9/11 in WDW

[browniebee]

I was in 8th grade on that day in history class when the principal came to tell all of the teachers. During our classes before lunch, most of the kids in our grade went home so we knew something was going on. We weren't allowed to find out, but during lunch the lunch mothers were watching on a portable tv so we only kind of knew what was happening. After recess, the principal had the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades go into the church because we were the ones who had seen the tv. She told us a lot of different things because she, like everyone else, was pretty much in shock. At first she told us that everybody was able to get out of the towers , that it was just a small plane, and basically told us a whole bunch of other lies too. Really she just didn't know how to handle the situation. When I got home I was really nervous because my dad was home and my sister works in the city. I found out that she was ok--she went to a friend's apartment. But everything that was on tv and the radio was about the terrorist attacks. It was so hard to get away from it, and when you're 13 you kinda don't wanna deal with that kind of stuff. I wanted to listen to z100 because that would make everything more normal, but instead it was all coverage of the attacks. I ended up watching in horror the constant replays of the plane crashing into the tower and the towers falling and just the total chaos that ensued. By that night I still could not understand the absolute horror so I watched the Disney Channel which I'm pretty sure was the only channel not covering it. I got no sleep that night because all you could hear outside were helicopters and military planes (I live kinda close to a military fort and about 1 - 1 1/2 hours from NYC). The next morning you could smell and see the smoke from my busstop, and it was just such a terrible experience for everyone. I can't imagine little kids experiencing it.

About traveling now: I do get kind of nervous right before I get on planes but since 9/11 we've actually traveled more and joined the DVC.

 

[Craig & Lisa]

My wife and I had a tough time, we live in NJ, within view of NYC, I was on my way to drop off my sons at school when I heard on the radio that a plane had hit one of the towers, then alittle later we had heard the whole story. My wife had called me, when she could get thru on the heavy used phonelines. She was upset of coarse and shaken and knew she could not be with me at the time. I found out later that she was as she was because from the school she taught at she could see the towers come down. For at least the next week we could never not be reminded of what had happened, the smoke from ground zero went right over where we live, always a dark cloud in the sky. I don't know how it was for people down there, but it was better than up here.

 

[durangojim]

My wife and I had just returned home to Metro Detroit on 9/10/01. We had just gotten engaged in WDW and I remember running through the Orlando airport with two huge shopping bags full of stuff, we had breezed through security and the gate agent had actually postponed the flight home by 5 minutes for me to get on (my fiance/wife had gotten to the gate before me). The next day we had arranged to meet with family to tell them the good news (about us being engaged) and we still went on with those plans. Aside from the horror about what had occured early in the day the other thing that kept going through my mind was that I had never seen the sky around Detroit void of airplanes and contrails. It was an extremely eerie feeling. When we went back to Disney on Christmas day and stayed through new years that year my how things had changed, MCO was filled with armed military and I have to admit that I said some prayers for the safety of all of us in the parks. God bless all of those that parished 5 years ago, we wil never forget.

 

[mmssbrg2]

Reading through these stories is giving me goosebumps. I was driving to work when I heard about the attack on the radio. When I got into the office, everyone was in the breakroom huddled around the TV in shock at what was going on. I was working for a wireless telephone provider doing collections at the time. Most of the company was sent home that day, but our job was determined essential and we were kept at the office. The directive that we were given was to turn on anyone's phone that had been disconnected for non-payment if they called in requesting it, no questions asked. I remember receiving a call from a woman who's husband was flying that day and she was terrified. She wasn't able to get ahold of him. I turned her phone on. It was an incredibly emotional day. My sister was working for a bank next to the Mall of America and was evacuated because they were concerned that they Mall would become a target. I wanted to be home with my family, but felt comfort in the fact that in some small way I was doing my part to help people who were hurting that day.

The world is a different place than it was before that day 5 years ago. I pray for those who lost their lives and loved ones that day as well as those who have laid down their lives in the years since to try to make the world a safer place where freedom can prevail.

The bible says there is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend, but to lay down one's life for a perfect stranger is no different. God bless all of those heros and those who are still hurting 5 years later.

 

[rcapolete]

I remeber that day. I had just gotten home from work cause i wor nights. My wife (then fianance) called me on the phone and told me a helicopter had hit the Towers. She called right back as i was turning on the tv and said that it was a plane. I remember watching the tv with the sound off and listening to Stern on the radio. I took a drive cause where i live in NJ on the top of some hills you could see the towers. I sat in my car on the side of the highway looking at the buildings on fire. It was beyond my comprehension how this happened. ABout a year ago i was in the city and went by the Tower site. It was surreal to look at the hole in the ground that use to house the Towers. To this day if i am driving on the Turnpike or other areas and look out where you use to beable to see the towers and they are ot there it is heart rentching.
A buddy of mine had been on the NYFD for about 9 months when the attack happened. He was one of the lucy ones and wa not hurt but he says that till the day he dies he would never forget the sight and sound and smell anf even feel of that day.

Lastly as i was leaving for work last night i saw the two beams of light. Each year it bring a chill when i see them. I found myself starring at them the whole way to work.

 

[xcrashx15]

Since everyone else is sharing their stories, here's mine: I was on my way to my 9 am Philosophy class and my best friend lived down the hall from me in the dorms. She always watched Good Morning America so when I walked by her door was open and she said "did you see what happened?" I said no and she told me. I said the same thing as many others; "what was wrong with the pilot? Did the steering malfunction?" Then as I was standing there watching her tv the second plane hit. Not knowing what to do, I went to Philosophy class anyway. Some people there hadn't even heard about it but it was a large lecture and I was in the back since I was late, so I could hear other people talking about it. The professor either didn't know or didn't acknowledge it and just continued with the lecture. No one was really paying attention and people were talking on their phones or just getting up and leaving.

Class let out a few minutes early and when I got back to the dorm, my friend told me about the Pentagon. We watched Flight 93 being tracked on her tv, which was really scary because it was flying over Western Pennsyvlania, where we were. There is a federal building downtown, and our University is home to the second tallest educational building in the world (only because a building in Japan has a taller antenna). The Universities here are known around the world for their medical and scientific research, including bioterrorism testing facilities where research is done on anthrax and other hazardous substances. Anyway, we thought the plane was heading here but shortly after that, it was broadcast that the plane crashed about an hour away. There was an announcement on the website that classes were cancelled, and the marching band director called to let us know that practice was cancelled (as was the game that weekend) because helicopters were landing on our practice field with Flight 93 victims that were being taken to the University hospitals. We walked up to the practice field but there weren't any helicopters there yet so we walked to the campus hospitals to see if we could help. The receptionist just looked kind of numb and wary of the chaos that was about to ensue, so she suggested that we go donate blood downtown. Since there was no transportation running, we walked six miles to downtown and back. It was really weird to see that the streets and buildings were all deserted, and there were no planes in the skies. When football resumed, we got this huge American flag that covered the entire football field, and Lee Greenwood sang the National Anthem and "God Bless the USA" while the student section chanted "F*** Bin Laden" in unison. Normally students would be removed for that sort of behavior but that day, security let it slide because I think it was pretty much what everyone was thinking anyway.

It's interesting to hear what different people were doing; yesterday our campus newspaper (yes, I'm still here for law school) ran an article about where people were and most of them were in middle school or high school then. Someone else mentioned watching the Disney Channel and I, too, remember watching it to get away... not on 9/11 but on the day the war was declared just because I was sick of hearing about it. The Disney Channel is totally my "comfort station!"

 

[ddrongowski]

Here is my 9/11 story

The Time: Close to Noon (est).

The place: Standing next to the dinosaur skeleton at Disney Animal Kingdom.

The Situation: Cast member walks up to me and says "Excuse me sir, there has been a situation and we are asking all the park guests to head to the front gate". I have to wait for my wife and son to return from the restrooms and as they approach me, the p.a. system comes to life, it makes the same basic anouncement. I think to myself, "lion get loose"? While doing the cattle walk with the crowd back to the main gate, I overhear someone say "the militia blew up some building". Thought to myself "Okay unless that building is in WDW or general area why would they ask us to leave the park". Finally we get to the car and turn on the radio, and hear the bad news. This was my first trip to WDW. WDW cast members were awesome, I heard later that resort guests got free meals, although we ate in Kissimee that night and missed out. I did get to see the entrances for the last time without the checkpoints, and do miss that uncluttered look, but they do a good quick job getting people though quickly.

This is my 9/11 story, I will always remember exactly where I was, when I found out.

 

[dliddi]

I was there that week with my fiancée (now wife), and were staying at the CBR. We would go to the food court and get breakfast and go watch the cartoons and head to a park, well that day there were more people around the TV, and we got there they had a picture of the hole in the first tower and asked the guy next to me what happened and he said that a plane had hit the Tower, I asked if it was on accident or purpose, and I couple seconds later I had my answer when the second plane hit.
It was surreal time being there your in the happiest place on earth and enjoying yourself despite what was going on, and feeling a bit guilty, but in some respects it helped, break up the horror of it all, when we got back to are room we would get the updates and it would hit home again. The parks were Quieter and when waiting in lines we would talk to other guests about what happed. WDW was great about the whole thing, all the phone call from that point on were not charged to us, and we had to stay an extra night because we could not get out and that was no charge also. We went to the American adventure a few days later; let me tell you there was not a dry eye coming out of the place.

 

[Timmay]

I was filling in on a midnight shift at the department I worked at, so I got home about 6:30 am and went to bed. My wife woke me up a little bit later and told me terrorists had flown planes into the World Trade Center. I had this vision of them using small private aircraft, and I thought back to when a medium sized B25 bomber had hit the Empire State Building in 1945…the damage it caused was minimal. I just figured this was the same type thing.

I went out to the living room with my wife and I just stopped the minute I saw the pictures on TV…this was not a couple of small planes. Things were bad. I was wide awake at this point. As a cop and paramedic, I knew what was going on in those buildings, and I knew some of the cops, firefighters and paramedics were not going to make it through this alive. I told my wife this and she just nodded.

I remember having two very distinct feelings…one was that I would have given anything to be there helping…and the other was that I was glad I was 2000 miles away with my family.

After the towers fell, I got dressed and headed out to work…I knew they would be asking for volunteers to go to NYC. My wife stopped me and asked me not to go. I stayed home.

I was working another midnight shift as the commander that very night and I had the strangest experience. There is this ridge south of the city that I would usually park my patrol car at to do paperwork. It had a great view of the city and DIA. I might spend a few minutes when I worked overnight to watch all of the planes in pattern waiting to land at DIA…I mean there would be dozens of them all through the night and early morning. I went up on the ridge that night and got out of my car and saw…nothing. The sky was empty. Except, every 10 minutes or so two F-16’s out of Buckley would pass overhead as they were doing their patrols over the city. It was the most surreal thing I have ever gone through, that moment in the early morning.