Where Were You On 9/11 2001?

The 13th anniversary is Thursday, and as of this writing the night before, I have to say this may be the most worrisome anniversary yet.
I was strolling by one of the studios where I work that morning and saw the initial images on the tv in the studio of the smoke coming from the first tower. The caption below the pictures said a small plane had crashed into the WTC. I immediately thought of old footage of the plane crashing into the Empire State Building during WWII. I went into the newsroom where another tv was on, but with audio. Several of us were watching when I noticed another, larger airliner came into view. I said that plane looks kind of close...
After the horrific impact and the shock of what we had just seen kicked in, the news announcer ran out of the newsroom, and into the booth saying as he hurried out, and I'll always remember this, "That's no f****n' accident".
The rest of the day, well, was a bit of a blur, although I do remember the afternoon news announcer being the first person I know to say, "9/11...this is a date that'll be like December 7th and November 22nd". 9/11, that's the first I heard it referred to as such.
I sincerely pray this anniversary and the days that follow are "uneventful".

Tralfamadore.

I was just waking up to go to school, first week of grade 9. I went in to the living room and my parents were sitting in front of the TV watching it go down. I think the second plane hit just after I got up.

I lived fairly close to an airport, and there were quite a few planes circling for a while, not allowed to land I guess. Of course, being a bunch of teenagers, our imaginations were running wild, scaring ourselves.

I was driving to town for errands and heard what was happening on the car radio. I went back home and my two sons and family were watching the attack on TV. I was able to see almost all the news coverage.

Well...............I was at Ground Zero.

In NYC for business and spent night of 9/10 at the Marriott hotel that was between the WTC towers. We (me and a colleague) were having breakfast in hotel restaurant when first plane came in. We went south and second plane flew right over us. That's a sight I'll never forget.

I won't share all details here, but scene was hellish and like something from Dante's Inferno.

Keep those who lost loved ones in NYC, Pentagon, and PA in your prayers. I am thankful to get up every day and see my wife and children.

God bless those in harm's way and who make it possible for us to sleep at night blissfully ignorant of the many threats that are just over the horizon.

I was waking up as it happened. Freekin out (I'll just leave it at that).

I was working at a now defunct restaurant in Alabama. We had no customers, or TV, so we sat on the patio and listened to the radio. Mostly we tried to convince each other it was real. With no video footage something of that magnitude was unthinkable.

I was at work. We first heard reports of an attack via radio and when we found a TV to catch the latest live reports, we witnessed the second tower as it was struck by the second plane.

I will never forget that day or how America was changed forever.

Frank

11th grade, pottery class.

I remember it was a really nice morning on the rifle range at Parris Island, SC. I had just joined the Marine Corps in July and we were on the range when a cease fire was called. The other recruits and I knew something was up because all the instructors were acting strange. Everything up to that point was almost routine or expected so when this unusually lengthy cease fire was called it was apparent something was up. We really didn't know what happened save for anyone who had family directly involved.

Oh, and as a side note. My baby girl was born today as well!!

At home

I was at work in Cleveland, Ohio when it happened. A coworker in the bullpen told us all a plane had crashed into the WTC, and some thought it was a joke. Then the news broke that another had crashed. By then we all gathered in the conference room and watched the news. What really sticks in my mind though is that the next day four of us went at lunch to the nearest church for a memorial service. There were four of us, a Catholic, an Episcopalian, a Buddhist and me, a Mormon and we went into a Orthodox church and prayed to God with everyone else there. It was obvious that most there that day were not members of that particular belief, but we came together at that service.

Support center in n.c. , got the last rental car available as airports lot were locked down. Drove back to nh. Could see ny as i went by, was a sad day.

A friend's house, waiting to take him to the doctor and watching morning news for the first tine in years. Turned on TV just after the first plane.

RIP all those who were lost, may their friends and families find peace and solace over time.

I was in a work related training course. Watched what happened, geared up, and then began the 1st of many, many, many 16 hour work days with no days off. Sadly, we, as a nation, have forgotten the dangers we face when we let our guard down. By their silence we have been lulled into yet another false sense of security!

I was at work in the Dallas area at my Defense Department office. We watched the news covering the first impact--at that time terrorism was not suspected, then saw the second impact was broadcast. Terrorism was spoken by several co-workers at once. For our office it was personally painful. The sister of a Florida teammate was on the first plane, a senior level manager in our agency was on the 2nd plane.

I was standing in my living screaming at the top of my lungs. I cussed a lot that day. Forgive me my Lord...for your enemy's are mine.

I was at work, doing a preflight on a simulator before the days training. A co-worker told me about the first one, and we went to watch the TV. I remember saying, when the second one came in, that I didn't think they had footage of the airplane hitting. It took me a second to realize that it was a second plane, because it didn't seem imaginable.

I was at home sleeping when first plane hit the first World Trade Center. I woke up and turned the television on and they were showing the first tower after being struck by the aircraft. This was when I had an odd feeling something was going on today I should know about.

Today was the day my Mom was flying back from Boston after visiting my younger brother on the east coast. I called my Dad to verify what airline she flying that day. Turns out that she was flying on the airline who's aircraft had struck the first tower. My Dad wasn't sure what flight my Mom was on but would call me back briefly with more details very quickly. You can safely assume at this point I was in mid-panic mode. My brother Dave had already called my Dad as well about my Mom's flight.

Long story short, my Mom was scheduled to fly on that airline BUT had a later flight. My Mom's flight was scheduled to leave 2 hours later. The next thing I did was to call my Mom on her cell phone to verify she was alright. She was in the terminal of Logan International Airport waiting for her flight to leave. Eventually they cancelled her flight after they grounded all the aircraft that day.

That is one day I'll never forget.

Wife and I were at the boarding gate in Denver about to board a flight for San Diego. Never boarded but our luggage did and it took 4 hours to retrieve our bags. Those who followed the airport suggestion of getting their bags a day or two later didn't see those bags for weeks.