September 11th, 2001

May 21, 2010
148
Corbin, Kentucky
In london, talking with a friend watching the news over breakfast. Wondering at first what happend because the news media had not quite figured it out...then the second plane hit.
 

RL1

Member
May 20, 2010
1,649
Ga
10th grade social studies, talking about the state of the world and why people didn't like America. Ironic, I know. When the other hit's happened, we were in a special general assembly.
 

MATT3045

Member
May 23, 2010
269
Akron Ohio area
I was supposed to work PD 1100 - 1900 that day, at 0830 my pager started going off because that wanted me to come in an hour early. I ignored my pager. At 0845 there was a knock at my door, PD at my house waking me up. Guess I was going into work early. Got up and made coffee and turned on the tv, saw first tower on fire. I thought it was cool the FDNY had a "good" fire going. I was watching it half awake when I saw the second plane hit.


Needless to say I can remember every other event and action of that day. I can remember when our USAR team got put on standby at 1700 to go out to NYC to help. I remember calling my mom and telling her, I remember her being so upset about me wanting to go because it was to dangerous. We never got deployed, but I would have gone in a heartbeat. I remember us getting an EMS call for my FD, transporting the patient to the hospital, and passing a gas station with a line of cars probably 1/4 mile long and the price was at almost $4 a gallon. I remember getting home from that call and realizing I needed fuel and thinking how pissed I was that I did not get gas the day before.
 

Grotonems5

Member
Jun 1, 2010
933
Groton, Vermont
9th Grade Science, only classroom with a TV, the principal came in and turned it on and we all watched having no idea of what was going on, then the principal told us a plane hit the WTC. I remember thinking, holy crap that is not good, but of course like everyone else at that point just thought it was an accident, until the second plane hit and by then half the school was in the science room watching and everyone just gasped it was horrible. We all just sat there and watched as we listened to the news reporter trying to figure it out and make sense of it all, the whole school was pretty much at a stand-still for the rest of the day. I went home and watched it on TV until I went to bed. I remember hearing one news reporter saying something about a terrorist attack, I was nervous, I wasn't sure if the whole nation was going to be under attack at that point.
 

unlisted

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 20, 2010
7,333
NA
At home, sleeping in from working a late shift. My mom had called and semi woke me up- saying a plane had hit the WTC. Needless to say, I assumed in my sleep haze it was a small single prop like a Cessna or the sort, told my mother not to worry, hung up, and promptly passed back out.


Woke up a bit later (don't know why, had a bad, bad feeling while sleeping) and turned on CNN to see how bad the damage was... 5 minutes later I watched the second plane plow into the other tower... Than the other planes and more information was being filtered down through the media and the agency I worked for (at the time). By noon I was in Toronto on standby for my Agency, and I was being called by another since I had medical training. Was never deployed down there- but I would of gone.


Toronto was a mess that day and following days as well.
 
May 21, 2010
1,030
LKN, NC
First plane hit while I was eating breakfast getting ready to go to class. Second plane hit while I was in the car driving to class. Towers collapsed while the entire student body was in the Student Union gathered around the TVs.


Shortly thereafter they closed school and we all went home in silent disbelief.
 

mcpd2025

Member
May 20, 2010
1,557
Maryland, USA
I was in college at the University of Maryland. My roommate woke me up right after the first plane hit. I turned on the TV and watched the 2nd plane hit, heard about the Pentagon getting hit, went outside and could see the smoke in the air from the Pentagon. Heard the fighter jets screaming by overhead shortly after ALL air traffic in the US was grounded. At first we didn't know it was fighter jets, I had never heard one flying at that speed before. We were hearing reports that there were some commercial jets that had not yet been accounted for... had no idea if one was screaming towards us.


I stayed glued to the TV the entire day watching. When the first tower collapsed, my heart dropped as I thought about all the people who woke up that morning and never imagined in a million years that they would die this day, this way. I was a civilian employee for the police department and had to report for work at 1800 hours that day, I had no idea what to expect from. I was just numb after seeing that, I couldn't believe that it happened... but even more so I couldn't believe that I had watched it happen and there was nothing that I could do.
 

dustymedic

Member
May 21, 2010
633
Columbus,OH
I was at the gym working out before working 1000-1800 in dispatch at the ambulance service. Got out of the showers and noticed that for once the tv in the lounge was NOT on ESPN. Got dressed while watching early reports of the first strike. On the freeway going to work, heard report of the second strike. I got out of my car downtown, and you'd thought it had happened in Downtown Columbus with all the sirens going off. All government building (State Capital, City Hall, Federal House were on lock downtown with adjacent streets blocked off by PD. Normally the ambulance service offices would have the bay doors open that time of year, that type of weather; but the building was locked up. EMA had called us to see what resources we had if a strike happened here (we were not a 911 provider, just general transportation). Amazingly, non of the nursing homes canceled any dr's appointments or anything. My daughter was in 1st grade and her class was on a field trip on a farm. They quickly brought everyone back to school. This school has had all the doors open during the day since I attended it in the 60's. It went on lock down and to this day, only the front door is unlocked during school hours. Several od=f my co workers were on a volunteer civilian SAR team, they were deployed to NYC the next day...
 

hitman38367

Member
May 23, 2010
881
West Tennessee, USA
I was sitting in my rig backed into a dock in Bayonne, NJ and watched the whole thing happen across the Hudson. I couldn't believe what I had seen, but it was there right in front of my face.
 

TCO

Member
May 21, 2010
808
Malvern,Pa
sitting in a training class for the county 911 center at the ema office,remember seeing everything happening on the tvs in the center and trying to keep a coworker calm that his dad worked at the pentagon and he could not reach him after the plane hit the building.most of us got sent home to be with our families and or to respond to our fire houses for a standby
 

pondfly

Member
May 21, 2010
307
IL
Sleeping when the first one hit as I had my ass handed to me last shift. I was awakened by phone calls telling me to turn on the TV. Within 30 seconds of turning on the TV I saw the second plane hit. I got up, frozen to the TV. By the time the pentagon hit, I was getting dressed and heading to the station as nobody knew what was going on.
 

Respondcode3

Member
May 23, 2010
1,936
Northen Il USA
I was taking my older daughter to the babysitter. She was 11 mo a the time. My wife was on her way to work. I saw it on the TV at the sitters house. I was off shift and going to go into my shop. I called the wife and told her I may get called into work. I went home and watched the rest of the day. I got the call to be ready to go in about 11 am. I live an hour away from the station. I never got the offical call to come back in. We dont do callbacks unless the Chief or Mayor declare an emergency in our town.
 

SurfCityCar2

Member
May 20, 2010
156
Jacksonville, NC
I was working for the local Motorola shop at the time, and was removing a crappy Midland Syntech II from a CVPI from a neighboring county's SO car and installing an A7 UHF Maratrac and installing a brand spanking new Edge strobe bar.


I remember hearing about the first plane, and one of our guys that lived right down the street went home and got a small tv. We fashioned a TV antenna from some wire we had at the shop just in time to see the second plane.


Shortly thereafter, we were all called into the office and told to have our radios and cell phones on and be on standby.


Probably the only time in my life I have listened to the news the entire time I was in my truck or if I was near a TV I was watching.


It doesn't really seem like 9 years ago to me, but in a way it does.


I remember all of the "immediate recognition" all of the firefighters and police officers started to get that day, which lasted for a few weeks, then slowly faded away, back tot he point where we were pre-9/11...
 

Amanda

Member
May 24, 2010
193
NY, USA
Sitting in 5th grade Social Studies class, my principal walked in and whispered to the teacher and she ran out of the room and came back in several minutes later. I live within a decent range of Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh and West Point, so everything was locked down. We sat in the classroom in silence after finding out what happened, and I went to the office to make a call to my parents. We own an ambulance company and my dad was on the FD at the time, and I figured he was gonna be involved some how. I called the office and will always remember the words my dad said, "It's a very bad day in America right now, I can't talk." Came down an hour or so later to find out my Dad was on standby with the ambulance in Liberty State Park with all of the other companies and volly squads who were available.


The next day my dad told me how eerie it felt to drive down the Turnpike with absolutely no cars, just ambulances and cop cars. I can't even imagine going down that road with nobody else.
 

ParkPiggy

Member
May 21, 2010
667
Northeast Ohio
Wow I'm old! All these replies of "I was in Elementary School..."


I was working on a very small PD. I was eating breakfast with the township deputy, when one of the other customers said a plane hit the WTC. We both figured it was a small plane, and continued breakfast. I then went to the Elementary School (on patrol, not for my math class!). I stopped in the teacher's lounge, and a group was watching the news, showing the WTC building smoking. We were watching live, when the second plane hit.


I was working my Park District PD that evening, and it was different-I still don't know the word for it. It was quiet, there were people out-but no one said anything, no one was out jogging or exercising. People were in shock, no one really talked-people just contemplated what all had taken place that day.
 
May 25, 2010
7,072
Tunkhannock, PA, USA
I had woken up that morning at 8:45 AM... Rolled over and sat up in bed and turned on the tv... The news was on, which I thought was strange, then I saw that Peter Jennings was on and I thought to myself: "There must be something big going on..." Then they cut to the feed from NY and I saw it... The large fire filled hole in the side of WTC #2... I was shocked... I relized that this was a live feed, but for some reason I kept thinking that this couldn't be real... Then when the second plane hit I went to my computer and changed my "away message" (back when I used AIM... LoL) All it said was: "This can't be real... Turn on your TV and watch, it doesnt matter what channel..."


The wierdest thing was that the night before I was voted into my local fire department as a ful active member...


All of the lives lost that day will never be forgotten...
 

FireEMSPolice

Member
May 21, 2010
3,429
Ohio
I was on my way up to a 911 center for work. I was in an elevator when someone told me about it. I knew my uncle would be there for a meeting that day with his company, Merrill Lynch. Luckily he made it out. I made it up stairs and noticed detectives watching it on TV.
 

kadetklapp

Member
May 21, 2010
1,568
Indiana
I was at Vincennes University in Morris Hall across from the Public Safety building. I woke up and tuned in right after the first plane hit, and returned from the john as the second plane hit. We all went to the Piggy Banc (pawn shop right off campus) to try and buy guns.
 

NJEMT

Member
May 22, 2010
377
Essex County, NJ
I was in sixth grade first period reading class, i rembember not doing anything in 2nd period gym class 2 of the gym teachers were watching a tv in the back of the gym and a third was telling us what we were going to do in class that day when another one walked in and the one talking to us about what we were going to do in class asked him "is it true" and the one said yes and he had a banana and did the motion of a plane into a bldg. the teachers didnt tell the students because they did not know how we would act. i did not find out what happeded until i got home after school
 

ccvrs625

Member
May 26, 2010
73
Summerville, SC
I was in the 11th grade in a morning computer class watch what i thought to be a movie but moments later advised it was actually happening "worst day of my life" emotional drain. I will always remermber 9/11.
 

Jarred J.

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 21, 2010
11,580
Shelbyville, TN
I was stationed at Ft hood texas. I was on assignment as a "School partner" where soldiers from the base were sent to a school in the district to assist and "show support" etc...


I was in one of the kids classrooms when a teacher came in and asked me if i needed to get back to the base. i asked here why. She asked me if i had heard the news and i said no. (this was after the first plane hit)


I went to the library and watched the events unfold on TV. I checked in with my section seargeant to see if i needed to RTB. As of that moment they said no. Well i sat in the library with alot of the teachers watching the news unfold (second plane hit, buildings collapse etc). by the time lunch hit most of the kids knew about what was going on. Since the kids knew i was in the Army i had alot of lil boys and girls asking me if i knew if "mommy and daddy were going to war" I got a phone call after lunchtime ordering me back to base. It took me an hour to go the 2 miles back to my apartment off base where me and my wife at the time had a "nice discussion" about if i knew what was about to happen. After getting out of civilian clothes, back into uniform, grabbing all my "battle rattle" it took 3 hours to go the 3 miles to get on base because they had placed barrricades, barbed wire, and all the "open gates" had been barricaded and manned with MP's with everything available to search vehicles. My division headquarters where i worked at had been wrapped in consentina wire 2 high (like a triangle) with barbed wire inbetween the layers. Mp's were at the entrance ordering people to turn off and on cell phones, and no non military personnel were allowed in the building. There i sat with my company waiting for orders.
 

UndercoverVLS

Member
Jun 1, 2010
337
NY
SurfCityCar2 said:
I remember all of the "immediate recognition" all of the firefighters and police officers started to get that day, which lasted for a few weeks, then slowly faded away, back tot he point where we were pre-9/11...

That's a really good point you made. I worked the 9/11 detail this year down at the WTC. I would say 85% of the people walking around really could care less it was 9/11 on what the newspapers label as "New York's saddest day." Most people just went about normal business, even had one gentleman with his small son approach with a very puzzled look and say "What's with all the Police and Fire Dept presence down here today???" And of the remaining people that weren't clueless/careless, they were wearing some sort of "lowblow" 9/11 shirt. Something like an American flag with "investigate 9/11" or find the real facts, conspiracy, etc etc. I saw very few United We Stand, God Bless America, remember the heroes, or shirts like that, with the exception of Emergency Services and their families. Then all the riots for the Pro and Anti Mosque. People burning America flags, I've never seen that before in my life, it's not very easy to watch. People were looking at the Police with hatred, over something the PD has NO involvement in whatsoever. Not even thank you's, which came all the time years ago. Through the course of my 15+ hour day, I had one woman approach me and make a "rememberance" comment which was rather touching.


It really is sad that most people have forgotten what happened that day.
 

CrownVic97

Member
May 21, 2010
3,350
Hazen, ND
^Agreed, UndercoverVLS.^


It's really sickening to think that many people don't care anymore, think there's some type of conspiracy, and with the recent mess with that mosque being proposed to be built close to Ground Zero, it's just an incredibly sad situation all the way around.


My, how time makes many people loose grip of the memory of that day, and all the people who died.....just terrible.


Since I'm commenting here, I'll share where I was on that horrid day. Still in 7th grade, I woke up at about 7:00am MT to get ready for school. As I came upstairs, the TV was already on CNN, and I could see the Tower One on fire near the top of the building. My first thought was that a gas main exploded up there, but my mom came out and said that a passenger jet hit the building, naturally assuming it was a tragic accident. I sat there watching the tower and reading the news tickers, when I then saw the second plane fly into frame and hit Tower Two.


It's the worst feeling to see something like that live. It felt like a movie, but I knew it was real... My brother shouted from downstairs that the second tower was hit, and my parents came out and saw the aftermath on the TV screen. We watched the rest of the events unfold in New York, but then the feed shifted to D.C., where there was fire and smoke rising from the Pentagon. It didn't seem possible to be attacked here on our our land, but it happened, and I will never forget those images and the rest of that day. I was furious, hurt, and scared at the same time. That's a feeling that sticks with you for a long time......even today. I didn't want to go to school, neither did our parents want my brother and I going, but we had to. I do remember a few of my classmates making this out like it wasn't a big deal and poking fun of the events, and that made me want to kick their frickin' teeth in. I was glad to get home and see my family at the end of the day. We spent the rest of the evening watching the recaps of what exactly happened and how it happened.....


Like Undercover said, it seems the pre-9/11 mentality is present again today....and that's something that we shouldn't let overtake us.
 

triton911bj

Member
May 24, 2010
463
Springville, PA
9th Grade electronics class. Wiring up some basic circuts..and getting shocked. Another teacher ran in explaing what was happening. Started watching and watched the second plane hit.


Come to think of it there were a lot of ingnorant kids in my class. Making fun of it and suh. Pissed a lot of us off
 

Ben E.

Member
May 21, 2010
2,417
Iowa, USA
Damn some of you guys are making even ME feel old, and I was only in high school.
 

unlisted

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 20, 2010
7,333
NA
Ben E. said:
Damn some of you guys are making even ME feel old, and I was only in high school.
Thanks.


I feel even more old after reading all these posts... I think we need to create a + 30 sub forum on here... :lol:
 

Jarred J.

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 21, 2010
11,580
Shelbyville, TN
yeah while these "kids" were in school i was 2.5 years in on a 4 year contract with uncle sam. LOL


ripe old age of 21 then. just gotten married and life was "good"
 

EMS10EMT

Member
Aug 31, 2010
397
NJ
I was a High school freshman. I remember sitting in the commons watching it all on the TV's that the faculty had wheeled in. There was alot of crying and parents picking their kids up.
 

Zoe

Member
May 28, 2010
776
Deerfield MA
I was asleep when the first plane hit.


I was on the road by the time the 2nd tower fell.


I was in lower Manhattan by the afternoon.


I can't believe it was almost a decade ago.
 

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