#916 | Monday, March 11th 2002
When we first heard, My fiance and I had just dropped off our 3 year old son at school and we were having a disagreement, of course I don't remember what it was about. Then, the radio morning show guys mention a plane just hit the world trade center. We listened intently on our ride to work, not knowing what was happening. When I got to the office co workers were huddled around a radio and said the second tower was hit. I immediately turned on my radio and listened all day as events unfolded. I felt uncertain and angry at the same time as I heard of the terrorist attacks. It astounded me that people could be so evil to plan such an catastrophe on innocent humans. I went home, drank a few scotches, and watched the news all night. Oh yeah, we played with our son, who was too young to understand. We sheltered him from all the TV reports. Who can understand? I feel so much pride for our country now, which we all take for granted too much.
Matt | 34 | Colorado

#911 | Monday, March 11th 2002
My husband and I were touring the Hohensalzburg Fortress in Salzburg, Austria. We figure at the moment the first plane struck we were looking at a giant marble column in the assembly room of the fortress about which the tour guide told us the chuck missing from the column was struck by a cannonball that came flying through the window during a battle a couple hundred years ago.

We were told by two giggling teenage girls that seemed to delight in being able to tell another group of Americans that their country is being attacked. We assumed the girls were right that something had happened but didn't think they had the correct information becuase that kind of thing just doesn't happen in the United States. Needless to say, we rushed back to our hotel to see what the news said...and sure enough most of what the girls said was true. We arrived back at the hotel just in time to see the first building collapse and proceded to watch the television coverage for the next 4 hours straight in bewilderment.

Even though there was nothing we could have done if we were home in Colorado, there was a huge sense of helplessness of being out of the country. It just didn't feel right. I must say that the staff of the Hotel Bristol in Salzburg are amazing human beings. They were so kind and sympathetic; we were touched deeply by their kindness. We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant that night and one desk clerk came up to us, grabbed our hands and said "we will get through this together. Austria may be a small country but you should know that we are your friends and this wasn't just an attack on your country but on all of us." We all cried together.

Leanne | 31 | Colorado

#899 | Monday, March 11th 2002
I woke up depressed on September 11, 2001. I was depressed because while the Broncos had played and won their season opener the night before, one of our star wide receivers, Eddie McCaffrey, had broken his leg and was done for the season. Yes, this depressed me. This is how I know how carefree I really was on September 10.

I turned on the news to see if there was anything about how his surgery went the night before. I saw the first World Trade tower burning. I watched until my son woke up; just before he did, a plane flew into the second World Trade tower. I remember seeing the plane fly into it. From my vantage point, television, I saw clearly what had happened. The reporter, however, was there, and could not see what had happened. Even as we *watched* the second plane fly into the tower, the reporter was talking of an explosion. He had no idea what was going on. It must have been chaos. You could hear people screaming, you could hear the panic in the reporters voice. He kept saying "hold on, hold on, I don't know what's going on." I kept thinking, someone radio that poor guy and tell him what happened.

My son awoke moments after the second tower was hit, and I was grateful for the excuse to have to put on Brave Mom face. What I wanted to do was crumple and cry. But I turned on the radio, turned off the television, and gave him breakfast and we did legos. I heard the news of the towers crumbling, and the plane crashing into the Pentagon, then the plane crashing in Pennsylvania. I heard it all on the radio, and didn't get to see any images on television until my son went down for his nap. I stayed glued to the television as much as I could when my son wasn't awake, and when he was, I listened to the radio. He was too young to understand the words, but not too young to watch the television even if he didn't understand what he was seeing. So I kept it off.

My husband was in Steamboat Springs for a business retreat, and we hadn't heard from him. I didn't want to get online and tie up the phone line, but I was desperate to see if maybe he had emailed me. I finally called my mom, talked to her and my sister for a while, then got online to check my email. He had emailed me, and said they'd just been watching the television all morning. He was supposed to drive back that evening, but ended up getting home around 2 p.m. I guess they let everyone go early because some of his colleagues that had flown in from California were going to try to rent cars to drive back home.

With him home to distract my son, I watched more television. I watched television until I felt like I would throw something at it. Finally, around 6 p.m. we decided to go out to get something to eat. The roads were pretty much deserted and there were one other family in the restaurant besides us. Everyone was subdued. The televisions were on in the bar so we sat there and watched some more.

We got home and all went to bed by 8 p.m. I kept thinking I had to watch television in case something else happened. I think we fell asleep to CNN that night.

Of course it all started to hit us more and more in the days following. As time goes by, the pain and shock lessens, but this morning, seeing the old news coverage, it brings that pain and shock back all over again. I remember saving everything from the newspapers in the month following 9/11. Perhaps today I'll get it out and look through it. Pay tribute to those that lost their lives six months ago today.

Today I will hug my son a little longer, and tell him I love him more than anything in this world. Today I will go outside and just experience nature. Today I will be thankful to be alive, and remind myself that while sometimes life may seem overwhelming, no matter how "terrible" things are, I am luckier than those who are not around to have any kind of day: terrible, wonderful or in between.

Christina | 25 | Colorado

#877 | Sunday, March 10th 2002
I was driving to work when they interrupted in the middle of a song to say a plane had flown into the WTC. I thought to myself, "what a horrible tragic accident!". When I arrived at work and went to turn off the radio a 2nd announcement said a 2nd plane had hit. I sat there in my car in total shock, total disbelief. So stunned I sat in my car for a few minutes to compose myself. People were moving all throughout the office in search of televisions, trying, unsuccessfully for the most part, to get to news web sitem looking for radios, calling friends and family on the phone. It was so quiet in the office it was eerie. Having grown up in NJ and visited the WTC on many occassions I felt so helpless not being there with my family, helping out in any way I could.

I have always been a very patriotic person but am more proud than ever to say I am an American. God bless this nation, the victims, their families and all those selfless volunteers. And thank you to people world-wide who have grieved with us.

Barbara | 41 | Colorado

#867 | Sunday, March 10th 2002
My husband and I flew out of Boston on September 11 at 8:05 a.m. between the highjacked planes. We saw the American plane ahead of us on the runway and found out the other United plane took off a few minutes after we did. We were told we were landing in Detroit by our pilot who told us over the intercom that America had been attacked by terrorists. When we entered the airport and glimpsed scenes on the TV we knew it was true. We hurried to phone our loved ones, as they were worried that our plane was the one that was highjacked. We found a room at a hotel and like everyone else, watched TV for all the details, until we were allowed to continue our flight on Thursday evening back to Denver. We have shed many tears and felt extreme sadness over these events and thank God we were spared.
Charles | 68 | Colorado

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