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#780 | Wednesday, February 20th, 2002
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I was sitting at my desk on the North side of the 34th floor of 1 Liberty Plaza, across Church street to the east of the WTC complex. I heard the sound of a loud jet engine go overhead and saw a "shadow" out of the corner of my eye. The “shadow” disappeared briefly and then I heard a “boom”. I thought “Was that a sonic boom?!?” and I spun around in my seat and lept to the windpw to see if it was and what supersonic jets would have been flying that close and low. I looked out the window sideways to the left (westward) and saw debris shooting out from and raining down from the North tower of the WTC. I saw the smoke cloud rising, holes in the east side and fires burning. Pulverized concrete was both raining down and being blown sideways - easterly across the window. I knew it had to be a plane crash. What kind of idiot... on a clear day... As I ran down the hall to a conference room that directly faces and has an unobstructed view of both WTC towers, I had a small moment of solitude as I realized what I just witnessed and then I ran into some people in the hall and told them “I think a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center!” Some thought it might have been a bomb but I had the timing of the jet sound, the shadow and the boom burned into my memory and was convinced it was a plane crash. In the conference room and looking at the tower, large pieces of debris were continuing to fall from the façade of the building. Office papers covered the sky and the concrete wind continued. Several people gathered in the conference room and were looking in disbelief. There was an eerie silence and stillness that seemed so out of place looking at such a disaster without the accompanying emergency vehicles or their sirens. I actually reached for a phone to call 911. I knew it was ridiculous – they had to know. But until you hear them coming, it’s almost instinctual to call them. The phone was not hooked up anyhow and we heard the sirens a minute or so later. At some point while standing there in that conference room I realized that this was no mistake. This was deliberate. This was a terrorist attack. It was a perfectly clear day and it seemed unlikely to hit the WTC by accident. I was looking down at the plaza, which sits right below where the plane hit, and I couldn’t believe I saw someone walking – not running – across toward the entrance into the North tower. Even as debris was still raining down. A co-worker, was standing next to me in the conference room looking at the burning tower. Then he suddenly looked down, then turned away from the window and said “Oh my God, that was a person.”
The fire alarms were sounding. Then the PA came on and said we should stay in the building – but away from the side facing the towers. A co-worker and I closed all the office and conference room doors on the West side and then I went to my office and turned on IPTV on the desktop computer. I had just got the IPTV viewer started when there was a another very loud explosion. I looked out the window to the left (West) toward the WTC towers and large fireballs – chunks of large burning debris – were arcing out from the building toward the northeast. My first reaction was that it was a secondary explosion from the first plane. I said or thought “That's why they wanted us to stay in the building. To keep us from being outside and exposed to any debris from secondary explosions.” I left the office to head down to the conference room facing the WTC towers to see what had happened and on the way someone told me that the second tower exploded. I couldn’t believe it. I got the conference room, looked up and saw floors blown out of the South tower. My first thought was whether there was anyway the damage or fires in the first could have somehow spread to the second. It did not seem likely. Then I thought maybe it was a bomb in the second one, somehow synchronized with the plane crash. Another plane never occurred to me in my wildest dreams. I stood watching for a few minutes as debris fell off the façade of the South tower. Then I went back to the office with the IPTV. The PA now had started to announce, rather urgently, that we should leave the building immediately. I looked at the IPTV and they were showing the footage of the second plane hitting the building and narrating that fact. I was shocked. That was less than 300 yards away! I left the office in a hurry realizing that lower Manhattan was under sustained aerial attack. I still had no idea these were airliners but I realized that if they crashed two planes, there could be others. I grabbed my bag and a made a quick check for anything else I might need to take in case I never saw the office again. Then I checked quickly down the hall for any others who may have still been there. Everyone seemed to have left already so I headed for and boarded an elevator to the bottom (I wanted to lose altitude as quickly as possible). There is alot more to the day and the evacuation from lower Manhattan but I don't want to bore you any longer.
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Bill | 40 | New York
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#781 | Thursday, February 21st, 2002
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Hello.
My name is Itay and i'm 13 years old.
I'm from israel and I'm not so good at English.
When the first plane bump into the first building i was in my way back from school.
when I came into my house, my brother told me "a plane bump into one of the "Twins"".
I didn't Knew very well what is the "twins" but I go apstairs and turn on the TV on "cnn" and I saw one of the twins burning. In this moment i remembred what is the "twins".
I ask my brother "this is a terror attack or some of the pilots lost control" (I thouth that maybe its a terror attack because in Israel we have a lot of terror attacks) We see the other plane bump in and we knew, this is a terror attack. Then the third plane bump into the Pantagon and I didn't realize what happen.
I think that the passengers that crashed their plane in a forest was brave because they save a lot people maybe.
then I had wouth movenent some kidd screamd "the end of the world the end of the world"
I think that you should be united.
and i saw a sticker "Am' Israel cry"
its meen the Israelies are cry.
That it
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Itay | 13 | Israel
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#782 | Thursday, February 21st, 2002
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I was sitting in my psychology class when the principal came over the P.A. system telling us not to panic but yet that there had been a plane that had crashed into the World Trade Center. And ofcourse, we turned on the T.V. in the room and I actually saw the 2nd plane crash into the building. This is something that I will never forget the rest of my life. I respect the firefighters of New York and all the policemen to. Me being a Christian thought this had it's good points too. This made everyone reflect on God. And how He's ALWAYS there through good and bad. And this was definanity a bad and he was there belive it or not. I ran up to my family, church friends and e-mailed the long distance one's and told each and everyone of them how much I loved them. Your never guarenteed a tomorrow and this tragic event made me relized this even more. God Bless you all and God Bless America. pray for our soldiers. I love you all.
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Sarah | 18 | Kansas
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#783 | Thursday, February 21st, 2002
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I was sitting in last period History class when the first plane hit.
I had sat totally oblivious to the disaster in history and on the bus
home. When I got home I got a frantic phonecall from my friend Glenn,
who just told me to SWITCH THE TV ON NOW. I rushed to the TV and on Sky
news the words BREAKING NEWS: AMERICA UNDER ATTACK were plastered on the screen.
I frantically thought who. I quickly suspected Iraqis or Russia, but frankly doubted
the latter. Then... TERRORISTS! God! I must have sat there for ages like a lobotomised
man watching the reports from frantic people describing what happened. I wasn't there to
see one of the towers collapse, I hadn't got home on time.
The next few days were amazing. You could walk up to a friend and just say, "Its absolutely
horrible" and they'd know what you were on about. I remember the crowds in the Computer rooms
and library digging up piles of information on what had happened. It seemed like the world had
been hushed into silence. Everyone was talking about it, tributes left and right, and I welcomed
every one of them. I couldn't believe the trade centers were gone, because I had always taken them
for granted when we went there and took some great photos.
Thank you for giving people like me the oppertunity to say what happened to them on September the
11th. It's a great idea and I will link to your site. Thank you.
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Adam | 14 | United Kingdom
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#784 | Friday, February 22nd, 2002
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On September 11, 2001 I was at work. I had just got back from a walk that I took on my break. I was already in an unusual emotional state. When I got back I heard from the overhead speaker of the crashes at the World Trade Center. The shear magnitude of the lose of life moved me to tears.
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Michael | 49 | South Carolina
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