Do you remember . . .

[zepedawingchun]

. . . .where you were and what you were doing on this date 9/11/01, when the World Trade Center was attacked?

I was with a former student, getting ready for a morning of training and chi sau. He had just walked into the kitchen to get some water, where there was a small tv, that was on. He made a comment to me that something had just happened in New York and that the news had gone live. About 10 minutes later, we watched the second plane strike the South Tower. We were stunned at the events that were taking place. We didn't even work out after that, shocked at watching history in the making. I'll never forget what I was doing on that day.

 

[arnisador]

Walking back from class...a friend told me and I didn't believe him, then I saw a crowd watching a tiny TV.

 

[Flea]

I made a blog post about it.

 

[terryl965]

I was teaching and then when I relized what was going on, I was concern for my brother, he was lost that day inside tower two. Even after all these years it is hard to believe.

 

[CoryKS]

I was teaching and then when I relized what was going on, I was concern for my brother, he was lost that day inside tower two. Even after all these years it is hard to believe.

I didn't know that. Sorry to hear about your brother, Terry. :asian:

 

[MJS]

. . . .where you were and what you were doing on this date 9/11/01, when the World Trade Center was attacked?

I was with a former student, getting ready for a morning of training and chi sau. He had just walked into the kitchen to get some water, where there was a small tv, that was on. He made a comment to me that something had just happened in New York and that the news had gone live. About 10 minutes later, we watched the second plane strike the South Tower. We were stunned at the events that were taking place. We didn't even work out after that, shocked at watching history in the making. I'll never forget what I was doing on that day.

Yes, I recall that day. I was working in a shipping/receiving warehouse at the time. I recall my boss coming up to me, and telling me that he was listening to the radio and heard a report of a plane hitting one of the towers. Of course at first, you're not thinking of a terrorist attack, so I figured it was an accident. Then as more things happened, it was pretty clear that this was no accident.

I remember calling a few people who I knew were home, telling them to turn on the TV to see what was going on. Everyone at work was trying to find a radio to listen to, so we would know what was going on.

Of course, usually around this time, my wife and I, along with my sister and brother in law usually take our yearly trip to NYC. I was thankful that we were not there that day, but of course my thoughts and prayers went out to the people that were.

 

[Xue Sheng]

At work watching thing unfold on the TV they rolled in. Although I was in NY I was no where near NYC but my department did have offices very near the WorldTradeCenter. Luckily none of them were injured but they were covered with the fall out.

Out of fear of more attacks they closed all state offices and sent us home.

There is still a section of the NYS museum dedicated to 9/11 and those that lost their lives that day

 

[RandomPhantom700]

I had just finished a morning math course, heading back to the dorms when my friend was walking rather quickly to me to tell me what happened. Said the New York skyline looks like scenes from Armaggedon. We headed back to the dorms to watch. I remember thinking that a number of the students in the room wouldn't ususally be spending time together, but here we were, watching the towers fall on TV.

 

[KELLYG]

Yes, I remember. I remember that it was a clear crisp beautiful day with just a hint of fall in the air. I was at work. There is a TV located in our waiting area. One of the guys that I worked with came down the hall and said that a plane just hit the Twin Towers. I went to the waiting to see what was going on just as the second one was hit. The waiting area became full of people wanting to know what was going on. It was an interesting mix of employees and customers. Normally our clients are, impatient and very demanding, but on this day all that was set aside. So my impression of that day was mixed. The beautiful day verses the horrors of the event coupled with the gathering of groups of people that normally would not have interaction. Then sadness overwhelming sadness.
I will never forget>

 

[Nomad]

Here in SoCal I was getting in the car and heading to work. Listening to a radio station talk show renowned for it's pranks. For the first couple of minutes, didn't know what to think... and at that point, the second plane hit. Continued to work, but left after a couple of very unproductive hours as everyone was following the news.

 

[just2kicku]

I remember well.....

I was driving to our shop to pick up some cables for work when my partner and said a plane ran in to the WTC. I figured it was an accident, like the time a plane ran into the Empire State Bldg. We got to the shop in time to see the second plane hit.

My heart dropped, our manager pulled everyone out of downtown L.A. that day and brought everybody to the shop for an all day safety meeting.

I'll never forget that day........

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I was at the Pasadena Hilton in California. I was a road warrior at the time, and had just flown into LAX the day before, to start a week-long gig at JPL. At that time I was a smoker. I used to wake up early and watch the news, while having a couple cigarettes. I turned on CNN and watched Paula Zahn, as I recall (whom I disliked) reporting on something and in the little video box above and behind her, I could see one of the towers on fire. I thought it was a fire.

Then I saw the video of the plane hitting, and I thought it was a terrorist attack immediately.

I knew this because I had downloaded and read a Rand report entitled "Homeland Security" a week or so previously (the report was several months old at that time) which suggested that Assymetrical Warfare was the wave of the future, said that this type of low-tech attack was exactly what we could expect, and defined how the department of "Homeland Security" should be created on the bones of FEMA and other organizations.

Yeah, it said all that. And no, I don't have it anymore. I've searched and searched for it, but it is gone. I remember it clearly - I even had printed it up and was reading it on the plane on 9/10.

Just as the second plane hit the tower (I saw that one live), my phone rang in my hotel room and it was my wife. She was terrified - her whole family basically works and / or lives in Manhattan. As it turned out, all her family was fine, thank G-d.

A coworker of mine had just finished up a gig in the towers the Friday before, and he was in the Marriott that got demolished in the smaller building (I forget which tower that was, not one of the big ones). All the people he had been working with were gone, lost.

Most of my coworkers were scattered all over, sleeping in high school gymnasiums, trying to rent cars to get home, etc. I was lucky, there was no place for me to go, so I stayed at the Hilton for two weeks until airline traffic was allowed again.

I kept doing the road warrior thing for a couple more years after that, but eventually the increasing security made my job miserable, going through airports twice a week every week, getting half my stuff stolen every couple months by TSA goons or airline people, and so on. I quit my job and got on with my life. Now I won't go near an airport if I can help it.

Sad days, sad times, and I remember it all very well. I'm so sorry for those who lose family and loved ones in the planes, the towers, and the Pentagon.

 

[just2kicku]

I was teaching and then when I relized what was going on, I was concern for my brother, he was lost that day inside tower two. Even after all these years it is hard to believe.

I am truly sorry for your loss Terry

 

[blindsage]

I was asleep and a friend of mine called me up freaking out saying 'They blew up the towers!' I had to calm him down a bit to figure out what he was talking about and then I turned on the TV and just sat there watching dumbfounded, horrified, and saddened for a couple hours.

 

[Omar B]

One of the worst days of my life. I was listening to Howard Stern on the radio, he had Pam Anderson on and they were recounting a Scores party we were all at the night before when Howard stopped to say something just happened. The attack happened and I knew I had to get to Flushing, to drop something off at school and go over my friend Mike's house because his dad's a cop. The entire city was covered in this thick smoke no matter where you were, Mike's dad and I rode into the Manhattan together looking for him (he worked at Goldman Sachs at the time) as well as my friend Jason who went to school downtown too.

Mike and Jason eventually ran into each other fortunately and they walked over the bridge to Brooklyn to his girlfriend's house where we all finally were able to get in touch. My mother's best firend was not so lucky, she was in the second tower.

In the weeks that followed Mike and I worked at the triage center set up at BMCC. Up until that time I've only seen 1 body in my life, now I've seen hundreds. I think the image that will stick to me most is a foot with no body attached to it.

 

[Flea]

My girlfriend at the time nearly got me fired from my journalism job; I came back from a long series of press conferences to find that she had been calling my office repeatedly for hours (I was in the Midwest.) She had a distant cousin who worked on the first floor of Tower One, someone she barely knew. Turns out he had taken the morning off for his mother's birthday.

Forgive me if I seem cavalier. I had to slam the door on my emotions to make it through the week, and I haven't really been able to access it since. Whenever the subject comes up I hope it will rip off the scab and I'll be able to cry it out; I know I need to.

 

[Hawke]

I was in Northern California at the time driving on 280 fwy heading toward San Jose State.

I was listening to the radio and thought it was a joke like War of the Worlds. So I turned to a different station and heard the same news. All the stations I turned to were saying the same thing. I was shocked.

When I got to school people were watching the news on tv. My communication professor was talking about how many people may have died. The information was not clear, but there was a possibility of thousands of lost lives that would have equaled to the Vietnam War. I also head that an F-16 jet fighter was in the air.

Back at work everyone was glued to their television (we worked with a technology that was similar to Tivo). Friends from Apple called and everyone there was sent home. After an hour, we were sent home as well.

Felt so weird not seeing any planes in the sky.

I was touched as other countries lit candles for us.

This brings back sad memories.