Where were you when you found out about 9/11?

Question

The day before I had just moved from Dallas to NC and was coming back from the grocerty store. I had recently broke up with my ex of 8 years and wanted to get away. Our anniversay was on the 11th - great! So, I get a message on my cell phone from him and he says, "Just wanted to say happy anniversary and that a plane crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. Five years and I still remember and it had to be from that idiot. So, where were you and what was the impact on your life? It had a great impact, though I didn't know anyone.

Answer 1

I was in 4th grade, and I was in math class at my elementry school. The day was a normal day: My teachers lecturing, the recess activities, and everything. We hadnt recieved any information. So then, on the school bus home, me and my friend overheard some talking, but we didnt know what was happening. Then, at home, I learned the news: The planes crashed into the twin towers and the pentagon. At first, me being an idiot 9 year old, wondered what the big deal was if no one died. I was badly scolded and told over 1100 people died in the tower. then, 180 people died in the pentagon. Thats when I realized it was of serious importance.

Answer 2

I was taking a course at my company's HQ in Baltimore. One of the guys in the class came in at coffee break and told us that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. There is a WTC in downtown Baltimore, so we all rushed outdoors...no plane or debris to be seen. So we gathered around a TV...and were glued to it for hours.
Everyone from the company was let go early that day because the Governor was going to close the I-95 tunnel under the harbor. By the end of the day I saw F-16s flying combat air patrol over Baltimore.
Our company had several people working in Singapore at the time. They were advised to stay at their hotel until the government there could figure out if Americans were in any danger there (they were not).
At the end of the week we were all scheduled to fly home, but we all wound up driving. A friend and I had a rental car from the previous weekend; we extended the rental and drove; I dropped him off with family in Detroit, and I drove to Portland, OR; 2 1/2 straight days on I-80 and -84, 20 hrs/day of driving and a few hours of sleeping in rest stops, and I was home in Oregon.

Answer 3

I lived on the west coast when it happened. I remember I had gotten up early and made a pot of coffee and turned on the t.v. to CNN. I remember standing there with my mouth hanging open. I was watching when the second plane hit. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Neither could the announcers. I remember calling my husband who was on his way home (he worked nights) and telling him. He was listening to a CD so hadn't heard anything. When he got home we just stood there watching the news, soaking it all in.

I remember I watched the news 24/7 for a long time. I couldn't sleep because I was just sure they would have more info that I would miss.

I was shocked and horrified but not terribly surprised. I mean, I've always thought SOMETHING huge like that would happen I just didn't really expect it to happen while I was WATCHING.

Its the "Where were you when you found out Kennedy had been assassinated?" question of our time.

Goddess Bless all those directly effected by the tragedy of 9/11!

Answer 4

My husband is in the Army. We had just moved back to California from Germany and we were in an apartment waiting for housing on base. I was watching the attack on the news and my husband was on his way to work that morning. He didn't know about it until he neared the base and wondered why there were so many cars waiting to get on base...most soldiers got tired of waiting and left their cars and walked to the base. I remember when the first plane hit, I knew it wasn't an accident, because I have been around military all of my life, I remember being immediately afraid for my husband because I knew we would retaliate and my husband might be sent away. Fortunately, he wasn't deployed until three years ago, after he joined the Air Force. He's been deployed twice in the last three years, and he is leaving again this month.

Answer 5

When I found out about 9/11 I had been caring for my dying mother and the visiting nurse had just come at 3:00 PM. She asked me if I knew about it. It was one day that I had not turned on the TV in my office because I was just too busy with mom. It's had a tremendous impact on me. For one thing, I seldom leave my TV off now, on a 24-hour news station. Another is that I have more admiration for President George Bush and his solid handling, not just of 9/11, but also everything that has followed. Mom wanted to watch the President's speech after 9/11 and I moved a television into her bedroom and watched Bush speak with her.

Answer 6

I was at work, in a New York State prison when my buddy called me in my office and told me a plane hit the first Tower. As we were speculating a possible terrorist attack the second plane hit. Now knowing it had to be an attack, I went to his housing block which has a TV in the recreation area. And there we stood - My buddy and me, a counselor, and an inmate porter - not saying a word, mouths agape. When the first Tower fell, I had to leave. I knew there was much loss of life, right there at that very second as I watched. I was numb all day.

Answer 7

In my living room with my baby. My husband worked in Tower 2. He was surfing that morning. I turned on the news to check the weather and saw a fire downtown. They were stopping subway service, so I watched to see if it was a subway he rides. Then I saw the second plane hit and realized it was the Trade Center. I fell to the floor. The phone bagan to ring and i paged him a100 times, but HE found out when he got out of the surf and saw the smoke from the Long Beach Boardwalk. He had to drive home alone knowing what happened. He lost half his company and every one of them were the nice people. He's still with them, but it's like a death sentence. He drank a lot and got survivor's guilt, but we made it through and he lives life for all the friends he lost.

Answer 8

I was sleeping. My mom came home for lunch at 11 am and came into my room all frantic telling me about it. I went out and turned on the tv and saw the footage of the planes hit. Then I saw the footage of them collapsing. I just put my hand over my mouth and cried. I couldn't believe it.

The WEIRDEST part... that night, Sept. 10th, while I slept, I had a dream I was on a plane, and suddenly a fireball shot through the plane from the front, and I died. I told my mom that as soon as I saw what happened on tv.. we were both freaked out.

Answer 9

I was actually on my way to school. (I was in the eighth grade at the time) However, my school refused to tell the students what happned, because they thought it would create panic. But still, parents picking up their kids in school every second will create some curiousity and even scare the kids.. I didn't find out until my history teacher told us that we were old enough to know the truth... and thats how I found out... in my last period class. I remember after 9/11, no one spoke to the Muslim students, Indian students, Arab students.... It was really awkward at my school... But of course, the walls came down and we learn to live together. Personally, 9/11 just upsetted me, it didn't really scare me. After it happened, the next month I flew back to Thailand.

Answer 10

I was in my apartment in a New Jersey suburb, 15 miles from the WTC. I saw it on TV. On my way to work that day, I saw the Towers burning in my rearview mirror. I still have the newspaper from 9/12.