Where were you on 9/11?

[jyyanks]

I was at work in NYC on 50th and 6th. My brother, father-in-law and brother-in-law all worked at the World Trade Center. I began frantically trying to call each one to see if they were ok. Thankfully, all of them were.

Turns out that my brother was late that morning so he was on the subway when i happened and his boss called him and told him not to come in. My brother in law evacuated the building, as did my father in law. They can tell horrible stories about what they saw that day downtown.

It was a scary time to live in NYC.

[mike]

I was testifing in court. As soon as I finished I, along with my team, was placed on alert......Never Forget.

[Sub Par]

I walked into the usual bar in Thailand we use to meet up at after a golf day. The tv's in there were usually tuned to MTV, but with the sound turned down because there's music in the bar. Just as I sat down the 2nd plane strike happened and I asked the bar owner why he had the tv's on a movie channel showing a film (with really good special effects I thought). Of course, this was no movie...

[Jack's Uncle]

Worst day of my life.

Was working in Brooklyn just across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. Got out of a meeting on the 16th floor and walked by an office where a group of people were staring out the windows. I thought I heard someone mention something about a small plane crashing into the river, but when I entered the room, I saw the first tower in flames. As we stood and wondered about what had happened, none of us could have possibly imagined what we would see next. Second plane. Out of nowhere. The biggest fireball I had ever seen in my life. I know it's impossible, but you could have practically felt how hot it was. We were all shocked. A couple of people screamed. I was working in a government building at the time and an announcement came over the PA system a few moments later that we were being evacuated. I remember running down the stairs. That was probably the scariest moment for me, because I was certain another plane was heading for us.

Got downstairs and there were hundreds if not thousands of people on the street. A bunch of us walked over to the rivers edge and watched as both towers continued to burn. I remember sitting on a bench with my head down when I heard a woman scream followed by a loud rumble. The first tower was collapsing. Not long after that, some of the debris made its way to our side of the river. Not like what most people saw on tv, but disturbing nonetheless. We didn't stick around to see the second tower fall.

Sorry for my long rant. I don't talk about that day very often.

[mcjp6]

Originally Posted by Lisa

I sat at home in front of the TV and hugged my baby and cried.

It was very late evening, early morning here in Sydney, I remember it very well. I could not bear to wake my wife and children to such a tragedy at 1.00am, I sat there watching tv for around six hours and cried also.

[Rockrolex]

Originally Posted by STEELINOX

I was walking into the Hyatt Regency La Jolla for breakfast before a conference I was attending...

I know that hotel well, Randy. Stayed there many times while representing Qualcomm. The Japengo there is a really fine Japanese restaurant.

[2th Dr]

I was in Houston and had the day off. I remember my GF at the time calling me and telling me to turn on the TV. I remember standing in my living room in shock, thinking "this can't be real". The first plane had already struck the first tower, and as I was watching, the second plane struck.

[garGARgar]

Senior year of high school in Queens, NY. It was a Tuesday. I just got out of my first period class and on my way to the cafeteria since I had a free period. My friend tells me a plane hit the one of the towers. We get to the cafeteria, and the TVs are showing footage and both have been hit. It was surreal. We all watched as one fell and the next one followed.

I look at the footage they show on TV around this time every year, and I just have this angry feeling.

I now work right across the street from where the two towers once stood. I stare out almost every week thinking about was once there and at what is now the rebuilding. It will be beautiful.

[rr-nyc]

I can't believe its been 10 years...

At the time, I was living in my on again,/off again apartment in the village gettting ready to leave for a meeting in Washington DC, of all places. I heard the first plane fly over my building (not knowing it was a plane at the time). My cousin from the Philippines was visiting and asked what that was and I told him it was probably a dumpster truck barreling down the road. Minutes later, the Today Show broke away to the news of a plane hitting the WTC. I went downstairs to look down the street to see everything else happen first hand. I live about a mile due north of the WTC. While it sounds far, a building that stood 107 floors, looks very close.

All afternoon and into the evening, people covered in ashes walked up Broadway with this empty look on their faces that I will never forget. After the building fell, I went to St. Vincents to donate blood as they were expecting thousands of victims that never came. That evening, I attended a candlelight vigil. By then, thousands of flyers were posted everywhere by people looking for their loved ones. Everything below 14th St was shut down to motor vehicles and Houston was shut down to everybody except those living below.

The smell of burning metal permeated the downtown air until Christmas that year. Luckily, I wasn't close enough to smell decaying bodies like many of my friends living closer had to endure.

[Nica64]

At work, one of my co workers tells me a plane hit one of the towers. We got to the break room, and almost every one was there watching the news.

Everybody was in silence and a lot of people crying, I still can believe that this happen.

[Mickey®]

At work...could not believe what I was seeing on the TV...

We've all seen the coverage but the first time I saw it "live" it felt very scary and I was very far away.
I can only imagine what the folks who saw it "in person" in NYC went through.

[CashGap]

I was driving to work. When I heard of the first plane, I imagined some dentist with his girlfriend in a little DA40. "Watch this sweetie, I'm going to fly between the towers... wooo...".

When I heard of the second plane (remember, this was radio), I detoured to the first store I saw (Walgreens) and bought the first TV I saw (9" B&W) then continued to work. Kicking myself that I only had two of the things we aren't allowed to discuss here with me.

It was a long day and night.

The next day, everyone understood that we had been attacked, and by who, and why, and that it would never stop until we won.

Within a month, some folks figured out that there was political advantage to be claimed by down-playing the incident, pretending that the causes were complex, and pretending that the attack was an aberration.

And we can't show the video of the jumpers, because people might get mad.

[Dr.Brian]

I was in a conference room at the Naval Medical Center San Diego waiting for an early morning meeting to start, tired from being up all night working. We always had the morning news on before the conference.
I'm sure our conversation was a little different than most. I was obvious that we would be, almost certainly, entering a war with someone shortly. Sadly it's still going on.
I'm glad to be out, and salute those still serving!

[Brunotheboxer]

I was at work and we had the radio on and the dj started joking about the first plane hitting. When the second Plane hit we turned on the television and knew there were problems.

I will never forget this Nor will I ever forget WHO did this. They are my enemies and I loath them.

[CoopJr]

Watching from a parking lot in Clifton, NJ. A co worker said that a plane hit the WTC and we ran upstairs and out into the brilliant sunshine and azure blue sky to see. I thought how in the world could a pilot not see that building? The thought of what was really happening didnt set in right away.
I ran back inside work to get online for news...the web was frozen. Before I got back upstairs...the second plane hit. It was then obvious what was happening.

I will never forget how black the smoke was, how it pumped out of those buildings in billowing plumes of heat or how it went south in a constant stream until it was out of sight. I was standing with co workers, it was silent...everyone had their hands over their mouths, a co workers son was in one of the towers and he was in tears...his son made it out. We stood there stunned, it was the first and only time in my life that I could not believe what I was seeing.

Even 20 plus miles away, you could hear the rumble when the first tower fell. From then on we couldnt see anything else because the smoke and dust obscured our vision.

We were told that we could leave work if we wanted to. I had a long drive home and knew that the highways would be shut down so I left. Heading west and north, I saw dozens of EMS vehicles speeding to the scene.

I lost a friend from high school who was a trader for Cantor-Fitzgerald. He was married for only 9 months. No way that I will ever forget that morning.

[CoopJr]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

..I will never forget this Nor will I ever forget WHO did this. They are my enemies and I loath them.

Amen brother!

[Welshwatchman]

I remember vividly being told of the events by a supplier who I'd rung for some reason or other.

She had passed on rumour as fact and told me that 120+ planes were on their way into other targets and that Russia had claimed responsibility.

I had to pop home to see for myself what was going on.

[Kringkily]

I was at home and my father came in saying I had to come to the TV right now. At first I was like uhhh huh? looked out of my room and saw a burning building. Thought my father was watching Die Hard so I tried to go back to bed. He came in and said that I needed to come right now. So as I put on a shirt and walked to the TV I realized it was CNN and we were under attack.

I went to school but everyone was ushered to the library, cafeteria, any place where a TV was to watch the horror. People were crying, calling loved ones in NY, it was crazy...

Now working down next to Wall Street and seeing the Chase 9/11 preparations and the new towers going up, it seems as if it was just another day in history...

[CashGap]

Originally Posted by Kringkily

Now working down next to Wall Street and seeing the Chase 9/11 preparations and the new towers going up, it seems as if it was just another day in history...

Slightly off-topic, but this gives us the lesson that EVERY day in history felt real to someone. I can't really grasp that. Someone experienced the battles of Bull Run, Nahal ha'Ela, etc. Hard to believe.

[Chipmunk]

Just got home from the night shift when my wife told me to turn on the TV........

[GerardoG]

I was finishing packing at my hotel in Cabo San Lucas, where I had been for 3 days for business. I called home right away to calm everyone, I had became a father 8 months before and they were nervous.

All Mexican airplanes that did Cabo left from LA (LA-Cabo-Guadalajara or LA-Cabo-Mexico City) so they were grounded. It took me 2 days to get home.

[Route 66]

I was home nursing the flu. I had poured myself a cup of coffee and turned on the Today show. A few minutes later they announced that a small plane had hit one the the World Trade Center towers and details would follow. At one point they were showing the tower that had been hit and as they were describing it, the second plane hit the second tower in background. Matt Lauer was as shocked as the rest of us when it happened. That's when we knew for sure that we were under attack.

I'll never forget the sinking feeling I had when those towers collapsed with all of those people trapped inside.

[BarkMaster]

These stories brought tears to my eyes. I guess I'll never get "past" that day. Thanks for sharing.

[gmh1013]

For a Biz meeting at Northwest Medical center and saw a bunch of Harrier jets from Yuma fly right next to I-10 as I headed south into Tucson and thought it was a bit odd....never seen that before.
When I got to the Hospital they had all the T.V's turned to CNN and what had happened.

[keschete]

I was on my way to work and they thought the first hit was an accident. We watched all day at work on the TV in the lobby.

[Kringkily]

Originally Posted by CashGap

Slightly off-topic, but this gives us the lesson that EVERY day in history felt real to someone. I can't really grasp that. Someone experienced the battles of Bull Run, Nahal ha'Ela, etc. Hard to believe.

True. I had dinner with one guy whose law firm was at World Trade One. He went to the gym across the street he said and was on the treadmill. A lady screamed and he went over to see two floors above his office was complete in flames. He said he waited inside as police and fire marshals had instructed people to remain calm and orderly to evacuate properly without creating chaos. Everyone except one of his whole company made it down the staircase and to the front entrance. What was the saddest part of his story was half of his floor was told to go down one street and the other half another. During the madness the first tower came down and complete smashed one street killing everyone below... Could you imagine knowing that if a police officer told you to choose a street to go down and it was a 50/50 chance at life....

[vmm]

I was in my third year of radiology residency and had just woken up. It was early here in California. My fiancee was asleep. I was listening to the radio in the shower and a cheesy morning zoo type radio show was on. They were very serious and had talked about how both towers had been hit and that the likelihood of a terrorist attack was high. I thought they were doing some kind of War of the Worlds spoof and was shocked when I turned on the TV.

I woke up my fiancee and asked if her brother (who worked at Goldman) could have possibly been there. He wasn't but watched both planes hit live a few blocks away. As I was getting ready to get to the hospital to my nuclear medicine rotation, the first tower came down and they kept replaying it over and over. I will never forget the audible gasp I let out when they very clearly went live and showed the other tower coming down. My fiancee wasn't sure what happened but I pointed out the differences in the two towers and we both teared up. I've always been a news junkie and had followed terrorism with some interest, especially after Oklahoma City, Khobar Towers and the USS Cole. As I went out the door, I told my wife that Osama Bin Laden was about to become a household name.

[drockadam]

I remember it very well, being 5 at the time. I remember walking home from the local corner store with my mom. And our neighbor was sitting out on the porch, with his radio on very loud. My mom said "What's going on?" Our neighbor said "Something has went very wrong in NYC". We went inside and turned on the TV. And bang, the 2nd Plane had crashed into the tour. That image has been framed into my mind. A commercial aircraft hitting a tower. I'll never forget it.

[kyle L]

I believe I was in pre-school, I was 6 at the time. I remember coming back home and seeing that same footage of the planes hitting the towers. I was in Queens though, I wish I had the chance to visit the twin towers.

[Timber Loftis]

I was in a Syracuse, NY, law firm. Those of us who didn't gravitate to the conference room to stare, dumbfounded, at the footage, were frantically calling friends and relatives. Everyone left early.