Where were you on 9/11?

[Sluggo]

I was stuck in LA.
I flew out for a meeting a day early. I was scheduled to fly out of Houston that Tuesday morning, but left a day early to visit my brother in Palmdale. I'm so glad I was not in the air that morning. I can't imaginine how my wife and girls would have felt.

Had to rent a car and drive home. I spent the night of 9/11 in a hotel in Redondo Beach alone and all day the 12th and 13th driving home.

[Havok1]

Had gone to the gym after night shift.  Had just laid down and was watching the news when it happened.  Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that day.  Ended up going back into work early that night because it felt like that's where I needed to be.  Worked a lot the days following.  Don't think I've ever felt so helpless.  Even got into an arguement with my now wife when I volunteered at work to go to NYC to help.  Not that she didn't understand why I wanted to go, she was just scared.  Never got to go though...

[blue65coupe]

Kind of a weird story.  I was having a new large screen tv delivered.  The guys came in and set it up.  I hooked all the cables up and we turned it on to make sure everything worked.  As soon as the picture came on, it showed the first tower burning.  I looked at one of the guys and asked, "What kind of movie is CBS showing in the morning?"  As soon as the last word came out of my mouth, the second plane hit and we realized what was going on.  I'll never forget sitting there in complete awe.  I sat there for a couple hours watching and eventually had to get some work done.  I turned on the vcr and hit record but it really didn't sink in until I got in the car and started driving.  Worked for a couple hours and went back home and just sat there...watching...pissed...confused.  

Thank you sluggo for halting the site for a few minutes.  Please take time to not only remember the day, but remember our leaders, our country, our servicemen and women (military and public safety), and most of all, remember the families.  

[tarafied1]

I was on a United flight to Mexico, we were forced to land at O'Hare. It was weird. A few hours on the tarmac, there were planes everywhere but in the sky. I think every police car and officer was at the airport. They still didn't know if there were more terrorists so they were personally checking us all out armed with guns and dogs before we could get off the plane. Once we could get off, they said they didn't care where we went but get out of the airport. Cell phone were overloaded. My wife knew I was flying and couldn't get a hold of me. Freinds and family were caller her to see where I was, she could only say I was flying. It was quite a while before we talked. I still didn't believe it all until I got home and watched it on TV. I have flown almost every 9/11 since and I'm heading to the airport today to fly home from Oakland. The 1st anniversery was the weirdest. Anyway, flying has never been the same since.

[cmayna]

I was standing in line early that morning waiting for the local golf course to open.  The coffee shop had opened first and they turned on one of their TVs.  I was so shocked, I got out of line and sat down in front of the TV.

[Laurie S.]

I was in the Federal Building in downtown Tucson for an IRS audit.  They evacuated the building.  I always remember the quiet downtown as I walked to my truck.  It was eerie.

[daveSanborn]

I was where I always seem to be.... sitting right here staring at the same old monitor I was seven years ago.  My boss poked his head in my office to inform me that "a plane had hit the tower".... or that's what my brain absorbed anyway (I only listen to every other word out of his mouth because half of it is usually BS).  Having been standing within a 100' of the tower years ago when a plane hit it, I said to myself "again?, that's weird...."  I made a couple calls to some government types to figure out which aircraft we'd just lost.... when my boss poked his head in again to tell me a second plane had hit the tower.

Okay, hold on a second.... "Boss, what tower are you talking about?"

I work supporting NAVAIR for the Marines AV-8B Harrier Aircraft.  My office is right outside the longest runway on the eastern seaboard.  We've had aircraft "hit the tower" on occasion and back in 1980 one came sliding right by me.

Once I had a few more details, I was glued to FoxNews for the rest of the day/week/month.  The world around me changed in a matter of hours/days/weeks.  Living in a military community, the impact of the "war on terror" starts in my town.  Everyone was gone to Afganistan and eventually Iraq.  Entire streets of neighborhoods were without Dads.

We have a moment of silence here at the office every year in remembrance of that dreadful day.

[Fast68back]

I was standing in the living room I turned on the today show like I normally do and they were talking about how a plane had hit the first tower and as they were talking I watched the second plane fly straight into the other tower. I remember driving to work and only seeing one plane in the sky on approach to DFW. The plane was on my left and the runway on my right, I was trying to calculate where I would be when it crossed the highway as I wanted to either be behind or in front of it and not under it.

Ironically, it was 2 days after my ex wife told me we should seperate.

[Laurie S.]

I think what I remember most is the awful quiet of the skies over Tucson for the next week or so.  Considering we're a military town with Davis-Monthan Air Force Base here, it was eerie.  The flight path for the base was right over my old office, so the quiet was deafening.

[monkeystash]

There are few things in life that really scare me.  This is one of them.  At that time, I worked for Continental Express and did a big chunk of my flying in and out of Newark.  9/11/01 was an off day for me, and I awoke to the news at home.  This single event has totally changed our mentality as pilots, as the definition of hijacking has changed.  America has done a great job keeping us safe these last 7 years, thanks to her military and public service volunteers.  Thank you.   :usa2:

[cmayna]

This post brought tears to my eyes.  Damn.

[Havok1]

Craig, I'd be worried about you if it didn't. 

[Johnny M]

I was still at University next to Shannon Airport, Ireland where all the US troops stop off on the way to the middle east...

We didn't have a TV in our apartment at the time and I just remember one girl saying she heard that "America is being attacked"....I headed up to the bar in the airport where they have a TV and I nearly fell over by what i saw on the screen, the airport had gone quiet, very very quiet....There must have been 200-300 people in the airport bar all watching the TVs....everyone was silent, dead silent...People just sat there staring, bar staff stopped working, no one could believe their eyes. I just sat there for hours in disbelieve...thinking about the people that lost their lives, their families, their friends......

We have experienced our own share of terrorism here in Ireland over the years and it makes me sick to the core when innocent people die for BS causes like that.......

[Fast68back]

This post brought tears to my eyes.  Damn.

Its OK Craig, I didnt like her to much at the time either. (in reference to my ex-wife comment)

[Midlife]

I was at work, and was informed by a colleague of what had happened.  Several of us gathered around the large TV in the building lobby, watching.  As an engineer, I knew the buildings were going to collapse, and felt very sick to my stomach.  I grabbed my stuff and drove home, knowing what would happen.  Sure enough, on the drive home, they announced the first building collapsed.  Damn.