Parked in front of my TV like most of the nation.

Actually, I was at work. I shut the plant down, held a meeting with everyone to explain what was happening. I then offered everyone the day off to go home and be with friends and family.

We had no idea, at the time, of the scope of the attacks. Were there to be more attacks throughout the nation, I wanted all to be with family.

We did not reopen for two days.


franc

 

I was in the UK traveling in a car from London to Preston when the UK office called us to turn on the radio because the first tower had been hit. Listening on the radio made it worst b/c there are no visuals, and when the second tower was hit, and later when they announced the towers were coming down, I envisioned them going down on their sides.

 

I was conducting a construction management seminar to a group of project managers just outside the DC beltway. One of the visual aids I had on hand was a monster television and DVD recorder. Needless to say the room was pretty quiet as we all bagged the seminar and watched until the two towers fell.

Class dismissed.

Drove to three or four project sites in the District, shut down and sent everyone home.

Will never forget the facial expressions of true fear and worry. from so many otherwise strong and capable people.

 

Agreed Kane, a rather worried people that day.

And following, about a year of civility and singular focus.

What happened to that mettlesome nation of Freemen?




A little something appropriate for the day.
http://www.israpundit.com/archives/3...e57bb39ba8d%2c

 

English class, sophmore year of high school. Now my wife teaches high school and says kids barely have a recollection or understanding of the attacks. Sad.

 

At work. My boss came down (to me specifically) carrying his 5" TV and we watched, in horror, as the events unfolded. Choked up and pissed off.

 

I ahd walked out of our building at work to talk to a friend, and as we were standing there, the window washer 3 floors above us daid Holy ****, a boing passenger jet just hit the WTC! I looked at my friend and said, Uh oh, terrorist attack, because passenger jets aren't allowed over the city on take off and landings due to increased danger zone. She looked at my like I was crazy, and then while we were getting the news via the washe'r radio he yelled out that another one hit the other tower. Went back upstairs and couldn't stay off of yahoo for the next 2 days. When I saw the people jumping I wanted to puke, and was really sad. When I saw the throngs in the middle east cheering and smiling I wanted to set off a tactical nulear device. Sad but true.

 

Our puppy was being a bit high maintenance the night before and I ended up sleeping on the sofa in the family room from about 2:00AM PDT until my wife came in and woke me up, saying that both towers had been hit by commercial airplanes. I sat transfixed in front of the TV as both towers ultimately fell. Got to work a bit late that morning but we didn't get much work done that day anyway. I remember all major news websites being choked due to such heavy traffic so many of them were feeding just text and a few images to reduce the bandwidth load on their servers.

Knowing later on that the entire US airspace was a no fly zone after all commercial flights had been grounded, the next night when our puppy had to go out in the middle of the night I was a bit freaked out to hear what was obviously a low flying aircraft overhead. It was kind of a foggy/cloudy night so I couldn't see anything in the sky, but when you don't expect to hear anything and then suddenly you hear that, it was a bit unsettling.

 

Well, I'll never forget this day since it's my birthday. I remember it was a beautiful sunny day in Chicago! I was truly looking forward to a great day because our business partners were treating us to a boat ride later in the afternoon along Lake Michigan. With the sun shining and temps perfect I was really excited thinking what a nice birthday treat.

I had made Cream Puffs and brought them down to work so people were stopping by to wish me a Happy Birthday and take a Cream Puff. Then a co-worker mentioned to me "Hey, you're a 9-1-1 Baby!" I had never thought about that before. No sooner did the words come out of his mouth, when there was a flurry of activity (phone calls, people bring up the news on the Internet, etc)... It was like a nightmare... At that point many of us went down to the cafeteria because there is a large TV which takes up one whole wall. As people were gathering, the WTC buildings started to collapse. I was in shock as I headed back to my desk. My current boss was based in New Jersey, so she called and told everyone she wanted us to leave and go home to be with our families. I had driven to work that day, so getting out of the downtown area and home was challenging to say the least. I think it took us almost 4 hours to get home that day.

As we approach the 10th Anniversary, my thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost their lives and for their families. God Bless America!

 

8th grade science class. The school let us watch TV for a couple hours before they were told to turn all the TVs off. We spent the rest of the day talking about it in school. I had no idea who Osama Bin Laden was at the time. I also never thought i would join the Army and deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

I had just woken up at about 8:30 that morning. I was watching Charlie Gibson on GMA. I remember the initial report was that a small sightseeing plane had hit one of the towers. Then they had a call in that said that it might be something bigger. They switched to a live shot just in time to watch the second plane hit. Everything changed for me in that moment. Not too long after came word about the Pentagon being hit. I'm now know how much time passed that morning while the nightmare unfolded on the morning news, but at the time it seemed to creep by and go whizzing past all the same. I remember watching the towers sway and thinking there isn't enough time to get everyone out - we need more time - why aren't they picking up people on the roofs. Then I remember the news going to all the local hospitals to see how they were handling all the people they had to treat, but the people never came.

I wasn't a child when September 11th happened. I had lived what most people would consider a thrilling and full life but I didn't know anything until that day. I don't think that I have ever felt that simultaneous feeling of fear, sadness and vulnerability before. I never want to feel that way again.

Like many people, that day will always stand sharp in my memory. The pain and fear have dulled, as they do, but vision of what we saw that day will always be a crisp as it was in 2001.

I was on a diving trip in 2002 and met a man whose 40th birthday was that day. He worked in NY for a company whose main offices were high in the second tower. He was supposed to have a breakfast meeting there that morning. He didn't know that his wife had a surprise birthday planned for him that night. The day before his boss called to put off the breakfast meeting until later in the week. He didn't know until later it was because his wife called the boss to ask for a reschedule because of the surprise 40th birthday party. Due to his wife's hubris in calling his boss, he was alive - his co-workers were not. He said that he was really struggling to find his path, his purpose in life. He couldn't accept that it was nothing more than coincidence or good luck or timing that saved his life that day - it had to MEAN something. I am sad to say that I neither kept up with my new friend or was able to offer him solace. I was only able to give him a ear and a shoulder. I hope he found what he was looking for.

Tomorrow I will spend my day mourning the lost, celebrating the heros, praying that the survivors found their meaning and thanking God for the people here and around the world that put their lives on the line daily to make sure we never have to go thru that again.

 

I was in my office, on a rare occasion. Usually I am on the road at that hour. A meeting had made me late to get started. Once this "attack" started, I called all my drivers, told them to do what they thought was best, as I knew not what was coming. In my work environment, you are either law enforcement, or ex military. We all just wanted a way to fight back. Didn't matter about age that day, everyone wanted to be back in uniform. Pissed off as Max stated. The next few nights, as I would go outside at night, not really able to sleep, there was a silence, cold black skies with only stars showing through. No aircraft whatsoever. The next day, we were buzzed by a military fighter jet...wondering what that was all about...really jumpy all that week...as to where the next attack would accur... I will never forget that day or that week, and I won't let my kids forget it either.

 

I had been working with my current company for about six months at the time. My job back then was to travel to customer sites every week to do software installs. I was on "bench duty" (work from home office) that week and luckily did not have to travel. I was awaken by a call from one of my wife's co-workers explaining that a plane hit the first tower. I was half asleep and didn't believe it. I turned the TV on and within minutes the second plane hit. I was in complete disbelief. I was very happy that I was at home with my wife and kids. Later that day I did hear a military jets fly over my house and, as Mike-in-Orange said before, it was quite freaky and sent chills down my spine. Luckily, none of my co-workers were in the towers that morning and everyone was accounted for.

 

I was teaching at school when, during recess, one of the teachers said the twin towers had been hit by planes and fallen down. Of course, I couldn't wait to get home to see what exactly she was talking about. What can you say? Our lives have been permanently changed. I still can't believe it.

 

I had just got into second period English after a gym course. We watched the news cast from post impact of the first plane, to the collapse of both towers. I think one of the most shocking moments was watching people jump from the towers. A class of AP business students went suddenly quite when they realized what was happening as people began to jump.

 

Ten years ago TODAY I was working dayshift (0700-1530 hours) , at 0825 hours (the 1st airliner struck at 0846 hours), I was on duty and received an "ALL ALERT" tone. All Alert Tones equal "Holy **** Mode" for LEs. We knew something was coming just didnt know what it was. I responded to my assigned area, evacuated and secured it, while listening to every LE and Public radio station go ballistic. I entered my secured area, turned the tv on and watched on the bent knee, in full HASMAT gear, the horror of 09-11-2001. I still shake when thinking or talking about it. Called my dad (NY City resident) and told him to hunker down. Called my wife (at work) and daughters (in school) and gave them the same message. I was finally out of uniform and relieved of duty on 09-14-2001 at 2230 hours. It was a long daywork shift 09-11-2001.

God Rest Their Souls
God Keep Fast Their Families

 

I’ve avoided this thread, the memories it brings back justseem too great to still cope with. Yesterday morning on my drive in to church I got choked up when theybroadcast the clip of the guy watching the 2nd plane hit thetower. You could hear the terror in hisvoice, and it sent a wave of memories back to me. I still remember sitting in Pre Cal watching thesecond tower get hit. I remember hearingthe anchors whisper “oh my God” under their breath on National television. Onthat day the Nation wept, and to this day we still mourn. My Church did a 9/11 special yesterdaymorning even through my protests (being the guy that runs the sound department canhave it’s advantages). It’s not that Idon’t want them to remember the day, but I don’t want them to use it foranything but mourning and remembering. It’s not a day to celebrate, if you want to celebrate the country youlive in wait until 9/12. The more Ithink about it the more it pisses me off when someone uses this day to pushtheir agenda whether it be politics, religion, or discount saving on a washerand dryer.

 

I was on my way to work at the Federal Courthouse that was being built in Cleveland at the time. I was listening to the radio and heard a plane had crashed into the tower. I stopped to pay a bill and when I returned to the car and continued listening to the broadcast, I heard the 2nd plane hit. Like most people, I was thinking that a small plane had hit the tower until the 2nd one hit. After that, I had to pull over and find a television. I went inside a K Mart and saw everyone watching the TV's as well. At that point, I called work and they told me not to come in so I eventually returned home after watching the towers collapse. Unfortunately, 911 is also the day my wedding anniversary is except I was married 9/11/98. I will never forget that day for 2 reasons.

 

VFA-22, CAG-14, U.S.S Carl Vinson. Loitering just outside the entrance to the Straits of Hormuz waiting to make the transit (done at night) to enforce the no fly zone over northern Iraq.