Where were you on 9/11/2001? (18 year old, March, high school, New York)

[KathyDG]

I was watching the ABC station in NY while in my kitchen in NJ. The traffic helicopter said a plane hit the WTC. A few minutes later, my husband called from his office across the street in the Deutsche Bank Building. He said he was leaving. He was in the WTC when it was bombed the first time, and had no desire to hang around. He then shouted "Here comes another one!" and the phone went dead. I heard from him hours later when he made it to midtown. His office windows had been blown in by debris as he ran out. He made it home late that night. It took him a year to remember what had happened - he blocked a lot of it out.

So many memories... a clear, blue perfect day with no planes. We were in the traffic pattern for Newark airport, so the silent sky was eerie. The news was on all day/night. I huddled by the landline phone and cell phone, calling my husband's colleagues family members as I got bits of news of who was okay. The phones worked intermittently. Folks in NJ then started to hear news of who came home, and who didn't. The implications of that started to sink in. Terrible, terrible, terrible. Lots of practical things to worry about - tax records and personal effects lost in the devastation (Deutsche Bank Bldg never reopened). It's still very real for those who lived in NY/NJ/CT because everyone seemed to have lost someone. People say "Never forget". Well, we never can forget, even if we wanted to.

[phonelady61]

yep I was in NY in a store and heard it . I knew that my cousin and brother were going to be involved in it . the store owner had the tv on and we were in awe. The store owner told me to take the milk and go home and check on my kids and family . He was a nice man , in two weeks time his store would have rocks thrown in it he was muslim . I would stop there every other day and he said I was the only white person that came into his store . My brother and cousin died that day they were first responders . They were rescue 1 . I miss them very much since ny was my getta way place . I have not been back since . But Im due to make a trip next week as a matter of fact . It will take alot of deep breaths and zanax . LOL kidding about the zanax but im going to try and go by a fire station and thank the guys for their service .

[tamiznluv]

I'm so sorry about your brother and cousin, pl. They died heroes. (((HUGS)))

[Wartrace]

I was at work in a test cell and a coworker told me about it. He told me a plane had hit the Sears tower in New York City and I asked him when they had moved the tower from Chicago..... He was a bit flustered.

We didn't get much work done that day. One thing I remember vividly is the lack of airplanes in the sky. Our plant was 10 miles from the Nashville Airport and there was usually a constant flow of aircraft overhead. They just stopped.

[sade693]

Third grade classroom.

My dad works in NYC, so the guidance counselor pulled me out of class and was like, "I don't want you to panic, but something awful has happened in New York." Of course I went into a full-blown panic. My dad was fine, though, because he works all the way on Park and 50th. It was so surreal when school was ended early, and all the parents came rushing with the most somber faces to pick up their kids. Even weirder was seeing the news, but not fully understanding the magnitude of what was going on.

I'll always have that news clip of people jumping out of the tower burned into my head. Tragic.

[Wartrace]

Another thing I remember about that day. When I was on my way home everybody seemed to be less "crazy" on the interstate. I don't know how to describe it but people seemed more polite and forgiving. Merging and lane changes were not met with the usual passive aggressive behavior I had normally seen.

Oh, the gas stations were packed with people filling up their vehicles too.

[cecilsav]

I was on my way to work as a car Salesman at a huge dealership in Dallas. I was listening to an all sports radio station when they mentioned a "small plane" had crashed into the WTC. When I got to work employees and customers were gathered around the TV in the Service Lounge. That's when the second plane hit and everyone knew it was no accident. The sales managers made all the salesman go back to our desks and start calling people to set appointments to come in a buy cars. I knew there would be no selling cars on this day and we sold none.
The spooky thing was that the dealership was a short drive from Love Field and we were used to hearing Southwest Airlines planes roaring overhead but of course that day was so quite it was eerie.

[RememberMee]

I was late to tune in. I was driving to work, I turned radio on and heard some strange reports about price gouging at gas stations selling gas for $4-5/gallon in the metro Detroit area, I've heard about planes hitting WTC only after price gouging report. That's how I will remember 911, spirit of America making a buck no matter what.

[jaypee]

I'm in CA so was getting ready to go to work. I had the TV on but wasn't paying too much attention ... thought perhaps a Cessna flew into the tower and the newstations were making a big deal out of nothing as they usually do.

Then the second plane hit.

I woke my then-wife up, she gathered up the kids in her arms and we watched the events unfolded. I remember being sad and angry at the same time.

I took one of my kids to Ground Zero just a couple of months ago to pay my respects and he asked me why I was crying.

[Iggier]

At the office, a few blocks and easy walking distance from the Pentagon. Me and my coworkers were watching television news reports the WTC attacks, just stunned. The Pentagon attack a few minutes later we watched unfold before our very eyes. It was frightening, surreal, overwhelming, impossible to process.