September 11th 2001 Where Were You When the Planes Went Down

[MelmothTheLost]

It was mid-afternoon here in the UK but I was on a morning (US time) conference call to AT&T, then at Basking Ridge. One of my colleagues, based at BR and also on the call - his wife was working 2 blocks from the WTC.

We first heard the news when one of the US people on the call said they'd just been told a plane had hit one of the towers, but the call continued because everyone initially assumed it was just a light aircraft. As the reality filtered through the call was curtailed. As we at our (UK) end left the meeting room we found our colleagues all staring at the TV screens around the building.

Of course, AT&T lost much of its Manhattan phone network when the towers collapsed as the routing and switchgear was in the basement of one of them. I seem to recall they managed to reroute and recable the networks in under 48 hours, which was pretty good going under the circumstances.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Remember how eerie it was when hours and hours would go by with no planes in the sky?

Not comparable circumstances, obviously, but we had this in Europe a few years ago when Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland erupted and flights were grounded across the continent for a week. I was working for an international company at the time and we had people stranded the length and breath of Europe.

 

[katydid23]

So, as this day draws to an end, I am breathing a hopeful sigh of relief. I was worried about some kind of attack happening somewhere today. AFAIK, all clear. :sigh:

 

[waitin'4thewrld2chg]

I was in a hotel with my husband in his hometown of Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico. I turned on the TV in the morning and they were covering the Pennsylvania part. Then the Pentagon part. The phrase that immediately came to my mind was "the world's going to hell in a handbasket".

My flight back to the US was delayed about five days. The hotel gave us a discount. I said to the desk clerk at one point, in Spanish, "Thank you for what you did for us because of what happened in my country." I will never forget her reply. She repeated twice, very solemnly, "Nos pasó a todos. Nos pasó a todos." "It happened to all of us. It happened to all of us".

 

[rsd1200]

I walked into the office and the receptionist told me that a plane had just flown into the WTC. I stepped into a little visiting room and watched the news and we thought it was a horrible accident, until the 2nd plane hit. A lot of us watched, in the break room after the 2nd plane, as the rest of the day unfolded. One thing, that for some reason, sticks in my mind, is the absolutely beautiful blue sky that day, both in NYC, and where I live. Whenever the sky is that shade of blue, it always brings back memories of 9/11. Strange what sticks in our minds.

 

[wfgodot]

As morning dawns on this, the day after, what did you see this day 15 years ago? Where did you go, what did you see, what were others' reactions?

 

[wfgodot]

I'd not slept, CNN all night. On that San Antonio early morning I walked the block to the convenience store on Austin Highway to buy an Express-News. The sky was very quiet. At the Valero in line buying coffee and rolls were soldiers, young ones, in travel fatigues, based at Ft. Sam close-by and trained at Brooke AMC, at their burn center. They were talkative, purposeful, getting ready to fly to NYC to treat casualties, to save lives.

But their mission would be scrubbed. There were no lives to save, there were no casualties to treat.

 

[Jennibee]

Greg, my account is almost identical to yours. I was also in 5th year and heard about it when I was getting out of school around 3.30pm (10.30am NY time). I heard parents talking about 'suicide bombers' then my Mum told me in the car but I didn't know much until I switched on the TV at home.

I didn't (embarrassingly) actually know what the world trade centre was at the time.

The day stays with me as if it was yesterday. Being at such an impressionable age, I developed almost an obsession with it. I collected so many newspaper cuttings and watched the news all the time. I hope to visit the memorial one day. Definitely the one event which had the most impact on me.


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[Tssiemer]

I remember the day after felt like a day dream. I was 15 and a sophomore in high school. We had watched it all unfold the day before in school. But today, the TV's were off and it was back to business. I was up all night watching the news with my mom after band practice. More and more info was trickling in about what actually happened but hardly any on the dead or survivors. My sister was texting me because her husband's family was possibly on the plane that left Newark heading to LA. We didn't find out they were ok until more than a day later.


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[kaen]

We opened school. We had a large student meeting for all middle school students, offered classes for those who wanted a sense of normalcy and opportunities to do art, music or play for those who needed to do something different. We knew that any number of students who weren't there were home awaiting word on a parent or relative who would never come home. We kept focus on the students. The adults were a mess.

 

[rsd1200]

I, like most everyone else in the U.S.,had watched the news almost non-stop since 2nd plane had hit the towers. It didn't seem right to carry on as usual the next day but, that's what we did, for the most part. I put the kids on the bus and I went to work. I don't think any of us really got much done that day though (or that week). The break room always had people in there checking the news.

 

[LinasK]

So, as this day draws to an end, I am breathing a hopeful sigh of relief. I was worried about some kind of attack happening somewhere today. AFAIK, all clear. :sigh:

They caught us unaware then. We live in a much more heightened, aware state these days- all of us. Sadly, our innocence was lost. I don't think they'd be able to pull off something like that so easily again. Even the 4th plane attack- Flight 93 was dashed by the passengers when they learned they were about to be used as a human missile. The people that died on that flight most likely prevented an attack on the Capitol. Never again will we not question those who sign up for flight school, but have no need to learn how to land a plane!

 

[Momoffourboys]

The night of 9/11 our school district requested that all kids be sent to school, though, most of us just wanted to keep them home and hug them. Forever. We sent the kids in, knowing that several of our neighborhood parents were among the missing. I was with a neighbor all day. Waiting for the kids to come home. Following the news on TV and 1010WINS. We were all in shock, numb. We all knew someone. Someone who had not come home the night before. Someone who did not contact their family the night before. We just waited.

The next task was trying too explain to our kids what had happened. School brought in psychiatrists. But kids are smart. Kids hear and see things. Kids sense when things are different.

That weekend I took my kids to Ground Zero. At their request. We left flowers. We looked at photos left by family members. Notes. Missing posters.

 

[Tssiemer]

I went to ground zero about 4 or 5 years ago. Before construction started and those notes and pictures we continued to be left. Love letters, missing posters, toys. It was sad.


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[Momoffourboys]

This is really really sad.

Torn apart: the people behind the posters

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/2728abf4-d99f-11e0-b16a-00144feabdc0.html

 

[Momoffourboys]

Some ofnthe posters hanging at the museum.



http://longisland.news12.com/services/9-11-memorial-museum-1.7993657

 

[trigger]

I just got to my mom's after working the night shift. She lived in Queens, NY. In a apartment building. While sleeping on a day bed in her livingroom she came in and said -do you mind if I put on the TV-a small plane hit the WTC. When I saw the 2nd plane hit I knew it was a terrorist attack. Neighbors came over and we went up on the roof. We could see the gray smoke in the air. Another neighbor came on the roof and told us the tower had collasped. We cried. Then I realized my mom was alone and when I saw her she said we are under attack and there is another plane missing. I put on my scanner entered the frequency and listened in horror.

 

[bluesneakers]

I just got to my mom's after working the night shift. She lived in Queens, NY. In a apartment building. While sleeping on a day bed in her livingroom she came in and said -do you mind if I put on the TV-a small plane hit the WTC. When I saw the 2nd plane hit I knew it was a terrorist attack. Neighbors came over and we went up on the roof. We could see the gray smoke in the air. Another neighbor came on the roof and told us the tower had collasped. We cried. Then I realized my mom was alone and when I saw her she said we are under attack and there is another plane missing. I put on my scanner entered the frequency and listened in horror.

I just watched some videos of live coverage from that morning and remembered for a brief moment between the first plane and second plane thinking it had been an accident. After the second plane I said exactly what your mom said even though at the time it made no sense to me.

 

[HoneyWest]

The next day was pretty much business as usual, like many of yours. Except it was my birthday. The office took me to lunch and everyone stared at the TV while we ate. After work I picked up my then- 8 year old son who was full of questions about who would do this to us. I didn't know either yet. Ended up staying up too late, drinking too much, watching CNN, reliving the thing, on information overload.

I distinctly remember thinking that if a war were to come out of this, my son was only 8. It wouldn't possibly still be going on by the time he turned 18, so I could take comfort in that. No war would last that long. He's 24 now.

 

[silversurvivor]

School had already begun that day for us. I was teaching high school art residential special ed (emotionally disturbed). I like many others continued to teach and provide distraction. These students were better with routine Some staff members were less than useless. So we covered the it classes as well. My one co worker's husband called her from the underground parking garage of the world trade building saying he was late to work and heard an explosion . He said I'm going to run and will call you when I'm clear. He had been in the building when it had been bombed. It took over 5 hours but he called. He was the only survivor from his office.
We also had several students who had family working in the buildings. All but one were safe.
My own children had already been sent to school. My ex want to work. His then fiance thought the children were in danger (way out in Suffolk county) so she picked up my two and her two and took them home. She allowed them to watch the continuous coverage. The oldest was 4th grade.
Like my day was, this kinda rambles about and I hope it makes sense.
The worst part of my day was going after work to give blood to help and they turned us away.... No need. The skies were so quiet, I lived in the path of 3 airports. There was a frightening silence.

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