Where were you?

nebula · Sep 11, 2015

Hi Everyone

It is, unfortunately that time of year again. When we remember the fallen of September 11, 2001. Regardless of your political views, we can agree on one thing: It was an awful day in history. Many lives were lost. We remember the fallen.

If you want to share, where were you when you heard the news?

I was my Junior year of high school in English class. We were all called into the auditorium to watch the news and then sent home early. I knew it was no "accident". Anyway, my parents got mad-- because the school showed us the news.

always_remember_911_flag_MED.jpg

nebula
Sep 11, 2015

jenny82 · Sep 11, 2015

I was a sophomore in college and had classes that day at 9:30, 11, and 2. A lot of people skipped classes but I still went. My professor at 2 remarked how many people were missing class, and someone had to tell him after class what happened because he had just woken up at 1 and gone straight to class. There was a candlelight vigil on the campus at night.

artiemom · Sep 11, 2015

I was at work, in a major teaching hospital in Boston. We were having conference which started at 8 am. Suddenly the phone in the conference room rang. It was one of our doctors who was driving to a satellite office. My department head told me to immediately turn the TV on. We watched, all in aghast, at the site of the Trade Tower burning.

We had patients waiting for us in the waiting room who had no idea what was going on. We watched TV in horror. Several people in the department had family who worked in either that building or in the surrounding area.

None of us wanted to leave the conference room. We all looked at each other in fright.

But we had a responsibility to remain calm and be there for our patients.

I remember having to tell my first couple of patients of what had happened. I was silently praying.

We were constantly running between the workroom to listen to the radio, the conference room for TV and seeing patients.

Then the e-mails from Administration started. We were told to shelter in place, be cautious of suspicious individuals, and bags, make sure all the exits were locked from the inside. It was very frightening.

Security was everywhere...lockdown

I Distinctly remember one e-mail in particular which conveyed an alert from Boston Police and the FBI about the possibility of an ambulance being stolen. The theory was that someone hijacked the ambulance in order to place bombs in it, to bomb a hospital in Boston.

We were told to make sure of evacuation routes, just in case. Security searched every floor. So many streets surrounding and into Boston were shut down..and updates, accurate or inaccurate was eveywhere...

I think I got at least 50 messages that day....

Eveyone was put on High Alert

The rumors were rampant..

Cell phones were down. The first person I called was my dad who was home watching it.

Phone lines were jammed also for out side calls.

My dad saw live on tv the people jumping from the towers. He said he would never forget that sight.

All we wanted to do was go home to our loved ones. We did not know how to do that safely. streets closed...rumors of possible terrotist attacks on the buses on the train.

I remember we were finally allowed to go home.... the hospital said that if we could get home safely, without risking care to patients, we could do so...we were so scared.

I remember praying all day long, especially when each tower went down and the plane in Shanksville and the Pentagon

I live 10 miles northeast of Boston... not far from the airport. Logan, where the flights originated.

Under a flight path...

I took the train into work everyday. The train passes right by Logan Airport. In fact there is a train stop named Airport. I was scared going home on the train. It was so quiet and empty on the train..When we got closer to Logan, (we knew at that time where the flights originated); I know I was saying prayers for everyone. It was so unreal going past the airport, like a bad dream. Seeing the terminal, the runways, etc..

I could not get home fast enough.

The skies were earily quiet for days.

I remember calling churches around to see if they were having services that afternoon or night.

I remember going to church, praying.....

My dad understood.

I remember calling all my relatives to make sure they were safe.

One day I will never forget.....and the week which followed.

I had to go into work the next day.. so scared. I had to take the train again. Everyone was so suspicious of everyone. it was so quiet on the train...all the memorials.

The world certainly changed for us that day...never to be the same again. America lost it's innocence....

LTS3 · Sep 11, 2015

Junior year in college. I was waiting for a class to start and other people came in and were talking about a plane. I didn't pay much attention. Afterwards I was down the hall in the department's secretary's office for something and in the adjoining office the professor had the radio on and I heard about the planes crashing into the WTC. When I went back to my dorm later I pulled up the CNN web site and the local newspaper and could not believe something so horrible had happened.

@Artiemom

I wasn't in the area, fortunately. I was way out in western MA but the news that the planes originated from Logan was scary. My anxiety was super bad during the weeks afterwards.

kntrygrl256 · Sep 11, 2015

I was a stay at home mom. My daughters were 4 and 1. A friend had stayed with me because my husband (at the time) was a truck driver. We lived in the middle of nowhere Alabama and having two small children, I didn't like being by myself. I'm glad I wasn't that day.

My friend woke me up crying and when I got up to check on her all she could do was point at the TV and cry. I looked at the TV and giggled at her crying, thinking it was a movie she was watching. Then I realized that it wasn't a movie; that it was all happening right there in front of my eyes. My legs went out from under me as I watched it all playing over and over on TV. Once I was finally able to get to my feet, I got my girls out of bed and just held them crying. They didn't have a clue, but my oldest who was always very observant asked about the bad people who did that. What could I say to a 4 y/o to make her understand that these people took innocent lives just because they were angry and unhappy with their own. I just told her I loved her and would explain later... I'm not sure if I ever did.

My best friend kept calling me to check on me but I was so upset I couldn't even talk to him. I didn't leave the house or in front of the TV all day. My daughters seemed to know momma was sad and were better than they had ever been.

denice · Sep 11, 2015

I was at work. I was working as a contractor at a federal installation. Things there got crazy because business continued but security became tighter as the day went on. I worked in a computer center and some of the doors locked and stayed locked. Several people were trapped in a room for hours.

sivyaleah · Sep 11, 2015

I was in NYC. Mid-town, right by the Empire State Building.

I got a call from a co-worker's wife asking if I heard the news. It was just after the 1st plane hit. I thought she was joking.

As the morning wore on and a second plane hit it become extremely apparent what was happening. It was pretty terrifying being in the city on that day. We were seriously worried the Empire State Building would also be hit. But luckily I was not downtown and didn't know anyone who perished although a very close friend did literally run out of the neighborhood for her life.

At one point, we walked out to Fifth Avenue where you always had a clear view downtown to the WTC. All we saw was a large pile of what was left of the building and smoke spiraling out of it. This, mind you many many blocks away.

I couldn't get back to New Jersey. My then husband couldn't understand this. Luckily, same friend lived uptown and offered me her apartment for the night since her out-of-town boyfriend was visiting and had a hotel room. It was very strange being there; once I made my way the 30 or so blocks (and also, way west of my office) there was not many people on the streets. Everyone was hunkered down in their respective homes or had made a mad dash somehow out of the city into neighboring boroughs.

I actually went to work the next day. Didn't get much done to say the least, but was there.

I experienced a lot of what Artiesmom already wrote as far as the general mood, issues and such which we had to deal with. I was pretty traumatized commuting for at least a year.

I now work downtown. Was recently at the newly built WTC - gorgeous by the way. It still is emotional being in that area but, also inspiring.

I

NY.

nebula · Sep 11, 2015

Artiemom said:
I was at work, in a major teaching hospital in Boston. We were having conference which started at 8 am. Suddenly the phone in the conference room rang. It was one of our doctors who was driving to a satellite office. My department head told me to immediately turn the TV on. We watched, all in aghast, at the site of the Trade Tower burning.

We had patients waiting for us in the waiting room who had no idea what was going on. We watched TV in horror. Several people in the department had family who worked in either that building or in the surrounding area.

None of us wanted to leave the conference room. We all looked at each other in fright.

But we had a responsibility to remain calm and be there for our patients.

I remember having to tell my first couple of patients of what had happened. I was silently praying.

We were constantly running between the workroom to listen to the radio, the conference room for TV and seeing patients.

Then the e-mails from Administration started. We were told to shelter in place, be cautious of suspicious individuals, and bags, make sure all the exits were locked from the inside. It was very frightening.

Security was everywhere...lockdown

I Distinctly remember one e-mail in particular which conveyed an alert from Boston Police and the FBI about the possibility of an ambulance being stolen. The theory was that someone hijacked the ambulance in order to place bombs in it, to bomb a hospital in Boston.

We were told to make sure of evacuation routes, just in case. Security searched every floor. So many streets surrounding and into Boston were shut down..and updates, accurate or inaccurate was eveywhere...

I think I got at least 50 messages that day....

Eveyone was put on High Alert

The rumors were rampant..

Cell phones were down. The first person I called was my dad who was home watching it.

Phone lines were jammed also for out side calls.

My dad saw live on tv the people jumping from the towers. He said he would never forget that sight.

All we wanted to do was go home to our loved ones. We did not know how to do that safely. streets closed...rumors of possible terrotist attacks on the buses on the train.

I remember we were finally allowed to go home.... the hospital said that if we could get home safely, without risking care to patients, we could do so...we were so scared.

I remember praying all day long, especially when each tower went down and the plane in Shanksville and the Pentagon

I live 10 miles northeast of Boston... not far from the airport. Logan, where the flights originated.

Under a flight path...

I took the train into work everyday. The train passes right by Logan Airport. In fact there is a train stop named Airport. I was scared going home on the train. It was so quiet and empty on the train..When we got closer to Logan, (we knew at that time where the flights originated); I know I was saying prayers for everyone. It was so unreal going past the airport, like a bad dream. Seeing the terminal, the runways, etc..

I could not get home fast enough.

The skies were earily quiet for days.

I remember calling churches around to see if they were having services that afternoon or night.

I remember going to church, praying.....

My dad understood.

I remember calling all my relatives to make sure they were safe.

One day I will never forget.....and the week which followed.

I had to go into work the next day.. so scared. I had to take the train again. Everyone was so suspicious of everyone. it was so quiet on the train...all the memorials.

The world certainly changed for us that day...never to be the same again. America lost it's innocence....

What do you do for work?9 Are you a nurse or doctor or something?

LTS3 · Sep 11, 2015

I've always loved this picture:

kw1.jpg

LTS3
Sep 11, 2015

margecat · Sep 11, 2015

I was at work, at the library where I still work.

A little after 9:00 AM, a co-worker in my office told us that her son, who lived in NYC, said a plane hit the WTC. At that time, none of us thought about terrorism (it was the first plane). Later, we heard about the second plane, and realized that something fishy was going on--it was no accident. We then heard about the real story. I had several people in my office worrying about loved ones. My assistant's son was scheduled to be in the Pentagon that morning. Luckily, he had left a few minutes before that plane hit. My other friend's niece and her husband lived in NYC, and worked in the WTC. As we couldn't get phone reception, even for the land lines, they were, of course, frantic. Luckily, the niece's hubby was sick that day, and she was late getting to the city--and missed being in the Towers. It took her all day to walk home.

We couldn't get Internet, either, except for one lone pc that was in our office. That was the only source of news during the morning, and there were so many rumors. Patrons were asking for updates downstairs, so, every time I found out something, I would run down down to the reference desk, and relay the information. They closed the library at noon, and I went to a local mall to grab lunch. I have never, before or since, seen that place so desolate (they closed around 1 PM).

I had a few friends who, by coincidence, were supposed to be in the WTC or in a building beside them for work. One was a reenacting friend. Her car had broken down in Maryland over the weekend, and she was supposed to have given a talk in the WTC, but was on the subway out of the city to pick up her car, so she missed it all. My ex-boyfriend was to have been at work there, but was sent on training at the last minute in New Jersey. Another ex-boyfriend's uncle was in the Pentagon, and the plane hit part of his office, but he was uninjured.

I didn't know DH at the time, but he was a truck driver, and was in northern New Jersey. They wouldn't let him out, so he spent the night in a hotel. He was supposed to have met his Mom for dinner, as it's her birthday.

It's funny, but when I think of a boyfriend I had then (we had just started dating), I always associate him with 9/11. It's all people talked about for weeks afterward.

Another thing I remember: for a few weeks, you couldn't buy an American flag around here--they were sold out. I had to make a patchwork one! I still have it, too.

natalie_ca · Sep 11, 2015

I had just gotten home from working a night shift. As my usual habit, I sat down at my computer and turned on the TV. Less than a minute later I saw the second plane hit the other tower. I was horrified and stunned and shocked and sick to my stomach and it felt like my heart was going to explode from grief. I sat there for the rest of the day crying and feeling so utterly helpless. I'm a nurse and had the knowledge and ability to help, but I was thousands of miles away and all I could do was sit there helplessly watching. I'm crying just thinking about it

That tragedy didn't just affect those in the U.S. It affected the whole world. It wasn't just an attack on the U.S. It was a clear message to the world that no matter how good your security is, it can be breached and that every country is vulnerable.

Here is an image I did on the first anniversary. The dual flags are meant to show that Canada stands beside the U.S. in solidarity.

Tribute.jpg

natalie_ca
Sep 11, 2015

blueyedgirl5946 · Sep 11, 2015

I was at home. A friend called me and told me to turn on the television. I will never forget the pictures on television that day.

kitty kisser · Sep 11, 2015

I was on vacation in New Mexico at my Moms house. I lived in Oklahoma at the time and had an afternoon flight back there. For some reason before I left for the airport in Midland Texas I turned on the news and saw the plane hit the first tower. I was shocked and horrified I new it wasn't an accident. I called my boyfriend at the time and asked him if he was watched the news. He took off work to drive to NM to come get me ,he didn't want me flying home! He surprised me with diamond stud earrings when he came to pick me up. He's now my husband. It's a tragic memory that has brought us closer. I pray for the affected families every year at this time.

catlover73 · Sep 11, 2015

I was in Union Station in Downtown Chicago having a cup of coffee before a job interview. I saw it unfolding on tv and I called the place I was supposed to be interviewing at to see they were still open. At first they told me to come in but as I was walking down the street they called and asked if I would mind re-scheduling since they were ordered to close early because this is in the area of what used to be Sears Tower and at that time they were not sure if that building was still a target. I walked back to the train station and as I was walking my mom called because she was really scared because she new I was downtown near Sears Tower. I told her I was getting ready to go home but I had to wait a little bit until I could catch a train. I called my hubby to see if he was going to be staying at work. They had not decided to close his office yet but he called me back about 20 minutes later saying he was leaving now. The morning rush hour traffic through normally fast-paced union station just stopped and everyone was staring at the tv's in front of a bar that was open. While I was waiting on the train I saw people sharing their cell phone with complete strangers so people could call their families. I actually let people use my cell phone to call home. I sat around for a while watching tv in the bar waiting to hear announcements on what was going on with the train since everyone there was pretty much stuck in the gap between the end of rush hour service and the next train out. Suddenly they started making announcements for which train where leaving from which platforms. I headed down stairs and got on the first train out of the city I could get near. The train was jam packed to the point where no one was collecting fares. The trains where too long for some of the platforms so multiple stops were required so passengers in each car could get off the train. Hubby and I wound up on the same train and did not even know it because we could not get through due to the cell phone towers being overloaded. We got home about 15 minutes apart. I did have internet access but still could not really make calls so I e-mailed my parents to let them know we were both home.

My husband had friends that lived in Staten Island at the time and both worked in Manhattan. She was going into work late and wound up walking across a bridge into New Jersey. He was working from home that day. It took a few days for us to figure out his friends were ok.

happybird · Sep 12, 2015

I was a bartender at the time and worked late, so I was sleeping. My boyfriend came home from work to wake me up so we could figure out what to do. That was right about the time the first tower collapsed. We lived in the DC metro area, less than 10 minutes away from Mt. Weather (where my Dad worked), and there were fighter jets flying so low over the house, the windows were rattling. My dogs were freaking out. At that time, the local news was saying the FAA building in Leesburg had been hit and there were still at least two planes unaccounted for and probably headed to DC. I called my work to see if they could see smoke or anything coming from the direction of the FAA building, but they couldn't. It was only a rumor, but somehow it got on the local radio news. It was very hectic in that first hour after I woke up. I remember calling my Mom to ask what Dad said we should do because I was thinking about driving to Ohio for some reason. I guess I was panicking and thought Ohio was far enough away from everything to be safe. It seems crazy to say that now, but the fighter jets and helicopters kept flying over the house and it was very unnerving. We stayed home, glued to the TV.

The thing that sticks with me about the week following 9/11 was driving home from work in the wee hours and seeing no planes in the sky. It's one of those things you don't ever notice until it's gone. It doesn't seem like much, but it was so creepy and 'off' it literally made the hair on the back of my neck and arms stand on end when I saw it. Also, we could clearly watch part of the flight pattern of the patrol jets circling DC. They would pass over our area and in the distance, we could see them turning and coming back towards the city. It was such an odd thing to see and to know what they were doing and why.

munashi · Sep 12, 2015

I was 11. The 6th grade was just starting for me, and I was on a school trip to space camp in California (lived in Las Vegas at the time). I remember waking up, and hearing some of the 7th grade girls (also on the trip) talking about us possibly going home early "because of the terrorist attack". I assumed they were being ridiculous and ignored it. Shortly after, the teachers called everyone outside and said "We are sorry to report that there has been a terrorist attack," before going on to explain what happened. So somber and so weird, the whole thing was really surreal. We did not go home early - we stayed and completed the trip, which was probably a good thing. A lot of families wanted us back home - my dad later said he was ready to "drive out there and get me" himself - but I think they figured we'd be safer in a rural area than back home. At the time, there were concerns that Hoover Dam might be a follow-up target for an attack.

When I did get home, my parents had taped all of the news reports about the attacks, so I did eventually see the events a few days later. But I'll always remember that strange morning. A lot of the kids honestly thought the world was on the verge of ending. I was young, but old enough to appreciate how things changed after that day. It's tangible.

denice · Sep 12, 2015

happybird said:
I was a bartender at the time and worked late, so I was sleeping. My boyfriend came home from work to wake me up so we could figure out what to do. That was right about the time the first tower collapsed. We lived in the DC metro area, less than 10 minutes away from Mt. Weather (where my Dad worked), and there were fighter jets flying so low over the house, the windows were rattling. My dogs were freaking out. At that time, the local news was saying the FAA building in Leesburg had been hit and there were still at least two planes unaccounted for and probably headed to DC. I called my work to see if they could see smoke or anything coming from the direction of the FAA building, but they couldn't. It was only a rumor, but somehow it got on the local radio news. It was very hectic in that first hour after I woke up. I remember calling my Mom to ask what Dad said we should do because I was thinking about driving to Ohio for some reason. I guess I was panicking and thought Ohio was far enough away from everything to be safe. It seems crazy to say that now, but the fighter jets and helicopters kept flying over the house and it was very unnerving. We stayed home, glued to the TV.

The thing that sticks with me about the week following 9/11 was driving home from work in the wee hours and seeing no planes in the sky. It's one of those things you don't ever notice until it's gone. It doesn't seem like much, but it was so creepy and 'off' it literally made the hair on the back of my neck and arms stand on end when I saw it. Also, we could clearly watch part of the flight pattern of the patrol jets circling DC. They would pass over our area and in the distance, we could see them turning and coming back towards the city. It was such an odd thing to see and to know what they were doing and why.

This is off the subject but I see you are from Northern Virginia and you are taking about the D.C. area. I do ambulance billing for several fire departments in that area. Prince William County, Fairfax, Manassas, Fauquir County, Culpepper Hospital.

betsygee · Sep 12, 2015

happybird said:
The thing that sticks with me about the week following 9/11 was driving home from work in the wee hours and seeing no planes in the sky. It's one of those things you don't ever notice until it's gone. It doesn't seem like much, but it was so creepy and 'off' it literally made the hair on the back of my neck and arms stand on end when I saw it. Also, we could clearly watch part of the flight pattern of the patrol jets circling DC. They would pass over our area and in the distance, we could see them turning and coming back towards the city. It was such an odd thing to see and to know what they were doing and why.

We were scheduled to fly to Chicago from California a week after 9/11 to see my stepson graduate from Navy boot camp there. We debated about whether to go or not but decided to go for it. It was me, hubby, and two stepdaughters. We had almost the entire plane to ourselves--NOBODY wanted to fly then. We flew economy class, but each of us had a whole row of seats to ourselves since there were no other passengers back there. I have a photo of us landing at O'Hare airport--one of the busiest airports in the world--and the place was almost completely empty. The hotel in Chicago was practically empty as were the restaurants and streets. The whole thing was surreal.

cassiopea · Sep 12, 2015

I was 13 years old, having just left the Children's Hospital (IWCK in Nova Scotia) after my usual checkup. I had my fourth major surgery on my kidneys/ureters there a year prior. I was in the back seat of my parents car, listening to all that was happening as it was happening, live, on the radio. I clearly remember details of the first plane hitting the tower, then the shock of the second one, and all the reactions, speculations, interviews and updates in between.

Of course, it wasn't until we got home that we finally saw the full footage of everything.

It was a really surreal, solemn and stupefying experience. And eventually more sadness and shivers, over later information on the various horrifying ways people have died, in particular the desperate ones, if you comprehend my meaning.

happybird · Sep 12, 2015

Denice said:
This is off the subject but I see you are from Northern Virginia and you are taking about the D.C. area. I do ambulance billing for several fire departments in that area. Prince William County, Fairfax, Manassas, Fauquir County, Culpepper Hospital.

Yep, I was born in raised in Loudoun County, the next county west of Fairfax. We've been priced out of the area in the past 10 years, though. A one bedroom apartment there is now over $1000/month in rent. And it is such a shame- Loudoun used to be gorgeous country with farms and lots of open space, a place where everyone knew their neighbors. 'Don't Fairfax Loudoun' was a popular sentiment and a bumper sticker in the 80's and 90's, but it happened anyway. Now, Loudoun is packed with ugly McMansions and townhouses. It's sad to be unable to recognize the area you loved and where you spent your first 25 years. We've moved to West Virginia, but the development is starting up here, too.

Where were you?

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Artie, my Angel; a part of my heart

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Just what part of meow don't you understand.

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