I was at work.

One of our 'clients' came down and said 'a plane hit a building'. I shrugged it off...later one said 'another plane hit a building'...then later, someone said 'another plane hit a building' and I figured it was merely a different angle. They said it was a big plane and it was in New York. Aware a bomber hit the Empire State building back during World War II, I figured it was an accident.

Then I checked...went home and watched the towers collapse on the news after the end of the shift.


What most forget was Tim McVeigh was executed a while before this and they released his final words shortly before 9/11 and he pointed out that compared to him, the Moslem terror attack in the US weren't anything! (Remember the garage attack at the WTC? It killed a few people.)

Ironic.

 

I was at a pawn swhop in sheveport la. looking at guns with my neighbor we seen it on tv and left the shop and drove home about an hour and stayed put.

 

school.--------

 

High school. I was ****ed because most teachers had a tv set up in the class, but many did not turn them on. Later the morning most everyone was glued to the tv's and watched the disaster unfold. I too witnessed the second plane hit. WTF? was all I could think. My father was a fire fighter mechanic and I new alot of the guys at the three stations. I eventually called him to pull me from school and spent the rest of the day at the station. I had always been interested in the military since I found my father had served. Naturally this put the last nail in that coffin and I was on my way after graduation. Anyways I know its not interesting, but thats was me 09/11/2001
Remember and honor the fallen, butcher and burn the guilty.

 

I was finishing my morning weight training session at my high school(it was my senior year). One of my coaches was listening to the radio and said someone had tried to bomb the WTC again. I soon found out it was no bomb and me and my friends spent the entire morning watching everything unfold. When the second plane hit, the teachers tried to make us all go to class but we told them no way.

 

Middle School. I believe it was 7th grade.

 

I was a junior in high school here in Colorado, so class hadn't even started yet that morning and we'd already started hearing that a plane had crashed into the Trade Center in NYC. The first response was to write it off as a tragedy and continue with the day, but as the events continued to unfold, it was clear this wasn't a freak occurrence. It was like the end of the world was coming.

I couldn't believe it. It was just surreal. We had been attacked. We were going to war. No doubt about it.

I remember my first class of the day was English, and one of my classmates was crying and got to leave class because her father had to immediately leave that very morning to go to DC. I'm not exactly sure what he did at the time, but I know in '91 he was one of the Delta guys in Somalia, and he's still a contractor or some sort to this day. I never really got along with her, but I felt pretty bad for her right then.

Almost all of the teachers that day cancelled their classes and we just sat in stunned silenced and watched the news unfold on the classroom tv's. I recall my sadistic math teacher not giving a damn and forcing us to go through with the lesson as if it made a bit of difference whether or not we were "on schedule" with our class work. I'll never forgive her for that calloused act.

Looking back on it I wish I had joined the Marines that very day instead of waiting until 2007. At the time, I was trying to get in the Air Force - I wanted to be a pilot, but that never panned out and I took more than enough time deciding what I wanted to do.

That's one life-changing day that will be indelibly marked in my mind until I die.

 

I was at home and turned on the tv that morning, just in time to see the second plane fly into the WTC.
first thought was "what the heck movie is this"

after i realized it was actually happening, i spent the rest of the day glued to the TV and trying to contact my family and friends on the phone, which wasn't working because of the overloaded phone system.

 

Just getting home from work. I was watching the live newscast on TV and saw the second plane go in.

Took a bit for it to sink in that it wasn't some B grade movie.

 

Like Leonidas, I lived across the river from Manhattan in Jersey. I was getting ready for work, and the TV was on in the background. I think it was Live with Regis and Kelly. I remember them interrupting the show, and mentioning the first crash, while showing the live shot of smoke pouring out of the tower. I remember trying to call my girlfriend, and waking her up to let her know. She couldn't get her TV to work (she was at her grandmother's house, and had no cable. The signal was gone, since in essence, her TV antenna just got hit by a plane. I watched as the second tower got hit, and was dumbstruck. I left for work, listening to the news on the radio (10/10 WINs). I remember driving to work, looking across the river (I lived right by the Hudson, and at one point, the smoke actually drifted over my town) thinking how surreal it all was. As I was on the highway, almost at work, the newscaster was cut off by the reporter that was covering the event, as she said "OH MY GOD, THE TOWER HAS FALLEN!! THE TOWER HAS FALLEN!!!" I pulled over to keep hearing what was transpiring, in shock. I thought the tower fell the way it should, to it's side, in which case I thought it had taken out ten city blocks!! I finally get to work and run into the break room and saw everyone congregated around the TV watching in amazement. One thing that disturbed me was watching the people jumping from the towers. It has never been shown since, but that day, live as it happened, at times it looked like it was raining people from the tower. There were so many, yet I watched it like it was nothing. Later on, it bothered me to think how movies and special effects had desensitized me to that gruesome scene. Then the second tower went down. We all just..... well, we didn't really change at all from a few seconds before, as we were all already in shock. It was just another surreal, impossible, and improbable event happening that wasn't really happening. It COULDN'T be happening, you know? But it was. All I could think of were the immortal words spoken about another unbelievable attack on the US "This day will live on in Infamy". It sure has. The day that changed the world.

 

Moving into a rental house with what little belongings I had here in Cali. Two movers with my truckload of stuff from the east coast, walking across the threshold one mover said his partner is on the phone, there has been a plane crash in NY at the towers, he said it was on the TV.

Plugged it in and started to watch it unravel. The other mover came inside visibly shaken and with a look of not being totally there said - I am sorry, I need to hurry my mother is trying to get a hold of my daughter, she works in the towers, she called to say a plane crashed into the building, she was talking on the phone but it went dead, but my mother called back and now can't reach her.

After seeing the coverage on the TV - that he didn't. I quickly turned it off. He had to drive all the way back from CA to NYC. I told him to leave now, your partner will take care of the truck and trailer, catch a plane I will drop you off, find your daughter.

He was dazed, in shock, but one of those very strong large men that obviously don't break down much, he was insistent - he would not leave his truck which was his business (I understand) his livelihood, he needed to get it unloaded as fast as possibly so he could drive home.

You would have never seen so many women and kids pulling things off a moving truck and just putting them anywhere they possibly could. All the time this was broken up by him placing calls to his daughter unanswered....the man was drenched with perspiration, literally dripping - not from the heat or the speed of work, but it was from the stress of not knowing, he was pale, robot like - frightened as h e l l.

His partner and myself saw more coverage of the collapse when he would try and reach her on the phone, we doubted that she could have survived - I asked his partner if he felt that he should let him know as things unfolded; he knew him, I didn't - his partner said no, we can't tell him now - so we didn't.

God love him, within an hour or so he was unloaded and ready to drive straight through back to NYC - to his daughter.

 

I forgot to mention. Immediately after I received a call from a friend that worked in one of the buildings that stayed standing but faced the towers.

The description from him of the rain of body parts and jumpers was horrifying - but there is no word to really describe it. I won't go into too much detail, but as a friend you listen, let them talk, let them get out as much as they can......but feet, hands, unidentifiable things rained down past the survivors as they were trapped alive in the standing buildings over looking the towers.

They stood watching people alive, fall, jump, be accidentally pushed out of those windows by others trying to reach the air. They were very much alive as they went down. And it went on for hours without stopping.

Needless to say he isn't the same, not much sleep, nervousness etc., he still works of course but it has taken the toll.

Coming from a military family of many generations, I know first hand about the things the troops see, and have to do; and the imprint that is left in their mind when they come home that they must deal with for the remainder of their life (and the family members must deal with also).

So I can see the damage that the survivors deal with, they were just sitting at a desk working like any other day, no military training, never having be taught about what may be seen on the battlefield, what can happen to the human body, just Joe and Jane Citizen sitting at their desk typing away and then this.

 

I was working at United Blood Services and was on a normal, 1 person, blood drive in Fairhope AL..Got my stuff setup for the blood drive and then got a call from the office that a plane had hit a building...Thought it was a small plane that had gone off course or something so I turned the TV and saw the second plane hit...I knew we were at war.

I was flooded with people shortly after it hit and we had the tv on while people were giving...My boss drove down with a replacement for me since I was a team leader he wanted me back at the office to run the buses..We called everyone in and setup both of our buses as well as more beds in our store room so people could donate...Ended up working 20 hours before I went upstairs to crash..in that 20 hours we drew 1187 units of blood..

After the towers fell I think everyone who came in knew there wasn't going to be many survivors. but they still came.

 

I was walking out of my office at my home. Saw the pictures on TV as the second plane hit the second tower. I was speechless for a moment and then realized the terror war had come home to us. I was supposed to fly out on a plane later in the day. I remember looking at the skies the next day and it was really strange to see no planes, no vapor trails in the sky. Talked to friends around the world later in the week. It was a shock to all of them. I lost a good friend in the first tower. He was set to retire in January.

By the way to anyone posting those goofy posts about fake planes, I had friends on the ground in NY watching as the plane came in. It makes me sick to see that kind of stupidity on this forum. I don't care if this gets me knocked off the forum but that is the kind of thing that makes all people who try to prepare look like fools. It also does not serve the purpose of this forum to help get people ready to survive. Rumors and trumped up nonsense have no place here.

 

Stationed in Honolulu, HI

 

I had just left NYC 3 days before and started my new job in FL. My wife (still in NY, had another week left at her old job before joining me) called me at work and said, "this is weird a plane just hit the Twin Towers". My first reaction was a small prop plane. We chatted about ti for a minute and I said I would call her back. I went to my buddy's office to see if he had a TV. He did not, but there was one in a old unused office. My self and and one other person went in and started to watch. As soon as I saw it wasnt a prop plane I tried calling my wife back...Phone was fast busy. As we are watching and I still can't get to her the second plane hit. hat was the moment, I felt my heart drop. I kept calling her over and over and she picked up at one point. I told her to try to get to a friend's building and leave the city ASAP (we have many friends in NYC so I sent an email around with a location for them to meet within 20 minutes) They all listened and meet on a corner. Leaving the city was a nightmare I was told, and I did ge to speak to my wife again. Once I knew she was with our friends I felt a little better. They managed to get on a train and got out (it was one of the last trains before they cut off the service). It didnt make a difference where is was going they just wanted out. MEanwhile back in FL. I'll never forget watching the TV...My buddy saids, " What if the buildings fall?" I turned to him and said " I have been to the top of those buildings...I even interviewed for a job there (I got the job but took another instead)...There is no way in hell those buildings can come down. They are just too big...No way)" as G*d is my witness about 15 minutes later one began to fall...then the other. I just started to cry. I spoke to my wife hours later when she was home (we lived plenty far from the city). We were (still are) in shock. My heart bleeds for the lives lost. :-( My wife joined me a few days later.

 

I was at work in a Federal building in PA. After the 1st plane hit, we were clustered around the TVs in the conference rooms and a few of the Assistant Directors' offices. After they evacuated us and we were on the way home, Flight 93 passed RIGHT over our heads, VERY low, just before it went down 15 miles from us.

 

I was in a college classroom in NY, about 5 hours away from the city. Someone came in and got the teacher, and he came in a few minutes later and said that plane crashed into the World Trade Tower. Me, being the naive freshman I was, was thinking like a small two-man plane, with virtually no damage except for the plane and maybe the spot right where it hit, and I'm thinking, why is this so important to interrupt the class? Then a minute or two later he came back and told us that another plane had hit the other tower, and that class was dismissed for the day.

It wasn't until I got back to the dorm and we turned on the TV in the lobby that I realized it wasn't a little plane. It was a hard day.

 

I was at home.......I went to a Military surplus store and bought a gas mask, extra filters, a NBC suit, a AK and 1000rds of ammo, 1000 rds of 9mm, 500 rds of .45 and 500 rds of 12ga.....I really thought terrorists were going to be invading cities across the Country in UPS and FEDEX and delivery trucks.......then I went to school and picked up my 9 yr old son...it was his birthday that day(yep-9/11/'92) and the kids in class told him it was his fault....he was devastated, he had to go home....I pulled him out of that( stupid public) school and sent him to a private school....tomorrow he'll be 19.

 

I was at work at a Military Hospital and it was totally unbelievable when it first came on television. They immediately put us on high alert and we just waited to find out if how wide-spread the situation was. Concrete barracades were erected around every building to ensure no bombs could get near, security was intense and we just tried to calm the fears of the patients. It certainly changed life as we knew it at the military installation. Once an open installation (people could come and go as they pleased), the gates were closed and security manned gates were instituted. The gates remain check points to this day.

 

Working a track contract at Red River Arsenal outside of Texarcana TX. Found out after the planes hit while on break.

 

It was just before 11pm here when those planes went in. I knew it was a world-changing scenario, the next day I went down to the newsagent and grabbed the papers.

I've still got those papers, I just pulled them out of the box for the first time in about 4 years.

Hope this doesn't upset anybody.

 

Wow. It feels weird looking at those headlines again. Reminds me of the WW2 papes my mom has in the bottom of a trunk.

I was a sophomore in HS, in first period German. We missed it because we were watching some kind of mutated German Lion King. I found out in 2nd period english, when the TV was on and we watched for about a half hour before the teacher got on with class.

 

Okinawa, Japan 3d MARDIV after that life got really serious and we got to do our jobs.

 

First US Army Flight Medic on the ground at the Pentagon in a UH1 medevac chopper from just south of DC at Ft Belvoir.

 

You must've been busier than a one-legged bloke in an arse kicking contest.

 

It was my day off from work. Woke up, poured a bowl of frosted flakes, turned on the tv and stayed glued to it for hours.

Went out later that day to see people waiting in line for gas, planes grounded, and hearing sonic booms from F16s. Definitly a day that I wont ever forget.