9/11...where were you when...

ludali

Where were you on 9/11?

I was just into my first real job out of college and had Tuesday and Thursday mornings off, living with my parents. Since it was a Tuesday, I was sleeping in a bit. Got a phone call from my Mom that a plane hit the WTC and to turn on the TV. I watched in horror. My Dad was working 3rd shift at the time, so I woke him up once the 2nd plane hit...he had a hard time believing me, and then we both watched the Pentagon get hit.

I worked at a high school then and it was an emotional afternoon...very hard to discuss with those kids what just happened. Hard to believe that I'll someday need to have a conversation with my DD about the evil in this world, but can also talk of all the love and support as the nation pulled together.

Being from CT, I'm thankful we didn't know more people directly impacted. Sad to say that my DH had a fraternity brother who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. Some day we will go visit the memorial and his lost friend.

Never forget.

kwhite27

I was at home getting ready for school when I first heard about it. I watched the news and saw it live when the second plane hit.

At school that day was very strange. I remember sitting in the library and they were playing it live over the intercom. Everyone just sat in silence and listened. It was very surreal.

No Longer ERL

I was a freshman in college. I was told by my theology professor. I got back to my dorm room to see the second plane hit and to see the Pentagon. We watched in horror as the event un folded. My cousin worked at the Pentagon so until we had word he was ok I was very nervous.

CelticWife

I was in my first semester at college. I had stopped by my friends house to give her a lift to school. She was running behind, as usual, and her tv was on some random channel. Suddenly, the news cut in and said the first tower had been hit. We were in complete shock, but we went ahead to school.

Once we were in the student center, we discovered that the second tower had been hit. Then the pentagon. Then the fourth plane that crashed into a field. No one went to class that day. We just all sat around the tvs, staring and asking why.

snuz81

Sophomore in college. I was getting ready for class and heard about the plane hitting the Pentagon on the radio. At first I thought it was a joke. I turned on the tv and my roommate and I watched the second tower get hit. We spent the rest of the day watching the coverage but it was all so surreal.

nnikki10

I was a freshmen in college. I was getting ready and came out to the living room. Watched 2nd plane hit. I asked my brother " what movie is this?" He said "it's real" and we all just stood there in horror.

MitsB707

Senior in high school. When the first plane hit, our teacher left the room to see if he can get more info on the radio. Once the second plane hit, my high school went on lockdown. Nobody was allowed in or out, and cell phone service was down so nobody could reach their parents who worked in that area. In my "tolerance and acceptance" class, we watched the towers fall on tv. I remember seeing all the eerie black smoke coming up the river as our bus drove us home.

azzy1206

I was in my 5 th grade class when all of a sudden the teachers started turning on the TVs running back and forth to each others classes, I didn't understand what was going on till I went home and my parents explained

nicababy

I was in University but had no class that morning. I still lived at home. My dad knocked on my door and said "You have to get up, America is under attack." I watched the coverage all morning, then went to my afternoon class. There were TVs all over campus with crowds of students just standing and watching.

plunderb

My first week of college. I went to a school with lots of kids from NYC. It was beyond horrible. A kid on my floor had a mom in the Towers. Another lived so close that her apartment building was closed for months because it was full of rubble and she couldn't get in touch with her parents til the next day. My roommate's dad was a banker who usually worked in Rockefeller Center, but spent plenty of mornings in meetings with bankers all over the city. We didn't hear anything from him until late that evening, when he basically walked to their house in NJ. It was awful. One kid had a tv and we all just crammed in and watched it all live.

MinnesotaMomma91

5Th grade our school was under construction so we were going to the local catholic high school for school.

It was right after recess and one boy had handed out his birthday treat when the principle came in to grab our teacher.

She came back in and told us the world trade center had been hit. I dont think any of us really understood what that meant. I didnt even fully understand after my parents explained it to me.

starshower22

I was working the late shift at a hotel in 2001 and I was asleep when the first plane it. My mom called me and was frantically screaming & crying. It took me a couple of minutes to understand what she was saying. I turned on the tv and my roommate & I watched the second tower get hit. After the Pentagon was hit my mom called me back still in tears because my little brother, who was in the Marines, had called her for just a second to say that his unit was being mobilized. I spent the rest of the day glued to the tv and praying. In the weeks that followed I was so moved by the sense of patriotism our nation showed. Last year I visited the memorial in NYC. It was so surreal.

Creedon778

I was at volleyball practice at college in DC, a few miles from the pentagon and maybe 8 blocks from the White House. An assistant coach came in and told us about the first plane that hit the WTC. In my head I was picturing a Cessna and the coach didn't react much and we kept practicing.

Then the assistant coach came back and told us the second plane hit and we were being evacuated downstairs as our building was the safe house for campus.

My mom was a flight attendant for AA out of NYC at the time. She didn't have a cell phone and I couldn't reach her at home. I didn't get in touch with her for 24 hours which was nerve racking. Turned out she was at the AZ airport but they suspended all air traffic and she couldn't get out.

We had tanks on campus for weeks after 9/11 which was so creepy. I would drive by the pentagon and there was an armed tanker with someone manned pointing the gun to the sky at all times. Our world changed so much.

V&G101808

I was in my 10th grade English class when the first tower was hit. I remember my teacher getting a phone call and turning on the TV. She didn't say anything, just turned on the TV and we watched the smoke coming out of the first tower. Immediately classes changed and I was in my biology class when the second tower hit. We watched the news the entire period and no one really said anything.

I remember feeling so scared when the second tower hit and so confused/sad/mad when the towers fell.
I'll admit that I didn't know what the WTC was before then... But obviously, there's no forgetting them after that day.

After the Pentagon was hit I became scared that other landmarks would be hit. And it's silly but living in central Florida my thoughts went to the Space Center and Disney.

amandarins

I was a senior in high school in my health class. Such a sad sad day.

southernmama8813

I was a freshman in high school. I remember we all went to our classes, but in every classroom and study hall the tv was on. None of the teachers taught that day. It's hard to believe it's been 12 years since it happened.

ELauren88

I was in 8th grade homeroom, my teacher came in crying and explained to us what was happening. We turned on "channel one" news, and watched the coverage for the rest of the day. No teacher felt like teaching that day, and a lot of students couldnt concentrate. Plus, a lot if parents came and pulled kids out for the day.

Kelly_12

I'm Canadian and I still remember it clearly... Was in history class in high school. A different teacher came to our class to tell our teacher, and then they wheeled in a tv and turned on the news. We all watched all day long, classes were really strange the rest of the day with everyone just talking about it and watching news. Even not being American it affected us big time, we are so close and so directly affected by everything that happens there.

BlondieBia21

I was in 5th grade. My teacher came in and was bawling. Everyone was so confused. I didn't know what the World Trade Center was and I was so innocent and naive that I raised my hand and told her it was just an accident and asked to pray. When we found out a 2nd one hit, I still said it was an accident. I didn't know what terrorism was.

Once the teacher explained where the WTC was, I knew my dad's best friend and his cousin were to be leaving for NYC that day, flying. We later found out that his alarm didn't go off and they missed their plane. In fact, they slept so late that people couldn't get ahold of them so everyone feared the worse.

Now that I'm a mom and have seen the creulty of some people in this world, I wonder how I'm going to explain to it to my daughter. It makes me so sad knowing that that's something I have to worry about. I pray the world finds peace.

Ruger04

I was in English junior year. It was awful we were watching the morning news working on a paper. Then it came on. I remember watching seeing the second plan hit thinking it was replaying then it dawned on me that a plan hit the second tower. It was just awful.

Wjoyner08

I was homeschooled back then, and was not an early riser. I woke up to my mom in tears, staring at the tv, the second tower had just been hit. It took me a few minutes to figure it all out, but once I did I just sat in shock.

ashleyamberRN

I was a freshman in high school in the locker room changing for gym. A girl told me that a plane hit the pentagon and my response was "ok...and?" I thought it was an accident and it like grazed it, no biggie. Then when the gym teachers met us outside and explained the magnitude I felt SOO guilty for being so nonchalant. I live in the burbs outside of DC so the rest of the school day was really intense. I actually walked home after school and see tons and tons of helicopters and planes flying over head while walking was so creepy feeling. Thank god I didn't know anyone who lost their lives that day.

MommyAmes2

I was in class, in 10th grade. A teacher came in and told our teacher to turn on the tv. We all sat and watched the events unfold on tv. That whole day no one taught, we all sat in each class watching it on tv. I remember the feeling of just absolute terror and sadness. It's a feeling I won't ever forget.

perrybaby25

I was a freshmen in high school. My home room teacher turned on the TV just as the pentagon got hit. He ran out of the room to go tell the office staff and I knew something was horribly wrong. My brother was supposed to have gone on a field trip that day but the bus hadn't' left. We lived in a military town, so we all got sent home early and were off for a few days.

On our way home, the base was eerily on total lock down, even just the housing portion. We spend the rest of the day watching the TV and coverage. Except for a few hours when I sat out on our front porch and a sonic boom went off. Basically, one of the planes from base broke the sound barrier and let off this insanely loud boom. We thought for sure that the base was getting bombed. Thankfulky, it was not.

I'll never forget. It reshaped the way I look at the world which I'm sure it did to everyone.

TurtleMomma

West coaster, so everything was just getting going when I was waking up for school (sophomore in HS). I remember hearing the radio DJ freaking out about a tower in NY being hit, then a few minutes later the second tower was hit.

I will always remember where I was upon hearing the first tower went down (Wa-509 and Pacific Ave) and telling the carpool driver that it wasn't real, couldn't be real.

I spent a good portion of the day in the school chapel (catholic HS) crying because I was overwhelmed, even though I didn't know anyone over there.

WildRumpus

I was ironically, in my history class. My teacher flipped on CNN and we all just stared at the tv

carrotcake06

Senior year of college and DH's 21st bday (obv he was my BF back then - we've been together a looooong time) so we had been out the night before starting the celebration. I had slept over his apt.

I had work on campus that morning and I was listening to the radio when it cut all over to news. I knew lots of people from NYC, DC and western PA and shit was crazy for a while.

Lovehavinggirls

I lived in MA at the time and was working at my first job out of college. I remember people talking about what happened and turning the tv on so we could watch the news. My uncle worked in NYC but we found out he was fine that night. He worked in midtown but had meetings in and around the WTC pretty often.

I actually moved to NYC the following year and still live here. I work a block away from the World Trade Center and know many people that lost loved ones that day or were there when it happened. My dh is a cop and lost a very close friend that was a fireman. Hearing stories of people that were there are always so emotional. Since I did not live here it is so hard to understand what they truly went through. My heart just breaks for them. I remember walking by the WTC sept of 2002 and seeing all the memorials that families had set up with flowers and pictures of their loved ones

Since we live in NYC my kids will definitely have kids in their classes that had family members (aunts//uncles/grandparents) that lost their lives that day. I'm not looking forward to explaining what happened to them.

Curls218

I was a sophomore in college. My first class was cancelled that morning so I slept in. I woke up, turned on my computer and saw the news. I quickly flipped on my tv to see what was happening. The second tower had already fallen by the time I got up. You could see WTC from our campus (if I happened a year earlier I would have been able to see it from my dorm window). We ended up on lockdown until the next day since no one could leave the island (bridges and tunnels were closed).

RK125

I was a senior in high school in typing class (my bird class). I had finished everything assigned when the teacher from next door came in and was talking to my teacher. My teacher didn't believe him so he asked my to bring up the Internet and look. I just remember the picture on yahoo. My poor very good friend turned 18 that day. I remember him sitting down t the lunch table and saying, "happy birthday to me. I can be drafted now."

bendicott7

I was sitting in my 10th grade history class when we got the news and our teacher just turned on the tv and we watched in horror as everything unfolded.

jsiconolfi

I was in 10th grade health class when an announcement was made through the PA system. Then shortly after the school annouced the second plane hit. We weren't aloud to watch the tv and the teachers were told to continue teaching. I stayed in my history class furring lunch to watch the news coverage and I lost it. I had a cousin in tower 2 and another that had just transferred to Germany from the pentagon. I called my mom and went home to watch the coverage. Our tv was on the news for months after that. My cousin in tower 2 got out a few mins before it fell. The lady that took my cousins office at the pentagon unfortunately died on impact.

jbbolton

I was a senior in college living off-campus. I had late classes on Tuesday so was asleep initially. My housemates were awake when I got up and told me. It was awful. I went to my 1:00 class and no one knew what to say. I remember being naive about the concept of terrorism, as it wasn't a commonplace news discussion at the time. As the word started coming out as an explanation. I was shocked.

girlmama83

I was in 6th grade

MtB2013

I was in elementary school. I went on with my day. We had a 5 minute of silence we were given a brief explanation a week or so after.

I was very young. My condolences go out to the families who lost loved ones. To soldiers I thank them for fighting for the families they deserved justice.

lydsyjane

In my 6th grade History teachers class, and we watched it on TV. I didn't really know too much of what was going on.

AmeliaKris

I was student teaching but was home sick with scarlet fever and an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. I was covered head to toe in rash and fever. I watched the news and cried. I was 21.

kje120

I had just gotten home from my overnight shift at the tv station where I worked and was messing around on the computer while I had GMA on.  They went to a live shot of the towers and I sat there watching as the 2nd plane hit.  I was exhausted and needed to go to bed, but I was afraid to because I didn't know what else was going to happen,

cortneyloo

I was in my freshman computer class. I remember for the rest of the day all we did was watch the news in our classrooms. I also remember classmates consoling a girl in our 3rd period whose dad was in New York City at the time because she couldn't get him on the phone.

kmichln

I was in 7th grade. I remember being in the gym and the teachers were in the office listening to the radio. They wouldn't tell us what was going on, they just said to sit on the bleachers and wait. My school wouldn't tell us anything. I didn't know what had happened until I got home later that day. I knew something bad was going on because of how they were all acting. No one taught that day, we just shuffled back and forth, sat, and waited until the end of the day. 

After I got home and saw what happened I didn't believe it was true at first. It was so surreal. Watching them play the video of the towers falling over and over, I just cried. I don't remember ever being more horrified than I was that day.

LokiLahve

I was asleep when the first tower was hit. I had dreams about planes crashing (not psychic, my alarm was set to radio and I think I was hearing them talk about it). Got up and went to work at a restaurant where I learned what happened. We were watching tv Instead in having the morning shift meeting when tower 2 was hit. The tv's stayed on the news channel at work for a week...we finally had to turn it back to sports because it was making each day so gloomy.
2 weeks after the attack my BF (now DH) enlisted in the Army and left for basic training. He was stationed in Germany and deployed to Iraq right after our wedding. That attack shaped our lives.
My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones. And my deepest gratitude to the responders and service members who carried the weight of such a devastating event.