#749 | Sunday, February 10th 2002
it was my day off work and i was sleeping in.i got up to go to the bathroom and was headed straight back to bed,when i heard my boyfriend call to me from downstairs-he yelled come down here and i yelled i am not done sleeping and he said yes you are come down here and look at the tv-i remember being angry this was my only day off and i love to sleep in. so i went downstairs to tell him off and he said look and pointed at the tv. i saw the second plane hit the tower as he is telling me one already hit the first tower. my first thought was "oh my god"
then shock i was rooted to the spot i was standing in and could not move.
then they was saying that all planes were ordered to land,then they came back and said two planes were in the air and refused to land,then the pentagon was hit and the other plane was over cleveland,ohio and i live 30 minutes from there in akron,ohio.
they were saying that the people in the control towers in cleveland could hear screaming coming from flight 93 and they were turning around and heading for washington. i cried thinking about those poor people and what they must be going through. i was terrified thinking how many planes do they have and what else are they going to hit.i watched with helplessness for hours. they just kept showing the same thing on every channel,those first two planes going into the towers over and over and over again and no matter how many times i saw it i was shocked every single time.
i was thinking who would do this to our country,who could hate us that much.
i always felt safe in america,where i was born and raised.i never even thought about this happening to our country.i am so proud of those people on flight 93 for fighting the hijackers,
even though they knew from all the cell calls they made,that they were going to die they fought anyway. (the true spirit of americans) they saved more destruction from happening and they will always be heros to me,they did not die in vain.the scene in new york was terrible it really did look like a movie,kinda unreal,but then you see the faces,thousands and thousands of faces
running for their lives,and you know it's real. that was the day a billion tears fell all across america and four months later there are still tears.
i don't know if they will ever stop for the people that lost loved ones and my heart bleeds for them and to think i was angry just because i couldn't sleep in longer,i fell ashamed of myself.
america will never be the same but when the firefighters raised the flag that was in the rubble i thought about our national anthem and the words (our flag was still there)and i was proud to be an american.

carol | 33 | Ohio

#700 | Wednesday, January 30th 2002
I spent the early afternoon of September 11th shopping for gifts and I got back home around 3pm, right about the time of the first plane hitting the WTC. I turned on the television and wanted to watch some news on CNN and saw footage of the tower in flames. My first thought was that I had turned on some movie channel by mistake but quickly realised it was indeed CNN I was watching. Moments later, when I saw the second plane hit the other tower I realised at that moment that something was terribly wrong.

I knew instantly the world would never be the same again after that day. I watched in shock and disbelieve as the events unfolded on television, seeing the footage of the crashes again and again and watching the towers collapse, it was not real, it couldn't be real, but it was. I cried that day and the following days and I couldn't really focus on anything and it still is difficult sometimes to focus on everyday life.

As much as September 11th will always be in my memory, so will the following Friday when Europe and the world joined America in 3 minutes of silence. I have never seen life come to such a complete standstill and the images of that day were very moving. Not just my own country but the complete civilized world standing by our American friends in a time of need.

President Kennedy declared that as a free man he was a Berliner, after September 11th I join the many free men everywhere in proudly declaring "I am an American".

My thoughts go out to all those affected and especially to the heroes of the NYPD and FDNY and US flight 93.

Michael | 33 | Netherlands

#684 | Sunday, January 27th 2002
I was asleep.
Mom called and woke me.
I went to work.
I'm a radio dj.
Playing music just become "not fun".

2002 is here...
Mom called and woke me.
I went to work.
I'm a radio dj.
Playing music is theraputic.


Karson | 33 | Alabama

#648 | Wednesday, January 23rd 2002
I was driving to work, listening to the usual banter on the radio, when all off a sudden, one of the announcers said, "We're getting a report of a plane, a small one, I think, hitting the World Trade Center". Having worked in the aviation industry, I figured that it was probably a pilot error. However, when the second one hit, I knew it was deliberate. I made it to work, but when I got there, everyone was listening to the radio, and one guy told me that the Pentagon had been hit. That news really scared me. You would think that the Pentagon would be much more well guarded from air attack than commercial buildings.

I don't really know why I went to work, I guess I thought it would probably be a relatively normal day. I mean, major events have happened before, right, and the day goes on? Well, as we continued listening, I knew that this day would be anything but normal. We rigged up a TV connection in one of the conference rooms, and watched CNN as the towers burned. What I really remember seeing was the little news line scrolling on the bottom of the screen saying "All air traffic in the US has ceased". I mean, cessation of ALL air traffice has probably never happened before, and the fact that ALL air traffic had ceased in such a short time told volumes about how serious the authorities were taking this event, and from later accounts, probably averted more attacks. We all sat there, watching the news unfold, and there was sort of a group gasp when the first tower fell. When I went back to my desk there was a message from my wife waiting for me, asking if I knew what was happening. It was quite reassuring to hear her voice. She was watching TV at home, where all channels were broadcasting news. After deciding that I should be at home, I packed up and left. I don't remember my 2-year-old daughter being particularly bothered by the event as we watched it on TV, but I'll be sure to tell her about it when she's old enough. We went into the backyard to get some fresh air, and what really struck me was the errie silence. We live in the flight path, so there is always a plane flying nearby, making noise, but today, complete silence.

I was listening to that song "Where were you (that September day)", and it struck me that the song doesn't say which "September day" it is referring to, and how unnecessary it would be to say. Kind of like saying, to a WWII veteran, "Where were you on the December day?"

Kevin | 33 | Arizona

#641 | Saturday, January 19th 2002
My name is Steve and my home is in Cleveland OH. I am in the National Guard here, and I remember unpacking from a weekend-long drill on 10 September. When I realized what was happening, I was at my office, and I had such a knot in my stomach, I thought I was going to throw up. After 0930 all work plans went out the window and I called my unit asking if I had to get in there; they said no at that time. We closed up for the day at 1100, but they closed down the interstate that led from our office to my home; it took me an hour to get home. I threw everything I just unpacked, everything that is green and says US Army on it, back into my duffel bags and ruck sack and waited for the call. Then I just watched CNN all day, and hugged my girlfriend (now my wife -- life is too short to let love go) all day. Strangely, I also played fetch with my golden retriever that afternoon, she was bouncing along and chasing tennis balls like it was any other day. My unit is now activated for Noble Eagle, and I wish to dedicate my efforts this deployment to the man and woman I saw hold hands as they jumped off the WTC. God bless you both, and it is an honor to serve our country in this capacity at a dark time in our history
Steve | 33 | North Carolina

<< | < | showing 31-35 of 48 | >| >>
search again

welcome
view / browse
search
about


link us



website: wherewereyou.org
All entries are copyright their original authors.