Remembering 9/11 - Where were you twenty years ago?

[BrokenolMarine]

I don't want this to become a political post, just share your memories of where you were when the planes hit on 9/11/2001.

I was working a day patrol shift, not my usual rotation, but I had been teaching in service that week, and preparing for an upcoming department firearms requalification. I dropped into dispatch to talk to a friend on the way back on the road, and they were repeating the video of the first strike. The dispatcher pointed at the screen and said: "This is real!"

I went down the hall and pulled the Chief and Day Sergeant out of a meeting in his office and into the briefing room and they caught the replay as well, then the second plane hit. I asked the Chief if we needed to start calling in people to secure Government buildings. "Get on it...." he ordered.

He left for meetings with the County Manager, Sheriff, etc. In less than an hour, all County buildings were secure and guarded. The security levels changed forever.

[Sir Henry]

I was at work. Someone ran out and bought a small tv and a lot of us watched the news all day.

[Hatchdog]

I was working swing shift at the time getting off at midnight. We would typically get up around 9:00 am (pacific time) so we didn’t see the attack live but spent the day watching in horror. We went to work that afternoon and to this day my wife and I look at each other and wonder why did we go to work.

[stickmaker]

9/11 is as vivid in my mind and heart as the day JFK was shot. Both change our would. 11/22/63 I was siting in my car getting gas when the music stopped on the radio and they said the President was dead. 9/11 l had been working in the shop. I came in for a cup of coffee. My wife had tears in her eyes and pointed at the TV and I saw the second plane hit tower two. I now add 9/30/21 to that list of infamous days I will never forget. The President of the USA left Americans behind. I am a Marine and Vietnam vet that was unthinkable to me and is another act that will negatively change our world for ever.

[The Wiz]

I was at an industry conference in Seattle and was awaken in the AM by my daughter back in Chicago telling me to turn on the tv that something bad was happening in New York. Since this was a national conference with people from all over including Canada it went on for two more days since nobody was going anywhere. My wife and I where originally going to stay and make a vacation out of the rest of the week so we had plans and reservations all over Seattle including going over to Vancouver by ferry. They didn't cancel and after getting off we were meant by Canadian soldiers with M-16's at the ready. As we walk around town, there were signed in windows expressing support and sympathy for the USA. We finally left Friday morning on our original flight. It was the first plane to leave Seattle post 9/11. It was a very wierd and aphrensive flight.

[RetiredSeabee]

Marine you were definitely in a position closer to the impact of that attack than I was. I am grateful that you and your brothers and sisters in uniform were ready and willing to run toward the danger.
I was retired from active duty for 8 years when that horrible day dawned. Had I been in uniform I would have had a mission by days end. As it was being a civilian on that day I felt lost. There was nothing I could do, no battle to gear up for. Some of the kids who worked for me in 1993 were still in uniform and would be going to war within days. All I could do for them was pray.
As for that day, I had a service call to a customer about 40 miles from home. Just after leaving the house I heard the news report of the first plane hitting the North Tower. I assumed that it was a small plane one of the tourist flights. A few minutes later the news reported that it was a commercial flight. I knew that something wasn’t right. Before I got to my customer the second plane hit the South Tower. I knew that we were under attack. I called my office to ask if they were listening to the news. They weren’t so I told them to turn on a news channel. If you were to visit me I could show you the exact places on the road where I was when each impact was reported. When I arrived at the customer site they had a tv on the front counter. And most of the employees and customers were gathered there. I was working on the machine they called in for service when the plane hit the Pentagon. I knew that we were going to war and I had no mission. I have never felt as helpless as I did then.
I live just outside of Charlotte North Carolina and our airport is always busy. There were no planes in the air that day following the first known report of the hijacks. It was odd to be aware that the sky was empty. That the aircraft that were always there and just part of every day life were now a threat.
Twenty years later I still wish that I had been able to gear up and go get some.

[Rifletom]

Tomorrow is the 20th deal with this. I will NOT call it an anniversary. Hope we're geared for this. Excuse me if this comes close to political, but I don't EVER forget. EVER!

[cooperhawk]

The phone rang waking us up and it was my youngest son telling me to turn on the TV. I watched in horror as the second plane hit.
I had been retired from the FAA for a year and a half.

When I was working at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center in Leesburg, Va. back in the seventies and eighties, we had worked on a plan to handle the air traffic in a national emergency. It was called SCANTANA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_ ... ation_Aids
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/87.395

It was very complicated and we all thought it would never work. In fact it worked very well. As an Air Traffic Supervisor we all made sure all of our radar positions had the SCANTANA book in place at all times and that it was current. It detailed which type Aircraft would be directed to which airport. It also contained the exact phraseology to be read on each of the frequencies.

Like many of you I had been very involved in my work, and now I sat helpless at home wondering what was happening. In time I learned that our plan did clear the air space, and did it a lot faster than we ever dreamed. I guess that in the long run it didn't save any lives, as the AC had already been hijacked, but it did provide a feeling of security for the nation.

The attack was horrific and I will never forget. NEVER!!!

[GeoBoy]

We were in church, my cousin’s 19 year old son had passed, when the priest asked us to pray for people in New York City. When we got home after the funeral services, we turned on the TV and then knew why the priest ask for the prayers.

[Hatchdog]

I bought this hat from a fund raiser shortly after the attack. I wear it every 9/11 to honor all those who perished and all those who rushed into danger to help. I wore it yesterday on our trip to Utah and will wear it today on the way back home. I get lots of comments (always positive) when people see it.

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[fortyshooter]

I remember it like yesterday. Wife and I were starting our vacation and headed up to Michigan the next day. I had just arrived at a barber shop to get a haircut that morning and had heard on the radio about a plane crashing into one of the towers. I get in the shop and everyone is watching the TV.
Everyone had thought it was a terrible plane accident at first until we all saw the second plane hit the tower and everybody went quiet!
We then knew that the unthinkable was going on....a terrorist attack.
I got home quickly and my wife was watching TV and on the phone with her boss...she was working at the local military base at the time and learned they were locking it all down. That afternoon I was just sitting on the porch trying to take it all in and noticing that no planes were flying at all which is was a strange thing being in the flight path of a large airport. Man it was a terrible day. Oh and we of course cancelled the trip not knowing what all might happen next.

[Centaur]

I was working at the Sheridan, Wy VA helping vets. Didn’t get a lot of work done. Watched and got more and more enraged as the day went on. Still gets me PO’d.

[dave77]

I was home getting ready to go to work. They were showing the fire in the first tower but hadn't said anything about a plane yet. Some early arriving teachers had their classroom TV's on so it got around pretty quickly when they had videos of the planes impacting the towers. Teachers had their TV's off before the kids started arriving, no telling how 500 K-4 kids would react. We did have a TV on in the staff room so we could keep informed.

[runnin n gunnin]

Hey Marine. I was on a day off and was the dive master on live aboard for a two day dive at Catalina. Brought my son with me so we could get some dive time in together. Skipper knew me pretty well and what I did. He had a crew member bring me up to the bridge and told me about the first plane. While I was there listening, the second one hit tower two.

Didn't hesitate, told the skipper to turn the boat around and head back to port. I called ahead and had a cruiser pick me up at port and take me downtown, sent my son home. I rallied up my platoon and we deployed on some of the critical infrastructure.

More to say, but we are none political so .......

[clovishound]

I was working days for a change. On my way to work I heard about the first plane on the radio. No one knew what was really going on then. By the time I got to work the second plane had hit. Everyone at work had one eye on the TV that day. I had been retired from the AF Reserves for only a few years. I kept expecting a call back. Never happened.