Getting to Know You - September 11

[Ann]

What do you think of first when you hear 9-11-01 ?

What were you doing when you heard about the attack? How did you hear? What was the first thought that entered your mind?

[Larry]

To sum it up in one word "Disbelief" and i do not remember what i was doing but i do remember all the Gas Station's prices doubling.Now my feeling's are as soon as they see us leave they will come over here and do it again.My son a speacial op Soldier(green Beret) has helped interrogated many captives and there hate for us is unreal and there is no appeasement or reasoning with them as like he said they have been so totally brain washed. How many American's believe in there religion strong enuff that they would send there Children out as Suicide bomber's to kill non believers...

[Kasey]

I was in a classroom full of 6th graders. It was sorta like whisper down the lane from teacher to teacher that 'something' awful was occurring in NYC. I knew NOTHING more until lunch. In my 20 minute lunch 'hour' I couldn't even grasp the magnitude. We said not a word to the kids.....didn't want them freaked or worried or anything, and really didn't know much anyway. Once home I watched in disbelief and horror until almost the next morning when it was time to go to school again.

My first reaction once I knew what had occurred.....so many emotions.............fear, almost physical pain, confusion, panic, and so much more. What image is indelibly printed upon my brain ~ the towers actually toppling and the FEAR on the people's faces. My heart pounds just remembering.

May we never forget that day and the thousands who lost their lives. Tragedy.

Kasey

[dchurchi]

I was home getting ready for work with the news on as

I do every morning. They were reporting on the 1st

plane hit when the 2nd plane hit the other tower. I

knew then that this was no accident. My 1st thought

was Alan, who as at the airport getting ready to fly.

He had no idea what was going on. I told him and he

left the airport to come home. My uncle's best friend

Carl is a fireman in NYC. He took the day off that day and his entire company was killed.

Carl lives with that guilt still today. My best friends brother keeps his itinerary from that day.

He was scheduled to fly home on the Boston flight, but left a day earlier. It reminds him how

each day is a gift.

[ginnyde]

Having had the luxury of working from home, I always watched Good Morning America. I remember them coming back from commercial and Charlie Gibson showing the pictures of the first plane hitting the tower. And then watching the second plane circle the building and hit the second tower. Being the optimist that I am, my first thought was 'what a coincidence'. Oh, that it only had been.

Today I was thinking about the IMMENSE, OVERWHELMING grief that 9/11 caused the people involved, their families and our nation. As we remember that day, I find that it causes all the sorrow about the losses in my life to bubble to the surface. I mourn these losses and those of all of us.

[nyka69]

I was at work that morning. I had gone outside to grab a smoke and saw our security guard talking to a delivery man. The security guard said to me, "hey, this guy says that a plane hit one of the Trade Towers." So of course I asked what the heck happened. They told me that they said on the radio that it might be a terror attack. My reaction was "C'mon! Every time something happens in the City it's automatically terror...gimme a break." Changed my mind when I heard about the 2nd tower.

I spent the rest of the work day in a state of shock. There were rumors all day about shutting down the highways on Long Island. We could hear fighter jets flying overhead. By the time I got home I broke down in tears.

We were in the City two weeks later to do business downtown. The fires were still burning. The air reeked. We went by the sight and were overwhelmed by the destrucion. It looked like a war zone, with National Guard armed to the teeth on the street, military vehicles driving up and down the streets. There were pictures plastered everywhere of the missing. Little shrines with photos, poems, candles lined the streets. Onlookers were either shell-shocked or crying. I will never forget it.

[laban]

Disbelief! I was at work and one of our patient's came in and said the World Trade Tower was struck by a plane. I said, "what??" I turned on the radio and heard that the airports were closing. I thought, they can't possibly close all the airports. I told my Dr who didn't believe me. He was busy and didn't have time to listen. I went home that day and watched TV with Bill and cried. What a unbelievable, scary time. I remember the look on peoples faces on TV as the cameras continued to show the towers, getting hit by the planes and the disbelief when the towers fell. A day that no one will forget. God bless all who died that day and days to come. God bless all the families and people who were there to help. God bless America.

[Ann]

I was still a manager for Target in 2001. On the morning of September 11, I had to be at the work very early in the morning but Dennis was still at home, planning his work day, when the plane hit the first building. He called me at work every few minutes and kept me updated. Target corporate headquarters phoned us and told us to make sure we did not discuss this, for fear customers in the store might panic.

I remember being so very afraid, as reports were coming in that all major cities and some bases were also under attack. Dennis came to Target and gave me a reassuring hug, trying to make me believe we were safe and everything would be alright. When I got home that afternoon, I just remember the feeling of fear and wanting to have all my children home that night. My oldest son and DIL were in Nashville and my youngest son was working in Orlando. I was literally afraid to go to sleep. Dennis sat up all night, glued in front of the television, and promised that he would keep me safe.

Today, I think of that day and know, that although I was filled with fear....I felt safe with my husband watching over me while I slept.

[sharyn]

I was working at an elementary school that day... I remember getting the phone call saying "turn on the TV" something awful is happening... we went into crisis mode at the school... parents were hysterical wanting their children home with them. We tried to limit what the children were exposed to... I remember being pulled in and out of CRISIS meetings trying to get a grip on exactly what was occuring.

I drove home that afternoon around 4pm and when my car pulled into my driveway I totally lost it.... I could barely get out of the car. I had kept it together all day for the children and I guess it finally sank in. Also, my husband is a firefighter, so my heart was especially touched by what those brave men had done for everyone.

I pray for everyone whose life was touched by this event. God Bless us all.

[Ry]

I was at work and someone called and said a plane hit one of the towers. We turned on the TV which gets very bad reception as we just use it for training videos and watched as the second plane hit. My first thought was-- we're at war.

There is a movement to make 9/11 a day of charity, which I think is wonderful. I sent out my fundraising page for the Boston walk today, explaining it was our charity of choice.

[lilyjohn]

I was still married at the time. We had been watching Regis and Kelly. I was in the bathroom getting ready to go to his friends house for our Tuesday morning coffee gathering. At first I thought it was a terrible accident then when they actually showed it live when the second plane hit I knew.

My first reaction was to be in contact with everyone I love. I wanted the security of loved ones.

We never heard jets over our house in that part of Louisiana but that night with all commercial flights cancelled I could hear the jets flying over head and knew that they were there to guard on Gulf Coast against attack. It was a really creepy feeling hearing those planes and knowing that no others were flying any where in this country.

[Welthy]

Tony and I were milling about with me getting ready to go to work. He had retired by that time. TV was off. My best friend called and said a plane had hit one of the towers. No word on what had caused this to happen. We flipped on the TV, incredulous as we caught the second plane flying into the second tower. Stunned is putting it mildly.

I left the house with the radio going in the car when the first tower collapsed. I almost had to pull over I was so sick. Crying, I got to my job as a church secretary. The Pastor and I listened and followed the rest of the news while preparing the sanctuary with appropriate Bible readings and prayers. The people started coming quietly in and out all day long just to sit in church and pray. Hardly a word was spoken, everyone was in such shock. They just felt the need to be in church.

Following the hit on the Pentagon, there was still one plane left unaccounted for. Fear for what was going to happen with that plane and where. Sadly the news from PA came later. More shock. I stood outside the church and listened to the eerie silence of no air traffic other than the fighter jets that had been scrambled. Living not too far from O'Hare, it was something I'd never heard before and hope to never hear again.

Home from work, all of our children were calling from colleges far away from us as they all wondered if this was the beginning of the end. How could this happen???? I tried to comfort them as best as I could.

American flags popped up everywhere and opposite political parties joined hands on the steps of Congress to sing "God Bless America". I dearly wish the feelings of unity would have lasted. There is no room for error and politicking when we are faced with radical people who will stop at nothing to harm our Nation.

To this day I cannot bring myself to watch those images on TV. I DO think these images should be shown over and over so people WILL REMEMBER. We are all Americans and need to remember "united we stand."

[jang]

I was working from home like Ginny, and watched the whole thing unfold on Good Morning America. After the plane hit the Pentagon (close to where my husband was working) I left the house to pick up my kids at school. My oldest daughter was a junior in HS and not happy that I made her leave school to come home. I just wanted everyone home with me. We didn't rest until my husband got home from work. His company let them all go home early, which they NEVER do. It was a day that I will never forget. I remember all the details. I was devastated.

[Debi]

I had been out of NY 3 years and was in Oklahoma. I had just gotten to work and the employees were telling me that a plane had hit the WTC. I called my son-in-law since his mom works on Wall Street and told him to turn on the news. He turned it on just in time to see the 2nd plane hit during the news broadcast.

Since I work in a call center, with customers calling in to place orders, we were all kept updated with reports around the country. We had all sorts of rumours coming in, the Space Needle in Seattle had been hit, the mall in Minneapolis was a target. We heard about the Pentagon and the plane in PA from our customers who didn't even care anymore about placing orders, they just wanted to talk to somebody for comfort.

I had a regular phone on my desk and continued to keep a connection with my family, to keep people as calm as I could with updates. A little before 10 am one of the other managers had gotten the training TV to get some reception in one of the conference rooms. I walked in just in time to see, through the poor reception, the tower crumble to the ground. Needless to say, I was totally devastated and for the first time, felt really far away from home.

[Nick C]

I saw it come across the bloomberg screen.

I went to a TV, as all the screen said was A plane just struck the WTC.

When I saw how bad it was I called Keri as she worked across the street at the time. She said she was fine. When the second plane hit I called again, but she didn't answer...I didn't hear from her again until 12:30...

It was terrible. Of course mom came to my work to assure me Keri would be fine. She was walking up the west side highway when the first building fell.

It was traumatic to say the least.

[Nova]

I had just dropped my son off at school and was listening to the morning (comedy) radio show I always tune into.

I knew something was wrong by the tone of the D.J.'s voices.

I pulled into my driveway to see that my daughter and her baby, along with my nephew, were already at my house, watching TV.

My daughter's husband had been called in to his unit for the National Guard . (He ended up going to Afghanistan for a year, later on).

My most vivid memory is of that poor woman walking down the road with a fireman or policeman, and she was totally covered in dust. She looked so lost. I had tears running down my face.

When I saw a woman jumping from the window of the building, I felt sick .

Harry was working at McDill Air Force Base, (Central Command), so they went into lockdown, and he was stuck there for a while.

I'll never forget that day.