Where were you...

I worked at a non-profit in Washington, DC at the time. I took the subway to work, and my line went right under the Pentagon. I got to work after the first tower had been hit, when people still thought it might have been an accident. I remember walking by the conference room (where people were watching it on tv) just as the second tower was hit and it became clear that we were definitely under attack, then watching as the news of the Pentagon broke.

I spent the next little while alternating between watching tv in horror in the conference room and rushing back to my office to make desperate phone calls trying to get in touch with my DH and my sister (and other relatives). DH also worked in DC in a Federal building right near the Capitol, and my sister lived in NYC near the WTC. She was woken up that morning by the noise of one of the 2 planes flying so low overhead.

Finally everyone at work decided to try to get home. I got on a train, and they still were running under the Pentagon even though the Pentagon had been hit. Just before my train went under the Pentagon, there were rumors that another plane was on its way and that the Pentagon was one of the potential targets. They evacuated us from the train, and we stood outside waiting for buses. I stood there in shock, watching the plumes of smoke billowing up from the Pentagon, smelling the smoke.

A lot of that day is a blur; I spent hours of it in traffic, trying to get home. IIRC, my 1 hour commute home took about 6 hours that day. I spent most of that time worrying and trying unsuccessfully to get through to people on my cell. I didn't know if my DH had managed to get out of DC, didn't know if more planes were coming that might be heading for the Capitol or even his building. I can't remember if we listened to the coverage on the bus radio -- you'd think we must have, but I remember the feelings of that day more than the facts. I remember getting home and being so relieved that DH was home safe. I remember being glued to the tv, watching for hours as I caught up on what had happened while I tried to get home. The whole thing was surreal and terrifying, the kind of thing you read about but never expect to be personally affected by.
 
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I actually did a layout on where I was that day. Here's some of the journaling that tells my story.
On the morning of September 11th, I worked overnight at my security job. I had planned to go home, get in a quick nap and then go to class. Barely into my nap, I got a phone call from my dad. The first thing he said was,"Have you gotten a call yet?". I told him I had no idea what he was talking about and he responded by telling me to turn on the TV. As soon as I did and saw the horror that was happening in New York City and Washington DC, I got up and started getting my things together. Shortly after, I got the recall message and headed up to the Air Guard base. We started our shift somewhere around noon. I spent that day standing on the Main Ramp guarding our F-16s that had been placed on alert ready to take to the air if needed. At the time, we had a detachment unit that was stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton Virginia. It was the closest unit to Washington DC with fighter planes. They were the ones scrambled to protect the air space over our nation's capital, the ones ordered to shoot down civilian aircraft. I cannot imagine what they were feeling at the time. I spent the next few weeks working 12 hour days on the base. We were operating in ThreatCon Delta which meant no civilian vehicles on base, this meant our days often lasted 14 hours. Our first day off happened a few weeks in. Due to being on the base for all of my waking hours, I felt very removed from what was happening. We had no TV or radio, so it was impossible to know anything more than what we were told. It was a strange feeling, we knew what was happening and that we were there because of this, but we did not see it. When we finally had the chance, we watched all the videos from that day. Even now, nine years later, it is so hard to see. So many lives lost, so many lives forever changed, our military still affected. One day that forever changed our nation. Journaled Sept. 10th.

My layout:
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=151036
 
Wow, your stories are all so amazing.

I remember everything that day, but will just point out a few things.

I was working outdoors at our University here in my city and knew that all air traffic had been grounded. All of a sudden, I heard an airplane. And it seriously made me feel instantly sick. I looked around and everyone had this look of fear on their faces - an airplane...why were we hearing it. Turns out, it was Air Force One with the President on board flying into Offutt Air Force Base / STRATCOM in Omaha Nebraska. Lincoln, where I live, is only about 45 miles from Offutt. Apparently, they were flying extremely low to fly under radar. I will never forget the chill I felt when I heard the sound of that plane.

Also, we lived close to the airport and main interstate at that time. I just remember that night when I tried to go to sleep, I couldn't. First off I was terrified of what else might happen, but also there was this eerie silence. No air traffic flying in to the airport, and no traffic on the interstate. I was really just an eerie, scary lack of sound.
 
I was 21. Michael and I had just gotten married that June, and it was the very first day of the fall quarter at our university. After my first class got out, I went to the Student ID office where I worked as a student worker. I did notice that there were LOTS more people than usual in the student center, but I figured it was just because it was the first day of class. They were watching the news, but I was in such a hurry to get to work that I didn't notice. I got to work and my boss told me that a bomb had exploded at the World Trade Center (no one really knew what had happened at that point). We were super-busy at work since all the new students were coming in for their ID's, but my boss would run down to the bowling alley next door on campus and watch the news in the staff lounge when we had a break. She let us know everything that was going on. It just got worse and worse. After work was done that afternoon, I walked down to the Chi Alpha (campus ministry) house where Michael and I were student leaders. All our friends were gathered in the living room glued to the TV. They had been there for hours when they didn't have class. That was the first time I saw the footage of the plane hit as they were replaying it over and over. I remember putting my face in my hands and saying 'Oh my God' and crying and everybody was so surprised that it was the first time I had seen the news. The next few days are kind of a blur, but I remember everything from that day like it was yesterday.

One of our good friends is a pilot, and we found out later that he was one of the very last civilian planes in the air after the grounding order went through. He was flying medical supplies in a small company plane and several times they told him he had to land but he was able to keep getting clearance to go to the next airport since he had medical supplies. He didn't really get all the details of what was happening until he finally landed and flight control told him he was one of only a few planes allowed to stay up after the grounding order.
 
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I was on my way to work at around 7am PST, less than a mile from my house when I heard about it on the radio. I remember getting to work and being in shock. It's so hard to believe that it's been 10 years.
 
I was up getting my then 4 year old son ready for preschool. I had Regis on and it was interrupted by the coverage, then thinking it was a bomb, which was horrible enough to stop me in my tracks. As I got him fed and dressed I kept the news on. I just sat down on the coffee table staring at the TV. I remember calling my BFF to tell her to turn on the TV and my Mom at work to tell her what I was seeing. It was so surreal. Got the kiddo in the car and didn't have to turn to the news-it was on every radio station. When I got to preschool everyone was quiet and I was wondering if I should even leave him there. When I got back home I sat down in front of the TV just as the second plane hit. I will never forget that moment. I remember, growing up, my parents telling me where they were when Kennedy was assassinated and how they remembered every detail of that day. I remember everything. I remember having trouble sleeping, dreaming of bombs hitting our town, worrying about nuclear attacks and people on the news taping themselves into their houses and buying gas masks. I remember going to a church prayer service that Saturday and thinking of giving blood but knowing it wasn't needed. It was such an anxious time for me and I lived in TX and didn't know anyone personally who was killed or injured or who even lived in NY at the time. Heartbreaking.

Thanks ladies, for sharing your stories.
 
Ladies, your stories are amazing and heart-wrenching. Thank you for sharing!

It was 9:15PM in Manila and I was channel-surfing when I caught CNN broadcasting about the first tower. Then I saw the plane hit the second tower. I remember thinking--is this really happening?? It's only 9AM over there. What is this? I called my brother and we both watched the news for a while. It's amazing what people can say about something when they don't know exactly what's happening.

But I freaked out when we saw first one, then the other tower fall. Like in slow motion but it was happening. Then all you could see for a while was smoke and debris. I remember channel surfing again because there was absolutely NO WAY the World Trade Center could've fallen like that. A friend of mine who lived in Brooklyn at the time heard the whine of the plane overhead and then a dull boom as it hit the tower.
 
I was pregnant at the time and was off school, I was laying on my bed as I was unwell and was talking on a forum type thing on my mobile phone, there was someone from New York there and they told me to put the news on asap, I went downstairs to look and couldn't believe what was happening, not long after that the 2nd plane hit :(
 
Alisa, that is such an amazing story. Thank you so much for sharing. Wow...I'm speechless.

Rebecca - I can't believe you've even heard of Beech Island, let alone that you were there on 9/11! I live in Aiken, SC, which is not far from Beech Island at all. My DH had just started working as a lab tech for a Department of Energy nuclear facility in the area, and due to major security issues and the nature of the materials at the facility, they were initially placed on lockdown. Eventually, most everyone was sent home - something that was unheard of at the time for that particular facility.

I was a freshman in college and had no idea what was going on until I got to my 9 a.m. English class. One of the guys in the class told the professor a plane had hit the Empire State Building (obviously he was misinformed, but no one knew at the time). We all assumed it was a terrible accident with a small plane and carried on with the class.

By the time I got to my next class in a different building, all the TVs in the hallways were showing footage of the Pentagon crash. I can vividly remember the headline "America Under Attack." I still didn't know what was going on until I got to the classroom, and our professor began to tell us about the events that had transpired. I remember desperately wanting to get home to my family and my newborn baby, but I had to report for work that afternoon.

It wasn't until I got home after 5 p.m. that I was able to watch any news coverage on TV and truly take in the magnitude of the tragedy. I remember very clearly sitting on the couch beside my husband, while holding my baby girl and watching the news coverage on TV. I was on the phone with my mom, and she told me to make sure and hold my DD extra tight and that someday I would be telling her all about the events of that day. It was truly history in the making, and I think we all realized everything as we knew it had changed in an instant.
 
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Alisa, thank you so much for sharing your story with us! I cannot even imagine the impact that day has had on you.

I was living in a small town in North Carolina and was on the phone with my now husband who was in the Netherlands. We'd only met on the internet in late June of that year. I remember switching the TV on and Good Morning America was on. They were filming as the second plane hit the towers and I just went completely silent with disbelief. The next thing I remember saying was, "Alright, you can come get me NOW!" I told him what I had just witnessed on TV and we talked for a little bit longer, probably about 10 minutes before we got off the phone so he could try to make arrangements to come pick me up and move me to the Netherlands. I just couldn't imagine spending another day living on the other side of the world from the man I loved. Anything could happen. Eight days later he arrived in Atlanta and after eight more days of going all over the US to take of paperwork and getting a passport we were on a plane the Netherlands.

I'm still horrified by the terrible events of that day but my life would not be what it is today. I don't know if I would have ever truly made that leap of faith if it hadn't been for 9/11. But here we are 10 years later and I made my first trip back to the US last year to get married.

I've been watching NatGeo for the past two days and it brings it all back as if it's just happened. it still makes my heart heavy.
 
Alisa.....Thank you for being brave enough to tell your story. I am just speechless. ((HUGS))

My story.......I was 25 years old (all of you that were in Jr High and HS are making me feel old btw!). I was on my way to work when the first tower was hit. Once I got to work (a bank) I quickly went to the break room to turn on the TV. I thought the radio had it all wrong and that couldn't be the truth. The pictures on the TV totally proved my thoughts incorrect. I was so scared. People starting coming in the bank asking lots of questions and worrying over if this was the end of the world coming. That is when the second tower was hit. Then people really started freaking out and withdrawing all the money they could. Then the gas station next to the bank hiked up their prices to an ungodly amount. People were waiting in line for a LONG time at the gas station filling up their cars. It was causing so much panic.

Then the tower collapsed......I screamed at the top of my lungs. I swear I freaked the customers completely out. I just starting bawling and praying. I didn't know what else to do. Then the other tower collapsed. I was speechless. I wanted this to be a horrible TV made up story and not reality. I was numb, in shock and completely overwhelmed. I called my husband (police officer at the time) and I think I totally freaked him out. He was aware of what was going on but to hear me lossing it was too much for him.

We had to close the bank early because we didn't have enough money in the vault to continue with business. Yes, it was THAT crazy here in Oklahoma. I think it hit us Oklahomans so hard because of our terrorist attack we had a few years before in OKC. It was making us relive that terror all over again and realize the effect on the families in NYC. After that day......I was just glued to the TV. I just keep hoping for more survivors. I will never forget 9/11.
 
Alisa, thank you for sharing - I am another brought to tears by your story. And thank you everyone for relating your stories.

Living in Australia, the first I knew of it was getting up early to the kids (who should have been in bed!!). They were cranky because there were no cartoons on, just news on every channel. As I had the day off, I put on a video for them and went back to bed.

When I got up again and saw the morning news, I was just stunned. I could not stop watching the coverage, not wanting to watch but not being able to stop. And the thing that has stayed with me, that scarred me from so many thousand miles away, was the footage of people jumping to their deaths . . how terrified must they have been, to think that jumping was the best option?

It was truly horrific, and I felt helpless, scared . . and dreadfully sorry for those in America.
 
I was a senior in college and heading to my first finance exam of the semester. Got in the car and turned on the radio. Was surprised to hear Katie Couric talking...
 
Weird reading this, I feel so exposed after my diving LO.

I have already had a nightmare this year in preparation for the anniversary and reeading my post here made my heart pound.

I guess you never do get over it.
 
ayaandjudah said:
Weird reading this, I feel so exposed after my diving LO.

I have already had a nightmare this year in preparation for the anniversary and reeading my post here made my heart pound.

I guess you never do get over it.
Click to expand...

Hugs Alisa :hugs: I saw this this morning and it was weird for me too. I never did post to this thread last year because of the raw emotions (and I wasn't even there when it happened) but after doing my Diving layout this week it all seemed so fresh :(
 
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