9/11/01 Where were you?

[Blackride]

I was at work in my cube when I heard that a small 2-4 man plane hit a building in NYC. I tried to get on the internet and read the news but the web was so slammed I was not able to get to any US sites. I had to go to some UK sites to get the news. I also recall having to go to my car and listen to Peter Jennings because my employer would not let us watch the TVs....

I pray for this nation and those familes that lost loved ones that day. Here is hoping that we never forget what happend and never loose focus of what that attack meant.

Where were you?

[Bromptonboy]

I was at my office in Newark, NJ - we were able to see the towers burning.  I didn't actually witness the collapse, but ran back to the window right after it happened.

[sparrow]

i was asleep during the attack i wish hadend
 

[billybob476]

I was at work (the job I had whilst in university). We heard some offhand news about a plane hitting the first tower. We all figured it was a small single-engined plane that had gone astray. Then we got news the second tower was hit and more info started coming in. Work basically stopped as those of us with internet access checked around the much more slowly updating news sites of 2001. I had a few people in my office as I had a radio.

I remember one of my older coworkers trying in vain to get in touch with his son who was at Columbia university at the time. Eventually I had to go to class. I recall it was Intro to Discreet Mathematics. My friend and I tried to get any news updates we could over the awful and slow WAP browser on his phone. I also remember the professor saying something to the effect of "I know there's some very intense things going on but let's try and focus on what we have to do today." Of course few people did.

Finally I was able to get home and flip between CNN and CBC News. I finally saw the video, it was indeed something I won't forget.

My brother was also coincidentally up at the time from California. He had to come up to do interviews in relation to his then-impending US citizenship. He was supposed to be up for 2 days and ended up staying over a week as he struggled to find a flight out after all the airport closures.

[ori-STUDFARM]

I was working too. I was driving my machine listening to the radio (pre-podcasts) when a newsflash reported the first plane hit and remember thinking "ooh, thats a bad accident". Then, whilst they were talking about it on the news they reported that a second plane had just hit. There was a few seconds debate about whether they'd seen a replay of the first plane before it was confirmed to be a second plane. I got an instant chill down my spine as the realisation that these were deliberate sank in...

[Feathers]

I was at work (afternoon over here I think). I can't remember how the news came in but, of course, everyone hit the 'net trying to get pictures and news. I still have an image in my mind of where I was standing which is quite strange.

It distracted us for the rest of the day...

[moyer777]

Amy and I were asleep when the clock radio alarm went off and I heard the DJ say "It's a sad day in America, pray for New York"  So I quickly turned on the television.  We didn't have cable so all we got were two stations that were fuzzy.  We saw the picture of a tower burning, no sooner than that and a second plane hit.  We sat there with our stomachs in knots.  I eventually got dressed and went into to work where the staff was hudled around a television in the boss's office.  It was a very hard morning for all of us.  Later that day we cancenled all the church activities and had one big prayer meeting that night.  During the meeting several people felt like they should go to New York and help- and they did. 

It was a day that forever changed U.S.  At first many of us appreciated our families much more, money began to take a side and people got priorities straight.  It was about a year later that things kind of went back to same old, same old.  All except airport security and homeland security. 

Andrew and I have been watching many of the specials on the history chanell about all of this.  Eye opening and tragic.  May we never have to experience anything like that again.  I am thankful to God for our freedom and am praying for all those that lost loved ones during this tragedy.

[Rico]

I was actually home that day.  First info about the attack I heard and saw was online.  Of course, at first it was appearing to be just a terrible accident.  Then I turned on the TV and saw the second plane hit.  I really couldn't believe what I was seeing.  Thought it had to be some kind of weird special effect or stunt of some kind.  Of course in the hours and days that followed as the info came out a mix of emotions came over me and my family.  I still have a hard time understanding how anyone can do something so insane and horrible.  I will never forget and always keep those in mind that were both lost and knew others that were killed that day.

[davekill]

That morning started out like any other at my civilian job at the Air Force base, I was settling in at my workstation and some of the office folks where going across the hall for coffee at the chow hall where the morning news was on TV. As the reports came in, everyone gathered in the chow hall to watch the videos played back. There was a real sense of history being made at that moment.
At that turning point, the base went on high alert for months and many former officers came back to re-activate their careers.

[sheldor]

I was in a New Horizons class.   We started at 8 and had a break a little after 9.   They dismissed class at 12 and the rest of the day was surreal.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

As I mentioned in my blog, I was walking into the library of my Junior High School.  Class was basically over once the story really hit home. 

King

[Bryancd]

I was at my desk at the Paine Webber office at 1251 Ave. of the Americas and 51st St. Right across from Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center in mid town Manhattan. After the first plane hit, I walked out to Ave. of the Americas and could see the smoke coming from the tower. I went back in and got a call from my sales assistant who was stuck down at Battery Park in a but coming from Staten Island as lower Manhattan was being closed off for fire and rescue. I told her to not bother coming in and just go home. About 45min later the second plane hit and that's when people really started to panic. With the news about the crash in PA and the Pentagon, we all realized we were under attack. We were told if we left the building, we couldn't get back in as they were evacuating everywhere. Grand Central was shut down so I sat tight wondering if any building around me would be targets. By 1:00pm, outgoing train service had been restored and I walked out onto the street. There was a sea of people just walking north away from lower Manhattan in the middle of the street. I made my way over to Grand Central and caught one of the first Metro North train  out. The train was packed, standing room only, and very quiet. As we came above ground at 125th St. you could see the massive debris cloud from the tower collapse. It was a bad day.

[Lanari]

I was at work in a shop in the centre of a small seaside town. before we heard anything had happened (approx 1-2pm) myself and my workmates were commenting on how quite the town was, then we heard on the radio that an airplane had crashed into the trade centre. We saw no-one for the rest of the day, we had switched from UK BBC radio to an online US radio station that was giving us a more accurate account of what was happening.

[wraith1701]

I was at home. I worked late the night before, and woke up hearing the news in the background. At first, I thought it was a TV movie or something; I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that something like that had actually happened here.

[ElfManDan]

I remember my mother waking me up and telling me to come watch the TV. I was in 6th grade and instead of going to school that day my mother had me stay home to watch the news reports. I saw both towers fall live on TV and following that day I didn't see my dad for about a week after because he couldn't fly his plane home since all the planes in the country were grounded.