[9/11] Where Were You?

[Irish Envy]

I normally don't get into stuff like this, but since this is the first huge tragedy that happened on home soil, I think it's always interesting. Where were you when the planes hit the towers?

Me, I had called into work and was home asleep. My then college roommate had came in and work me up telling me to turn on the TV. Shock. I got a quick shower and then headed over to my parents house. Watched the coverage there for a majority of the day.

 

[punishment]

I was beginning my second year of law school and was sitting in Bankruptcy Law class with Judge Dees. Walked out of class at 9:00 and went to see a group of people gathered around the tv in the lobby.

 

[Óglaigh_na_hÉireann]

4th period Spanish in the 7th grade. I sat right behind a girl I really liked who would move back to Alabama two years later.

We watched CNN in every class that day. I was at the right age---if I had been in 6th grade (elementary school), I wouldn't have seen any of it. The principal and teachers of the elementary school decided to deny a generation of students one of the, if not the single most dramatic historical evens of their lives. So, I'm a bit pissed about that.

My brother was also at college, I think he was a sophomore, and was heading off to class when he was told about a 'plane accident at the WTC'. So he put it on the Today show and witnessed the second plane crash into the South Tower.

 

[isotopes]

I was a sophomore in HS. I walked into my first period class and right after the morning prayer the priest came back on to say a plane had just hit the towers. The news went on and I don't think we stopped watching coverage for the entire week. I remember after school we still had football practice and where our school was at (southside of Chicago) it was always loud and many planes overhead but it was absolute silence... it was a very eerie calm....

 

[Dannyboy Ayers]

at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. at the shooting range sitting on the 500 yard line waiting to shoot. they stopped the shooting and called all Marines from NY to the shooting tower.

 

[KMac151993]

I was in High School in Soph. English class with ACCIrish when we heard the news and turned on the TV. We saw the second plane hit and both towers fall.

 

[irishtexan]

I had just finished 4 years of active duty in the Marines in June of '01. I was in my college algebra class when aother fellow Marine told me that we were going to war. I got up and went to my house. All my roommates were there watching and not more than 30 seconds later did the second plane hit the second tower. I remembered thinking to myself, this is the beginning of WWIII. In a bit of irony though I also broke up with my girlfriend of 1 1/2 years that day.

 

[guff]

I was off work that day. My wife, pregnant with our first child, woke me after the 1st plane struck. I spent the rest of the day watching TV.

I think a good portion of America has forgotten what happened that day. They remember that four planes crashed but the seem to have forgotten that it was an attack. The first shot of a war. There are people out there that want to destroy this country and if we don't pop our heads out of asses it's going to happen.

 

[pappy]

I was beginning a new job at work, and was in training with a bunch of new hires, and while they trained, I sat in the trainers office watching on TV. I then went home, and continued watching tv.

 

[mizzouirish]

Theology class in high school glued to the television

 

[ackirl]

The golf course I work at in New Jersey you were able to see the towers from the first tee. After the first plane hit we all went outside to look but went back inside and watched the second plane hit on TV. I knew one person who died in tower 2 and three other who made it out. One member of our club lost 42 of his employees. The one image that is burned in my mind is how many military jets were in constant flight overhead, how low they were flying and how loud and fast they were. It felt like a war zone. Sometimes it seems like it was just a few weeks ago and other times it seems like it was twenty years ago. The twin spotlights are light tonight and it’s still an empty eerie sight.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

I had just woken up 30 minutes prior. Took a shower and turned on the TV. The towers were burning...neither had fallen yet.

I told my wife that a plane hit one, she waved me off and went back to sleep. I came back and told her it was two planes. She looked up and say "what? that's weird!!!" The the tower fell...I walked back and told her "Hey, one of the towers just fell".

She sat straight up and we turned on the TV in the bedroom and watched...

Crazy days.

 

[ACamp1900]

I had just had my 21st B-day couple months prior and was away at college leading up the sep. I then fell into heavy money troubles and had to move home the week before 9/11... my mother woke me up stating a plane had hit the trade center and I quickly thought of the WWII Bomber that hit the Empire State Building back in the day and thought it was a tradgic accident...

By time I got up and turned on the TV the second plane was flying into the building (Mom had to go to work at this point so I was home alone and the rest of the day I played the part of updater to my parents and sister)... the smoke was already coming from the other building as the plane hit and that let me know I wasn't watching old footage... and I immediately knew it was an attack before the news even mentioned it...

I will NEVER forget that moment of realization... I remember thinking very shortly, seconds really, after the second plane hit, "we're going to war," and how scary the rest of the day was thinking the whole day that more and more attacks would come...

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

I will NEVER forget that moment of realization... I remember thinking very shortly, seconds really, after the second plane hit, "we're going to war," and how scary the rest of the day was thinking the whole day that more and more attacks would come...

Yeah, I was in a meeting later that day with some co-workers from Malaysia and the Philippines. They expressed their extreme condolences (as they are all friends of the US).

One guy asked me what was going to happen next.

I said, "Somebody is going to get bombed."
The guy says, "Who?"
I said, "The country that supported it I would guess, but it won't matter if we guess right or wrong...somebody will get bombed"

 

[absoluteirish59]

Unfortunately i live 20 min from NYC and i lost some friends. I was working and didnt find out until my friend called me and told me when the second tower got hit. I will never forget and i will never forgive. I wish i was physically able to join the armed forces at the time but i have a heart murmer( not dangerous ) and am not permitted. Still brings tears to my eyes everytime i think about it or whenever i'm in the city, which is quite often.

 

[irishnd31]

Was a pre school teacher who worked approx. 8 miles from Cleveland Hopkins Airport. We were informed of the incident by the head of the school, but were told not to let the class of 24, 4 year olds watch. We were curious and flipped it on. We saw the second plane hit and I just went into shock. We went outside at approx. 11 o'clock for recess and usually there were planes fliyng overhead constantly. Not a sound outside. Very eerie. I just remember there were parents running and crying when picking up their kids from the class. I sympathize with those who lost loved ones in the terrorist attacks, but can't say that I know what you all are going through because I was lucky to have not lost a loved one. My heart goes out to those of you who were not as fortunate.

 

[Domer95]

I was on the E train heading to my subway stop, the World Trade Center, when the first plane hit, so didn't see that one. Got off the subway and we all were wondering why there were so many people in the subway lobby and the adjoining WTC mall. Tried to get to ground level, couldn't for 3 blocks. Finally emerged and saw the hole that the first plane made and the papers that were flying around like New Year's Eve in Times Square. Was trying to get to/contact my office, which was on the Hudson River, across the street from WTC. Cell phones weren't working. I was 2 blocks north and 1 block east of the WTC. I remember hearing the schreech of 2nd plane riccochet through the buildings of downtown Manhattan as the bastard gunned the engines at full throttle and I'll never forget looking up and seeing the orange mushroom cloud that the plane made on impact. Seeing that, it was time to sprint the few blocks to the relative safety of the Hudson River. I then walked home to 53rd and 1st Ave, about 3 miles and watched in stunned amazement the seemingly endless lines of office worker refugees trudge uptown, away from Ground Zero. Gathered with some friends, watched TV, finally saw WTC #7 fall, went out to get a few drinks and then we quietly went our seperate ways. It was the quietest night in my 7 years of living in NYC.

 

[lattedatte]

Flying to chicago, landed between 1st and 2nd tower being hit, no joke...

 

[Easton Pa ND Fan]

Watched the whole drama...

Watched the whole drama...

Had the day off and turned on the tv to see the cnn news. First thing I saw was the tower smoking. Thought they had one heck of a fire. As I listened to the announcers speculate, I saw a 'bug' dart across the screen and plow into the second tower. I knew we were at war...Tom

 

[jiggafini19]

My second week of work during my first job out of college.

The girl at the desk next to mine came in and said a plane had crashed into one of the WTC towers. I thought it was a small single engine plane and the weather was bad. Turned out to be much worse than I thought.

I immediately thought of my cousin in Brooklyn, who is a firefighter. It was the longest 24 hours of our lives as a family, but getting that call was better than any victory or touchdown ever I can assure you.

Never Forget.

 

[SillyIrish]

I was at work (police officer) sitting in a construction zone. Right up the road from me a lady hit a deer with her car and the deer was still alive. Normal procedure is to shoot the deer due to it's injuries so that was what I did. Once i got back into my car I had Howard Stern on the radio and heard about the first plane. I immediately returned to my station and we watched it on TV, saw the second plane hit. Will never forget that day. I can even remember the conversation I had with the lady who hit the deer.

 

[ChiND]

Was starting my first day of work; at training in Dallas (arrived the afternoon prior). Sat and watched on the internet the 2nd tower get hit and then eventually fall. Very weird and especially odd to watch the people in the office go through the full range of emotions. I also will never forget renting a car on Friday to return home as no flights were being allowed at that point. Rented a Cadillac Seville (beast of a car) and drove the 980 miles straight through. Police were not pulling anyone (discussed this with a State trooper in Texas) over as they understood people were trying to get home to their families.

 

[Indydomer]

I was mowing the grass when my buddy came out and got me. We watched the rest of the coverage.

 

[marv81s]

On my way to work and I was listening to Mancow, don't remember too much of the ride into work and I watched the coverage on the computer the rest of the day. Was instant messaging with a couple of my friends and just couldn't believe it. Talked to my wife that night and asked if she would still stay married to me if I decided to go back in and she said no, that she couldn't live that kind of lifestyle. Anyway, that was a GOD awful day. So unreal that it was five years ago already!

 

[onenybrother]

The Giant's had played that night before on Monday night. I had told my boss before hand that I wasn't coming in. I was sitting home watching Good Morning New York when they said a small aircraft had flew into the towers. I turn to the channel and Janice Huff a local weather person had said that a jet had went through the towers. As soon as she said that you saw the other plane going in. To see them towers going down and to no I had friends in there was rough.

 

[rontdtarchala]

I was sitting on the runway of a small airport in NC getting ready to solo...tower told me to taxi back in...I had passed my physical by the grace of God (I have MD) and by the time I was able to get to solo again I couldn't pass physical...totally sucked...didn't care about a carrier in aviation just wanted to do it for my dad...life does have its twists and turns doesn't it....

GO IRISH!!!

 

[SoCaLIrishBabe]

I was woke up by my husband who told me what happened to the first tower. We were watching the news when the 2nd plane hit. I can remember sitting there in shock and then watching them fall. I didn't go to work that day because my daughter had fallen at school the day before and I had to take her for x-rays.

 

[tgolden]

I was at school, just switching classes when my teacher turned on the TV. I watched the 2nd plane come hit. We watched TV the rest of the school day then went home and watched more TV.

 

[Guest]

I was in a deli buying some breakfest before class(Queens College)when I heard it over the store radio, I remember worrying because my mother works right next to the WTC, but then I realized she was on her vacation, thank God.

I drove home on the LIE that day, I have never seen the LIE so empty that time of day in my life, just cop cars zooming by me, and I was probably going about 80 or so myself. You can see the city skyline from my bedroom window, but that day all you could see was a cloud of smoke. The next day we could smell the burned ash odor.

 

[Vince Young]

At the time, I was working as the producer for a morning radio-talk show in the town where I live. I had the control room TV tuned to the Weather Channel, and thus while the first plane went in shortly before 9:00am, the host and I were doing our usual end-of-show chit-chat on the air. We ended the show, I played a commercial and a station-ID, and went into the CBS Radio News at the top of the hour just in time to hear the breaking news that "a small plane has just crashed into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York." I lunged for the remote control and switched the TV to CNN while I listened to the radio report.

There are several radios scattered around the building that are all tuned to our station, so all the early-birds in the building heard the news and converged on the control room.

Then the second plane hit.

At that point, I had less than 2 minutes before the 9:06am health show started, and the next host wanted to know what we were doing. I told him to go ahead and start his show like normal, but to be ready to go to a break at a moment's notice. In the meantime, we started trying to get ahold of the General Manager. The next show started at 9:06am as-scheduled, but by 9:10am the GM had called back and told us to go into breaking-news mode. I signalled the host to break, then put on the CBS breaking news feed, threw together an automation program to break in with quick liners and station IDs every few minutes, and then sat back and watched everything unfold for the rest of the morning, right there in the control room at the radio station. The anger and helplessness I felt that day was unreal.

Early in the afternoon I got to go home for a break for a few hours, but I had to come back in later that night to man the control room again. I was there from 6pm to about midnight, and I was the only one in the building, and those were the lonliest 6 hours of my life.