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September 11, 2001 What do you remember

bigun

Red Skull Member
Joined
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141
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Mountainair, NM
Mom and I where just sitting down for breakfast, when my middle neice and nephew came in on their way to school. She stormed in yelling don't you people ever turn on the TV in the morning? She turned it on just as the second plane came into view and crashed, dumfounded I asked is this a movie, no she said tears running down her face it is really happening! She and her brother went on to school while mom and I sat there, I had a kitchen remodel I was supposed to be wiring, it didn't. Other than trips to the bathroom we sat there stunned watching as the suave looking Peter Jenning kept getting more rumpled, and horse. We watched people supporting each other trying just get away, black white red brown it didn't matter. First responders rushing in, people jumping out of the building as loose paper floated in the breeze, then the second building that had been hit lower collapsed it started slow then woosh it was gone, soon the first hit went down. More people rushed in, I remember a group of young union iron workers two pushing oxy acetylene tanks two with what looked like a 100 feet of hose figure 8ed around their shoulders when asked they said our dad's built it we will take it down,
G.W. Bush leaning sideways as an aid told him a plane had crashed in NY , with out frightning the kids he got up and walked out, something he was beat up for in the media for not jumping up commandeering a fighter and flying to NY .

Post 9/11 we came togather as a country, but the elites couldn't have that so they kept chipping away till we have what we have today
 
I remember the butt county poe fire more than 9/11 as my wife and I had just had our son and he was like a month old so getting evacuated from home with a one month or so old newborn was a bit more pressing event than what happened 3000 miles away.
 
I was at work at that time at a company that made CATV equipment, so there were TVs everywhere. Watched it as it happened as all channels switched to a live feed from NYC.
 
I'd graduated HS that year, and was living at home prior to moving away to college that started in October. The night before, as I was heading to my room for bed, I turned around to and almost said "do you ever get a feeling like something really bad is about to happen?" but brushed it off as nothing, and turned back around and went to bed. I'm still a little weirded-out about that one. The feeling was unmistakable. That morning I woke up and my mother had already left for work, so I turned on the news and got caught up on what was going on. I had to be at work by 11:00, and when I went in, everyone was huddled around the TVs. I remember saying to a coworker that I guess I wouldn't be going to college any more, fully expecting a draft and major invasion-style war to happen. Knew a few friends who went and signed up for the marines or army that same week.


I remember seeing red white and blue on everything. Every building and every vehicle everywhere I went. I do miss that.
 
Interesting day. It’s my wedding anniversary, but I was out Iin the Pacific Ocean fishing. My dad had stayed back because he got really sick the day before. We launched about 5am and fished all day, then a boat came aside and asked if we had heard. Obviously we hadn’t, so we hauled ass back in and Grays Harbor was empty. Every place that had a tv was packed with people. Found my dad and we loaded shit up and hauled ass back home. I had contacts that worked in the towers that were lost, so at work it was pretty depressing for a few weeks.
 
Woke up to the local morning DJ talking about it. Listened for a minute, then got up, had breakfast, talked to mum about it, and went to school. 9th grade I think?

I think there might have been some talk about it at school, but there wasn't a major departure from normal scheduling.
 
I was watching one of the morning news shows waiting for my coffee to finish brewing. They were wondering how an airplane could crash into the world trade center. Then I watched the second plane hit the second tower. The rest of that day was kind of a blur.
 
I worked for American Airlines at the time and we lived close enough to the pentagon that I heard flight 77 hit. We thought it was a car crash outside the condo. Lost friends and co workers that day. Got furloughed on the 12th.
 
I was 20 years old, working for an IT company as a field technician. I was dispatched out to an elementary school in Western TN to troubleshoot their T1 line. Maury City Es. I arrived onsite and called into my support line, my boss answered and asked me if I had heard the news? School had 3-4 CRT tv's on and staff was all around watching/crying. I would step away from the boiler room (MPOE) in order to get cell coverage, would get to watch more as I was on with my boss/support. Finished the job and was given permission to hang in the area the rest of the day. My GF at the time was in college at UT Martin so I went up there and hung in her dorm. Arrived in time to see the 2nd plane hit.

1 year to the day later, i was dispatched back out to Maury City Es to work on their T1 line again. I recall during that drive that I had the willies but couldn't figure out what. When it hit me that it was a year to the day, i called my boss and told him to never send me back out to this site. Have not been there since 9/11/2002.
 
I was starting a new project, still worked in the field then. Someone had a local radio station on and we heard what was happening. Everything stopped.
We were supposed to fly to Vegas the following weekend for a wedding, that obviously didn't happen. That marriage only lasted a few years anyway. :laughing:
The local gas stations had a run on gas the next two days because everyone was worried about supply getting shut down.

Everyone was nervous, not knowing what to expect next.

I went with our daughter on a school trip to NYC this spring and we spent most of a day at ground zero and the museum/memorial. It was an emotional experience.
 
I had to be one of the last people in the country to know about it. We were out on the Chesapeake Bay all day doing biology research. No cell phone reception, hell I don't even know if any of us even had a cellphone on us. We get back to the house near dark and we're trying to get cleaned up and make some dinner and someone turns on the TV. No one is really paying attention to it, it's just kinda background noise. Then someone asks "What is this? Is this a movie?" We all start watching and it slowly starts sinking in. Wait... WTF? This actually happened?" Then the cellphones start turning on and the texts start pouring in, calls being made, and yeah...
 
Loading or unloading, IDK which, a ship in the Richmond Channel of the SF Bay. Long day with minimal work. Radios only, no TVs. Literally sitting on the dock of the bay. My brother flew out on the 13th with only 5 people on a heavy from Atlanta. Everyone in 1st class.
 
I was working an IT job in DTC. Heard about it on the radio while driving to work. Many of us gathered around the break room TV and just watched it unfold.
 
Like a lot of people I was drinking coffee watching the morning news when they broke in with the first reports. I hustled to work because I knew there would be a lot of public officials running around like their hair was on fire even though I worked for a county government out in the sticks.
We did a bunch of impromptu cabling and bought several tv’s to place them in all the common areas so the staff and public could watch everything unfold.
I was already too old to volunteer without a waiver, and I was engaged to be married so I didn’t go to the recruiter’s office like I did for Desert Storm.
 
Had just gotten to work and sat down to work on a bid and did my morning check of Pirate and a thread had just posted about the first plane. Went up to the front desk and the gal up there turned on the news. As people started rolling in for work we all just sat and watched. Spent the rest of the day getting ahold of people we had out working all over the country and trying to coordinate ways for them to get home. Was supposed to fly out the next day for a bid opening. Met up with some friends at a bar and we just sat in total disbelief.
 
First week of my freshman year in college, I was walking out of class and saw the burning towers on TV. I was in flight school at the time and started questioning that career choice.
 
I was on my way to work when I heard about the first plane on the radio. At that time it was being reported as a small plane, so I didn't think too much about it. After I arrived at work the second plane hit and all of the sudden everyone knows that we are under some kind of attack. Someone produced a TV and we stood around his cubical watching it most of the day.

I remember the sense of unity in this country on September 12. Not before nor since have I ever felt that strong unity in this country. It didn't last long, but for a brief moment it was a beautiful thing.:usa:
 
Worked at an ad agency as the senior art director/creative director. Got to work and saw the staff standing around a designer's desk, and was "What the F?" Looked over their shoulders and then went into my office to turn on the feed. Called my wife at home (copywriter who worked at home), as I knew she would NOT have the news on at all.

Rest of the day was a blur, really. Do remember watching the coverage all night, basically and realized things HAD changed.

Do recall, as mentioned above, the unity on the following days. Wish that was still the case. At least a little bit.
 
Was in the HQ Cell of the DPC at ROB in the KMC, Germany. We were finishing up the final details for the handoff when our replacements arrived on the 15th when the MAJ came in and asked if the TV got CNN. It got CNN World, so he said to turn it on.

Needless to say, our replacements did NOT arrive on the 15th.

I called my now ex-wife and told her to pack her shit and get on base, the detail she was on (driving the All-Army Women's Soccer Team) was likely canceled. It took her 7 hours to get through the gate on post and I told her to stay at a friend's place in housing that night or she would never make it on post the next day.
 
I was getting ready for work and had the news on in the background. Got out of the shower just in time to see the second plane hit. My first thought was that it was terrorists and I became very angry and thoughts of revenge followed. I went to work but none of us got anything done - it was impossible to stay focused.
My wife and I had plans for my birthday that evening which were promptly cancelled, no way did I feel like celebrating anything that day.

I also remember distinctly how eerily quiet it was with all air traffic shut down.

I wish our country could become as united as it was in the days/weeks following the attacks, I don't think I've ever felt more proud to be an American than during that time.:usa:
 
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zlathim said:
I remember the sense of unity in this country on September 12. Not before nor since have I ever felt that strong unity in this country. It didn't last long, but for a brief moment it was a beautiful thing.:usa:
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This. I think about it pretty often, especially in election cycles. 9/11 was an absolutely awful day and the worst national tragedy since Pearly Harbor, but I deeply miss the America of 9/12.

There was a very brief window of it at the very beginning of COVID before it obviously got super politicized and quickly turned into a shit show but if you blinked you missed it.
 
I was installing cable TV for an old guy in his apartment. Got his TV connected and turned it on to see an image of the first tower burning. Finished up there and got back to the office and turned the TV on. Watched what I thought was a replay of the plane hitting, until I realized it was the other tower and I had just watched the second plane hit.
 
I was in the work truck pulling in to the job site (a private school) parking lot while listening to the local classic rock morning show.

Main guy says "what's this on my monitor? Looks like a plane hit the tower"... couple other show people made some wise cracks about idiot pilot, etc... then main dude became serious "ladies & gentlemen..."

At that point i shut the truck off and went inside to the main office/check in. Secretary said to go to the gym. In there was a couple TV carts and all the kids watching them.

I stood in back with the faculty/staff and watched for about 4hrs watching before going home. Told the principal I'd be back tomorrow.
 
I was up bottle feeding Mr Squirrely Butt at 4:30am waiting for the 5am news to come on. When it did the first plane had just hit.

I remember every minute of that day and the next.
 
I just turned 24, I was in my first home, I had bought it just before my oldest daughter was born, and she was turning 1 that October, I was supposed to be going to work as an electrician, but ended up staying home and watching the news that day. Thought I should stay home.
 
A friend sent me a picture of a firetruck that had been burnt and it was next to a bunch of scrap steel one day. I didn't make the connection at first, but when I hit me, I stopped.

I remembered the horrors of watching it live on tv at a young age.
I remembered the stories of people who didn't go to work that day.
I remembered the stories of people who lost family, friends, and coworkers.
I remembered the lasting legacy of spying that was implemented.
I remembered the Wars fought in it's name.
I remembered the people who died in those wars and those left with PTSD who go about their lives as normal as possible.

Yes, I remember.
 
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