Remember 9/11

[ASTalumna06]

I remember how mad everyone was with my high school in the weeks following 9/11.

I was sitting in my 4th period, chemistry class, in my senior year, waiting for class to start. Other students were walking in, and then all of a sudden, one student came bolting in, and started saying a bunch of stuff about how bombs and planes had hit the WTC, the white house, the Sears Tower... everything. He made it sound like the world was coming to an end, and everyone just kind of looked at him like he was crazy. But we all sat through class wondering what was happening. We were clueless.

After that class, out in the hallways, everyone was talking about what happened... but no one knew any details, or even what had been hit. The administrators didn't want any tvs or radios on, and for what reason, no one knows. We were high school students, and they treated us as if we were first graders.

Everyone was also nervous, because growing up in Nashua, NH, we had the FAA Center, controlling most of the planes in the northeast, right down the street from us. And when everyone started to hear that the planes came out of Logan Airport, things started getting crazy. Students had parents taking flights that morning, and I knew of one student whose dad worked at the FAA Center.

I then went to my last class of the day, for two periods, still not knowing exactly what happened. It was my Aerospace class, and needless to say, the professor was glued to the tv. I hadn't looked at one all day.

At one point, while we were all watching, a younger adult (don't know who he was) came in and told Dr. Price to turn off the tv. He turned around and said, "make me". The guy left the room and didn't come back.

Following that, new rules and guidelines were created at the school to direct administrators in how they should handle events such as this.

Also, tours at the FAA Center are no longer allowed, as it is believed that some of the terrorists had visited there. And any signs for the FAA Center were taken down. Large green signs on the highway are half blank now because they used to indicate the exit where the Center was located. And the plane that used to sit outside the building, next to the highway, was removed, so that there is nothing to indicate the location of the Center.

It's amazing how much I can remember that day and afterward, but it's hard to remember the time of pre-9/11 when things seemed simpler.

[WVU alpha phi]

I was in 11th grade in Mrs. O'Keefe's Public Speaking class. I remember aides delivering notes to all the teachers, then the principal coming over the intercom and telling the teachers to read the notes to the classes. Everyone was in shock and we had a million questions, and to this day I can't believe my teacher's reaction: "I don't know any more information than you do, but we are not going to let this interrupt class." Every other person I know was allowed to watch TV and see all the footage, and we weren't even allowed to discuss what had happened.

We ended up being sent home at noon that day- I grew up in MD and kids in my school have parents who worked at the Pentagon. I also remember we were allowed to use our cell phones to call our parents, and I panicked because both my parents worked for the federal government (one at NSA headquarters) and neither answered their work phones. Luckily, they were released immediately when the attacks on the Pentagon happened.

Strange stories- my ex boyfriend's friend's father was supposed to be on the flight out of Logan. He didn't get a first class seat so he decided to wait for the next flight. Also, one of the kids in one of my HS classes had a mom who worked at the area of the Pentagon that was hit- she stayed home that day with his sick sister.

[Leslie Anne]

I was asleep and got this early morning phone call. I couldn't imagine who would be calling me before 8 am. It was my sister and she sounded hysterical. She said, "we're being attacked!" I got up and spent the entire day watching CNN. It's was so surreal. I couldn't believe it was actually happening.

My big used to work in one of the towers. I think it was for Dean Witter. Even though I knew she no longer worked there she lived near by. I tried calling her frantically for 4 days, left messages but didn't hear back from her. Finally, I thought she might be in Ohio and even though it was 2 in the morning there, I called her and as soon as I heard her voice I started sobbing and blubbering. I was so happy she was okay.

My dad was on a flight home from Toronto the day it happened. They were about 30 minutes into the flight when they had to turn around. He spent the next few days there in Canada until airtravel resumed.

Damn, that whole thing was so scary. I never want to experience anything like that again!

Later, I read that two KDs were among those who perished. At least one of them was on one of the planes that hit the towers.

So much pointless loss.

[OneTimeSBX]

i was 20, my daughter was 10 months old at the time. my best friend called me from downtown Richmond, she was at VCU and left her dorm to find everyone pretty much frozen in place. she called me and said "Bee, a plane hit the WTC". i wasnt too upset, i thought it was unfortunate. then she said "one hit the Pentagon, too" and i specifically remember saying to her...today was a bad day to be on a plane. she paused and said, "i dont think thats it. i think its more than that..." i turned on the radio (my parents had a parental lock on the tv to keep my sisters off so i couldnt watch it) and just sat there with my daughter scared as HELL...Richmond has one of the biggest supply centers in the area, and its about ten minutes from the house! plus, im about 15 minutes from Fort Lee, an hour from Norfolk...it was way too close for comfort.

i didnt get to see anything on tv until about 7 that night and we all just sat there in utter shock. i will never forget that plane flying into the side of that building...we found out later an aunt of our friends was in the first building, and as soon as things went down she made her entire office staff leave. she saved about 75 people...

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by WVU alpha phi

Strange stories- my ex boyfriend's friend's father was supposed to be on the flight out of Logan. He didn't get a first class seat so he decided to wait for the next flight.

My stepmom was on a flight out of Logan, sitting on the runway, ready to take off, when all flights were grounded. Everyone on the plane was mad and didn't know what was going on.. until they got off the plane and back into the terminal.

[nikki1920]

It was my first week on my internship for my grad program. We were getting ready to leave the first client's house when we saw that the first plane hit. By the time we got to the second house, their tv was on and we saw the second plane hit. We left there immediately and went back to the office. I was in a panic because I was trying to call my mom and couldn't reach her. I called my then-fiance and asked him to call her. Except his coworker answered, and let me blubber incoherently before transferring the call to him. My mom had called him at work because she couldn't reach me. She had already picked up my daughter from daycare and was already at home, and told me to not rush to get home.

My child's father was on defcon status in Alabama (he was just finishing the Army's flight school, I think). I couldn't get in touch with him, of course, but he had one of his classmates sneak a call to me to let me know he was ok and to make sure we were ok.

I live right outside of DC and I remember the Beltway being so quiet and not being able to reach anyone locally by cell phone. My two best friends from college (one in NC one in Atl) called me to see if I was ok and got through with no problems. A 45 minute trip took three hours that day. I just remember being in shock and extremely mad at whoever had the cojones to hit the PENTAGON!! Once I got home, I just held my daughter and let her watch Nickelodeon (which was one of the few channels NOT covering the situation--I am forever thankful for that). I remember seeing the air traffic radar screen blank out as all planes were ordered to land. Every time I drive past the Pentagon, I get very emotional and feel so bad for the families who lost someone.

[Kevlar281]

I had just got out of class and was driving home; flipped on the radio and heard “talk radio” figured I was on the wrong channel and changed it, only to hear more “talk radio.” Thought that I must be on AM and switched it to “FM” only to realize I had been on FM; so I switched back and actually started listening. Fastest drive home ever.

[Army Wife'79]

I was on a military base in KS and made it to my friends quarters b/f the 2nd one hit. DH was out of town and unreachable, as usual. Both kids were in school. We had just moved from the Pentagon and the spot hit was my DH's old office so that was horrible as he knew folks who died. Within minutes I looked out and saw armed guarded with M16's on top of all the buildings on Post. Getting in/off post was a nightmare after that b/c they had to beef up the security posts and man them 24/7.
My BIL's pal was a United pilot who was airborne at the time and was telling my BIL what the pilots were being told. It was very scary for them before they all landed. The smartest thing FAA did that day was ground ALL aircraft.

[TrojanWoman]

It was my senior year of college. It was very early on the west coast when everything started to happen. One of my sister's ran into my room and woke me up. Downtown LA was evacuating and no one was sure what to do since we were so close to downtown. SC was putting out emails that the university would remain open that day but no one wanted to go to class. Parents were calling and telling girls to drive home but the freeways were a mess. In the end we decided the best place to be was with our sisters in the house, in front of the tv, where we felt as safe as you could possibly feel on such a terrible day.

[FlaGirl07]

I was sitting in my 10th grade Biology class during 1st period. We were dissecting frogs and usually have the TV already on for morning announcements. Someone walked in a whispered something into my teacher’s ear and he turned the channel to CNN and we saw the 2nd plane hit. I remember feeling really eerie when it happened. I think we got held over from our other classes until everyone could really grasp what was going on.

[epchick]

I remember waking up in my house to my mom's TV, it was REALLY loud, and my mom was on the phone w/ my aunt (who lives in Tucson). i remember just plopping down on the bed and watching The Today Show (i believe) showing footage of the first plane crashing into the WTC. I remember thinking that it was fake. That it couldn't be really happening here. Then I remember watching the second plane crash in (we are 2 hours behind NYC, so i believe it was all recapping) the second tower and just feeling numb.

I was in 11th grade, and I remember just listening to all the crazy rumors, believing them. Like the Washington monument had been lit on fire and had crumbled. The Lincoln memorial had been blown up, etc. Then in my psychology class, through a grainy TV we watch the WTC crumble. It was crazy.

[Honeykiss1974]

I was at work when it unfolded. At the time, I worked in commodities trading so we have tons of TVs everywhere normally tuned on CNN. I remember watching when they first reported that a plane flew into the WTC and just thinking it was some doped up pilot going crazy. I then remember me and my co-workers watching the live coverage and then all of a sudden a second plane crashed into the 2nd tower. We were all like "WTF"?

I also remember that CNN did report for that the US military had shot down a plane (it was the one over PA) that was headed for the nation's capital but then that story went away.

It was an eery day, that indeed.

[Jill1228]

I was living in Everett, WA at the time. I woke up thinking:
"I am getting married exactly 3 months from today!" My clock radio went off (set to the radio). I remember hearing the annoucer say: "If you are heading to Seatac airport turn around. No flights will be going in our out today." I was like "WTF?" I turned on the TV and my jaw dropped.

The wedding thoughts quickly left my head

I did go to work...but nothing much was done at the office

I looked through my Ground Zero photos this morning. 9/11 took on new meaning for me when I was able to visit it last year.

I saw all US and State flags at half staff on my drive in to work today and immediately remembered where I was that morning.

[Scully]

I vividly remember the drive to work that morning. I left the house early, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. My office had limited internet access and not a single radio. Our VP walked walked into our cubicles and calmly announced that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and walked out. We thought to ourselves that it may just have been a small Cessna and almost shrugged it off. Minutes later, she came back to let us know that a second plane had crashed. Immediately, we knew something was wrong.

However, it wasn’t until my lunch break that I ran downstairs to my car, turned on the radio and sat in the parking lot and cried for a half an hour straight. I came back up to work, frazzled. We all had to work a full day.

I drove to my house, finding only my father home. My mother was stuck in traffic on her way home from work and my sister was up at school. He was standing in front of the TV watching the news and shaking his head. He recalled the day he was working at the Trade Center after the bombing in 1993. Telling me that this was nothing compared to what happened just 8 years earlier. In the following few days, all my father could say was, “We lost a lot of good guys down there. Those were my kids.” I am just so thankful that he retired from the NYPD in the Spring of 2001.

I was glued to the television the remainder of the night, watching the footage over and over. It was impossible to take my eyes away from it. All I could do was pray.