I was in the recruit academy of the Fire Department I had hired on with. I had previously been in the fire service, and had moved to a different department (different city). An administrative secretary quiety interrupted our instructor to ask him if we would like to have a T.V. brought down to our training room. We sat in shock and watched T.V. for a good portion of the day. It gave us a sick feeling when the reality set in of how many FDNY Firefighters had been killed when the Towers collapsed!

 

I was standing firewatch at NAS Pensacola.

 

I was working in a small room with no windows and very thick walls in a military communications center. Normal operations were scheduled, and we were just gonna rotate outside for a smoke when an extremely high-priority message of extreme importance came through several of the systems at the same time.

Unheard of. Whispered about by the old timers back at Signal school, but nobody had ever seen one before in real life, or lived to tell about it. Seriously spooky stuff. This message was of such high importance that they were reputed to contain only one word: "Duck"; because to receive one meant that some very serious ordnance was gonna let fly or land nearby. Probably both.

We thought it was a mistake, like an improperly formatted test message, and felt really bad for the sorry bastard who was fixing to get burned, but worked it anyway, if only to cover our own asses for when the big birds and shiny stars showed up to chew on somebody or something. Probably both.

Ironically, the process took so long that everybody else knew what had happened from footage on Fox and CNN before we figured it all out. We worked some odd and disturbing message traffic for the next few days, then got relieved to help pull guard duty inside the fence...but never too close to it, because a huge demonstration of sympathy by the locals (some estimates ran into the tens of thousands in attendance) was in full swing all around the perimeter on the main post, lasting for several days.

Kinda sucks being locked in a room with a guy whose family didn't make it, but at least we didn't have ammo available for our weapons, which were usually kept locked away in another place anyway. They probably do that on purpose...for a good reason...y'know?

My deepest sympathies to anyone who lost someone. Gotta go. Gettin' dusty in here.

Take care

 

I was dropping off my son at the sitters when the second plane hit the towers and knew this was no accident. I hated to leave my 9 month old, but I knew I had to go into to work. Once in work I was issuing out gasmask food and water and sending a caravan of cops into the city.
Later that night I was standing outside of one of the pilots house’s that went down one of the flights. I had the job of keeping the media away from the front door as F-16’s were the only planes flying that night instead of the usual airliners we heard every night. I still remember hearing his wife screaming and crying while a local reporter demanded to speak with her. I still remember the look on his face when I called him and a$$hole and told him to show the family some compassion. And then the craziness continued with the anthrax scare and so on. It took some time but things got back to normal.

 

I was flying back from europe... first plane diverted to Halifax.... after spending a night in Canada, took a little road trip back to the good old USA.... Certainly changed my perspective on things...

 

I was teaching kindergarten in south florida and because the president was in a school in south florida we were afraid of school attacks. We called all parents and had them pick up their kids from school immediately. We had the school empty in less than an hour. This gave the parents the ability to talk to their children to tell them what happened the way they wanted.

My brother in law was in building 7. They hit save to the internet to their business files and ran. Building 2 fell on their building. Everyone evacuated nobody in his company was hurt. He couldn't get an open cell tower for hours and we didn't know they were OK

 

I was working; some people said that an airplane had hit one of the twin towers, I went to the break room and watched the second plane hit, watched until the towers collapsed... sadly shook my head then went back to work.

Disasters are no big deal as long as you or family/friends are not involved.
Terrorists are insane and you can not let your life be ruled by insane people.

Enjoy!

 

I was working in NY at the time and I still will not forget when the DJ on the radio said new york was under attack. I was sitting on the Tap bridge right next to a tanker truck in bumper to bumper traffic. Once I got to work the phones were all out the only thing working was email. I emailed family and told them I was okay and that I was not in the city on that day (Thank God). My wife was on a company retreat in FL and she was freaking out becuase of the lack of comunictaions. We did have freinds and family who worked in the towers but they all got out safe.

I still remember driving by the trainstation and seeing all the cars left from poeple who didn't make it out. I lived on the jesery shore and that area was hit pretty hard with the loss of loved ones.

This is what started me on my journey for being prepared. I never want to feel helpless again like I did that day.