What were you doing on 911?

[tim-from-pa]

Everyone one once remembered what they were doing when Kennedy was shot. Now, how about the twin towers?

For me, it was a sunny morning at the Microelectronics plant. I remembered that sunny morning we had a (planned) fire drill and went outside. Upon getting back to our testing lab, one of the ladies said there was plane crash into the World Trade Center tower. (We had a TV in that lab with the news on all the time, but it was a large lab and I was not at that end of it). Thinking it was a careless small Cessna pilot or something, I watched the TV for a short time seeing all that smoke. I walked away again and the lady said there was yet another plane. At this point, I knew something was up. I still thought it was small planes but was shocked to hear they were large ones. The engineer Bob said he had a party planned something like the 15th for his sister at the top of the WTC. Then he commented one looked like it was leaning a little. Soon thereafter, we were horrified to see them collapse.

As time went on we heard of other planes crashing elsewhere and I remember my wife calling me and said she did not know what was going on that if she heard any more was going to take the kids out of school. We were all in a daze and I remember it was starting to get a hazy surreal overcast by lunch and I just had to go out, driving in a fog-like state to Burger King. The thought entered my mind that the Great Tribulation was starting. Bob joked with me and said "Maybe I should cancel my plans now that the buildings fell." But afterwards he apologized and said that was awfully insensitive of him considering there were so many lives lost. I said to him, "Bob. Don't feel bad, We had no way of knowing it was all so surreal."

One of my coworkers lost her aunt in that tragedy and I also learned that one of the planes flew right over my house. I blame 911 for the start of the end of my good paying career as the country started going downhill after that and I lost it 3 years later. However, I was thankful it was only a career. Some people lost that and their lives.

 

[handy]

Viola had just gotten me out of bed... she was an early riser back in those days. I got up and was going to change the TV for her because she always watched kiddie shows when she got up. However, the TV had been on a news station and they were covering the first plane crash... I paused to watch to see what was going on and wow... the second plane. It was horrifying. My legs just sort of gave way and I went and woke up Steve to tell him that we were under some kind of attack and they were flying planes into buildings.

Then we found out that Deena's husband was on Flight 93. Deena is my brother-in-law's niece.

Deena has since remarried and her girls are all grown up now... life has moved on and they are all well... but it was so terrible those girls losing their daddy that way.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I was in school. I remember when the principal came in the classroom and mentioned what had happened. They brought a radio into the classroom to hear the news a few minutes later. Then they had us all go to the chapel to pray until our parents came to pick us up.
I was 8 years old at the time, so I wasn't sure how to feel about it.

 

[tim-from-pa]

Sorry to hear that about flight 93, Handy. That's the plane that flew over where I live. I see planes traveling to and from Newark fly over all the time.

 

[Mike S]

I was at the shop working, I'd gone in early that day. I spent a few hours determining material requirements for our incoming orders. Then I called a supplier, adn she asked my what I thought about the news. I told her I didn't know anything about the news, and she said "You need to turn on a TV."

I turned on the news just in time to see the second tower hit. I was stunned, and called my wife ans son who where in California at the time. We had just been in NY at the towers a few days earlier.

No one is going to forget were he was that day. It's a pivot point in our history. We can no longer pretend we arn't at war with radical Islam.

 

[abide]

Everyone one once remembered what they were doing when Kennedy was shot. Now, how about the twin towers?

For me, it was a sunny morning at the Microelectronics plant. I remembered that sunny morning we had a (planned) fire drill and went outside. Upon getting back to our testing lab, one of the ladies said there was plane crash into the World Trade Center tower. (We had a TV in that lab with the news on all the time, but it was a large lab and I was not at that end of it). Thinking it was a careless small Cessna pilot or something, I watched the TV for a short time seeing all that smoke. I walked away again and the lady said there was yet another plane. At this point, I knew something was up. I still thought it was small planes but was shocked to hear they were large ones. The engineer Bob said he had a party planned something like the 15th for his sister at the top of the WTC. Then he commented one looked like it was leaning a little. Soon thereafter, we were horrified to see them collapse.

As time went on we heard of other planes crashing elsewhere and I remember my wife calling me and said she did not know what was going on that if she heard any more was going to take the kids out of school. We were all in a daze and I remember it was starting to get a hazy surreal overcast by lunch and I just had to go out, driving in a fog-like state to Burger King. The thought entered my mind that the Great Tribulation was starting. Bob joked with me and said "Maybe I should cancel my plans now that the buildings fell." But afterwards he apologized and said that was awfully insensitive of him considering there were so many lives lost. I said to him, "Bob. Don't feel bad, We had no way of knowing it was all so surreal."

One of my coworkers lost her aunt in that tragedy and I also learned that one of the planes flew right over my house. I blame 911 for the start of the end of my good paying career as the country started going downhill after that and I lost it 3 years later. However, I was thankful it was only a career. Some people lost that and their lives.

That day is one I will always remember. I was going towards my work station and a friend said to me A..look the twin towers are burning in New York. When I checked the photo it was unbelievable. The crowds of people. During the night on the TV I saw a manager from one of the companies literally cried, when so many of his staff, can't remember the amount died.

That day is etched in my memory. My mother was born on 11th September.

 

[handy]

Sorry to hear that about flight 93, Handy. That's the plane that flew over where I live. I see planes traveling to and from Newark fly over all the time.

It was such a hard day... talking with my sister and she was telling me how Deena had the FBI there... Tom had phoned her to tell her what was going on and she told him that they had hit the WTC. That's when those on the flight knew that things weren't going to go well.

Sheesh... it's been 11 years now and I still can't think about it without tears.

Then again, maybe that's a good thing. Perhaps some things should always be remembered with tears.

 

[handy]

So, President Obama led the nation in a moment of silence to honor all those who lost their lives 11 years ago today. ABC and CBS news joined in the moment...

Not NBC though. No, NBC decided to air Kris Jenner talking about her breast implants. :bigfrown

 

[farouk]

I was at work, and I heard the news and told the boss that the Pentagon as well was on fire, I remember.

This may seem a strange thing to say but in other countries, some of which have faced terrorism for years, the news wasn't necessarily received in the same way as in the US, because people have been blowing up airliners for years and thousands died in conflicts such as in Northern Ireland. Lebanon had its civil war for years, and so forth, and populations in some countries have faced security restrictions for years.

However, what made 9/11 especially significant was the scale of deaths in one incident, not unlike at Pearl Harbor.

Also, it awoke Americans to the realities of international conflicts which other countries had been facing for years. Some US politicians who for internal political reasons had previously been wanting to give visas to apologists for terrorism in places such as Northern Ireland were suddenly in favor of security cooperation with the British government after 9/11, and so forth.

 

[Mike]

I had a job where I worked on the road from my house, and I was listening in my car. My thoughts from the first plane to the second follow the same path as most everyone else's. That sick feeling when it went from a probable accident to something very evil. I turned around and got home to see the towers fall live on TV.

I'll never be able to watch a story or relive that morning without getting that knot in my stomach. I pray I never see anything that compares to such horror and sadness.

It was extremely sad to see our country go so quickly from being galvanized to this becoming a political football. As proud as I was of the way America came together to rebound from this tragedy, I was disheartened to see it used for political posture.

 

[farouk]

PS: It reminds me a bit of a question that used to be asked more years ago: What were you doing when JKF was assassinated?

 

[Mike S]

PS: It reminds me a bit of a question that used to be asked more years ago: What were you doing when JKF was assassinated?

I was a senior in high school. We were finishing a rehearsal for our senior play when the news was announced, first that President Kennedy had been shot and was in serious condition, and then, later, that he had died.

 

[juliegb]

I didn't hear it on the radio or TV as I don't have those on when getting ready for work. It was really strange how the freeway had very light traffic and I wondered why.

When I got to work, one of my co-workers told another that they were thinking of closing Sky Harbor, Phoenix's airport. When I asked her why, she said "haven't you heard?" and told me what happened. For a split second I thought she was pulling my leg. I wish she had been!

 

[providence]

I was in college. After some chatter in class, I went to the nearest computer lab to check a (sluggish) news web site. Following these events, there was a cohesiveness and politeness in people, as well as a gravity. Overshadowing this all, I knew historically what is set in motion when ships are sunk. For some years Afghanistan had been in a civil war; the more powerful side had never been popular internationally due to its ruthlessness, but that leaders of that one side were harboring what increasingly became determined as the sponsor of this and previous actions in Kenya, would not be tenable. I recall praying for the people involved for prudence and goodness in what was not an enviable task but one of much responsibility and also delicate for the people of Afghanistan who we were not familiar with. They had a country to rebuild at the same time. I and probably many others are guilty of since largely forgetting about Afghanistan, whose history has again interwoven with us, but now is as good of time as any other to renew our prayers for them. We may say their difficulties extending decades are not ours, but surely God still looks upon them.

 

[Man-After-God]

I was in Bible class just starting the school day off..... First time we ever got to have a TV brought in class, so we could see what was happening.