OT Where Were You 13 Years Ago Today?

[ACEDAD]

We were living in Lexington at the time and I was at work in an early meeting. I got out and had several voice mails, which was odd. It was @cheer2win calling to see if I had heard about the first plane. She was upset, but nothing too bad. Then the next message and she was obviously crying when the 2nd plane had hit. The third message was asking where I was and did I know what was happening. In the fourth message, she was almost incoherent as the first tower collapsed.

By this time, I was frantic and started calling home while I turned on the radio to hear what was going on. I called and called and called the house. By this time the second tower had fallen and reports were all over the place about what was happening next.

Couldn't reach her on her cell either. But I was worried that if I left, she might have been heading to the office and I didn't want to miss her. So I waited.

We sent everyone home except the executive team because we needed to stay open (since we were a trust company and people were calling worried about the financial markets).

Finally heard from her. She knew things were bad, so she had gone to the grocery to stock up. After that she felt like she needed to stop by her nail place, though she didn't need anything done. The couple that owned the salon were Vietnamese and had closed, but knew her so they opened up to let her in. They were terrified that the US would recreate an interment of aliens like we did in WWII with the Japanese. She spent the afternoon comforting this couple that they were safe in America.

When I finally was able to get home, we watched TV like just about everyone else; stunned, angry and sad beyond belief.

 

[ErinS]

Does anyone remember how every taped American flags to the antennas of their cars?

And there was no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to spread the word either.

 

[Ally13]

I was in elementary school and my teacher came in and told us what happened. We basically just sat there for the entire day. When my Mom picked my siblings and I up we went home, watched the news, and waited for my Dad to get home.

My Dad is in the military and we were living in Virginia at the time. He said the entire base went into lockdown. My grandma lived near us and we have a lot of family in DC that work in the Pentagon and other government agencies. She was apparently calling everyone crying and trying to get a hold of family members.

Always a sad day and I can't believe it's been thirteen years.

 

[SharkDad]

I was sitting in an auditorium waiting for a flight briefing at 9am. As we were doing flight preparations, someone ran into the auditorium and shouted "someone flew a plane into the World Trade Center!" Many of us went to the duty desk to watch the live feed. Shortly after I watched the second plane, Flight 175, hit. I remember being astonished and angry that a terrorist attack was so bold and happening in the US after the first plane hit. When the second hit, I was now racing at how coordinated that had to be and wondering what would be next. Me and a number of others ran to our offices to pack up, sure we would be deploying within the next week. Shortly after we heard about Flight 77 hitting the pentagon and then Flight 93 crashing in PA.

When the buildings collapsed I felt so sorry for all that had just died, but we all had to focus because we were now in an unusual position. We normally trained to fly against the enemy, now we were spending the afternoon learning how to shoot down an airliner if there were more attacks. I had to let this scenario settle in my mind a bit. We started sitting alert by that evening around midnight with live, fully loaded jets. I flew many times the next few weeks when all the airplanes were grounded-sorry if I made too much noise over your house if you lived on the east coast. It is to this day one of the most unique things I've done in my career. It is normally so busy in the sky, but on these days it was very quiet and we had a very appreciative Air Traffic Control who thanked us for being airborne and cleared us to go where ever we needed.

4 months later I was flying missions over Afghanistan, a place I never thought I would be.

So many different stories, so many similar feelings. Always reminds me of the Alan Jackson song "Where were you when the world stopped turning?"

 

[njallday]

Does anyone remember how every taped American flags to the antennas of their cars?

And there was no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to spread the word either.

YES flags everywhere and on everything. and people were so kind. we did have e-mail and AOL, though, and i remember this powerpoint montage of pictures set to "God Bless the USA" that my mom just played over and over. i still tear up when i hear that song.

 

[Julia Cole]

I was very little. I do remember my dad panicking because my uncle worked as a paramedic in New York. That was the only time I remember seeing my dad cry just because he honestly didn't know if my uncle was okay or where he was, lots of praying that night.

 

[Cheerspectator101]

I was in 5th grade. I remember as every kid in my class was picked up until I was the last one. I thought I had detention or something. Until my mom picked me up and I could see across the river the space where the towers used to be.

Living in New Jersey we were so scared. It seemed almost obvious that something would happen to us next. Those next few days were nerve wracking.

It's a day that will live in our memories forever and I take every person in the military, firefighters, policemen, anyone that protects our country for protecting us until this day.

 

[Mamarazzi]

There was an incredible amount of tragedy that day. So much pain and sadness, confusion and chaos. We should never forget this.

But also remember that there are far more stories of hope, courage, solidarity, love, miracles and action than those of fear and hate. I choose to remember the goodness that came from the events of September 11, 2001 more often than the horror.

 

[NJ Coach]

I flew many times the next few weeks when all the airplanes were grounded-sorry if I made too much noise over your house if you lived on the east coast. It is to this day one of the most unique things I've done in my career. It is normally so busy in the sky, but on these days it was very quiet and we had a very appreciative Air Traffic Control who thanked us for being airborne and cleared us to go where ever we needed.

There are constantly airplanes flying over my house since I live about 40 mins from Newark, and the take off patterns happen to include flying over my neighborhood. Anyway, I remember how eerily silent it was in the week after 9/11 because all the planes had been grounded. So weird. My father had left Monday night 9/10 for the West Coast on a business trip. He was stuck in Portland for a week because he couldn't fly home. I remember discussions about he and another guy were thinking of renting a car, and I would meet him in Ohio to pick him up. Then his company was going to send the private jet to get all their stranded employees once the airspace opened back up. Turned out he got on a commercial flight as soon as flights were available again. I remember him telling us he never felt safer flying than that first flight back.

 

[cheernerd5678]

There are constantly airplanes flying over my house since I live about 40 mins from Newark, and the take off patterns happen to include flying over my neighborhood. Anyway, I remember how eerily silent it was in the week after 9/11 because all the planes had been grounded. So weird. My father had left Monday night 9/10 for the West Coast on a business trip. He was stuck in Portland for a week because he couldn't fly home. I remember discussions about he and another guy were thinking of renting a car, and I would meet him in Ohio to pick him up. Then his company was going to send the private jet to get all their stranded employees once the airspace opened back up. Turned out he got on a commercial flight as soon as flights were available again. I remember him telling us he never felt safer flying than that first flight back.

When we moved and airplanes stopped being a scary thing it was weird to me. I wasn't really old enough to remember how we treated planes before 9/11 but after it there always seemed to be fear/nervousness associated with it since we lived just outside of DC. I don't think twice about them anymore because I've been away from it so long.

 

[NJ Coach]

When we moved and airplanes stopped being a scary thing it was weird to me. I wasn't really old enough to remember how we treated planes before 9/11 but after it there always seemed to be fear/nervousness associated with it since we lived just outside of DC. I don't think twice about them anymore because I've been away from it so long.

Airplanes never scared me, before or after. I think because of my proximity to NYC, and knowing they probably won't do the same thing again...it's bridges and tunnels. That is my fear.

 

[caitlyn_the_camille]

4 months later I was flying missions over Afghanistan, a place I never thought I would be.

This gave me chills. I don't think any of it was truly real to me until 2004 when I watched my dad get on a plane for his first deployment. Before then it just seemed like something so far away from me and my life. That made it real.

 

[UCFKnights07]

I was in middle school. I remember them locking the school down and making the entire school sit in the cafeteria, which was the worst idea ever if you can imagine 500 plus kids shoved in a lunch room. Parents trying to pick up their kids was almost impossible because their was no PA system in the lunch room to call kids out to leave. Yeah........it was a nightmare. The school at least learned their lesson the hard way, if something like it ever occurs again.

 

[Tosh]

I was in my office and we were all gathered around the TV in the conference room watching the news. I remember rushing out of the office around 10:30am to go home to pick my kids up from the sitter because we live near Fort Dix in NJ and they were saying that one of the planes turned around and was heading in this direction......All I remember is that I wanted to be with my babies. I could not imagine my live without them and I was really scared given their proximity to everything that they could get hurt......I do feel for the individuals that lost love ones and I thank GOD everyday for the safety of my kids......

 

[cheerKT]

Does anyone remember how every taped American flags to the antennas of their cars?

And there was no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to spread the word either.

I had a conversation with my friends yesterday about having social media during this whole event. How information would have spread differently (and probably inaccurately). I couldn't even imagine.