Where were you on 9/11?

[Jethro83]

I was at home, asleep at the time it actually happened (since it would have been about 10 pm where I am (Newcastle, Australia). When I woke up the next morning, the TV downstairs was turned all the way up with the Today show on much earlier than normal (it was 6 am when I woke up, (Today normally begins at 7).

I went down, thinking "Why is the Today show on so early?" and saw the twin towers up in smoke. Then images of a section of the Pentagon up in smoke. My youngest brother honestly thought that this was the beginning of World War III. I immediately felt anger consuming me. Anger for the bastards who held no regard for life's sanctity. I had to punch a wall for half an hour before I was emotionally ready to go to school.

On the drive to school, there was no normal breakfast show on the radio. Instead, there was continual talk of the events. When I got to school, the entire school took part in a minute silence. Nobody could pay attention in classes. Not even the teachers. Even the loudest, most delinquent students were strangely quiet.

[Asher]

UberKruX: I'm so sorry, I had no idea.

[Ned]

UberKrux, You have my deepest sympathies.

I was at home getting ready for work when my wife said something strange, like the World Trade Center has collapsed. I stopped what I was doing and turned on my computer to see on my homepage news that both towers had now collapsed. But I had no idea why. The internet was slow. So I turned on TV and soon found out why.

My reaction went from incredulity to immense anger in a very short time. I now understood what most Americans must have felt on Dec. 7, 1941. But this was worse. Way worse.

[MrFun]

I already posted my personal experience on that day, but I wanted to let you guys know that I have read most of the posts on here -- all interesting.

Last night, on 9/11/02, I went to our campus chapel for an inter-faith commemoration ceremony of speeches, prayers, and songs.
Afterwards, we held a candlelit procession march in the night's darkness.

[Kristalli]

It's 11/9/2002...you americans...

At the moment the first plane hit I was standing on a buss stop. And I remember this because the rest of the evening I was getting drunk. I had just begun my studies at the university and it was the day we "newcomers" were "forced" to do stupid things, for example drink booze...

[Inverse Icarus]

Originally posted by Kristalli
It's 11/9/2002...you americans...

it's november 9th?

HOLY CRAP, I MISSED PTW'S RELEASE.

CURSE YOU FRAT PARTIES! CURSE YOU!

[Kristalli]

I ment that you guys mark it the wrong way....
Here September 11th is 11.9.2002.

[Rasbelin]

Off-topic...

Kristalli,

it's useless to make a remark here about it. Better post a new thread about it or leave it.

[SKILORD]

At school. It was 2nd period and i was in Math.

[Caligastia]

I was on my way to Long Island where I worked at the time. I looked at the towers for the last time while I was on the train that day. The first plane would have hit only 5 minutes after I saw them for the last time. I normally wouldnt look at them much on my way to work, but for some reason, on that day I did.

[Q Classic]

this is an excerpt from a freewrite i did a few months later.

It’s 8.30 in Atlanta a Tuesday four days before I depart for college at the great U of C, it’s 2001, the beginning of a new millennium, and in just four days I will be leaving home to go off to a faraway city and start a new path, a new life for a new millennium, I mutter to myself as I board the MARTA train at the Chamblee station to go downtown to Georgia Tech where my friends have already started their school year, already rushing around doing calculus and physics and chemistry problem sets, reading, reading, reading big thick texts, and I think ahead to the day, of which I don’t have much of a plan outside of going to see an two old quiz bowl buddies along with a bunch of my other closest friends and I realize that they’re taking the path I didn’t take, the road not taken, at least by me, and I think to my self, what a wonderful world, because the sun is shining and all is bright and everything is good today, and so when I get off the North Avenue MARTA station at around 9.20 and I walk in a cheerful mood towards the main campus of Georgia Tech, crossing over I-75/85, the main north-south expressway in Atlanta, looking forward to the visit, and I walk up past the dorms, past Bobby Dodd Stadium, the home of the Yellow Jackets, the team that our friend Heisman once coached, and then I walk up a hill, and I’m getting tired, because I’m carrying quite a few books, my legs are tired, so tired, so tired, and then I get to the student center, where I see a TV up on the right wall, and I see what I think is a Jerry Bruckheimer film with maybe Sly, only on mute, and then I walk up the stairs to meet my friend, and she gives me a short tour of where she lives, and then somebody walks by and tells us to turn on the TV and we do and we gasp in shock because it’s not an action flick--not an action flick!--with Arnold and we see them burning, the two beautiful spires burning, and then one of them falls and everyone and I stopped breathing—

we tried connecting the news websites after that. nothing worked. we tried looking for other people, trying to find any news. we ended up just staring at the tv for a while, disbelieving. and then they evacuated the campus, and i went home, called mom at work...
called my s.o. at college... and just cried.

[joseph1944]

Calif. Woke up at 6:30, dress before 7, was in the kitchen eating and my son came out and said turn on the TV and saw both tower burning and the replay of no. 2 plane hitting tower 2. I have to be at work by 7:30. I have a radio in my office and I can play it all day because of no student. The radio confirm the towers has collapse and the pentagon had been hit and later the 4th plane had crashed in Pa.
In our teacher lounge there is a TV and I saw the mayor talking about the police and fireman that had die when the towers came down.
Being a Navy veteran I knew we would be at war with someone later that day.

[Jon Miller]

I was going to take a practice Physics GRE post and came onto apolyton

I stayed on apolyton most of the rest of the day (I wanted news and discussion, but I did not want to see the tragedy)

Jon Miller

[Boris Godunov]

I dug out the e-mail I sent to my family and friends. The attached picture was taken from my office window by a coworker.

First, thanks to all of you who have responded. Your thoughts mean so much, and I am only sorry I don't have the time right now to respond individually, so I am letting you all know en masse my appreciation.

The blessing is that I have heard from those who are nearest and dearest to me, the last a few minutes ago, and they are all ok and their loved ones are ok.

I want to give my account, since it is both therapuetic and means I won't have to relive it as much in the future.

I arrived at work just before 9:00 am on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. My office is on the 11th floor of 11 Penn Plaza, which sits across 7th Avenue from Madison Square Garden on 32nd street. This is about 1.5-2 miles north of where the World Trade Center once stood.

When I entered our offices, I saw Jim running back towards the rear offices with a camera and heard people shouting "Oh my God!" When I got back to my desk, they all pointed south. We have large windows that look due south with an unobstructed view of the Towers. The western tower now had a gaping hole in it and dark smoke was billowing out into the sky. I was told a plane had just hit it.

My first thought was of the Empire State Building (2 blocks away) and how a bomber had once ran into back in the 1940s. I figured this had to be some kind of similar accident.

As the others in my office watched the news, I called Washington DC. My friend Joel works there for Marriot, and I knew his best friend Brad from high school worked in one of the towers (I have since learned Brad is ok, having been late to work. Here is to mild irresponsibility). I could not reach Joel, so called Reggie, also in DC, to let him know what was going on.

While on the phone with Reggie, I heard some of my coworkers saying something about another plane "being awfully close." A minute later, more screams. I looked up to see a massive, 20-story high ball of fire coming out of the second tower. I quickly got off the phone, and they told me another plane had just hit. I was now just stunned. I knew then this was no
accident, and I was as terrified as I've ever been.

We watched everything else unfold from our office window. While frantically trying to call people, we kept tuned into the TV reports and learned about the Pentagon. Without using any hyperbole, we all thought this was the end of everything. I called my mom in at work to let her know I was alright. While on the phone with her, I saw the most horrible thing that I have ever seen and hope I will ever see, the first tower collapsing. It was gone in seconds.

We were all helpless, hysterical, dazed. Our company president had been scheduled to fly out of LaGuardia at 9 am, and we couldn't get a hold of him (he's fine, never left the ground). The phone lines were jammed and I couldn't reach anyone. When the second tower fell, it took everything we had to keep ourselves together.

I left the office shortly after noon to walk home. It's about a 30 minute walk. Looking south, I could only see a huge cloud where once had stood the most awesome sight in the city. And I became sick with despair at knowingwhat was happening to people down there. I walked past triage centers to get home, keeping my head down so I didn't have to see people being brought in. I don't think I could have stood that then.

Even though it's happened, I watched it happen, it's still unbelievable. I don't know how I will ever feel the same way about anything ever again. The numbness is wearing off, and now it's pain and grief. New Yorkers are coming together, heroically from what I've seen, but we're also devastated.

[Ming]

As we pass the 48 hour mark of the time the first plane hit... I'm un-topping this thread. Please feel free to continue adding your stories.