kind of weird for a medic to say that eh?!

are you coming over with the RCR's on ROTO9? if so I'll buy you a Timmies
when you get here, I'll be leaving shortly after that, my civie contract is done
in April

 

[Anarchy]

I was in 11th grade in a History Class at the time. I don't remember how the TV got turned on, but to this day I still remember seeing the the 2nd plane hit in real time. I didn't know anyone directly affected by the attack, but my respect goes out to those that do.