9/11...where were you?

[TarjetasBéisbol]

I was being interviewed by an Army Sergeant Major (SGM), he was there with a group doing a survey on how much the unit was deploying and how to make it less stressful. Even before the war the unit I was in was deploying a crazy amount of times. Someone walked in and said "a plane just hit the world trade center"...we continued the interview. The guy came back in and said "another plane just hit the other tower", the SGM looked at me and said "I think this interview is over". We walked out to watch the terrorist attack as it unfolded on tv. When the plane hit the pentagon there was no doubt there was a full on attack. I never heard anything else about the survey they were doing that day...

[fulltritty]

Where I was: I was a DoD Contractor at Army Materiel Command in Alexandria, VA. I was in my office with no TV when the Army SSO came in and said the first tower had been hit. We all went into the analysts room and gathered around the TV and saw the 2nd tower hit live. Then the Pentagon was hit and there was a report of bombs everywhere; State Department, Wilson Bridge, etc. There was not a dry eye in the room. The General came on the 1MC and locked the building down; no one in or out. I tried to call my parents in NJ to tell them I was OK, but phone lines were down. The only person I could reach was my ex-wife in Tennessee. As we were finally able to leave at 8PM that night, it was eerie to walk out of the building and have armed HUMVEES and many soldiers from Ft. Belvoir guarding the building.

Where Should I have Been: I was part of a 2-man integrity team that brought old COMSEC material and picked the new ones up from the Pentagon. My friend, the COMSEC custodian, who I did this with, called out sick the morning of September 11th. He had NEVER called out sick before. If he hadn't called out sick as the plane hit the Pentagon, we would have been in the exact corridors that the plane hit.

It haunts me to this day.

[hanstess]

I was in Dallas for our final day at a financial aid conference and I remember it as if it were yesterday. We were eating breakfast and someone came in to tell us a plane had crashed into the 1st tower. We all thought it was just a mistake until the second plane hit and our day gave way to fear, uncertainty and helplessness. I was 1500 miles from home and really didn't know what to do. We gathered around the TV's throughout the hotel for the next three days until we were able to rent a car to drive home. I still tear up seeing the videos and pictures from that day and can not even imagine what those people stuck in those towers must have been feeling.

[g8rzfan]

I was a junior in high school. Heard it while walking the halls and then once we got to class it was on every TV. That's all we watched and talked about all day. Can't believe that was 15 years ago.

[Hallco]

I was working for Citibank in a small consumer finance division. My district supervisor was there for the day doing her normal quarterly visit. She was on the phone with someone and I overheard her say "Oh my God...people are jumping out of buildings in New York". My first thought was that the stock market had crashed. We had a tv/vcr combo that we used for training sessions that still received local channels with rabbit ears. We turned on NBC...about 10 seconds later the 2nd plane hit. I don't think I was physically able to move for several minutes as tears rolled down my face.

[Homerun]

I was 2 and a half years old or so watching Caillou with my mom on PBS in their bedroom. My dad called my mom from work telling her what happened because they didn't cut into the broadcast since it was a kids channel.

Obviously I have no real memory of it, but my parents and everyone else does.

[XFile42]

Sophomore in high school. I didn't know what the twin towers even were. Crazy shiz that day. Just to be able to pull all 4 planes off and do all that is pure crazy evil.

[Whodey14]

I was in first grade. I remember watching the second plane hit on the screen. Hard to believe it has been 15 years.

[seabass97166]

I was driving to work and listening to Howard Stern describe it. He was the best. I remember KC coming in and saying the second tower was hit too, and it had to be a terrorist attack. Pulled over right away and went to my friends house and watched the news for a few hours. Eventually got to work where we were obviously told to go home and be with our families. Wife was pregnant at the time so I was really freaked out about bringing a kid into this crazy world.

[Vintage Collector]

I was a project engineer working in hoboken NJ, directly across the River from the World Trade Center working on a NJ Transit Facility on the top of a 6 story building.

I heard the first plane hit, watched the tower smoke and watched the second plane fly for about 20 seconds and right into the side of the other tower.

Immediately knew it was an attack when that second plane hit.

We shut down the job site in case it was a chemical attack but continued to watch the fire from the job site until well after the second tower collapsed. I remember driving home that afternoon north along the hudson river in NJ looking over my shoulder every couple of minutes to see if the Empire State Building was still there.

I had to work at that project for a year after this happened looking at that empty sky everyday. We can never forget and must always remain diligent.

Every year my father appears on 102 Minutes that changed America around an hour into the program when he was interviewed in Times Square that day. He is the furious Italian Guy with the big glasses that says "we should retaliate immediately."

God Bless America and all who perished that day.

[Halbert]

Was my first day of orientation in high school. Only the freshmen were in school that day. Principle announced it on the speakers, but I'm not sure it really dawned on us what exactly happened at that point.

Most vivid picture is on the bus ride back home from school. I live about an hour away from Manhattan, and from the bus you can see just a giant cloud of black smoke.... Extremely eerie. I hope we never have to see a day like that ever again

[nabzy28]

South Carolina for a leadership conference. I remember watching the 2nd plane hit on some tiny TV. Just unreal and complete shock by everyone.

[xXdirtyjoeXx]

I was stationed at Ft. Bragg NC when this happened. I went in late due to night flight training (UH60 Blackhawk Crewchief) and remember hearing news on my Rock channel. I remember thinking "what the hell is this" and tried changing the channels. Anyway, I happened to hear "the tower is collapsing!" and really, really started paying attention to what was happening. After I realized what was going on, I pulled over to the side of the road and turned up the radio. I did this for only a minute and then sped off to Simmons AAF. Once on base after an extensive vehicle search, my unit was locked down and put on standby to go to the Pentagon. The Chinook company beside us ended up being sent to NYC and the Pentagon for relief efforts. Anyway, our flight that night was cancelled and it ended up being a late night for us awaiting orders (never came). A lot of talk, a lot of worry amongst all of us. 6 months later, we sent a detachment to Afghanistan (I didn't go) and in 2003, we were part of the assault into Iraq.

[ND3]

I was one block away at 222 Broadway that day. What you all saw on TV I was lived.........My instinct to help almost cost me my life. I was lucky enough to help some along the way while getting to safety.

Many good people lost their lives that day!!

Today we reflect and remember we have the privilege of living in the greatest country on the planet :special::special:

[Jacquo1972]

The company I used to work for had their sales meetings on Tuesday mornings, so I was sitting in the conference room at the large table. One of the dumbasses that worked in another department came bursting through the door right in the middle of our meeting, and we all figured he was in the middle of another one of his dumbass ideas, but he runs over to the TV and flips it on. He said a plane just hit one of the towers, and as we were watching, the second plane came in. Frightening stuff.

As I left the building later that morning, I needed to put gas in my company car. I can't remember exactly what time it was, but when I pulled in the station, they were already out of regular and mid-grade, all they had left was premium, which I put in the car. My idiot boss couldn't figure out why, even after walking him through it, I put premium gas in the car.

[Jacquo1972]

Originally Posted by ND3

I was one block away at 222 Broadway that day. What you all saw on TV I was lived.........My instinct to help almost cost me my life. I was lucky enough to help some along the way while getting to safety.

Many good people lost their lives that day!!

Today we reflect and remember we have the privilege of living in the greatest country on the planet :special::special:

Wow. That must have been terrifying. I couldn't imagine living that horror.

[thenwhatjk]

In college. The night before there were rumors that Michael Jordan was coming out of retirement and the announcement was going to possibly be the next day. The next morning a buddy called and was all DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS??? and I was like yeah yeah, hopefully he doesn't destroy his legacy. And then he's like no no, turn on the tv

So I watched tv all day and spent the evening smoking weed in a forest preserve with friends

[D3A3L3E3]

I was stationed at Tyndall AFB, here in Panama City, FL but was TDY to San Antonio, TX. The TDY location was in the AT&T building, one of the tallest structures in S.A. When the first plane hit, the news traveled pretty fast so we went to the break room and watched as the second plane hit the other tower.
At that point, the NCOIC called all the senior enlisted members in and detailed us to walk the perimeter of the building. All the junior NCO's and Airmen were sent home on recall status.
I was released back to my unit the next day. The oddest thing I remember is not seeing a single aircraft in the sky the entire way back.
I'm a native New Yorker, 92nd St & 1st avenue on Manhattan, and proud to say so.

[CC_123]

I was in 3rd grade but I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the details incredibly well of the panic that scattered and teachers crying. I also remember we had to stay inside the school for the 2 weeks that followed (even in the small town of 810 people). After our principle told us about what happened, we just watched the TV's in the classrooms the rest of the day. I came home from school, and as a 3rd grader, watched the news until I went to bed. I was interested in why it happened, how it happened, and all of that. Insane to believe it was 15 years ago today.

[ToppsCollector1]

This thread comes up every year, and every year I post the same response

2nd grade, the school year had just started

[ILOVEBEER]

Kent State. I slept through most of the morning because I was out watching MNF the night before. They cancelled classes, which led to people coming over and drinking.

[Davesportscards]

I was in 8th Grade History Class when it happened. We watched it all unfold on TV.

[chugga15]

I was at home, and I was watching the news after the first tower was hit. Right after the second plane hit the South Tower, I had to leave for school. I was a 7th grader and a member of the student government body, and we were scheduled to meet that morning. Once we congregated, we went into the library to watch the events unfolding. Within minutes of getting into the library we started to see the towers collapsing. The room was eerily quiet. As young students, we were trying to come to grips with what we had just witnessed.

This is still one of my most vivid memories as a young buck. Life as we knew it would never be the same.

[omahacolts]

I was a sophmore in high school. It was a tuesday. I had just finished giving a speech about racism when my spanish teacher burst through the door and said a plane just hit the world trade center. I had no idea what she was talking about. We all went to the library to watch the tv and as we got there the 2nd plane had just hit. School was let out early that day and football practice cancelled. I remember the events of that day like it was yesterday.

Before all of this happened I used to always wonder to myself how my grandma and grandpa and friends grandparentd etc. Remembered what they were doing when pearl harbor happened, or when jfk got shot. And now here I am 15 years later and I remember that day like it just happened. God bless those who lost their lives and lost their loved ones. Ill always remember

[awz50]

1st Grade, I was on the way to a doctors appointment