I was a student assistant for the ISU women's soccer team that year, we had just returned from our first road trip of the season, played Penn and at Princeton, in New Jersey. Went to the Statue of Liberty, etc for first time ever, with the team on Sept 8, and we flew out of Philly on Sept 9. Two days later, sleeping in still recovering from the trip my Mom called frantically... pretty surreal day.
9/11 - Where were you?
- Thread starter HuddleUp
- Start date
WOW alot of young guys on the forums.....I was in the Air Force at Malmstrom AFB in Montana. I was heading into work and heard that a plane had flown into the World Trade building...at first everyone thought it was just an isolated incident and the radio announcer was actually chuckling about it because the first report came in that a small plane (like a cesna) had hit the building.
When the second plane hit the second tower, the base went into Delta lockdown and I spent the rest of the day in full gear searching vehicles with mirrors and couldn't leave the base to go home at night until like 11 pm....by the time I got home it was apparent it was an attack and for the next 6 months we went on full green for ICBM's and we worked 16 hours a day everyday to ensure no ICBM went offline and was ready to go
When the second plane hit the second tower, the base went into Delta lockdown and I spent the rest of the day in full gear searching vehicles with mirrors and couldn't leave the base to go home at night until like 11 pm....by the time I got home it was apparent it was an attack and for the next 6 months we went on full green for ICBM's and we worked 16 hours a day everyday to ensure no ICBM went offline and was ready to go
I was on a fishing trip in Minnesota with 2 high school buddies. We drank an incredible amount the night before, woke up hungover and started making breakfast. I turned on the crackly old radio we had along that barely got any reception thinking we'd get a weather report. We weren't really paying attention for a while but suddenly I remember saying "Did they just say the World Trade Center collapsed?"
It was kind of weird being isolated for a few more days with no TV during all of that. I remember talking to my wife on the phone and having her say "You know this is a really big deal."
I also remember driving home and seeing American flags at almost every overpass etc. It was an incredibly moving drive and brought us up to speed on the reality of the situation pretty quick.
It was kind of weird being isolated for a few more days with no TV during all of that. I remember talking to my wife on the phone and having her say "You know this is a really big deal."
I also remember driving home and seeing American flags at almost every overpass etc. It was an incredibly moving drive and brought us up to speed on the reality of the situation pretty quick.
I was sitting in the CR airport, at the gate and the wife had just boarded. I thought I would hang around long enough to make sure she got off the ground. They were holding the plane for a guy that was late and down at the ticket counter. As he ran to the gate and they checked him in, he said to the ticket agent at the door, "did you hear, someone just crashed their plane into the WTC?"
We all thought it was a small private plane and an accident. The wife's plane pushed back and taxied away and I sat and read my book, waiting for them to take off. After about 20 minutes I hadn't seen them go by and decided I must have missed it, so I left. I got a call about 10 minutes later from her. They were sitting at the end of the runway the entire time, and they had just pulled back in and canceled.
We went home and watched the towers come down live on TV, in stunned silence most of the time.
We all thought it was a small private plane and an accident. The wife's plane pushed back and taxied away and I sat and read my book, waiting for them to take off. After about 20 minutes I hadn't seen them go by and decided I must have missed it, so I left. I got a call about 10 minutes later from her. They were sitting at the end of the runway the entire time, and they had just pulled back in and canceled.
We went home and watched the towers come down live on TV, in stunned silence most of the time.
I was flying a T-37 during Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training over northern Oklahoma when the controller ordered us to return to base for an immediate full-stop landing. It wasn't until I walked back into the flight room did I realize what had happend and that George W. had ordered all flights across the United States to be grounded.
I was only in the military for less than one year when that day happened but it has completely defined where this country has gone in terms of both international and domestic policy. It also has defined my career in the military where I have spent 4 tours in the desert and have over 100 combat missions flying over the skys of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Can't believe it has been 10 years already...
I was only in the military for less than one year when that day happened but it has completely defined where this country has gone in terms of both international and domestic policy. It also has defined my career in the military where I have spent 4 tours in the desert and have over 100 combat missions flying over the skys of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Can't believe it has been 10 years already...
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7th grade. We were sitting on a school bus doing a drill so that we could go on a field trip later that week, and the bus driver had the radio on. After a few minutes, the principal came out and got us all off the bus. We went back to class, and our teacher turned on the TV. We saw the 2nd plane hit the WTC...I will never forget how that felt. For the next hour as we watched, all of us "nerdy" kids were trying to figure out where they were going to hit us next. I knew about Offutt in Omaha (lived in DSM) and so we were a bit scared about that possibility.
Mom came to pick all of us kids up from school a couple of hours later, and she was scared out of her mind. My dad is a corporate pilot, and his flight that day was either to Teterboro, NJ or to Delaware (can't remember which) and she hadn't heard from him. He was fine, but had to rent a car and drive all the way back to Iowa from the EC. Sitting at home, watching those events unfold on the couch, I knew I would never forget and that the world would never be the same. It is hard to believe that was 10 years ago already.
Mom came to pick all of us kids up from school a couple of hours later, and she was scared out of her mind. My dad is a corporate pilot, and his flight that day was either to Teterboro, NJ or to Delaware (can't remember which) and she hadn't heard from him. He was fine, but had to rent a car and drive all the way back to Iowa from the EC. Sitting at home, watching those events unfold on the couch, I knew I would never forget and that the world would never be the same. It is hard to believe that was 10 years ago already.
Mom called to tell me to turn on the news, to which I did. Was asking myself what kind of idiot flies a plane into a skyscraper, even by accident. Watched the 2nd plane hit the other tower. In an instant I knew it was not a mistake.
Went to a class a bit later that morning. Everyone was buzzing about it. Our instructor asked us not to worry about it and to focus on what we needed to go over in class. All I could think about was my fellow Marines and their families as I knew we'd be gearing up for some payback.
Went to a class a bit later that morning. Everyone was buzzing about it. Our instructor asked us not to worry about it and to focus on what we needed to go over in class. All I could think about was my fellow Marines and their families as I knew we'd be gearing up for some payback.
I was in grad school at ISU. Going to see a friend was was a GA in the new HDFS building (don't know the name, by McKay & LeBaron). As I was walking to her office, some professor had today show on. First tower had just been struck. At that point, they thought it was just a traffic accident.
On September 11th, 2001, I was on a suburban train heading for downtown Chicago. As the train pulled into Northwestern Station, I turned on my portable radio to listen to NPR while I walked a mile to my office. I remember thinking that the programming seemed odd and asked myself why were they giving so much attention to what sounded like an extended review of a movie about a fictional plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. So, I changed the station, but found that the local newsradio was “reviewing the same movie!” Then, I heard a reporter say that he thought the Old Executive Office Building was on fire (next to the White House), but clarify that it was really smoke from the crash into the Pentagon. At this point, it started to dawn on me that this was really happening. Then, a good bit of fear welled up inside me and I picked up my walking pace because I was only a few blocks from the Sears Tower which I assumed must also be a target.
When I got to my office, it was all abuzz about the incidents, but we were still going about business largely as usual. I remember having a meeting in my office which my secretary boldly interrupted to tell me that one of the Twin Towers had collapsed. I sent her back to double-check the TV news because I thought she had to have misunderstood something. When we finished our meeting, I came out to see the evidence on TV for myself and stood speechless as I watched the second tower come down.
This began a day like none other for us in the office. I was responsible for the distance education programs that was based in a campus program in Chicago but operated extension sites around the country. We decided to cancel classes at all of our U.S. locations because we had no idea what else was going to happen and didn’t want students to be away from family and home if things got even worse. Interestingly, we had made contact with all of our students around the country even before the main campus could account for a majority of its students.
A few of the stories that emerged from our student body of distance learners are particularly incredible. One student reported to be working on one of our independent study courses on a train that was stalled directly underneath the World Trade Center not knowing that it was because of the plane crashes above. Fortunately, the train was able to move before the Twin Towers came down. Another student was a Chicago Fire Department Air & Water Rescue team member who also worked part-time as a mortician and a police chaplain. Because of his special training and abilities, he was called to Ground Zero to help with the recovery of the victims of September 11th and the training of other chaplains for this duty. He said that all the searchers in the area would pause whenever they found a body or body part in order to have a brief time of prayer and respect. I will never forget my times of conversation and prayer with this student while he was on-site at Ground Zero doing such a difficult task, sleeping on a bench in the church adjacent to World Trade Center site.
During Summer 2002, our family was able to go to New York and visit Ground Zero. Particularly moving was the fence surround this church. It was still covered with notes, gifts, and prayers for the victims of this terrible incident. My son bought a flag with the names of the 9/11 victims on it which he continues to display near a picture we also bought on that trip of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on which is engraved, “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.” Similarly, the events of September 11, 2011 included acts of bravery and self-sacrifice that “are known only to God.”
When I got to my office, it was all abuzz about the incidents, but we were still going about business largely as usual. I remember having a meeting in my office which my secretary boldly interrupted to tell me that one of the Twin Towers had collapsed. I sent her back to double-check the TV news because I thought she had to have misunderstood something. When we finished our meeting, I came out to see the evidence on TV for myself and stood speechless as I watched the second tower come down.
This began a day like none other for us in the office. I was responsible for the distance education programs that was based in a campus program in Chicago but operated extension sites around the country. We decided to cancel classes at all of our U.S. locations because we had no idea what else was going to happen and didn’t want students to be away from family and home if things got even worse. Interestingly, we had made contact with all of our students around the country even before the main campus could account for a majority of its students.
A few of the stories that emerged from our student body of distance learners are particularly incredible. One student reported to be working on one of our independent study courses on a train that was stalled directly underneath the World Trade Center not knowing that it was because of the plane crashes above. Fortunately, the train was able to move before the Twin Towers came down. Another student was a Chicago Fire Department Air & Water Rescue team member who also worked part-time as a mortician and a police chaplain. Because of his special training and abilities, he was called to Ground Zero to help with the recovery of the victims of September 11th and the training of other chaplains for this duty. He said that all the searchers in the area would pause whenever they found a body or body part in order to have a brief time of prayer and respect. I will never forget my times of conversation and prayer with this student while he was on-site at Ground Zero doing such a difficult task, sleeping on a bench in the church adjacent to World Trade Center site.
During Summer 2002, our family was able to go to New York and visit Ground Zero. Particularly moving was the fence surround this church. It was still covered with notes, gifts, and prayers for the victims of this terrible incident. My son bought a flag with the names of the 9/11 victims on it which he continues to display near a picture we also bought on that trip of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on which is engraved, “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.” Similarly, the events of September 11, 2011 included acts of bravery and self-sacrifice that “are known only to God.”
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i woke up in my dorm room and my tv was on from the night before and the building was pouring out smoke and I was like wtf. Just after that I think the 2nd plane hit. none of us went to class.
Mr. Kline - I had no idea that's how you got into the airforce. PS if you don't know who this is, we just talked on facebook the other day, and I'm someone who used to witness the "gauntlet" being thrown down in our office team room...
As for me, I was in Hotel Management class on campus. Had to referee intramural football that day and I remember being out of gas on my way there, and couldn't get gas because lines were too long at every pump in ames.
Mrs. Taylor's 3rd grade class. I remember the her saying that this would change the country and the world as we knew it.
First plane hit when my dad was getting ready to take me to school at quarter to 8 or so. Second plane hit right when I got to school. First tower collapsed when I was sitting in Mrs. Mertz' music class, second tower collapsed when I was sitting in Mrs. Murphy's social studies class. We watched one of the news channels the rest of the day except for one class where the teacher told us we needed to quick worrying about what was happening in the world and worry about math. :skeptical:
I was 3 months into my first post-college job. There were about 20 of us still in a training classroom all of the time. Anyway, one girl was on the internet and said that a plane had crashed in New York. I immediately said something like I was sure it must have been a small plane, but she insisted it was a large plane.
One of the things that I remember is that the news websites went to a very basic layout to try and not crash.
The other thing I remember is that I felt (and still feel) it was less about an attack on America than it was an attack on those 3000 lives.
One of the things that I remember is that the news websites went to a very basic layout to try and not crash.
The other thing I remember is that I felt (and still feel) it was less about an attack on America than it was an attack on those 3000 lives.
I was a junior in HS. Had gotten to school late because of an orthodonist appointment that AM, and was just getting on a computer in study hall, when my buddy sitting next to me goes "holy ****! Some plane just flew into one of the Twin Towers." We thought it was an accident and some idiot pilot had screwed up.
Then, as we were refreshing the screen, the principal came over the loud speaker and told everyone to watch the news. The second tower had just been hit, and we spent the rest of the day watching the news, except for my notoriously hard-assed Geography teacher who insisted on sticking to the lesson plan.
Then, as we were refreshing the screen, the principal came over the loud speaker and told everyone to watch the news. The second tower had just been hit, and we spent the rest of the day watching the news, except for my notoriously hard-assed Geography teacher who insisted on sticking to the lesson plan.
