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PLEASE...let us NEVER FORGET!
Where were you when it happened?
I was the Front-Office Manager at GuestHouse Inn & Suites, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, off of 51st and Mingo. The TV in the lobby was on with the local news. They cut to the breaking news of the first plane hitting the tower. I remember remarking, "Wow, that's a pretty dumb pilot! What the hell was he doing flying so low over New York City and how could he not see that building in front of him." Then the second plane hit...there was pin-drop silence in that hotel-lobby. The lady who set up our complimentary breakfast was an older lady who had been around the time of Pearl Harbor...clutching her throat, in a trembling voice, she said, "I think World War III just started!" I was 30 years old then...standing next to me was Irena Avdavovich, a Bosnian refugee who was our Asst. Sales & Marketing Manager, and in the hallway was our GM, Guy Lucas, a French-Canadian...

Green_Soldier71 7 Sep 11
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5

Was running errands, tv on in vet's waiting room, I asked what was going on, they told me, I immediately said, "well, there goes our civil rights". Was I wrong?

5

I was only 11 years old at the time..I didn't hear about it until a few weeks later.. My parents had passed a year earlier.. I cut myself off from the world for awhile...

4

I walked under Tower 1 about 20 minutes before the first plane hit. My desk, in a building a short distance away, vibrated slightly. Almost immediately, my phone rang and a former co-worker who worked nearby said "Hey, did you hear a plane just hit the Trade Center?" He thought it was a small plane but was not sure, one of those instant-news report things.

I immediately told him to call his pregnant wife and tell her he was OK. He asked why? I said "This has to be a terrorist attack. Planes, especially small ones, are not allowed to fly over Manhattan."

Little did I know.

Later that morning, again remembering that my office is maybe 1/4 mile from the Tower site, my office phone rang. My son was on the line. He asked" Dad, are you OK?" It was the most scared I'd ever heard him. It was sobering. 3,000 other people didn't get to pick up their phones that day.

When each of the towers collapsed, the whole of lower Manhattan was enveloped in a cloud of ash and dust. Through my office window, I could not see the buildings across the street.

Several hours, another plane impact, and two collapsed towers later I was one of the boat people evacuated to New Jersey. To get to the ferry at a makeshift dock on the South Street Seaport, I had to walk through what at times was a few inches of ash.

4

I was working in downtown Houston in Chase Tower, on the 31st floor. It is a finance firm and we had TVs all over. We watched after the first plane hit and everyone just stood there silently watching. When the second plane hit one of the brokers that I worked with said this is the start of world war three. Since we were in one of the tallest buildings in Houston the management allowed any of us who wanted to go home to do so. My two sons kept calling me and telling me to get out of the building, they were afraid that more planes were coming all over the country. It was a very scary day for all of us.

3

In a Las Vegas hotel room, I turned on Howard Stern as my 1st movement of the morning. I thought is was a bit, but then grew suspicious as nothing funny was being said. A pall overcame the Strip & flowers were laid at the pseudo Statue of Liberty fronting the New York New York casino. Surreal. Saudi's did it. So we attacked Iraq. Outgoing President Clinton warned Dubya of the impending threat. Are we at a better place? Do we understand why we are hated by those that lived under OUR imposed dictators? Declare you a potential "terrorist" "communist" "Sandinista" "colored person with a broken tail light" & torture becomes an accepted American policy. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance, not eternal vigilanties.

3

I was at my house in a suburb of Minneapolis, I don't remember how I heard about it, I think it must have been the internet, had the tv on downstairs, went down to watch it. Frightening time. It led to a useless war that had nothing to do with the people responsible, Saudi's.

2

Instead of going into work, I was scheduled to take a training class 15 miles south. As I passed the airport, my car failed. I pulled into a hotel and in the lobby, the TV was showing the 1st tower on fire. When the tow truck came, he said we'd detour a bit around the airport, but by then, the streets were in complete gridlock. Eight miles and almost two hours later I got home to see the rest.

So if 3000 died that day, and another 3000 from lung disease, how does that compare to 192,000 and counting? And yet half the country worship the resident terrorist in the hope of overturning Roe and banning birth control... Effing American Taliban.

2

I was scheduled to be there to make a delivery. I was there the day before and remember looking at the buildings jutting from the Manhattan skyline. Something I always did on trips to New York. I live in Philly. A 2 hour drive away. There were L.E.D. signs posted along the highway saying that N.Y. was closed and when I arrived at my pickup they told me the job was canceled. I heard about it on the radio and saw what had happened when I got home. I was shocked, saddened and grateful. May it never happen again.

Thankfully you weren’t there earlier. The less people the better.

2

Similar to others, The first plane had just hit as I pulled out of my garage and the second hit as I pulled into work. I sat alone in my lab all morning, listening to events unfold on the radio. I did not want to watch folks dying in real time on TV. I spent much of that morning talking online with a 22 YO intern in France. It was interesting experiencing it in real time here while he was hearing it as just rumors across the sea from us.

It is impossible for me to forget. I do not need reminded to remember,

Zster Level 8 Sep 11, 2020
2

I walked onto shift and the young people at the drop in were all watching the tele, I asked what movie it was and they said it was the news.

2

Having breakfast with my brother in law in a ocean front restaurant in Lake Worth, FL. I recall telling him "this ain't no accident" when coverage speculated.on the first crash/fire.

2

A bank teller told me about the first one. I got home and tuned in just in time for the second one. Freaky feeling. Doom.

1

Sitting in front of t.v. with a bad case of pneumonia. Feeling sorry for myself until I saw this. Astounded, dis-belief, sorrow, anger.....

1

Was in my clinic when I saw it, first response was terrorist

bobwjr Level 10 Sep 12, 2020
1

Growing up in Manhattan, I recall the construction of the World Trade Center and being amazed at the cranes so high up in the sky. I worked 2 blocks away from the towers since the 1980's. The only reason I wasn't there that day is because I was on maternity leave with my newborn twins. My colleagues at the office watched the horror unfold from the 27th floor cafeteria. They saw the fires and people leaping out of the windows and were terrified for their own lives. I am grateful every day that I was spared that trauma. The smoke lingered in the air for days. The city was covered with makeshift bulletin boards of missing person posters and it was heartbreaking.

1

It was my senior year of HS, no mention of anything until 2nd period walking into my art class and seeing news on television. Everything stopped, kids who were distraught were allowed to go home.

1

I remember it like it was yesterday... I was VP of a national lender in Frederick, MD doing an inspection/visitation of one of our branches. I heard on WTOP radio that the first plane had crashed as I was arriving there and they were thinking it might be an accident of some sort. They just didn't know. Across the hallway from our branch was one of the big investment houses branches (Don't recall the name)… They have TVs plastered all along the wall to monitor news, stock etc. They were replaying the 1st plane hitting and the second plane hit while I was in their office trying to find out more of what was going on. Then we ALL knew we were under attack!

Later... The plane hit the Pentagon and one of my employees started crying because her husband was there that day. (Opposite side of building it turned out.) I immediately called all my branches and instituted liberal leave for the day. Some people were scared to stay at work as we just didn't know how far it would go... Some of our offices were in or near some pretty upscale places.

I remember the combined feeling of being gutshot, mad as hell and sad at the same time. I still do. That day started the decline of America... we have continued down that path since then. Let's see how smart we are this election cycle. My faith will be lost or restored at that time.

1

I had just poured my first cup of coffee, beginning another workday in my home office in Berea, KY. I switched my computer on, and a news feature said that a small plane had crashed into the WTC. As my caffeine-deficient brain was processing that, an update said another plane had crashed into the other tower. It all seemed so surreal on that perfectly cloudless day with a hint of fall in the air.

However, as the caffeine started kicking in, I recalled a then new book I had just read, Chalmers Johnson's "Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire" and started speculating about which chickens of our foreign policy were coming home to roost.

1

I was on 13th floor of a new hi rise bldg @ 5 Times Square organizing 16 guys crew over 32 floors when my ex called and asked what’s going on. I was clueless about first plane but when i walked over to NE corner I was able to see huge ABC network tv screen and second plane hit south tower. Within half an hour emergency horn blew signal to evacuate the building and we gathered at muster point. Lost cell phone signal and walked north on Madison Avenue when first tower went down. When I got to friends restaurant I used lend line to call ex and learned that there’s another twentysomething a unaccounted plains in the air. Got home around 7:30. Tomorrow morning drove into city to line up at Javits center as volunteer for cleanup. Sad,sad,sad...

1

I was weedeating a gigantic hill. First actual job after I left the military. I heard about it from a coworker and of course was speechless for quite awhile. Once the shock wore off in the back of my head a piece of my military mind went "shit we're going back" then the logic side of my brain went "nah fuck that."

1

I was driving the 20 mile commute, across Colorado's high plains, to my job. The radio would cut out every time I hit a dip in the ground. But I did hear some djs talking about a plane hitting a skyscraper, which I thought was a part of some joke they were telling.
When I got to work, a co-worker was watching it all unfold on CNN. I said to him "Well, I guess it was no joke?". To which, he replied "No. No joke". Then, he remarked that he had a cousin who worked in one of those towers. Then, the second plane impacted. And I felt like someone hit me in the head with a hammer. I'd seen a lot of dramatic/ historic events unfold on television. But nothing like that. And I immediately knew the death toll was going to be enormous. I continued to feel like I'd been hit in the head with a hammer, for the duration of that week.
My co-worker called his cousin the next day, and he was alright. He worked high up in the first tower that was hit. Their boss told them "Don't worry! Its just an air conditioning unit, falling off the roof! It happens all the time!" But as their offices started to fill up with smoke, they realized it was something more serious, and they hightailed it down the stairs, and out of the building.

1

Time locked into a Memory of these massive traumatic events!!!

Anniversary syndrome!!!

Other dates that have might give a clear memory of the day of that event if you are old enough!

I only list two, I personally have almost too many to count in my short lifetime of sixty nine years:

Those old enough to remember November 23 1963 can tell you the exact moment and place they were when it happened!!!

Another date in infamy is April 30 1975, are you one of the survivors, can tell the tell of that day!!!

1

I was driving into work on the freeway when news of the first plane hitting the towers broke. The report was sketchy and I thought it was probably some idiot who didn't know how to fly. When news of the second plane hitting the towers came, it was obvious something else was going on. I got to the office shortly after the second plane hit and the office was buzzing with the news. Someone set up a TV in a conference room and most people from all departments crowded around this TV. I had a boss at the time who was mad because those of us in his dept weren't working as usual. A half dozen of us under him eventually organized a run to the blood bank to donate blood. When we arrived, the waiting room had one or two others waiting their their turn. When we were done and ready to go, the waiting room was standing room only and about twice as many people were waiting outside.

@Green_Soldier71 - For a start, we need consistent leadership that is not completely self serving and driving wedges in the populace. We can't be turning on one another and expect nationalism/patriotism from the citizenry.

1

I was in my living room and my stepfather called me on the phone and said to turn on my TV.

1

I watched it live on tv. I have a long story to tell about it but I don't feel like narrating it right now.

@Green_Soldier71 okay, here's a little. I was watching the end of The today show, preparing for a 9:00 phone conference. At 5 minutes to the hour we usually have local news, but the network switched back to a live shot of the first tower burning. The story was that an airplane had apparently hit the building. As I sat and watched the tv, the second plane hit.

I was working for a company that was extremely profit-oriented, and I would have been criticized for distracting the meeting by telling them what I had seen. I turned the TV off so I wouldn't be distracted, it would have been impossible to ignore.

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