#1422 | Wednesday, June 26th, 2002
I was sleeping when my wife ran into the room to tell me that an airplane had hit one of the Twin Towers. I remember telling her that it was not amusing and to get out of the room. She was sincere and I could tell. Apparently she had just turned on the TV and they were showing replays of the North Tower being hit. As I walked out of the room they were showing a live shot of the flames and smoke pouring out of the North Tower. As I made my way to the couch, another plane came in and hit the South Tower. I was in utter disbelief. I could not make any sense of it and terrorists were the furthest from my mind. But I am in the U.S. Air Force and when I heard our base had went to the highest level of alert, the one when where attack is about to transpire, I was terrified. I remember looking at my daughter, who was turning 2 on the 18th of that month, and thinking how vulnerable we were. Was there anything I could do for her to protect her? I watched and held her on my lap and told my wife everything would be all right. Then the both of us realized the enormity of the attack. How many people had lost their lives? In revulsion we watched as the South Tower fell. All I could think about were thousands of civilians departing this life. I was overwhelmed with everything I was seeing as were so many around the world and tears fell from my eyes. And in the face of the disaster unfolding in front of my eyes I had never been so proud to be an American.... I had never been so proud to be a member of our military. I remember feeling ready to, wanting to go and defend my country. That was the only thing I could do for my daughter and my family. To this day I'm still ready. God Bless our country.
Adam | 25 | South Carolina

#1423 | Wednesday, June 26th, 2002
since the question of "where were you on september 11, 2001?" has been posed over and over, i decided i'm gonna need to answer it someday. i might as well do it while it is still just yesterday. i can still remember where i was when princess diana died, and john jr, and walter mathau. i remember being at my grandma hall's house (she hadn't even started dating my future step grandpa, irv, yet) staked out in front of the living room television set when they were bombed in like 1995. i still remember the feeling i had sitting in ms. robb's current event's class when i heard that mickey mantle had passed away. someday i need to write those things down. but right now i'm going to write about yesterday.

i was wearing my pink, yellow, and purple button down camp shirt over top of a white tank top, and blue jeans. i was also wearing my white sneakers that give me blisters. if i can remember the clothes i was wearing on a day, it makes it easier for me to remember the day. so shut up and stop laughing. i still remember what i wore the first day of fifth grade. so there.

so i worked the before school care at montessori from 7:30 to 8:30 this morning.

came back and went to my CDV 115 (child growth & development) class in the performing arts centre on the verge of tears. i really wanted to be at home for miss vicky's funeral. i was having a tough time coming to the reality that that was not going to be an option (i did end up going). so i got into class and sat down at my usual seat, right up front.

mary griffin (the prof/my advisor) came into class and asked me how i was doing today. she always asks me that. i think because its still early in the semester and i'm the only person she really knows. since all her other advisees in this class are still freshman and sophmores. so she asks me how i was, and just burst into tears. so she gave me a hug and generally fussed over me for a second or two. then we walked out into the hallway and she asked me what was wrong.

so i told her that the mom of one of my best friend's had died. which was kinda of true, but not really. miss vicky was like a second mom to kristy, but i didn't need to go into details right then. i was having enough trouble talking as it was.

then she walked me around the corner to her office. she gave me some kleenex, calmed me down for a minute, and told me that i didn't have to stay for class if i didn't feel like it. this was at 8:47 A.M., two minutes after the first plane hit. i happened to see the hallway clock on the way out. but being the good student that i am (or appear to be) i said that i wanted to stay. then she left me in there "until [i] was ready to re-join the class."

so i calmed down and wiped my face off. and walked back into the room. we watched the "hello baby" video, the required video for like all intro child development classes (the one where they show you babies being born and everyone gets really grossed out and swears they'll never have children) at 9:04 A.M. (yes, i watch the clock religiously).

then we break into groups to discuss the papers that we wrote over the weekend. and this girls comes flying into the classroom. and comes up to griffin. then she sits down with my group. luckily, as i find out. she was late because she was listening to the news on her radio. so i got to be one of the first kids in the class to know.


she told us that apparently a plane had flown right into the world trade centre in new york. and then like a few (turns out it was about fifteen) minutes later another one did the same thing into the other tower right next to it. i was just kind of like oh, okay.

it didn't even like sink in at all what a big deal this was. i didn't think anything of it. no one else, but the people in my group, knew anything about it. so no one was worried or talking about it.

mary let us out of class a little early. on my way out she told me not to come to class on thursday, "the last thing [i] need is a test." and i need to be at home with my friends and family. tru dat.

so i took advantage of the early dismissal, and hussled back to my dorm room to drop off the bulky course pack i was carrying around (read: 3-ring binder that didn't fit into my purse i was using as a book bag). when i walked in my new roommate, la'shawna, had the television turned on. she was like, "crazy isn't it." i wasn't thinking, but then it clicked and i was like, "oh, the two world trade centres." "and the pentagon" she added. i was like, "they got the pentagon too. damn." yup dumbass, they did.

so then in flung the folder on my desk and rushed to my rst 220 (introduction to the hebrew scriptures) class. by the time i got there everyone knew about it. this kid ryan seemed to know the most, or maybe he was just talking the most. either way he said that people were saying it was a terrorist attack and they didn't know from who. and this girl courtney said something about "a no fly zone" but i didn't know what she was talking about, so i didn't really listen to her. ryan said something about there being planes that the FAA had lost track of, but i didn't know why that would matter. so oh well, then we had class. i didn't cry at all in there. i had to bite my bottom lip a few times, but no actual tears.

in my noon class (gen 301 - the adult learner) we were supposed to have a speaker (sr. sharon from the dominican sisters on campus) come talk to us about something. but by that time of the morning the whole country was in shock and no one could concentrate on anything. we heard that another plane had attacked camp david. but as it turned out that was just a rumour, it really crashed somewhere in pennsilvania. melissa (the prof) had called a friend she had that works in the capital, and she could hear sirens blaring and people yelling over the phone. the girl that was sitting in front of me cried the whole time we were sitting there. melissa said sometihng about today being september 11th, as in 9-11. get it 911 (like the number to call in an emergency for those of you that don't know). then sr. sharon came in and told us that it was SUPPOSED to be like world peace day or something. yeah, that went real well. so the university already had prayer services planned, and a moment of peace at twelve o'clock. so we did that. then she tried to talk to us about some stuff, which i don't remember, and i doubt that anyone else does either.

the blonde kid sitting at the end of my row (who i thought was cute...like on the first day of class) said something about osoma bin laden. but i don't remember exactly what. like maybe he was the mastermind guy behind all this. so the nun talked some more. then she gave up and we walked over to the t.v. lounge in ledwidge hall. we watched that for a while.

then i had to leave for work. i went to my room and saw that it was only like one o'clock, so i turned on the television. i wanted to see how MTV was handling all this. but they (as well as VH1) were running live feed from CBS. so i watched that until it was time for work.

when i went into work, i was told not to mention any of the day's events to the children. one of the kids, isaac, was wearing a shirt that said "washington d.c." on it and had a little picture of some of the monuments and such, including the pentagon. so we did our normal montessori after school stuff. when pam and peggy (my before and after school supervisors) came in, i told each one of them that i had a funeral to go to, so i wouldn't be back until friday morning. fine fine, sorry for your loss, etc...

i went back to my room and watched some more news. by this time everything had already happened. all the planes had crashed, the towers had fallen. two other towers (building five and seven) were about to collapse. i think it was about six o'clock that building five collapsed. just as i was walking over to my six o'clock class in the science building. but before i got to my room i remembered that we were supposed to be in the library today.

so i like flung over the sacred heart hall (where the library is) as fast as i could. then i got lost, then i found it. turns out since i already had two sources for my research paper, i was home free until seven o'clock. so i quickly walked back to my dorm room and called home.

no one at home, no one at church. so i called mom's cell phone on a whim (she never leaves it on). she answered. so i told her that i was coming home and that i had permission from all my teachers to do so. okay, someone will be there to get me in about two hours. yahoo.

somewhere in there i talked to dad too, i just don't remember when. i think it was in between class and work. i told him and he told me about what was happening back in wyandotte. apparently mom's school was in lockdown mode. whatever that meant. and mary griffin had called him to tell him what had happened in class today (remember from the beginning of this reeaaaaaalllly long entry...i cried about miss vicky) and that she thought it best i come home. so blah blah blah. dad needs my phone number. i don't have it. here's the number for the security office. okay.

then my english class got out early because no one could think clearly. so i watched some more of the news. as did the rest of the school.

any where you went was the sound of televisions reporting the events as they unfolded. dan rather (the CBS man) played a couple of tapes they had received from private citizens who happened to catch the events on video. lots of swearing, and an apology from mr. rather, ensued. apparently, as he repeatedly stated, the tapes had never been watched before they went on the air. there were fuck words all over the place. as you can well imagine people were in shock. i'm certain i would have had a similar reaction, had it been me. i can't even believe they would time it so all of america would be watching as the second plane hit. that just pisses me off.

so dad came to get me. campus security wouldn't let him come to my room (even though he was wearing the "clergy collar"). there were security people at every opening to the campus. dad said he was stopped three times before he could even park the car. the entire country is freaking out. on the way home we saw crazy lines, ten and fifteen cars deep, waiting in line at gas stations. apparently there was a rumour of a gas shortage. dad kept saying, as did the radio man, "you people are creating your own gas shortage. this is just what the terrorists want, mass hysteria." tru dat. so we got home eventually.

mom had locked the door because she freaks out easily, and she was home alone. then some more talking and boring stuff happened. then we went to taco bell and got one of their yummy quasadillas (definitely try 'em).

then mary and tracey came over. mary is leaving for new orleans on the thirteenth. so darn on that. they stayed and talked for a while. then i went to bed.

that was what i was doing on september 11, 2001...in detail. not that you really care. not that i care. but someday i just might.
Krystn | 23 | Michigan

#1424 | Wednesday, June 26th, 2002
I normally don't watch TV in the morning. On Sept. 11th, someone I knew was going to ring the opening bell of the NYSE. So when I got downstairs before 9:00 am, I turned on the tube to MSNBC to see the opening. I saw the North tower burning. It was being reported that a small plane had hit it. I was suprised, but like most everyone else, I thought it was a terrible accident. Then I saw the second plane hit live. I was stunned. On the first replay, I saw that it was a large commercial jet. Then I was horrified as the loss. Shocked at the depth of evil a person can do. This was the mass murder of thousands of people I saw.
Alex | 37 | Pennsylvania

#1425 | Saturday, June 29th, 2002
We were in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. That morning I'd been standing in the altar room of a thousand-year-old temple on a hill which was hit by an illegal US bomb back in the 70's.

We drove back into town past the killing fields of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime -- a regime which was directly and indirectly supported by the United States and the UN. Tens of thousands of people had been killed in the lush green fields around us. One by one, by hand, by their fellow citizens. All up, more than a million were slaughtered. Everyone we met in the entire country had lost family and friends.

When we reached town we went out for dinner at a hotel, and got back at 9pm, just in time to flip on a TV and see the second plane go into the tower. Initially I though it was a movie. From there we just watched it all unfold - it wasn't on CNN or BBC because the reception wasn't that great, it was on some financial channel so the stock tickers kept crawling across the bottom of the screen until they realised there wasn't going to be any more share trading that day.

I was wondering what had happened to friends who worked on Wall St (later I found they were OK although one had been standing on top of the Trade Centre the day before) and remembered that one of them had mentioned he could see the mirror ball in the ballroom of the WTC from his apartment across the bridge.

As we travelled through the rest of that amazing country in the following days, the people were all very interested in what was going on in New York and Washington, and it was definitely the topic of conversation - but nobody seemed very surprised.
Julian | 31 | Australia

#1426 | Saturday, June 29th, 2002
I had my alarm set for 9 am. I was going to start classes in college the next morning and the alarm went off... I heard Howard Stern and the people in their show yelling hysterically about planes crashing and "Pearl Harbor" and news... it took me a while until I realized that there had been an attack. I ran down in my pajamas to the common room and found about 30 people crowded around the tv... all that was left was the North Tower on fire... and then I saw it fall a few minutes later. Everyone was silent... all you could hear was people crying. I'll never forget that morning...
Ricky | 20 | Massachusetts

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