where were you and what were you doing on 9/11?

Question

I was at a west indian centre serving lunch and we all thought it was an accident. By the time the towers had fell I was in Tesco and there were 15 people crowded around the televisions in shock.
I like to hear other peoples stories and see how they reacted. Has it changed you in anyway?

Answer 1

At work were most people were at.

Answer 2

I was working on an RAF base and wasn't allowed to leave the building I was working in due to security checks for a few hours.
It was very surreal as we have quite a few officers who were from the US and had family over there.
It hasn't "changed" me but it made me not want to work there anymore so I left some months later. I remember more about how I felt when the London attacks happened as I had cancelled a trip to go there over that particular time and I have a friend who is still affected by the Manchester attacks.
It's all just too awful to contemplate. I fail to see how anything can be gained by blowing people up.
Thing is, the UK has had a long time dealing with this sort of threat, I was taught 20 years ago at school that I was never to go to a bag left unattended anywhere, especially in a station/on a bus or train etc....and to report it immediately. I also was visiting a cathedral once and it was evacuated because of a bomb threat, though nothing was found, no-one really batted an eyelid, but even though it's not an everyday thing it's something I've always been aware of.

Answer 3

I was at work, it was pretty empty that day because allot of admin staff were at a funeral. I was covering reception and a lady in the other admin admin blocked phoned me and said she's heard on the radio that a plane had crashed into the first tower. Then I got a call from my mum asking if I'd heard and freaking out to be careful driving home (I'm not quite sure what she thought would happen!?) It wasn't until I got home and saw it on the TV that I realised the gravity of what had happened. It frightened the life out of me, I honestly thought we were on the brink of world war three.
I'm more nervous when I get onto planes now and I'm far more aware of the people and bags around me on public transport, not sure if thats good or bad.
We definately live in a different world now.

Answer 4

Well, my whereabouts isn't that interesting but my friend's is. She was on a plane flying back from the US to the UK. Her plane left at about 7:30 that morning so she must have been over the ocean by the time the planes hit the towers. If she had been put on a later flight it probably would have been canceled because all flights were grounded and no flying in and out for a while so she would have been stuck in the US.

Answer 5

I was sleep and my boyfriend woke me and showed me the TV. They were showing the plane crashing into the side of the building. I thought the world was coming to an end. Seriously! I tried to call my parents b/c I was away in college at the time and they were back home in DC. I couldnt get through the lines to anyone. Phone lines were all screwed up that day. One time I called and somehow got a Japanese voicemail?? I wanted to go home and be with my parents since they did hit the Pentagon so I am thinking Oh God its getting closer and closer to my home. My school is located near air force bases and military ships so school officials were telling students not to leave b/c you would be in a lot more danger if you left as compared to staying on campuses. The local news in my school area was talking about securing the air force base b/c they could be the next target and Im thinking like we are about to die! Is this how its really going to end? It was crazy!! I wanted to go home, but nowhere really felt secure anymore.
The bizarre thing about all this and shows how God works in strange ways, me and my boyfriend had just gotten back from New York City that morning at like 2-3am. Crazy! Just think if we would've stayed another day we would've more than likely got caught in all that. I think we all stayed glued to the TV for like the next week or two just watching.
we went up to NYC maybe a few weeks later and saw posters everywhere of missing people, people we're wearing face mask, you could still smell this strange electrical burning?smell in the air, Im not sure what it was....it was devastating. I couldnt even say anything....

Answer 6

I was in class, Video tech. We had the televisions on all the time, so we were the first to find out in the class. At first, I mistook it for another plane accident. Then I realized that it was an attack. I was devastated all day and my brother and I went home at watched with our parents. Our whole school was in shock. That night they held an emergency prayer meeting at our church. The principal came over the loud speaker and addressed the whole school. It was crazy.

It has changed my life, only knowing now that there are people looking to harm the US. I never feared about that sort of thing before the attacks.

Answer 7

At home, watching Tv. It was so surreal & I just sat rivetted to the tv for hours & hours even though the same thing were being repeated over & over. It was like, I didn't believe it was really happening. Sure it's changed me! I don't take anything for granted because the next minute it could all be gone. And I feel more vulnerable in a crowded place as well as being more vigilant. It's something no American should ever forget.

Answer 8

I saw the black smoke of the twin towers while I was fishing on a jetty in Point Lookout, Long Island, NY. That morning, I took the Wantagh Parkway south to get to Jones Beach, when I saw a Nassau County Police car parked alongside of the road with other cars. Everyone was standing on the third Wantagh Bridge and looking west. I glanced and saw black smoke. My first reaction was that it was a huge boat fire in the back bays. Then I continued on my way to fishing Point Lookout. Only when I got home and turned on the television did I realize the black smoke I saw was coming from the toppled twin towers.

Answer 9

I was on a gap year and was staying in a youth hostel in Darwin, Australia. There were two big US Navy ships docked there for training excercises and the town was full of sailors. Someone came running into the tv room and changed the channel to the news and we sat dumbfounded and watched as the second plane hit. All traffic lights were turned to red as the US Military ran around the bars and brothels and dragged their boys back onto the boats and off to face an uncertain future. We'd been chatting with a few of these guys earlier in the day. They were so excited about being in Australia and many of them were only in the military as they couldn't afford an education otherwise. To see their excitement turn to fear as they were hurried back to sea was a sad moment for me. And it makes me even angrier that their (and our) Government has used this atrocity as an excuse to go off round the world invading countries and starting illegal wars for the sake of oil.

Answer 10

I was at work and we watched the story unfold on the web - it's not changed me at all except as to make me even more of a misanthrope, especially when I hear people telling me their - "oh I could have been involved in 9/11 if it happened at another time" stories - my bosses at that job were very keen to point out that some friends of theirs had actually been to visit the twin towers three years previously and how lucky they were not to have been killed… not of course giving a toss for all those that actually were.

Answer 11

I'm from the UK and was on holiday on a cruise (with some Americans) - had actually been asleep and my husband put the TV on and we thought we were watching a film. Didn't change me in anyway - was upsetting but hasn't really made my life any different. Made some good friends though from sharing the experience with the Americans at the time as they were very upset.