9/11; What were you doing?

[Desert Liberal]

I know it's probably been done to death, but I wrote a story (truth, not fiction) not too long ago, about where I was, my feelings and reactions to 9/11. I think it's important every once in a while to pull the scab off that wound and poke around a bit. I know I haven't healed yet. I won't, until the morans responsible are held responsible, regardless of who they may be.
So, without further ado:

So it Begins

I could not take my eyes off of the screen. The carnage was unreal, assaulting my senses like a thousand voices clamoring for attention. The fire in the tower seemed to command my attention. Then, out of nowhere, another plane circled behind the World Trade Center before plunging into the second tower. Gouts of flame spurted out into the beautiful blue of the new day, staining the pristine sky with the black smudge of death.
Unbelieving, uncomprehending, I could not make myself believe it was real. But it was reality. America was under attack for the first time since Pearl Harbor. Nothing in our nation, or my life, would ever be the same again.
As I sat there on September 11th, watching the financial and military hubs of our nation burn, my heart changed irrevocably. Never again would I be innocent in the bliss of ignorance. Never would my heart forget those terrifying images of people jumping to their deaths or those two majestic towers burning wildly in the azure September sky. The shock, rage, and mute horror that I felt that day have not left me. I’ve had to push them aside, into the back of my mind, in order to find any peace at all; and still, those voices are screaming for my attention.
Like many others, I’m positive that I will never forget what I was doing when the first plane hit. I was dozing fitfully on the couch in my living room when the phone jarred me awake. My eyes did not want to open; my son, four months old at the time, had kept me up most of the night and I was more than slightly bleary. I made myself get up and stumble over to the phone. My mother’s voice greeted me in a subdued and shocked tone.
“Turn on the T.V.” she said quietly.
“Mom? God, what time is it? T.J. kept me up almost all night and . . . ” my voice, husky with sleep, was easy for her to drown out.
“Just turn on the television, baby. Go do it now,” her voice broke on the last word.
I asked her to hold on, laid the phone down, and went to turn on the television. I didn’t even have to change the channel to see what she was talking about. I saw the Twin Towers standing there, one of them in flames. I ran over to the phone, unsure what exactly was happening.
“Is this some kind of movie?” I asked my mother. Her sob was answer enough. No, it wasn’t a movie.
“A plane,” she stammered, “a plane flew into the tower and no one knows why.”
Before I could even answer her, I heard a gasp from the other end of the phone. My eyes, which had never really left the scene being played out on the screen, focused in again. Incredibly, I saw another plane heading toward the World Trade Center. Mesmerized, I watched it arrow toward the other building. Everything seemed to be in slow motion; the plane moved toward the tower with stop-action clarity.
I felt the impact of the plane as though someone had belted me in the stomach. The breath was knocked out of me even as the nose of the enormous steel bird penetrated the exterior of the second tower. I heard my mother’s anguished cry from a far-away, surreal place. My heart would not accept what my mind already knew. This was no accident. We were under attack.
A creeping sense of horror came over me then. I ended my mother’s call and just sat down for a moment, my eyes glued to those flames and my mind reeling with the implications of what I was seeing. I grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels to find out what was going on. Half in awe, completely in shock, I realized I was crying. Fat tears rolled down my cheeks as images of the carnage met me on every channel.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, an alarm began sounding, growing more strident and grating as I tried to understand why this tragedy had befallen my nation. My thoughts kept circling around all those people who had died. My need to have my infant son in my arms grew suddenly into a compulsion and I rose jerkily from the couch, my legs not wanting to bear my weight. I flew into the back of the house and gazed down into my son’s tiny face, sweet and solemn in sleep. Not caring that it had taken hours to get him to down for the night, I slid my hands under him and picked him up. He barely stirred as I brought him to my breast, bowing my head to take in his new-baby scent. He was the only thing that mattered at that moment. My son, and he was safe from the hell out there.
I walked slowly back into the living room, sleeping child nestled in the crook of my arm. I thought the day could not get any worse, but as I looked over at the television, I saw how wrong I was. On the screen, the first tower had started to fall.
Black smoke and debris billowed outward as the behemoth structure collapsed. The building folded down on itself like an accordion. One moment, the building was there, belching black smoke and flame, but still standing. The next moment, there was nothing except a huge black cloud of smoke, ash, and debris.
I watched helplessly as the second tower fell, mourning all those lives lost and wondering why anyone would want to hurt us so horrifically. It struck me then how little I really knew about our government and its policies. I was aghast at my own ignorance and I vowed never again to be so uninformed. I have become a different person after 9/11. I am involved in politics on a scale I never thought possible and I know what’s going on in my government. I know now that I have a voice and that it matters whether I speak out or not. September 11th showed me that evil flourishes where good men do naught.
For all those who died, I will never be the good woman who does naught. September 11th made me grow up, wake up, and stand up. I can’t imagine changing any more than that.

[waiting for hope]

1. I was holding my

four month old son and feeding him. I remember going "Holy Shit" and watching with horror as the second plane hit the twin towers. Then come the Pentagon attack and I really started to flip. My Dad used to drive right past the Pentagon on his way to work - I tried like hell to call my parents but by this time, all the phone lines were jammed. I had a few very anxious hours until my Mom called, thankfully my Dad had been running late that morning and hadn't gotten onto 95 by then. He wouldn't have been in any danger, but just the thought of not knowing is the worst. The whole day was spent by then, emotionally exhausted and drained. It wasn't until later that we found out that a childhood friend of my brother was on the Pentagon plane. My family knows a lot of military/Pentagon people - thankfully no one else we knew was involved. We were living in New Orleans at the time, and as bad and horrific 9/11 was and will be in the collective hearts and minds of the American people, what happened after Katrina hit New Orleans to me, will be a bigger horror. We have been in North Carolina since 2002, but we have a ton of family and friends that were there when it happened. Fat tears came to me the weeks afterward and I still get teary thinking of how that once beautiful and proud city was destroyed, by greed, apathy and neglect.

[LiberalEsto]

2. Seeing my family doctor

for something or other. The doctor walked into the examination room in near-shock at the news that had just come over the radio in the nurses' station. A plane had hit the World Trade Center, he said. I have never seen him look so horrified and emotional in the 14 years we've been going to him. I felt as though someone had kicked me in the stomach and knocked the breath clear out of me.

[bryant69]

3. Had a big meeting coming up in two days - and I was way behind

I was supposed to be preparing presentations for three departments - powerpoints and was gathering data and making them look pretty - but i was way behind. Had music playing really loud (probably Chemical Brothers) in my headphones - so I missed it until like 10:30 or so? Then I got up to get some chips and noticed someone had set up a tv in the lobby - which was bizarre. I commented that that was pretty weird (I may have made a lame joke at this point - but can't remember what it was). And then I saw what had happened - as they replayed it. Oy.

Meeting got cancelled, of course.

It took a few hours for 9/11 to sink in - called my family - tried to figure out what was what - got really angry at Muslims (I'm not proud of that), then calmed down and got depressed instead.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[madokie]

4. Pouring concrete, just got poured out, waiting for the cleanup

cleanup being the little needed to finish the pour. One of the guys went back to the warehouse for something and when he returned he told us that two planes had hit the wtc. we immediately turn on our trucks radios to follow the news. the guy I was working for youngest son was an Army interperter stationed at the pentagon, he was fine but we didn't know that for several hours, we all knew the kid from the time he drew his first breath and he worked with us in the summers while in school, some weekends too. I guess it was good we had concrete laying on the ground so none of us could leave because the boss was sure worried as all of use were. sad day in memory

[Desert Liberal]

5. There are still no words

to express what I felt and saw that day. The days after are a blur of tears and the flag we all so proudly hailed during that time. I will never forget, never stop until I can tell those voices that they have been avenged, that Justice has finally laid her cloak over them, and they can rest.

For who are we but Americans, and what are we here for but that Justice be done?

[bklyncowgirl]

6. Trying to call my husband who'd been standing outside the Trade Center when the second plane hit.

He'd called me at work to tell me to turn on the radio--the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane and was on fire.

"Some little private plane" I asked.

"No they say it was a big jet." he said

"It's gotta be terrorists." I said. "Shit"

A few minutes later I got another call.

"There was a big explosion in the other tower. Another plane. There's shit flying all over the place. Someone jumped out a window."

"No question then about what this is." I said.

"No."

"Get out of there." I said.

"I'm going to stay a while" he told me.

"Are you stupid. Get out of there."

Silence.

I endured the most anxious hour of my life. Then he called me. He was up in Harlem at his appointment--across from Bill Clinton's office--cops swarming all over the place. I told him both towers had collapsed.

Outside my office a kid was sitting on the grass looking across the river toward the vast cloud of black smoke. Someone told his father worked at the Trade Center. I never did find out whether the father lived or died.

[BlueGirlRedState]

7. I got an email from a soon-to-be 9/11 widow

I was at work, and a co-worker in the cubical kitty corner to me got a call from his wife that a plane hit the World Trade Center. I thought it was a terrible accident until we saw the news on our computers that the second plane hit the other tower. We tried to find live news coverage on our computers but the streaming was jammed and we couldn't get on.

Then I got an email from a friend in the midwest. We knew each other because our children were both adopted from China, from the same orphanage, and we had become good friends over email. Ironically, her husband worked for the same conglomerate I did.

She emailed me and another friend. "I think J---- is on that plane." He had been on a long-term assignment in California and had flown to the east coast that past weekend for a business meeting. He was on his way back to California. His wife had last seen him on Sunday when they took their 4.5 year old daughter to get her ears pierced at the mall. So she wasn't exactly sure of the flight, she just knew he was on American, and leaving Boston for Los Angeles that morning.

I kept up with my friend by email all day as people came and went in her house and she jumped every time the phone rang until late in the afternoon American confirmed that her husband was on Flight 11.

I watched the towers fall in a cloud of dust from a tiny screen on a computer in a cubical, holding hands with my coworkers and crying. My manager half-heartedly tried to get us back on deadlines but we just wandered around our building, watching the few TVs that are here, mostly getting our news from the internet.

[RebelOne]

8. Sitting at my computer at the office.

A co-worker told me that a plane had just hit the Twin Towers. There was a television in the conference room and I was able to see what was happening.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. I live 50 miles due north of NYC and we had the same gorgeous day as you have

seen in the videos. I recall noting that when my younger son left for school. My older son was home sick.

I was watching the Today Show when it was cut into by the local NBC news with a breaking story. The WTC north tower was on fire. They had a man on the phone talking to them, an eyewitness who claimed it was a small plane that crashed into the building. I was mesmerized and sickened at the same time. I knew that many people would be trapped on those upper floors.

Not too long afterward my tv reception died. The antennae for most of the local networks was on the tower. I then switched to MSNBC.

As I sat there, I saw the second plane hit and I knew it was a deliberate attack and became even more sick to my stomach.

My ex-husband (whom I reside with) works in midtown Manhattan and I called his office. I was told he was out for a meeting and I began to worry.

The south tower collapsed and I couldn't comprehend how, and then the north followed. I weeped for the thousands I knew were dead.

I live 10 minutes by car from the path of the planes coming down from Boston. I recall that airplanes were being ordered to land and an hour later, my son and I heard a plane and we ran out to the deck. It was heading south and my son voiced my fear..he asked where the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant was, and as I was about to reply, the plane veered southwest, away from the plant. We both breathed in unison. I gathered it was a fighter jet going down to patrol the skies of Manhattan, although it wasn't traveling as fast though as a fighter jet can go. For months afterward, every time we heard a plane, my sons and I would go to the deck to watch. Almost like shell shock.

Three hours later, when he could get through to me, I heard from my ex. His meeting was in midtown and he was fine. He could smell the smoke where he was and he would be attempting to get home at once. A coworker's wife worked in the towers, and that man walked downtown to find her. He thankfully met her, quite my accident near the Brooklyn Bridge.

In the days to follow, we had clothing drives for the rescue workers and drives for the Red Cross. Both of my children had friends that lost uncles who were firemen. My community also lost about 20 others.

I never bought the official conspiracy theory as it didn't make sense that they knew within the first few hours who did it but I didn't dwell on it.

Then one day, when my shock started to wear off, I had an epiphany. Remember when I said that my son and I breathed after the plane veered away from the Indian Point? If terrorists wanted to really hurt us, those would have been the targets but they flew over them and traveled down to Manhattan instead. I also live about 45 minutes south of Stewart Air Force Base, which is part of defense system and fighter jets from there could have intercepted the two Manhattan bound flights well before they got to NYC. I then started to do research and I believe in MIHOP.

[mix]

10. i had no tv

in fact for some bizarre reason i did not see the actual footage of the event(s) until last year, that is just my world
but obviously it shook everyone around me, despite not having that visual stimuli

i was alone in my apartment in chicago, it was a beautiful warm fall morning, i was in shorts
i heard about it from a university administrator on the phone, around the time the first plane hit
i called my closest friend who gave me a graphic idea of what was happening; i heard his girlfriend screaming hysterically in the background
i then went to sleep for about six hours

last fall, a good friend and i went to youtube and punched in '9/11' : it was very moving; despite the homemade overly partriotic productions of the event's images, usually with a winger tune, there are many videos made by people who just happened to be there

i encourage everyone to do this, it is both emotional and illuminating

also,

i remember thinking that this country could not have a worse government in place to deal with this

[sakabatou]

11. At home, getting ready for school

[JHB]

12. I live right across the Hudson from the WTC...

...but that day I was house-sitting for my parents on Long Island (about 30 miles east).(they were vacationing out west, and they live much closer to where I was working at the time). And yes, the air was cool and clear, really refreshing after a hot and humid August.

Our day started at 8, so we were pretty much just getting into the thick of the day's work when I overheard the departmental secretary on the phone saying "oh my God", but she just kept repeating it louder and louder. There's a lot of people related to NYPD and NYFD people in the company, so the news traveled fast. News sites were jammed, so I tried various forums: I know Bartcop and here at DU, probably some others, and tried to establish just what the facts were, and keep people from jumping to "terrorist" conclusions, at least up until the second plane hit. (One could be a terrible accident, but two was an attack.)

Broadcast TV was out but eventually a cable hoopup was rigged in the lunchroom, and wer were sent home by 11 (no useful work was getting done).

In the end, we found out that one of the women in my section lost her son, a technician who'd been working on equipment in one of the upper floors. A lot of people who knew I usually commuted asked if I had someplace to go (since the rail lines I'd usually have used were shut down), but I thanked them and went to my parent's house, and watched over and over as a place I was very familiar with got wiped of the face of the earth.

[SheilaT]

13. I live in Kansas,

and had just gotten back home from dropping my son off at school. I walked in the house, turned on the radio to NPR's Morning Edition, and Bob Edwards said, "Details are sketchy but it appears that a plane has hit the World Trade Center." I immediately turned on my television. It was obvious from the degree of smoke and fire that a large airplane, not a small one had hit, and to this day I remain puzzled that some eyewitnesses described it as a light aircraft. I can only guess they did so out of lack of familiarity with planes in general, and the fact that the WTC towers were really so huge in relation to the planes. Like so many was watching a few minutes later when the second plane hit.

My immediate reaction was to try to get ahold of some friends of mine who are airline employees -- I was a ticket agent myself at Washington National Airport for ten years and still have friends in the industry -- because I knew that airline employees would now know exactly what flights were involved, and if any others were missing or hijacked.

It is difficult to convey the speed with which such information spreads within the airline industry. I was working several times when a crash occurred, and it always amazed me at how quickly we knew the essential details of the incident.

As it happened, I was unable to reach any of my friends that day, but when I did speak with them they were able to confirm to me that yes, by the time of the second crash they knew exactly which planes were involved.

The recent film "United 93" (the one that was released in theaters, NOT the made for TV one) does a phenomenal job of showing exactly what it is like to work at an airport. Perhaps because some of the air traffic controllers who were working that day in the Newark tower and in the Boston en route center played themselves in the film, there is a degree of accuracy I've never before seen in a movie that involves airplanes.

[ronnykmarshall]

14. I was at the gym

We had just finished working out and went to do cardio. All the TV's were on and they were showing the North Tower on fire.

I got on the stairmaster and turned on my headphone. I was watching our local Ch 5 and they were monitoring the story via NY1. When the second plane hit, the newscaster screamed "HOLY SHIT"! So did I. I jumped off the machine and ran home.

My SO stayed at the gym I was freaking out at home. I was trying to get a hold of my friend TJ who lived in NY.

I was in the shower when the South Tower came down. I tried to go to work, but when I heard on the radio the North Tower went down, I turned around and went back home.

The rest of the day I was of course glued to the TV.

[Strawman]

15. On my way back from dropping my wife off at work

I heard the news and sat in my car and listened to the news about the first airplane before going into the grocery store. Then went home, and turned on the news and watched it the rest of the day. I had the day off. I can't remember whether I heard about the second plane in my car or on TV. I do remember watching the towers fall live on TV, and I think it was Peter Jennings, was speechless. Not many things are shocking in this day in age, but to see those towers fall live on TV was truly shocking and horrifying.

Then seeing people jumping form the buildings, seeing people enveloped by a rolling cloud of smoke and dust, and imagining their level of desperation and panic, the aerial photos mass of people walking out of the area; those are the images that come to mind. It was horrible. Words fail here. Too much to comprehend really.

[UnyieldingHierophant]

16. Pulling into the Pentagon parking lot

[Marrah_G]

17. At home in MA

I just tried to write what I was doing but nothing I type comes out right. It's still so hard to think about that day. NYC and Boston...we may fight over the yankees but I think 9-11 created an unbreakable bond between us. I can't watch the footage or the various movies, it's still to fresh.

[lpbk2713]

18. Reading the morning newspaper.

Got a call from my son. Said to turn on the tube. Saw the second tower get hit live (on TV). Stayed glued to the news for almost 24 hours. It occurred to me then that our (alleged) prez ran and hid like a scared rabbit while the country need a strong role model.