September 11th: Where were you?

[Fiddelysquat]

Another year has passed and here we are again. Putting aside all the politics and everything, I simply would like to hear from people about where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. I understand if September 11th didn't impact you because you're not from the US or you don't remember, but if you do, I'd just like to take this time to allow people to relate their stories.


I was in the car with my mother and we had just pulled out of the driveway. We had to go to the hospital because I needed an x-ray. We turned on the radio and suddenly, they interrupted the song. The two radio announcers, Ken and Daine, said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. The song was continued. A few moments later they interrupted their broadcast again to say that another plane had hit. I remember the woman Daine saying, "Is this a joke?"

When we got to the hospital everyone was crammed into the waiting rooms. Young people, old people, men, women, children, doctors, nurses, patients, visitors, everyone. The thing I remember most vividly was this middle aged black gentleman wearing blue scrubs sitting on one of the chairs, the look on his face as he was watching the smoke billow out of the towers on the television screen. I remember hearing someone start to cry when you could see the silhouette of a woman jumping out of one of the windows.


Where were you when you heard the news?


Note: This thread is not a debate or a place to start an issue. I sincerely hope we can all be mature and respectful.

[Paul]

I was in maths class, and we had just settled down. A teaching assistant came into the class and whispered in our teacher's ear. They both promptly left, and after a few minutes, he returned and told us. I did not see the images (or news reports) until I came home later that day.

[Carson]

As with Paul in Class, the teachers didn't say anything, we found out when we came home from school.

[Anoohilator]

Yeah I kinda heard two teachers talking about it whilst I was waiting for the bus, but didn't realise how big of an event it really was.

[Susannahmio]

I was in college (yes, i'm old) during one of my classes, another prof came in and told us about the first plane. I went to my next class and we spent the hour on the internet and listening to the radio. Then I went home to watch the next few days unfold on CNN.

I live in Newfoundland and many of the overseas flights that day were diverted here. In my home town (I don't live there now, nor did I live there then) Apporximately 8,000 stranded passengers arrived that day on 39 international flights. The population of that town is 9,000, though it has a large international airport. The city that I live in now had 27 planes diverted to it's 2 gate airport. The red cross did a phenominal job organizing the passengers and making them as comfortable and happy as possible. Hotels, highschools and any other public venues were closed so these people would have somewhere to stay. Blankets and pillows, food and water were donated by the truckload. There are so many stories running through my head about the passengers stranded here. I am just so proud we were able to help somebody, even if it wasn't those directly effected by it.

[Pink]

I live on the West Coast, so it was rather early in the morning for me. It was my Senior year in high school. My friend had stayed the night because the night before her dad was drunk and she called me to pick her up. We were getting ready for school in the bathroom. We had 0 Period Jazz. Then my dad started banging on the door, so we opened it.

He said, "Terrorists flew a plane into the World Trade Center."

He sometimes makes jokes in poor taste, so I said, "That's not funny, Dad."

"I'm not joking, come look at the news!"

When we walked in the living room, the second plane was flying into the second tower...

We were dumb struck...I was crying. It was an unbelievable moment...The whole day was almost like a crazy nightmare. No one was teaching at school. We just sat in our desks and watched the news. At around noon, the intercom let us know that school was being let out early. Then we just went home and watched the news some more.

Over and over again they showed those planes flying into the WTC. We were so scared for our country, but also for our family...we thought maybe they'd recall my dad, a retired Air Force officer (they didn't). So many prayers were said. I think during that time, our country was the most unified. It's unfortunate that it takes such a disaster for people to put their differences aside and come together.

[theonlysaneone]

I was in school (we were learning about personality colors) when the teacher told us what was going on. The first tower had already been hit when we found out, and the second one was hit soon after. Luckily, our teacher didn't think we were idiots and shelter us from what was happening as it happened. We had the TV on and she printed out the Fox News article.

Later that day, they evacuated Johnson Space Center because it was apparently a big possible target. Since my mom worked there, she came and took me out to eat, then we went home. I also remember my dad being stranded in Florida, and our family frantically trying to contact our uncle who worked in a building right across the street (he was OK).

It's insane how we remember these things. That moment when the second tower was hit was a defining event for our generation, like Pearl Harbor or the JFK assassination, and I don't think I'll ever forget where I was when it happened.

[Hil]

I was asleep because I live in California and it was like 6:00 a.m. I heard something on the radio when the alarm went off about the Pentagon and an explosion, so I got up around 6:45 a.m. (9:45 a.m. EST) and turned on the TV. My parents didn't know about it yet either. My dad had the day off because he works for the state and they were being paranoid. Also, it was picture day at school. I think I was in the 8th grade.

Last edited by Hil on Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Ammer]

I was in French class, and I heard the announcements stating that two planes had struck the World Trade Center. At the time, I didn't know what was going on -- it seemed so surreal to me. I honestly was so confused as to what was happening that it wasn't until I came home and saw the news that I really understood. My sister and brother were home for some reason and yelled at me when I came in and told me the news.

I still remember watching in horror, people jumping out of the windows and I watched the building implode on itself.

That was a horrible, horrible day.

[Christopher]

In bed, asleep. On the 12th of September.

"Chris, planes flew into the World Trade Center"
"Uh-huh, what's a World Trade Center?"

[3lla]

i was sitting in my living room reading a book and eating some custard whilst my dad was watching the late night news and enjoying a bowl of custard himself. He was about to switch off the tv when they came up with a breaking news story and said a plane and hit the world trade center.
I remember my dad and I ran into the kitchen grabbed some more custard and ran back to watch what the hell was happening. Him and I both watched it live.

I think the one thing I can clearly remember was people throwing their babies out the windows and jumping out themselves.

[Asthaloth]

Ermmm... Science class I think.

No idea what I was doing, no idea what I did later, it wasn't an especially important day for me.

[Fiddelysquat]

It's insane how we remember these things. That moment when the second tower was hit was a defining event for our generation, like Pearl Harbor or the JFK assassination, and I don't think I'll ever forget where I was when it happened.

My Grandma says it was exactly like that. She told me to ask anyone who was old enough to remember then what they were doing when JFK died.

[MarchingDuck]

Junior year of HS for me.

I walked into my 1st class from marching band and the tv was on. I looked up just in time to see the 2nd plane hit the building...live.

Its haunted me ever since.

I live in St. Louis and there was fear of them attacking Boeing (where military planes are built). Its also home to once of the largest Southwestern Bell (now AT&T) buildings in the Midwest (who are in charge of telecommunications for stl), so my mom got sent home early.

[Pickles]

I was in my horrid writing workshop class at college (first thing in the morning). The jerky prof thought it was a joke, so refused to end class (even though it had been announced by that point that classes were canceled). He finally let us out after another prof came in and announced that the second plane had hit. I was fortunate to have a TV, so I was able to watch some of it before going to work (yes, they made me work - on campus - even though classes were canceled). I saw at least one of the buildings implode live.
I remember that the whole campus was VERY quiet when I walked up to work - didn't even seem like the birds were coming out. It was freaky.
I also remember being somewhat terrified because my family lives near Johnson Space Center, and there were people saying it was being evacuated as it was a possible target, but I couldn't get in touch with any of 'em. I mean, I knew they weren't injured, but still...I was worried.