Your Memories From 9/11

[kbmartin]

I came across this survival story the other day and thought it was an engrossing read. Just thought I'd post it in case anyone was interested.

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a2038/esq0102-jan-wtc-rev/

 

[cjbcam]

I was in University in the States at the time. I just wanted to come home but the boarder to Canada was closed. I didn't feel safe.

 

[5kidsmommy]

We were living in the San Francisco area. I had woken up early with my daughter, she was 11 months old at the time and I was pregnant with our fifth child. I turned on Fox and Friends just as the started reporting about the first plane hitting. They didn't know what happened. I remember being so shocked that I walked into the bedroom and turned on the tv to show my husband. As he sat up to watch the second plane hit. I just remember sitting there, not knowing what to do. I knew I didn't want my husband going into the city that day. I was scared to take my son to kindergarten. I was just scared. I was glued to the tv but I also didn't want to scare my young children, I kept crying and they didn't understand. We moved back to Ohio a few months after 9/11, I hated being so far away from my family. The world had changed.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

My son was one. My XH and I (BF at the time) were waiting to take my son to his dr appointment. We were watching the news and the plane hit and we thought it was a small helicopter accident but my XH kept saying terrorist. Then the second plane hit and he was sure it was terrorism.

As the day went on and u heard about all of these other sites being hit (pentagon, other plane crashing) I just thought it was going to be a ripple effect. Luckily it stopped.

A week later my XH signed up for the marines and served a tour in Iraq in 2003.

 

[craedaisy12]

It's crazy to think our children have never known us not at war.

This is sad but true.

I was in 6th grade when it happened and I remember my teacher told us what had happened and we didn't do much that day. My mom ended up taking my siblings and me out of the school for the rest of the day. Since I was young I understood but not the extent of it. I remember watching images of NYC and felt that this couldn't be real it has to be just a movie or something.

 

[baldy6060]

The evening of 9/10 my parents came over for a visit. My 10 month old son took his first steps between my mom and me. I was so proud and my head was in the clouds. The morning of 9/11 my wife (now ex) was leaving to go somewhere with my daughter. She said she thought there was a bomb that went off at the WTC. I didn't think much of it. I got up to take care of my son. I didn't want to watch the news but we only had a TV antenna and the only channel not covering it was PBS. I switched between the Today Show and Sesame Street. As more info came out and more attacks were happening I felt my heart sink. Here I was with my baby wanting to show me his newfound skills while my country was crumbling all around me. That afternoon I had to go to work at a gas station. It took me nearly 30 minutes longer to get there due to traffic backups. It was chaos! 8 hours of insanity fueled by rumors of gas price increases (I believe we topped out at $1.79). I just wanted to go home and watch more TV because there were so many rumors swirling. I stocked the cooler that night and once inside, despite the fact that I didn't believe in God back then, I dropped to my knees and prayed. The next day I cried to my mom and told her I was afraid I brought my son into a world that would never be safe for him. The days and weeks and months that followed I saw so many acts by citizens of NYC and the US and the world that restored my faith in humanity. These days I wonder why we so quickly forget those moments and who we were as a country back then and wish we could have the same feeling of unification now.

 

[adisneyaunt]

I watched tv in horror over and over.. Transfixed with HOW and WHY of it.
my little one had just been dropped off at school. I remember just wanting to go get him home.
My sibling was in Europe frantic to get home ( but obviously couldn't for days) .. She lived in Manhatten and ...had arrived overseas only days before for educational purposes. I recall difficulties with communications, angst and worry.
I remember the endless news reels, the posters and pictures in NYC, frantic families and loved ones trying to find people.
I prayed n hoped ... I just remember crying for many many days... N Little/no sleep.
Tragic tragic time, never to be forgotten!

 

[Rylee]

I had just dropped our son off at his first day of preschool. As I drove to the grocery store a few blocks away, I heard about the first plane. I called my DH at work to tell him about it. He lived in NYC for many years and they were his favorite buildings. I thought what a tragic accident.

After grabbing a couple of items in the store, I got back in the car to return home, and heard about the second plane. I called my DH again, and said, "That's terrorism, it can't be another accident." His entire office was watching it on TV.

I called the school, (3 daughters in middle and high school) to see if they were going to dismiss early, (which they did.) They told me initially they turned on the TV's in the classrooms... it was history in the making, but quickly had to shut them down when kids all over the school started crying and becoming upset because they had relatives working in the World Trade Center Towers.

I spoke with my husband again and specifically remember him saying... "Ha, they couldn't knock them down, they couldn't knock them down!" Of course, they collapsed a short time later.

Besides being deeply saddened, I remember having immediate anger. I was mad. Mad, that this took place on our land, my land, that someone would, that someone could do this to us, to me. I realized how naïve and vulnerable I was, how naive and vulnerable we all were, our leaders and an entire nation. I remember thinking it's impossible to prepare against that type of evil. I still feel that way.

Our 4 month old son had an appointment at Children's Hospital Boston the following week. (We live in Central New York.) Our nursing coordinator called to cancel the appointment. The office would be closed that day so they could attend a memorial service for our Dr.'s son. He was onboard American Airlines Flight 11. He left behind a wife, who was 7 months pregnant, a 4 year old son, and 2 year old daughter.

My father-in-law was interviewed for a local newspaper, and was quoted saying... "I have 12 grandchildren, today the world was changed for them forever." He was right.

 

[pocomom]

I was pregnant on bed rest in NC. My family, friends were in NY. We heard from my brother 8 hours after. My parents were frantic. There was literally nothing I could do. My cousin, my aunt we heard from next. Boys I went to school with were there helping. Young guys, cops and firefighters. I thought they would all be safe too. Then we started hearing names. Names of people who didn't make it, names of the still missing.Classmates, friends, people who went to college with my brother, co-workers of his, a boy I dated.
Then we started hearing the stories. My aunt was late for work. My cousin had taken a vacation, my brother was working out of another office. Chance had saved them, but not others. It's a gift and a burden, my brother still carries.

 

[TheDisneyNurse]

I was 7 at the time, living in New York City. I remember one by one all the kids in my class were taken out of school early... until my sister and I were one of the only one's left. Some kids were gossiping that a plane crashed into the twin towers, but I remember thinking "Oh they're wrong, no one would ever do that!" My mom was a nurse and their hospital was on lockdown, and my father worked in Manhattan at the time. All transportation closed. He WALKED home from Manhattan to the Bronx. He didn't get home until like 10pm, and this is a time where hardly anyone had a cell phone (in fact, my father still doesn't have one!). I wasn't worried, until my aunts were all calling from Florida frantic that something might've happened to my Dad. THEN I was really nervous.

Where I lived in the Bronx, we had a clear site of the WTC at night. I'll never forget what it looked like on the night of 9/11... smoke... everywhere.

 

[Jdbsfw]

I thought nowhere was safe and that I should be at home, peeking out my window with a rifle in hand, I was an immature 26 year old.....Kind of embarrassed to admit that but this was "new territory" for us, didn't know what to do.

 

[Annadesu]

I was in High School art class. My teacher had the TV on because she had heard that a plane hit one of the towers. My reaction at the time was "Wow, that sucks". But then, I watched live as the second plane hit the second tower. I yelled outloud, as did several other kids.

I started to freak out because my brother was in NY at the time, with the military. The teacher ran from the room to tell other teachers. We had a crowd in the room watching the TV.

That's when they started reporting about the plane crashing into the pentagon. School basically stopped functioning, at this point. Several rooms had TVs going, and everyone was just crowded around them, watching.

Finally, the plane crashed in Shanksville, PA. That one sent the teachers into a frenzy, because it was only 2 hours away from us. We were all put into the auditorium, and then sent home on the buses shortly after.

I was home alone for a bit, watching the news, and seeing footage of people jumping from the buildings to avoid the fire. My parents came home early from work, and we finally got in contact with my brother (he was on the other side of the city, but wasn't able to get anywhere because all the transportation was offline).

To this day, I hate seeing the pictures and footage of the people jumping from the buildings. It just bothers me.

 

[dclpluto]

It's crazy to think our children have never known us not at war.

Why would someone like this? Someone said they liked this.

 

[Cantw8]

Why would someone like this? Someone said they liked this.

I would assume it means that they agree with what was said, not that they "like" the idea behind the comment.

I was at work watching with horror and disbelief along with the rest of my company. My first thought was that I had to get my kids. I don't know why but it was a priority with me. I left work and picked my kids up from school. I just wanted them with me

 

[mnrose]

I was in San Diego on business (lived in the San Francisco area). I awoke very early (around 5:30?) and turned on the TV and saw the news of one tower being hit. While I was watching, the second tower was hit. At that point, I called the room of a work colleague who I knew was from NYC originally and told him to turn on his TV. At that point, all I could think about was getting home. Soon, the airports were all closed and flying home was impossible. Fortunately, one of our group had a rental car and we decided to drive it home instead of waiting for the airports to open. We left within the hour (seriously, throwing things in our bags and off we went). There were 4 of us in the car, and we all we scared driving by Los Angeles, thinking it may have been on the list of places to target (so much was unknown at that point). My colleague finally reached his Dad about midway through the trip, and thankfully, he was fine.

What I remember most about that trip home was listening to the radio the entire way trying to get news, and one of our companions (not me!) wanting to stop for a proper "sit down" lunch. Uh no friggen way. The other three of us politely told him to shove his stupid "fine dining" idea and suck up stopping at McD's instead. Go through the drive in and get back on the road! My car was at SFO, and I could not get it that day (closed airport), so I kept the rental car for the next three days until they reopened SFO and I could get my own car back. Avis, the car rental company, was super great. No drop off fee, and they didn't bat an eye when the person renting the car didn't return it.

I was never so glad to get home. About 9 hours later. We drove like wild people though.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

My office was near the airport & I remember how oddly quiet it was on my afternoon walk. Long lines at all the gas pumps & I didn't have enough gas to get to work the following day (drove my truck). Sitting at a stoplight around 6:00 pm, 2 teen girls performed a "Chinese fire drill" in front of me & for the first time in hours, I smiled.

 

[ASchwa]

On 9/10 I was in lower Manhattan, I had a doctor appointment. I live just outside NYC on Long Island. The next day I woke up at home and called someone, who told me that a plane went into the WTC. I turned on the tv and it was on when the second plane hit. After that I just watched tv the whole day. I found out a week later that my parents were driving into the city at that time, my BIL who was studying to be a doctor at that time volunteered to sit at the morgue where they were taking the people who were killed to, my older Brother is a volunteer fireman in our city, he was helping FEMA and the clean up. He was working at Ground Zero, told how the heat melted the rubber on their boots and how they transferred bucket on bucket of money and gold from the bank that was under the rubble. I think he still has nightmares about what he saw.

About 2 weeks after, I was back in the city and I saw this man who had the same kind of stare that my brother had, he was at Penn Station, I asked if he was at Ground Zero, he nodded, I thanked him and told him that my brother had been there. I saw the flyers that covered every wall at the station, the pictures and what floor they worked or if they were firemen. Then there was the National Guard at the station and police presence. I would walk into Penn Station on 34th street, across from Macy's. There is a wide entrance with stairs and escalators going down. As I walked into the entrance the Police were on one side, the National Guard on the other, both fully armed. As the week went on and I passed them I felt like I was in the middle of the Hatfields and McCoys because they didn't mix. 15 years later, the police presence doesn't bother me anymore.

 

[WorldWacky]

Why would someone like this? Someone said they liked this.

Exactly as Cantw8 said. I agree that our children's world changed forever that day.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I was in getting a blood test here in NY. One of the office girls was frantically calling her relative and found out they got out safely.

At night we could here the fighter jets going over our house, scary.

Called our friend in the city. She was pregnant and her office was on lockdown and food and water were rationed. She had to walk home and many people helped her.

First we called her brother and it was either his phone or our phone was tapped. We expected this.

I cant discuss what happened at dh job. Sadly they found one of his co workers sons in a tower staircase.

Found out a firefighter who goes to our church survived but he has so many medical issues now with his lungs. He has so much ptsd.

My cousin and her son were part of the boat crew evacs in Atlantic Highlands. She entered names on a computer for families to get in contact and he decontaminated everyone as much as he could.

My son is a basketball coach and 2 brothers he coached lost their dad. They have a younger sister too. My heart breaks for them.

My hairdressers uncle had a funeral for his son and then they found his body weeks later.

I just found out one of my classmates died in the towers. He only started working there like 3 weeks before and they said it was his dream job.

3 people from my town died.

We saw them haul large pieces of debris on flatbeds covered with blue tarps to the Staten Island landfill. My kids were just silent in the van and knew what it was.

Just such a tragic and sad event forged in our hearts and minds forever.

 

[tvguy]

I was in the control room of a local TV station, Producing the morning news. The first plane hit at 5:46 am Pacific time. There was no information on AP yet (and no Twitter or FB in those days). The first we knew of anything was when the network put up a weather tower camera from many miles away showing smoke coming from one of the towers. The first information was there was a small fire in the World Trade Center. Then there was a report that a small plane had hit one of the towers. Then the network went into Special Report mode, about 3 minutes before the second plane hit the second tower at 6:02 am Pacific. At that moment it became clear this was not a small fire in one tower, or a random act. I have covered many disasters, but this is the first that put a knot in my stomach. Professionally I knew that this would be a story that most of the coverage would be coming from the network, so my thoughts shifted to my kids. They were 14 and 10, and with 2 parents working in TV news, they were used to watching a lot of news. DW and I left it to them to decide what to watch on TV and day and in the days that followed, and they both wanted to watch news coverage, not kids programming. They wanted to know the latest, and were a little surprised at how uninterested some of their classmates (and their parents) were in what happened.