9/11

[michaelrr1]

I'm surprised not to see a post about this yet today. Never forget!

Where were you when it happened? I was getting ready for work when I heard on the radio about the first small plane (as it was being reported at the time) "accidentally" hitting the Towers. I turned the TV on to watch some of the news, then saw the second plane hit. That changed the perception of everything and we knew it was no accident. Got to work and listened to the radio coverage most of the day, and hearing the towers collapse. What a surreal day. We were wondering if even downtown Des Moines was safe. The Des Moines Register printed a special edition of the event that afternoon that I still have. Got home that night and watched the TV coverage, getting to see footage of the collapse and the aftermath.

 

[throwittoblythe]

I was 17 and a junior in HS. Just as I was pulling my car into the parking lot at school, I remember the guy on the radio saying "It appears a small plane has accidentally hit one of the WTC towers in NYC." And that was it. What's weird is that the first plane hit at 8:46am and classes started at 8:25 at our school, so I must have been arriving late from a doctors appointment or something.

The course of events over the next hour brought the stark truth to reality. I remember we watched the coverage in some classes, but not others. I remember us students pleading with our english teacher to watch the coverage. I remember seeing the various home videos that started pouring in. Specifically, I remember the one from the NYC loft apartment that showed one of the impacts.

I remember being certain we were about to go to war and I was going to get drafted.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

I was at my Air Force Tech School. We were preparing for our exam that morning and got the news. All hell broke loose and we marched back to the barracks and went into lock down for a couple days. My roommate and I basically watched tv coverage for 2 days straight. I was laying in my bed that night and it hit me that my military career was going to look much different than the day I raised my hand but I was ready to accept the challenge.

 

[BCClone]

UPS driver walked into work and told me a plane had hit the whitehouse. (he was off). So I took an earlier lunch and went home and watched stuff.

 

[cmjh10]

I was in 3rd grade. Teacher walked in with the TV cart and we all got excited thinking we were going to watch a movie. Took awhile before we started understanding what was going on.

We were all worried that our school was next. Selfish little ******** we were.

 

[SpokaneCY]

Heard on the radio as I was driving to work. I remember seeing a plane in the sky over Spokane and just staring at it...

We rolled some TVs into our conference room then just watched the coverage. I was working with a guy who's brother worked at the Towers. He wasn't there but it was definitely a personal experience watching it with my co-worker...

I tried to get back into the USAF in the following days but I was past my freshness date...

"Funny" story... Had a water softener installed a month ago and the tech was telling me how he was a plane mechanic for a year and that the towers were definitely an inside job. I said I didn't believe the world was round. ONE of us was joking...

 

[BryceC]

I was walking back from class my sophomore year at ISU. Saw a guy I knew whose nickname was Mouth because he wouldn't shut up and had a penchant for exaggerating. Told me a plane hit the WTC. Walked back to the TV room in my old fraternity and there was a about 20 dudes in there watching CNN just speechless. Was there about 2 minutes before the second plane hit and saw it happen live. Basically didn't move for a long time and just watched the TV in stunned silence.

 

[mywayorcyway]

Working for Sprint in Kansas City. Our crappy duplex shared a fence with the building we worked in. About 15 people from our office ended up at our house watching the coverage. One of my co-workers had a son who worked in one of the buildings. When the second plane hit, that co-worker quietly got up and walked out the front door. His son was OK but I can't imagine what those few hours was like waiting to hear from him.

 

[CloneinWDSM]

12 years old. Walked into homeroom and our history teacher had the TV turned to one of the National morning shows.

 

[mj4cy]

Was in a free period jr. year of HS when we heard about it. We immediately went to get one of our close teacher/friends who taught history and interrupted his class to tell him. Rest of the day we just watched the coverage.

 

[Sigmapolis]

There are young men and women fighting in Afghanistan now who were not born when it happened.

 

[GMackey32]

I was using the restroom between 1st and 2nd period in High School. Saw a bunch of TV's turned on to the same channel in each classroom on my walk back to my 2nd period English class with Ms. Ewald and said "I think something is happening and we need to turn the TV on". Teacher obliged and we sat there the whole period watching coverage.

A lot of my teachers tried to keep things "normal" that whole day because the school wanted to keep it that way. My History teacher Mr. Longnecker basically said "screw that" and wanted us to watch it because "you guys are witnessing history right now. You'll never forget where you were."

Every year I watch documentaries on it. 102 Minutes that Changed the World is chilling.

 

[Isualum13]

I was in 5th grade and in most classes the teachers had the tvs on. I do recall not understanding the gravity of the situation.

When I was in school to become a teacher, (went a different route) one of my instructors had worked in an elementary school prior to isu and said when they showed the second plane hit on tv a kid reacted by saying "cool" as a young kid might seeing an explosion and not realizing what is going on. An older teacher smacked him on the back of the head

In another college class we talked about how we remember vivid details from days like this much better than other days. Even days that seem important.

 

[BCClone]

An odd backstory of mine. I was at work, but about a month earlier, the CEO of the company was going to send me to NYC around the world trade center for a sports memorabilia deal. Was to take these 3-4 football helmets and get them signed for this auction they were doing. I was chosen as a "reward" since I was working double shifts and saving the company money. I think I really was chosen since I was younger and had more flexibility. Well, helmets never came in on time so it got cancelled and I avoided being in that area during that.

Only one other time I as to travel to NYC and that was on 3/13/20. That got cancelled also. Think I'm not supposed to go there.

 

[Dandy]

7th grade study hall. Band/Choir was first hour. If you did one and not the other the second half was study hall. Watched second tower fall during history class watching CNN in the ICN room. First day I heard the name Osama bin Laden from a guy four years older than me. He went on to join the Army.

 

[madguy30]

Was in a Psychology class so didn't even know it was happening/the first plane had hit. We didn't have texting and I didn't have a cell phone so word really only got around by actually speaking and watching.

I got back to my dorm and a couple of roommates were watching it. Was really shocking. I think some classes resumed, one got cancelled. I had to get fuel in my car and there were huge lines because people were concerned of a coming shortage.

For a couple of years after that I remember how watching a jet in the air was never the same.

 

[isufbcurt]

I was laying in bed watching the today show, trying to get myself out of bed and to class at ISU.

 

[GMackey32]

Anyone else remember how eerie it was to not see a single plane or contrails in the sky in the days following? It's something you don't really notice until they aren't there anymore.

 

[ScottyP]

I was a sophomore in high school at the time. I was in my biology class when someone came into the room saying a plane had hit the world trade center. I was thinking it was one of those small single engine planes that flew too low and clipped the radio towers on top. We went into another room to watch and all we could see on the news was a bunch of smoke. It was difficult at the time trying to figured out what was happening. Someone said they saw a video on the news of a bunch of people in Afghanistan celebrating and I was wondering why they were reacting that way.

I had a football game later that night and our team was pretty good that year (ended up as the runner-up). We ended up laying an egg that game because our team was not focused. Just a really weird day.

 

[NWICY]

Was at work, watched part of it and kept working but checking occasionally. Afterwards what really sticks in my mind is how quiet the next few days were when no air traffic was allowed.