where were you

[hoosierdaddy1976]

I was getting ready for work and had the tv on. Watched until I had to leave. Radio was on the entire time at work. I seem to remember some stations being on a loop with no djays. On the way home, there were a couple guys waving a huge flag, and the first gas station I passed had raised their price almost 60 cents.

 

[LtScott14]

Was at home running my tractor in the south 10 acres. My wife fired a 20 ga shotgun round in the air, as a signal of emergency. On return, she was visibly shook up, and told me an airplane hit the WTC. We watched in awe, second plane hit. That will never leave my memory.

We thought that this was a beginning of WW3. I stepped outside for a moment, heard 3 F-15s/16s with afterburners on, pass over our house enroute to Chicago. Whoa.
Then the skies were empty. No air travel, not even birds. Dead quiet. Found out all aircraft were landing, and military was on full alert. Airplanes were actually grounded till later. I think America was targeted.

Went out and filled both our vehicles, stopped for some groceries( not a panic, just regular stuff), and listened to radio for news ongoing in NY. Our sons were both very young, we assembled later at our Church, said our prayers, and hoped it was over. Just Starting.

We had some calls from relatives, and friends, but was a quiet few days following. New Yorkers, Pentagon, and Flight 93 all gave up many.

 

[churchmouse]

I was getting ready for work and had the tv on. Watched until I had to leave. Radio was on the entire time at work. I seem to remember some stations being on a loop with no djays. On the way home, there were a couple guys waving a huge flag, and the first gas station I passed had raised their price almost 60 cents.

The stations around us all raised the prices but the lines formed up and went for blocks down the street. We sat on the porch watching the world go crazy. Grocery stores in our area were empty real fast.
I had called the wife with instructions to come home and hit the store on the way, you know, french toast. I always keep the cars full. The real rush came after folks got off work.

 

[mikebol]

I was working in Atlanta for CNN (in IT, not broadcast) at the time and was fortunate enough to have an office with a live TV feed from CNN or any of the TBS stations. When this event began, several of my co-workers in IT began standing in-mass in my office - it was quiet and chilling to watch - unfiltered.

With the fear of additional terrorist plots on everyone's mind, CNN security announced that the facility was going into lock down and encouraged employees in non-broadcast roles to return home and work remote if possible. Speculation was that a terrorist organization would try to take over the news station to broadcast their propaganda message. CNN has a significant array of satellite equipment and would be a juicy target for this type of group. Most of CNN security were devil dogs and on this day visibly armed. Security cameras and surveillance vans were all present and on high alert.

I can go on about how the day played out - cell phones didn't work, network congestion - wife and kids concerned for my safety, etc. But suffice it to say that this day is forever burned in HD clarity in my mind.

Mike

 

[Jarhead77]

I was in Boston at a meeting. My boss called me and said "Hey jarhead, get in here" They were in an understandable panic trying to decide what to do. I told them that I was going home. Not leaving my family wondering what was going on. I told them to let me know who wanted to come so I could get the right vehicle. To say that shocked them would be an understatement. They were fixated on no flights...I was fixated on getting to my family any way possible.

I spent the morning getting our team ready to go back to Indy. It was a long stressful day, but we got back here by 11pm in a rented van.

 

[Scuba591]

I was just getting off shift after a busy night. My plans for the day included a 6 hour drive to PA for a family thing. My then wife had allowed my young son to pull an iron off a table onto his head. So a trip to the ER changed my plans for a few hours. For most of the day I had only radio for my information. Good or bad, I had no images to process of the attack until later that night.

 

[dusty88]

I remember more about Sept 10. My husband and I had put the kids to bed and had a conversation about how the world, at least from US perspective, was in a peaceful time. We've of course never forgotten that conversation.

The morning of the 11th, I was driving my kids to daycare. They were only 7 mo and 2 years old, so I was talking to them and did not have the radio on.

When I arrived at work and my coworkers said something about a plane hitting the WTC, at first I thought it was a joke and I looked at them waiting for the punch line. We had the radio on for quite a while trying to sort out what was happening, and the boss finally said "if we are going to be here we need to start concentrating on our work" (and rightly so, there was nothing else we could do).

At my husband's office in Indy, they just sent everyone home. People were worried and not getting anything done anyway.

I remember the feeling that more was going to happen, or at least that we had no idea what might happen for several days.

 

[oldpink]

I was on my way to Fairland Middle School to do the state required annual fire alarm inspection/test in Fairland Middle School with my coworker and best friend.
We were listening to WLS and the old Don Wade & Roma show, when they reported that the first plane had just struck the north tower.
At the time they made that announcement, they weren't sure how big the plane even was, and they were speculating about whether it was an accident.
Robert (my friend) and I looked straight at each other the moment they said the plane had struck and both agreed without hesitation that this was no accident.
Less than a half hour later, they announced that the second plane had struck, and that this was confirmed to be a terrorist attack, something we both already knew, of course.
We arrived at the school, then set up to disable the signaling devices (strobes and horns) to test the fire alarm system.
At that time, I ordinarily kept a little Sony radio with an in-ear headphone while I worked on my person, which was fortunate, because I continued to work, while Robert stayed at the fire alarm panel in the office, where he could watch the TV there and see the live news reports, while I was listening to each new report.
Believe it or not, I had my little radio tuned in to Bob & Tom the whole time, and they had already changed gears from their normal joke show, putting on their reporter hats, and they were real pros.
I even remember exactly each part of the building I was standing in at the time that they made each new major announcement -- especially the collapse of first the north tower, then when the south tower later followed -- and I realized finally what my parents and so many baby boomers had meant when they said that they remembered exactly where they were and what they were doing when they found out that JFK had been assassinated.
It was so eerie and infuriating, knowing that fanatical nihilists were in the process of brutally murdering my countrymen.
I had been out of the Navy for exactly ten years at that point, but I wanted so badly to be active again, just so I could go back and take part in getting those bastards who had just done this.
On the way back home after completing the inspection, we drove through Greenfield on IN-9, and all the gas stations there clearly had their prices more than doubled.
What was particularly ominous over the next few days was walking outside and looking up and seeing not a single contrail or hearing a single plane engine of any sort, knwing exactly why we weren't seeing and hearing those.
The one bright spot was hearing later that day about the uncommon bravery of the people of United Flight 93, who decided that they might die trying, but they weren't going down without a huge fight.
Ditto about the police and firemen and U.S. servicemen, who raced into the burning towers and the Pentagon, while other people were running out.
Those courageous passengers died, but they died with their boots on.
And while they weren't fighting the terrorists, those brave police and firemen -- so many of whom also lost their lives while saving othes -- were equally brave.
Oh crap, those damn onions.

 

[Tripp11]

I was on the 10th Floor of a large, high rise building in downtown Indianapolis where a bunch of us were huddled around a small TV in a corner office watching the events unfold. Once they mentioned the "terrorist attack" words, I took off for home. My family and I packed up some belongings and some gear, and we drove to a cabin our family owns. We stayed there until Sunday and then came back to Indianapolis. I'm hopeful that I don't have to repeat that event anytime soon.

 

[IndyGunworks]

senior year, home sick laying in my parents bed. My dad called and told me to watch TV... I had the entire day to decide to join the military. I joined as soon as I was old enough and shipped out a week after graduating high school. I joined the infantry because I figured that would be my best chance to be a part of the action.

 

[BStarkey 46947]

I was at work walking down the Aisle when Cliff took his ear phones off and said "did you hear, a plane flew into the WTC?" I went up into my office and looked it up on the internet and it was true. Spent the rest of the day trying to get more information on the internet. We did not close the plant. It was a very chilling and somber day. Hope we can prevent it from happening in the future.

 

[Woobie]

I was a freshman at Purdue. I was sitting in my graphic design class, and the professor was late. About 8:10 (no daylight savings time in IN back then) he walked in and said "I think we're at war." He was a bit odd, and had a strange sense of humor. I was waiting for a punchline or something. Then he just started to explain what had happened. Then he dismissed us, and I went back to the co-op house I was staying at. Every tv in every room was on. I just went into another freshman's room and sat there glued to the tv. Then I went downstairs and cried. Those dead people weren't New Yorkers, they were Americans.

 

[oldpink]

senior year, home sick laying in my parents bed. My dad called and told me to watch TV... I had the entire day to decide to join the military. I joined as soon as I was old enough and shipped out a week after graduating high school. I joined the infantry because I figured that would be my best chance to be a part of the action.

Yep, I remember in the months following 9/11 hearing about so many people who signed up wanting to get back at the terrorist scum.
Made me swell with pride; it surely did.
Max rep for you for that alone.

 

[Woobie]

senior year, home sick laying in my parents bed. My dad called and told me to watch TV... I had the entire day to decide to join the military. I joined as soon as I was old enough and shipped out a week after graduating high school. I joined the infantry because I figured that would be my best chance to be a part of the action.

I dropped out of college that week and did some soul-searching. I surrendered to the calling to preach that I had been struggling with. Thee months later I met my wife, and things moved that direction. All the time I kept thinking I should serve. Finally in December 2007 I joined. I just knew I had to do it, even after 6 years of waiting. Maybe I should have joined right away, but I don't think that was the plan.

Now it's been 14 years since that happened. I've been married for 10, a soldier for almost 8, and have three children. I think we'll take some time tonight to just be thankful for each other. There's about 8,000 american families, between the tragedy on 9/11 and those who have died in GWOT since then, that will not have that blessing.

 

[Spear Dane]

Watched the second tower hit and the collapses at work. Thinking I had just watched at least ten thousand people die, I drove home, listening to Bob and Tom. Filled up gas tanks before prices spiked. Lunch with the wife then went and gave blood. I never did cry. Wanted to. Decided I wasn't giving the bastards the satisfaction.

 

[varadatt]

I was an hour into a 12 hour shift at the steel mill I worked at. Spent the whole day between talking on the phone to the ex, and listening to the radio trying to figure out what had happened. Didn't actually see any of the footage until I got home that evening. Just remember the local radio guy at a loss for words during the middle of his show. Was the quietest day I have ever had at any job. No one talked to each other. Just gathered and listened.

 

[T.Lex]

Thinking I had just watched at least ten thousand people die...

You know, this is a great point. I remember the conversations, too, estimating the casualties - especially after the collapses. Now, kids/all of us know The Number. But, that day and for several days thereafter, it was impossible to know the scope.

At the time, I remember saying that we would be lucky if it was "only" 10,000.

 

[Mark 1911]

In 2001 I was working for the same company in downtown Chicago that I work for today. I had taken that day off to wire up some can lights that I had installed in my kitchen ceiling. I had the TV on and saw the whole thing. I was lucky not to be in downtown Chicago that morning because most employers sent everyone home early resulting in a transportation nightmare.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Asleep. I was working night shift on the IT help desk. My grandmother called me and woke me up and told me "they are bombing us". I had no idea WTF was going on, didn't own a television, and my shack in the woods didn't get decent radio reception if you were inside. So, I got in my truck and drove to town to watch her television with her. Howard Stern was on the radio station out of Louisville that was the first one I could get and that's when I learned about the twin towers.

 

[Hardscrable]

My oldest son was visiting. He is a foreign service officer in US State Dept. I was preparing to make the hour drive to take him to the South Bend airport. He was to fly back to Washington DC later that day...that plan was scrapped before we left home. I was glued to the TV all day. My son alternated watching TV and making/trying to make phone calls. Very little conversation between us. I vividly remember the 'sick' feeling over taking me as disbelief turned to reality.