Where were you when you heard about the 9-11 attacks?

[Wckd Queen]

'Olive greeK'??? What color is that?? I am afraid I don´t know it...
Association of ideas or what, Lisa? :lol:

Omg, Maria! Freudian slip, I'm afraid! They were Olive GREEN!

 

[Maria]

LOL!! I knew it... I just couldn´t resist...

 

[DisneyPhD]

I heard about it on my drive into work, thinking it was a small plane. As I walked into the building the T.V in the waiting room was on and the 2nd plane hit I knew it was terroists. We wachted it on T.V. for a while, then I had a patient (I was a thearpsit at an out patient mental health clinic at the time) who had many needs and was really self obsorsed. I dealt with her for a 45 min appt and when I came out of my office it felt like all h e l l had borken losse. The towers had fallen. I don't know why that hadn't occured to me that it might happen. We took the T.V. out of the waiting room. No need to upset psychiartic patients. Over the next few weeks I found it iteresting that the patients who knew what was happening and were empathic were the most healthy. The really distrubed ones just stayed in their own little world and didn't really care about the world outside of them.

I knew my brother worked for the World Heath Organziation and sometimes worked out of the world trade center. I wasn't sure if he was there or not. Hubby emailed him and he did email us back that he was home safe. The building he worked at was not one of the twin towers.


That evening we spent it at my neighbors house. Her hubby was in New York fliming a comerical. They were safe, but the stories he had to tell about getting out of the city that night. I was amazed how clam she was (seeing as she had a 1 year old and was currenlty pregnant.) It was a week before he could make it home again.

 

[MouseMadness]

I was out running errands, and my mother in law called me and told me. I think I was the last person in the country that it sank into that this was an attack. When it finally occurred to me that out running around probably wasn't the best place for me, I drove home and glued myself to the t.v. like everybody else. I remember the two oldest were at school, the third was a toddler home with me, and I was pregnant with #4. I got online and was watching things there, just so numb, so hormonal, so wanting my older girls and Andy home with me where I could see they were okay and safe. I was pretty calm, all things considered, until I saw Lauren under the kitchen table busily stepping on ants that had gotten into the apartment. I totally lost it then, bawled like a baby. I guess the innocence of her while such evil things were happening was too much. Still kinda gets me.

 

[tigger248]

It just so happened that I was sick on that day and could not go to work, but I turned on the tv and could not beleive what was happening, at first I thought I was watching a movie or something, when it sunk in that it really did happen I went on the forums.

That's what my dad thought! He was in Alaska (where he used to work) and was supposed to be preparing to board a plane home when he turned on the tv. He too saw the second tower get hit.

I was at Eastern Kentucky University in zoology lab when I first heard. We were getting ready to take a quiz. My professor started by asking if anyone knew what was happening in the world that day. He proceeded to tell us about the planes hitting the WTC. Then he made us take the quiz anyways. He periodically left the room and would return with updates. No one could really concentrate. I ended up getting a 4 out of 20 because I just couldn't concentrate. Thank goodness he dropped the lowest score! I left class afterwards (he dismissed us early) and it was so beautiful outside that I had a hard time believing what was happening. Campus was deserted and that in itself felt really weird. Everyone wanted to stay by the tvs. I wanted to think I had been misinformed, that everything was okay. Then, back in the dorm, I turned on the tv, hugged tigger, and stared in disbelief. I called my mom at work and wanted so badly to go home. She said it would be better to stay. I finally got to talk to my dad that night. I was really worried about him cause all I could think about was him and how he was supposed to be flying that day. That weekend I finally went home and it was really weird at work that weekend with no planes (Six Flags is right across the street from the airport). Dad finally got to come home I think on Saturday. I remember hugging him and crying for a long time. I just thought about all the what ifs, like what if a plane he was on would have been hijacked? I had a friend at EKU who was from NYC and his dad frequently worked in the WTC. That day his dad happened to be on business out of town. They talked about evacuating Richmond, KY that day because of the Bluegrass Army Depot which stores lots of chemical weapons. But I probably wouldn't have been much safer at home because of Fort Knox being like 10-20 miles from my house (we frequently hear their training guns from hear).

It was an experience that I'll definitely never forget.

 

[Lil'mermaid]

I was in 8th grade English. It was maybe 11ish, none of the teachers had told us what had happened. My English teacher said that they wanted to wait to tell us, but at that point more than half of the school had been picked up. I remember this one girl crying because her dad is a firefighter down the city. Later they sent all of us to homeroom to make sure that everyone had someone at home to let us in and that no one had family in the city. We had a tv and turned it on. That kinda when it sunk in and I just started to cry.

 

[Dizknee_Phreek]

I was a junior in high school at the time. I went into school and joined my usual group of friends and one of them told me a plane hit the WTC. I kept imagining a small home-made plane or something hitting the tower...there was just no way anything bigger than that would fly that close to the towers. By the time I got up to my chemistry class, the teacher had the tv on and I think the 2nd tower had been hit. Of course, like everyone else, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Once the last bell had rung, everyone was in their seats watching the news. I turned for some reason, and when I turned back toward the tv, all I could see was one tower. I asked my friend who was sitting beside me what happened to the one tower and he said "oh, it's just blocked by all the smoke"...I wish he had been right. I knew what had happened before I asked him, but I had to have someone else confirm it...when I saw the 2nd tower fall, that was all the confirmation I needed. More than I needed. I saw what happened, but I couldn't believe it, I didn't want to believe it. After that, no one was in the mood to be at school. All we did all day was watch tv...it was all we could do. For the next week or two, all I watched at home was news coverage, but it got to the point of where it was just too depressing and I couldn't take it anymore, so I stopped watching.

 

[Number_6]

I actually had not turned on the television or the radio that morning, so it was around 10:30AM or so that I heard that anything was wrong. I didn't start work until 3PM, so I went to run an errand with my son and turned the radio on. The DJ said they would be coming back at the top of the hour for more information on "today's terrorist attacks." So then my first thought was Israel, with all of their problems, but that it would have to have been something really big if it made major news here. So I found one of our newsradio stations and they had CBS news on talking about the planes crashing into the towers and then I heard the report come in from the AP that "the World Trade Center is no more." I ran straight back home and told my wife as I turned on the television and saw the recording of the plane hitting the second tower and watched up until I had to leave for work.

 

[rainfully]

I was sleeping and my mom woke me up... she said she had heard something on the radio and we should watch it on tv. At that point it was just the one plane, so we thought it was an accident. Then the second one hit and I almost threw up... terrible shock. It was just a scary day.

 

[Wckd Queen]

...it was so beautiful outside that I had a hard time believing what was happening.

Here in NY, it was such a gorgeous day out that it was almost surreal. I can't describe the intensity of the sunlight that morning or how vivid the blue of the sky and the green of the grass were.

When my friend in Maryland and I finally were able to reach each other to confirm we were all ok (her husband worked at Ft Meade in Maryland and would also have to go to government buildings on occasion) she started to cry and she said "I can't believe this is happening! On the most beautiful day of the year!"

 

[tigsmom]

I was in 8th grade English. It was maybe 11ish, none of the teachers had told us what had happened. My English teacher said that they wanted to wait to tell us, but at that point more than half of the school had been picked up. I remember this one girl crying because her dad is a firefighter down the city. Later they sent all of us to homeroom to make sure that everyone had someone at home to let us in and that no one had family in the city. We had a tv and turned it on. That kinda when it sunk in and I just started to cry.

Since we live in a commuter town having someone at home was very important. The problem was that alot of kids didn't have anyone to come home to, nor would they....it was very sad when they found all the cars in the commuter lots....people who would never come home again.

 

[Lil'mermaid]

Since we live in a commuter town having someone at home was very important. The problem was that alot of kids didn't have anyone to come home to, nor would they....it was very sad when they found all the cars in the commuter lots....people who would never come home again.

One of the guys in my homeroom knew no one was home. His mom works in the city part time and his father had just retired from the NYPD and he had a feeling they had called him to come back.

 

[artvandelay]

I was in 8th grade English. It was maybe 11ish, none of the teachers had told us what had happened. My English teacher said that they wanted to wait to tell us, but at that point more than half of the school had been picked up. I remember this one girl crying because her dad is a firefighter down the city. Later they sent all of us to homeroom to make sure that everyone had someone at home to let us in and that no one had family in the city. We had a tv and turned it on. That kinda when it sunk in and I just started to cry.

Your school handled it better than my niece's school. The school administrator anounced on the PA system, "Anyone with family members that work in the World Trade Center, please report to the Chapel." Kids started freaking out. My niece was lucky, her Mom (my sister) made it out OK. The school didn't handle it tactfuly, but how do you prepare to tell kids this?

This year's anniversary hit me harder than previous years. I don't know why.

 

[DMC-12]

I was heading into work... that morning.

Listening to the Newsradio station I worked freelance for at the time... I was based out of a building near the Sears tower. I heard the anchors break with the story on the air..... Then I called the editors desk in a panic... Asked for my news director... I asked what the hell was going on... and if he needed me to cover this somehow.

By the time I had gotten downtown.. most of the Skyscrapers in Chicago had been evacuated and locked down... I could not even get in the building to get on the editors desk. So.. I called our Detroit affiliate... and told them they would have to take over the Chicago operations remotely, ASAP... as I was locked out of the building.

When I was walking back to my car in the parking lot... to drive back home, downtown Chicago was a ghost town... no cars.. no cabs... no planes or choppers overhead.... no people... no hustle and bustle… everyone had evacuated the city... it was one of the most eerie things I have ever felt/saw in my life.

 

[FigmentJedi]

I was in my 6th grade Language Arts class when I heard.

 

[CubbieMan]

I was visiting my Parents at the time...My Dad Bang on my door at 8:00 AM..yelled...WAKE UP!!!!!>>>WE"RE BEING ATTACKED...At first I was like whoa..personnally...Then I came downstairs to see what had happened..it did not ease my mind any more so.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I was working in an iindustrial complex, for a litigation support company less than 100 yards from Runway 19-Left of Washington Dulles Intl Airport. The hijack flight took off over my buildinmg, i think.

We had no TV, no radio. Heard somethign about it, something about a cessna.. Then i saw the pic of the second crash on my boss's computer.

Then the pentagon got hit and we all lost it. Everyone in my office knew SOMEONE who worked there or was a friend of a friend.

Then i tried to make a phone call and got no dial tone on a landline. n Cell phone wouldnnt work.

Rumor and conjecture flew around the office. There was word that there was a plane circling the Dulles area and wouuld be shot down if it didnt land. Those of us underneath in the office said a collective "Good!" Turns out it was one very confused private plane, that landed post haste.

We were told to go home, i went to school, grabbed a camera and worked for 3 days straight... There were backups everywhere. Didnt even try to get near the pentagon. Couldnt figure out what to do with the car, besides the police had everythign blocked off going east towards the city. I never saw the TV until 3 that afternoon. Classes were cancelled. School was closed.

Im not sure what i did with the photos. I have one of two foreign students playing ping pong with the TV of CNN in the Background... thoughht the photo said something about society.

Next day i heard from an Ex GF. She had a new job since we ended things. At the White House. Secret Service burst into her office told to run for her life. And she did.

That thursday night i went into a local dive to grab some food. Talked with a girl on the basketball team wgho was a friedn. She was my waitress. I think it was just me and her there. Very errie, no planes, except fighters overhead.

I thought the world was ending. I distinctly remember wondering if this was how it all came to an end. In a way, it did. Life changed, the world changed. There's before and theres after.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Here in NY, it was such a gorgeous day out that it was almost surreal. I can't describe the intensity of the sunlight that morning or how vivid the blue of the sky and the green of the grass were.

When my friend in Maryland and I finally were able to reach each other to confirm we were all ok (her husband worked at Ft Meade in Maryland and would also have to go to government buildings on occasion) she started to cry and she said "I can't believe this is happening! On the most beautiful day of the year!"

It was. Same in DC. A crystal blue sky, completely perfect. Warm and sunny. Not a cloud anywhere. Ive never seen a sky like that since and not thought it a precursor of bad things to come...

 

[TAC]

I was working for Lockheed Martin in Moorestown, NJ at the time. I was searching the internet for a cabinet for a rack that I was designing. All of a sudden, the internet "stopped" - you know, you get that error message that says "page not available." I thought we had a network problem. Another engineer said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I said "No way!" He replied, yea, and a tech in the lab has a small tv. So I went into the lab, and about 20 of us huddled around a 4 inch black and white tv set. For over 2 and 1/2 hours, we say and stood there, STUNNED, and in absolute SHOCK. It seemed like a blur now, since I can't remember many of the details on TV that morning. They showed the first tower on fire, and kept repeating that. Then there were reports of another plane hitting the second tower. Then we realized this was no accident. Then there were reports of "an explosion at the Pentagon." Then they showed the film of the second plane hitting the second tower. Then a live camera at the Pentagon. Maybe that isn't the right order, but like I said, it was a blur. I don't mean to say that I was (or am) taking it lightly, it's just that as others have said previously, there are certain things that you remember, as this thread states "Where were you, (and what were you doing)?"

Lunchtime, I went down to the cafeteria and noticed "extra" people from LM that were normally over at CSEDs (Combat System Engineering Design Center - basically a engineering test bed for the Aegis Weapons System. It looks like a actual ship, but it's sitting in the middle of a cornfield. They bring sailors in to train there as well. It's owned by the Navy, but LM has a bunch of people over there). I asked a few that I know why are they over here. They said that the Navy had "evacuated them" meaning they were forced to leave, because the Navy was now using the site for airborne tracking. It was not a military operation, NO CIVILIANS.

No work got done the rest of the day. I went back to the tv a few times. At about 1:30 pm or so, my wife called me, and asked me if I was alright. I told her I was fine. She was glad that I didn't work at CSEDs. I asked her if she was alright. And all I could say manage to say about the WTC (at the time) was "All those people."

When I left work, there were security guards at all the exits (There hadn't been before that).

When I got home, I put the TV on, and put in VHS tapes in the VCRs, and began taping CNN, ABC, and MSNBC.

When my wife got home, we just hugged, what seemed like forever.

 

[KevinPage]

Driving around on Suffolk County, Long Islad, NY, doing an automobile inspection at someone's house listening to Howard Stern.

Then on my way into the office (west bound) seeing police cars and such flyin by on the expressway into Manhatten. Very strange as Long Island feels very separate from New York City.