Where were you

[EDELWEISS]

On this 17th anniversary of the muslim attack on the US, I look back and remember that I was running radar listening to talk radio. Like I guess many I thought the first plane was some kind of horrible accident; but with growing suspicion. When the second plane hit; well there was no doubt, and really no doubt who was responsible, not some not just the bad ones BUT all of them. I headed for the gun shops in my precinct. They had heard about it too and were getting ready for a crazy day.

I REMEMBER....

[barnetmill]

I was actually home in between jobs watching the morning news and they were showing the first building right after the first impact on fire and live on television a second plane sails into the second building. I was watching flabbergasted, WTF.
I did not head for a gunstore lol.

[Greg Nichols]

I was on leave helping a buddy build a house. Heard it on the radio and thought it must have been the anniversary of the bombing. Walked past the radio a few mins later and heard the morning show guy yelling about a second plane impacting with the building. Ran to my car and sure enough had missed a bunch of calls. Called in to HQ and admin says "leave's canceled, get in here we're going to war".

[Treecop]

Walking home from a required math class my senior year of college when the first plane hit, watched the second live on tv.

Post graduation plans immediately changed from law school to an 11X contract.


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[BigEd63]

Was just waking up at breakfast when I heard about the first plane hitting. Worked 4 pm to midnight back then.

[callmebubba]

6th grade. Home alone getting ready for school when a lady from church called looking for my mom. I turned on the news and saw what was going on. My memory tells me that I saw the second tower get hit but I don’t know if it was a replay. I remember getting to school and a teacher saying “We’re under attack.” and being somewhat confused by that.

6 years later I joined the Army and got my small piece of vengeance. I had very little patriotism in my head when I was doing it but I do like thinking about it that way.

[Sam Spade]

I was working late days. With the time zone difference, I woke up to the clock radio's news just before the second plane hit. Went in early, came home late.

[Papa]

Walking into the side door of the admin building. A victim advocate asked us, "Did you hear what they're doing in New York?"
I didn't know. Now I do.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.

Except ours.

God bless America.

[kssoftwareman]

Heading to the office after a men's bible study with my son and a bunch of guys on a Tuesday morning that was a mirror image of that today - cool, clear, and beautiful. Then things changed forever.

[douginamherst]

My wife and I were in a hotel on Long Island looking for a home when moving from Lynchburg, VA. Thirty miles away and could see smoke billowing. Stranded there for 5 days with our toddlers at my mom’s in Ohio.

[flyfisher]

Was at Fort Hood, saw the second plane hit live. Told the wife we were at war. The war has lasted longer than that marriage.

[Papa]

My wife and I were in a hotel on Long Island looking for a home when moving from Lynchburg, VA. Thirty miles away and could see smoke billowing. Stranded there for 5 days with our toddlers at my mom’s in Ohio.

Ground Zero was still smoking a month later when I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. I will never forget the thousand-yard stare on all those New Yorkers. But for 911, I'd still be driving a desk and looking to retire in 8 months. Anger can carry you a long, long way, and righteous anger--anywhere.

[ToddC]

Reviewing drawings in a construction trailer. Found out later we had two company executives at ground zero when the planes hit; they were part of the crowd running for cover post tower collapse. Long trip back to TX for them.

Fast forward to the tenth anniversary, when I had to explain the un-PC/ non media-filtered version of events to my children (then 8 and 12) to go along with images they were seeing on TV during the news specials.

Only then did I fully appreciate the impact of 9-11 on my life and outlook. It's part of what brought me here.

Never forget.

[Sharkbite]

I was on a project in York, PA. I was feasting on the elegant morning repast afforded me by the Hampton Inn when the desk clerk asked If I minded a channel change on the TV. She said her Hubby called to say a plane hit the twin towers. She changed the channel and a few minutes later we both witnessed the second plane strike live.

My Boss called me shortly thereafter and we huddled at the Hampton until Lunch time. We had an Engineer flying in to Pittsburgh that morning. We thought the worst when Plane crashed ( later identified as Flight 93). He landed no problem. He drove back to Atlanta 2 days later.

That polarized my world view for certain.

[Buzzy204]

Was home asleep after working midnight shift, wife called me from her work to tell me after the plane hit the first tower.

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[jesselp]

I was in the World Trade Center Mall when the first plane hit.

I was outside in the street when the second plane hit, directly under the “exit wound,” hiding under a car as debris fell around me, talking to God.

I was on West Street just north of Chambers when the first tower fell.

I was in a swanky Tribeca neighborhood walking north when the first fighter jet appeared in the sky.

I was on West 4th Street outside the NYU chapel when the second tower fell.

I can never forget, even if I wanted to.

[ZeroTA]

Slinging plywood on a roof. My dad said a plane hit the WTC and it might be terrorists. A couple minutes later he backed up his truck and said the second plane hit.

I was certainly shocked but I was 19, NY was 1000 miles away, and the magnitude of it didn't really hit me at the time. What I remember is the house I was working on backed up to Troy-O'fallon Rd, which runs to Scott AFB; there was a couple different convoys with black Lincolns or Tahoes with police escorts going down the road that day.

[Ragsbo]

I was sleeping in; due to start midnight the following night so I slept in that morning and staid up later that night. Ole Heifer came got me when the first plane hit. I was watching when the second hit and when the pentagon was. Called work, and went in that night. Worked around 90 13 hour midnights straight before a day off. We only had revolvers back then, but we all had our rifles and shotguns in our vehicles if needed (and it was against the rules and could have gotten us fire if the powers that wanna be knew). I remember that our break room at work was full of all kinds of food the plant employees brought in for us. (Dept. of Energy Nuclear Security)

[TSKnight]

Sacked out at home for from a four day OTR trip when my best friend called. All he could say was "Turn on the TV!" I watched the second plane come in live.

A week later I helped deliver a new fire truck to NYC. They met us 25-30 miles out and we could still see the smoke. Will never forget the gratitude of those firemen as I handed them the keys.
Don't think I've ever had a more difficult or rewarding trip.

[RayMich]

I was in the middle of a staff meeting, when a co-worker rushed in and said, "We are under attack! The World Trade Center and the Pentagon are in flames and there are other suspicious planes headed for the White House and the Capitol! The air force is sending F-16's to intercept them." - Obviously, the meeting ended immediately.

We all headed to the lunch room where the TVs showed live the second plane hitting the other WTC tower.

I have several relatives who live in NYC and for 3 days we had NO communications from them. Very stressful 3 days waiting to hear any news.

A friend's daughter is a 1st officer pilot on 737, 757 and 767s with US Airways and was based out of Philly at the time. We were finally relieved to learn that US Airways planes were NOT involved, but it took another two days before she could call out. My cousin's son is a captain with United based out of JFK, but he flies 747's. So that was a relief when we learned that the United planes were NOT 747's.

It is hard to imagine what terror those people at ground ZERO must have felt as well as their families. May God wrap his arms around them for the rest of eternity.

[Ted Demosthenes]

We were cruising at 36,000 feet on that clear day with the sun at our backs 30 minutes west of Atlanta, one of hundreds of east coast morning departures. It’s the last day of a four-day trip; just a single 4.5 hr leg back to LAX. Seven crew and 110 pax onboard and my turn to fly.

From the left seat of the Delta 757 I signed for 90 minutes ago, I had just finished a position check with my First Officer (copilot) Chris. Looked like we’d be on time or slightly early to LAX and burn less fuel getting there.

Little did we know what evil was afoot well NE of our position. A couple minutes later, a TWA flight checked on freq, followed by another. After talking to ATC, the first asked the second if they'd heard anything about a “small plane” incident in NY. Second one said “no, but switch to 123.XX (an unofficial chat freq)”.

We tuned our #3 radio to listen for intel. They’d heard that a small private aircraft (Cessna 172?) had hit a building, but nothing else. This had happened a couple times in the not so distant past. We quit listening to them and checked in with our next sector controller.

Five minutes later, our controller (who really had his professional shit together) stated succinctly in a calm, serious voice that “The National Command Authority (that AIN’T the FAA, brothers, and sisters) has ordered all aircraft in US airspace to land immediately at the nearest suitable airport”. To his credit, he then said “I have no further information, but this is definitely not a drill. Let me know ASAP where you want to land”.

WTF??, over! 76 years of combined mil, civ, and combat aviation instantly spun up to verify our situation, aviate, navigate, and communicate our collective asses safely and swiftly to the nearest -suitable- airport.

We chose Memphis Intl. Long runways, lots of concrete, and, lots of hotels... Why? No matter what happened (we still didn’t know, nor would we until after we landed. We ordered everyone on board to ensure their phones remained off until we cleared them for use.)

For a couple of odd reasons, we were the last crew to leave the MEM terminal that day.

The story goes on... maybe on another day.

In the meantime, they’re still out there. Get trained, be polite, be professional, have multiple plans.

SF,
Greek

[SEANSTRAIT]

On Ft Sam Houston in Anesthesia School, things became mighty serious. Pretty much everyone in my class deployed soon after graduation and several of us many many times.

[Mike O'Leary]

I was working at my home improvement business that day. I was in Alexandria VA picking up some supplies for a job when the Pentagon was hit. You could see the smoke rising in the sky. When I got back to my office which was in Bladensburg MD, you could still see the smoke rising from the Pentagon.

[Bob F.]

A couple of hours into an ACLS re-cert class at the hospital where I worked. On a break I ran into a co-worker in the hall, "Did you hear....?" Went back into the classroom and flipped the large screen TV from DVR to live TV. Instructor came back in; "This is a re-cert, y'all know this stuff, leave the TV on." Watched till end of shift.

[Blacked out]

I was on deployment in Louisiana at a US Marshals SOG compound. They rolled out of there in hours.

[Johnny C!]

I was at a customer's site on a long term contract.
My wife was out of town on a business trip a couple
of hours away & called to tell me to turn a tv on. We
all watched for a while, and the Engineering/CEO got
really pissed and asked what did this have to do with
making product. A good friend of mine there, who is
former Army, told him our nation was under attack.

The CEO finally chilled out, but my buddy was fired
up enough to go into the FBI.

Lest we forget.

[Puddle]

Had just landed at Heathrow when the first tower was hit. Watched the 2nd tower get nailed on airport tv. By that time, the Bobbies were already out in force inside the airport packing HK's.
It was supposed to be a quick 3 - 4 day trip. Instead, it was 10 days before I caught a flight back to CONUS. The trip back through Heathrow was epic, one for the books.

[Forklift]

I was talking to my wife as she was getting ready to start the day, the kids were watching tv and the news cut in. I was vacationing in Dillon, CO.

[CB3]

My 22 year old daughter left Salt Lake City on a red eye express landing at Kennedy at dawn. She did not have a phone. For the first hour of the attacks it was possible her’s was one of the planes.

She left the airport headed for Manhattan in a taxi/van that stopped at the east end of the closed Brooklyn bridge. Van driver parked in front of a warehouse, got out and walked away as the first tower fell within their sight. She was able to call us in Utah from that warehouse (our first contact) and my father who lived in CT. He did the 28 minute drive in two hours and got her out of the city in another two. She also saw the second tower fall.

[Vigilant]

Stranded in Orlando FL, at the close of a convention, myself and three other guys rented a U-Haul truck(the only ground transpo available) and proceeded north, dropping dudes at their places, the last guy, dropping me in Indiana and proceeding to Philadelphia, PA to drop the truck. VERY uncomfortable, four dudes in the cab of a 20’ box truck. FUCK MUSLIMS, if only for that trip!!!

[RobertM]

I was testing computer systems on the Node 2 of the International Space Station at Redstone Arsenal.

That day started me on a path I'm still on today.

I ain't forgot, never will.

[10power]

5th grade computer class. Learned and absorbed more that day than I could fully understand at the time but it certainly helped shape me in the years to come.

Will never forget.

[7 Mary 3]

Recent college grad living with my future wife in a cramped small apartment not far from DC. She was working down near Bethesda I think at a client and I was at home. She called and I turned on the news. I was a volunteer FF at the time and heard on the scanner how about every station in the county was getting toned out to transfer to Northern VA. Our paid day crew was transferred to south county I think.

Knowing that most stations are staffed with paid men during the day I new this was going to be an issue so I headed to the firehouse around lunch time. Apparently I wasn't the only one thinking that way as there was enough volunteer guys there already for one crew and shortly thereafter we had enough to staff two engines and the tower plus some. Enough to cover any call in the city short of a large commercial box. Side note.. I hate how the unions around here bash vollys, but I digress.

One of our guys was at the Pentagon. He made it out fine and loaded up some buddies there and took them home on his way out cause it was a CF. Traffic was completely FUBAR. I think he had to take 301 up from Fredricksburg back up through Southern MD. It took him hours to get home. He got back to the firehouse like late afternoon. When Im thinking SHTF around here I never forget that little fact. At one time I was thinking about having some kind of inflatable raft to get back across if I was working on the other side of the river lol.

7M3

[Jeff22]

I had worked a midnight shift and got off at 0700 and went home and went to bed.

Shortly after noon I woke up to take a leak. My answering machine was lit up. First call was from my sister (who lived in Manhattan then) saying that she was okay but hadn't yet reached her boyfriend to check on him. Next three messages were from dispatch announcing a recall. I turned on the TV wondering what in the hell I had missed . . .

I got to work just before 1400. The Deputy Chief was in the squad room and he said "Well, nice of you to finally show up." I told him that I didn't usually stay up all day after working all night, just in case terrorists kidnapped airplanes and crashed them into tall buildings. We were on 12 hour shifts until the New Year, except for the day we went to the range to qualify. (And I broke a slide rail on my issue Sig 226 and they had to give me another one. Just under a dozen years and somewhere north of 35,000 rounds)

When JFK was shot I was home sick from kindergarten, watching Bozo the Clown on WGN . . .