Where Were You?

[Misty_Morning]

On this day 7 years ago, the USA stood still...as did most of the world.

We all stopped. No matter what. And watched in horror.

What were you doing?



As for me....


Two days prior I had taken my best friends mother to the Bea Rivage Casino in Biloxi MS for her Birthday. Her daughter, my best friend had past away several months before. Since I was this womans "other" daughter, I wanted to do something nice for her.

We returned back to my home on 9-10.

I got up and was cooking breakfast...I wanted to surprise her.

I turned on the TV.....as the news reports started coming in.


After several minutes I knocked the guests room door and said..."I think you need to come in here.."

and for the next 2 days we were glued to the TV.





I guess the only positive thing that comes to mind....thankfully it didn't happen two hours later.

 

[starrkers]

I was preparing to go to bed when the first reports of the first tower hit came on the TV. We watched as the second plane hit the second tower. We watched them burn. News of the Pentagon hit came in...

Hubby and I watched until sometime after both towers had fallen. When it seemed clear there were no more attacks and no new information, we went to bed.

But the TV was back on straight after the alarm clock went off.

 

[sr71plt]

I was in my home office editing a book, and, for some reason had CNN on, and caught the whole thing. And not long after that I was on the phone trying to track my daughter down because she had a meeting at the Pentagon that morning. (The Pentagon was hit after she left for work, although the plane roared across the window of her Rosslyn apartment as it was going into the Pentagon and she was standing there drinking her morning coffee.) And then, by that evening, I was driving to Washington, having been called in to try to help figure out who had done what--and what else they might be up to. Didn't come home again for another week.

 

[Guest]

I was in a training class in Columbia SC. I was going to work for BCBS in their TriCare for Life program. Most of the people there were military dependents, as was I at the time. Seven days prior to this I put my then husband on a plane for a year long hardship tour overseas. I was getting weird text messages on my phone. The next thing that happened was I was pulled out of class along with the woman that rode with me. The reason: My father and father in law were in the Pentagon that day. Both for their work. Neither of them could be found. With my heart in my throat we drove back to town and turned on the TV.... we watched and cried. It was two days before I got the first phone call that my father in law was okay... another two before I knew about my father. My college roommates mother, whom was a second mom, was in the second tower. Two people that I graduated with were in the first one. I will never forget that day.... the people that lost their lives in the attacks... and all those that lost their lives trying desperately to rescue them. I went to NY this year on the 4th, a friend took me... I stood there reading the names... with tears running down my face while he held me from me behind, he says that my knees buckled when I found their names. You see I had never been, I just couldnt go there yet. We went to the fire house... the one that lost every single one of the guys in the company... and touched their copper mural... it was warm to the touch... like it was alive... I hurt standing there staring at it.......

 

[Corylea]

I was in Manhattan.

I had taken my mother to NYC on September 10th as a birthday present; we had train and hotel reservations and would stay until the 12th. My mother wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, all that touristy stuff.

On the morning of the 11th, we got up and went next door to a diner and had breakfast, then went back to our room to brush our teeth, after which we were going to take the subway south, to the Statue of Liberty. While we were in our hotel room, my father called and told us to turn on the TV. Mom said we were about to get on the subway and take it south to the Statue of Liberty, and my father told us that we really didn't want to do this, then told us again to turn on the TV. Saved from the chaos by our commitment to dental health.

After we'd watched the buildings collapse several times, we decided to go out and walk around. The streets were deserted. We were in Manhattan, at 6 p.m., and the streets were deserted. It was eerie and seemed an awful lot like what you see in those end-of-the-world movies.

We were lucky, because we already had Amtrak tickets for leaving the city the next day. Half of Manhattan was trying to take the train, since the airports and highways were closed, but we already had our tickets and got home okay. Unfortunately, my husband was in Germany attending a conference, and they wouldn't let any planes into the country for several days, so I had to stay at my parents' house for much longer than intended. (My parents are best in very small doses.)

 

[packersfan]

I was at work that day, when word came through of the Trade Center Towers on fire. Not until TV's were set up did we realize that it was deliberate, and over 600 people watched the towers come down. Our eyes were on the screens, but our thoughts were with our loved ones. My brother, who was in the 101st, 2 cousins overseas. It was quiet, as our minds spread out, and we took in the news that we were no longer safe.

 

[alyxen]

I had flown out to Ft Sam Houston in Texas for a project I was working on at the time the day before. Then I watched the news for a couple days before we all drove home as the airports were still closed. Project was shut down within about two months, and I got laid off not too long after that. I did the drive home straight (about 17 and a half hours if I recall correctly) as I was anxious to be home.

 

[rengadeirishman]

I was a freshman in high school, sitting in humanities class, when Dr. Hutcheson, the headmistress, came in and told us that a plane had struck the World Trade Center, for a moment i thought, being from baltimore, that she meant the one down the harbor, until i realized that she couldnt mean that one, because people don't really even talk about our world trade center. a TV was brought in and we watched the news for a few minutes, and we were told that school would be closing. Being the school that it was, several people started saying it was a punishment from god, to which i replied "Aint much of a god."

i went home and started staying glued to the TV.

ill never forget it, terrorists were a sort boogieman who tore up israel all the time. Until that day.

 

[Belegon]

I was at home, getting the kids ready for school. I turned on the TV and it was right after the Pentagon got hit. I was watching and worrying about my cousin, who was working there at the time. (Of all days, that day he was coming in late.)

It took a while before I realized the towers had been hit. I went to work, not sure what would happen. I was working for Wells Fargo Bank as an Asst. Branch Manager.

My boss and I sent everyone else home. Not many people were coming in anyway. We set up a TV and watched... a lot of branches were told to close, especially those in downtown areas.

I remember one of my good customers coming and making deposits for his business. We were all in such shock. He had an extra hundred dollar bill in one deposit. I gave it back to him and he put it aside. He was so distracted that when he walked away he left it there, off to the side where I couldn't see it. We didn't even notice for like a half an hour, but since no one was coming in it was still there.

The few people that did come in looked shell-shocked or had red eyes from crying.

 

[English Lady]

I was pregnant at the time and my sleeping pattern was all out of whack. It was the afternoon and I was napping in the bedroom. My husband was next to me on his ocmputer and he had the radio on.

I remember catching the odd words as I came round and I thought my husband had turned the telly on. It wasn't until I woke up properly I realised it was actually on the radio. My husband filled me in and I jumped up and on to my computer where I sat in the chatroom which was my regular haunt.

The guy who ran that was near the towers when it all happened, his office was fairly close and he was trapped in his office -the air around was filled with dust. Other people were waiting for news of relatives, and we found that in the UK we were getting news quicker than the folks in the US. So we kept feeding updates that we were hearing on the radio.

It was so surreal for me, like a dream at first. It broke my heart. I cried several times in the days after it. What an awful, awful disaster.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I was working from home that day, listening to a radio station in Atlanta when the new bulletin came on the air. I immediately switched on the TV and forgot about work. Stayed glued to the set for the next two days.

A mix of emotions swirled in my mind. Anger and sadness were the two most prominent.

 

[CWatson]

I was asleep in my bed in my parents' house in California. My mom ran in and said something about hijackings and aircraft, and my first thought was that they had landed a helicopter on the roof of the Twin Towers and taken the building hostage. (This sounds far more sensible when you're half-asleep.) But then I got up and came down to my parents' bedroom, where the television was on, and found out that first impressions were completely wrong.

By the time I got down, the first tower had already collapsed. I wondered what it was like to still be in the building at the time. Then my imagination kicked in and I knew.

It was a Tuesday. I know this because we had a choir practice the next day, and instead of singing for the last hour we all gathered in the sanctuary and talked it out. One graduate from last year had already moved out in August to start his classes--in NYC. Thankfully, we had heard from him and his family that he was alright. But that wasn't the worst: another girl had lost her mother on one of the flights. She said her mother had left them a voice mail. I imagined that--listening to some fuzzy, recorded message; listening to the woman who bore you telling you that you will never see her again--and it was bad too. I imagined recording that message--staring out the scratchy plastic panes at high-rises that are far closer to your airliner than high-rises were ever meant to be--and that was bad too. It was all bad.

But two weeks later this came out:
God Angrily Clarifies 'Don't Kill' Rule
and I started to have faith again. 9/11 was one of the most horrific things mankind has ever done to itself... But out of it stemmed some of the most noble and heroic things mankind has ever done as well.

And sometimes that's enough.

 

[Mistress_Joli]

I was staying in a motel with my parents. The owner of the motel called us at 8:30AM Pacific time and told us to turn on the tv. We watched as both towers fell. I was in a daze the rest of the day, scared that loved ones might have been in it. It was raining here. A day that symbolized the saddness in the world.

 

[sweetness6280]

I was driving to work after dropping the kids off at school, when I heard something on the radio about a plane hitting the WTC. I worked as adm asst for the president of a credit union, and he always had the TV on in his office. I knew something was up as soon as I walked in the door. NO ONE was downstairs. As I reached my desk, I realized they were all in the pres's office (doubled as a board room). We watched the replays of the first attack, trying to make sense of it all, and then the second plane hit. There was a collective gasp, then silence, and then tears as the reality began to hit us. Our country was under attack. Learning about the Pentagon, the flight down in Pennsylvania, and then watching the towers collapse was the most surreal experience I have ever had. I did not know anyone in those buildings, but I was connected to them emotionally.

I went home, and tried to help my kids understand something that I couldn't comprehend.

 

[impressive]

At home with 2 kids. I was homeschooling the oldest 'cause the school system insisted he needed "prerequisite skills" before he could be included (skills he still does not possess, but don't prevent his inclusion now -- go figure) and my youngest was barely out of diapers.

At the time, I was making a decent amount of money trading stocks, so I had CNBC on each morning. I was watching a news clip about the first crash and saw the second hit live. I remember thinking That plane shouldn't be there! just moments before impact.

The physical therapist arrived for eldest's regular appointment, and we were glued to the TV together. I don't even remember if she worked with T.

By the time Flight 93 crashed in PA -- not very far from here -- my husband was on his way home from work. They'd closed the office. He picked up middle child from school on his way. I wanted all my kids with me.

The entire day was just surreal. I wanted to DO something, but there was nothing TO do but wait & watch.

 

[Liar]

Had a job at the time as an editor at a major newspaper, so I was pretty much sitting in a media nexus. Direct feed from all the news bueraus, correspondents on phone from all over the world, a staff scanning major and minor news sites, and a wall of 24 hour news tv, CNN, Fox News, N24, Sky, BBC World and the rest.

Enjoyed a quiet coffee in the after-lunch doldrum of a slow news day, when the guy across the desk from me looked up from his computer screen and said.

"Uh... guys... I think there's something..."

And then three things happened within the same second. Phones started ringing, a couple of web alerts pinged at the same time and two of ten tv-screens flashed their Breaking News signs.

 

[rgraham666]

I was at home. A roommate came up the stairs claiming 'A plane's hit the World Trade Centre!'

I went down and watched for a while, saw the second plane hit.

Then I went back to what ever I was doing. I've seen far worse.

I felt very sorry for the people that lost loved ones. I was very certain Al Qaeda was behind it. I was hoping that the event wouldn't be America's equivalent of the Reichstag fire.

 

[neonlyte]

I turned on the TV having slept for a few hours after a night shift in my patisserie. Sat glued to the TV for two or three hours, then went to my shop where no one knew anything about what had happened. I found that bizzare, the radio was tuned to a pop station and none of them had listened to the news. They thought I was joking at first, but it explained why we had no lunch time customers, everyone was at home or in the local pub watching the TV. We shut up early and I went home to ponder the future.

When Princess Diana died, I was again doing a night shift (Saturday night) and heard the news unfold overnight. When my first customers arrived few had heard the news, many stayed in the shop listening to the radio before heading home.

 

[trysail]

Readable recitals of the facts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_11

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_175

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_77

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_93

 

[Handprints]

Varick and West Broadway, heading for Chinatown for some dim sum before a meeting. Been back a dozen times since and am always amazed (and a bit disgusted - sorry) that the WTC site remains a fenced-off hole in the ground. NYC is and deserves better.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I heard about the first plane as I was driving to the dentist. I thought of the bomber that had flown into the Empire State building in 1945 or '46 and didn't think much of it -- an accident of some kind. That bomber hadn't caused much damage. I didn't think the jet would either

I was having my stupid teeth cleaned when the second plane hit. I watched it on the little TV in the dentist's back room with the rest of the office staff, still wearing the plastic sheet, the technician still holding the pick and mirror. She had her hand on my shoulder as we watched. She was very quiet as she finished me.

I was shocked but I wasn't surprised. I'd heard about terrorist scenarios of flying passenger jets into nuclear reactors. (In fact, reactor containment buildings are designed to withstand a direct hit from a passenger jet.) I didn't know if they were foreign or domestic terrorists, though. I assumed they were domestic -- some cult or something.

Then I figured it out. They were trying to make us feel like Palestinians.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

I was packing my suitcase, preparing to fly from Las Vegas to San Diego. Needless to say, my flight was cancelled, and I spent the whole day glued to the television.

 

[Emerald_Dragon]

I was two months pregnant with my second daughter. I had just gotten off the Graveyard shift at 6 am (central time). The TV's in the break/lunchroom were on and I had stopped in to grab my cooler. The second plane hit as I was driving home. It was absolutely staggering and I didn't sleep much that am.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

I was sitting at work browsing some gaming forums while listening to Howard Stern on the radio (the only rock station in NYC at the time was his home station). I was surprised to hear of the first crash, and disgusted to find that the second crash was real and not a prank by someone calling his show up. I listened in horror as reports came in about everything else that day. I didn't actually see the video of it until I got home after 5:30 that evening.

And I still wonder if that flight over Pennsylvania was shot down by air force jets.

__

However, the next day on my birthday, I was pleased with how quiet it was with less people going to work, and no planes in the sky. It was quite serene. I felt guilty about enjoying that, but it was the only thing I had at the time.

 

[Munachi]

was in the US, visiting my then bf... he was at work, i woke up from the phone ringing and it was someone for his mom (he lived with her at the time as he had very little money and needed most of it for college), so i went upstairs to bring her the phone. while she was talking i was waiting so i could ask her something or other when she is done. then when she hung up she asked me if i'd seen the news. she said there had been a weird plane crash, so we went to the living room to watch the news there, and discussed for a while if it was a strange accident - then of course there was the second plane so it was clear it wasn't an accident.

my parents were angry at me later on that i didn't call or email them right away to tell them i am alright. i was surprised at this... but my mom said "well you are in new york!" that i was actually not in new york city but about three hours away upstate didn't mean that much to her... my dad on the other hand said that he stopped worrying very soon when he realized it was only like nine in the morning over there - because he knew i'd still be at home sleeping anyway...

anyway, it was another five weeks before i went home, and i must say they were somewhat strange to me...