911-------- where were you?

[Plumbata]

Freshman in HS, during my 1st period algebra class taught by Mr. Schick, who was both extremely nice and extremely brilliant. He had a small radio on and the class was all listening to the report. I remember quite clearly Mr. Schick commenting that he figured that Osama Bin Laden was behind it. I had never recalled hearing that name before that day and knew nothing at all about him. Next period everyone in the school assembled in the auditorium to watch the event unfold on TV. Pretty surreal.

Then they cancelled school for a few days because parents/faculty were worried that the school would get attacked by terrorists, haha. I thought it was stupid as hell but ya won't see me arguing about getting extra free days.

 

[SkinsFan36]

Woke up early (for me) to go surfing that morning but sat down and flipped the TV on to one of the morning shows to see that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I was thinking "how does somebody fly a plane into something that big? Maybe the pilot had a heart attack or a seizure". I flipped over to CNN to see if they had anymore coverage and yelled to my mom who was on the phone that somebody flew into the towers. Not a minute later I watched the second go in live. A pure pit formed in my stomach of fear and sickness as I watched. I hope I never see anything like that again. Awful.

 

[UncleBruce]

The only good thing that came out of this for me is that today is my wife's birthday and now it is easy for me to remember. God bless America.

 

[deenodean]

I was in the basement when the phone rang. It was my mother, she said ' are you watching the TV ' ? I said no, it is to early for that. She said turn it on, The United States is under a terrorist attack. The World Trade Center buildings were hit by airplanes. When I turned it on I could not believe my eyes! What a horrible thing ! I went flashback to May 22, 1998 when the Mrs and I were on the South Tower as tourists. We were outside on the 110 floor!! What tall and immense buildings. I could not believe it was happening, surreal being an understatment! I can't imagine the horror those people went through. It is sad what humans can do to others.
I went outside and will never forget looking up in the sky and seeing airplanes making 180 degree turns, all of them ordered to land at the nearest airport. None landed where we live but many were diverted to Halifax, Gander and St.John's Newfoundland. On the bright side of humanity, all passengers and crews were put up by total strangers. 6000 in Gander alone. Many people forged lifelong friendships with those who showed hostility. Here is an article in from today's CBC News from Newfoundland.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/09/10/nl-911-911-anniversary-subdued.html

We saved our World Trade Center Pass stubs...

 

[AntiqueMeds]

Mr. Schick, who was both extremely nice and extremely brilliant

would you say he had a mind like a razor?[]

 

[Plumbata]

LOL, and yes Matt I would agree! He is a genius without a doubt and probably could have been a top-level faculty member at a prestigious university, but he truly loved teaching high school students and spreading the love and understanding of math to younger and inherently more impressionable people. Back in 2001 he had somehow wired his house so that he could use his cellphone to operate the lights, garage door, and many other things. Pretty sweet. He also liked making jokes about smoking weed behind the school dumpster, lol.

Before 9/11, the only bit I knew about the Taliban was that they were an ignorant group of islamic extremists who were actively destroying priceless ancient artifacts/sculptures/buildings which were not in conformity with their beliefs, like the giant Buddhas carved into living rock. That bothered me a great deal, but I never entertained the thought that they would take it to the next level. The world is a crazy place.

 

[epackage]

I was on the waterfront in Jersey City having coffee with my fellow construction workers, we were watching the fire burn and had heard that a plane had gone into the first tower. None of us went back to work as we watched the building burn, it was then we noticed another plane coming in from our right and we could tell it was flying way too low, when it hit the tower we all just looked at one another and gave each other big hugs.

A few guys went into the city and stayed for a few days doing what they could to help, I can't drive into JC past that building without a tear coming to eye, just retelling this story makes me tear up. It's a day that's imprinted on my mind because of how close we all were to the towers, I wish I had never gone to work that day...[]

 

[Bixel]

I was in grade 8 in a classroom. I sat right beside the computer, and my job throughout the day was to keep the class updated on news. We used the CNN website. I happened to refresh just as the breaking news of the first plane hit. I told my teacher, who had me and another students rush to get the TV from a storage room just down the hall. Our entire class, and some other staff watched in our room as the second plane hit. It was all surreal to me, but even being fairly young, I knew that what I had just watched was going to change everything we knew in a big way.

 

[druggistnut]

I had gotten up, was drinking coffee, reading the paper and and had something on TV, in the background.
I heard the news break and went to see what was happening. When the second plane hit, I got all my T-50 gear together, packed my ruck, got in my uniform and headed in to my military unit.
There were already guys there and we all waited for orders.

>>It took 11 years but we got all of the master minds behind it.<<

Steve, I have to beg to differ. We still haven't gotten this scum bag. You know he is looking over his shoulder. Your time is coming, al-Zawahiri.

http://india.nydailynews.com/newsarticle/504f786cc110c0d17b000001/ayman-al-zawahiri-confirms-death-of-al-qaeda-deputy

Bill

 

[andy volkerts]

Was at work in Santa Clara, Inspection of concrete for a slab at IBM. no tv onsite just a radio, I didnt really know the horror of it all until at twooclock the jobsite shut down and we all went to a bar just down the road and watched it on CNN. Will never forget those planes crashing into those towers. Somehow felt that the government should have known this was going to happen. Sort of like Pearl Harbor, only we were not at war, at least not yet.........