Where were you when the terrorists struck?

On this anniversary of the attacks on 9/11/01 we reserve this space for you to comment on your opinions, ideas, and thoughts.

For newer posts about other current events, just scroll down.

AP Photo/Aurora, Robert Clark

Comments

[Brad]

I was at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda waiting for casualties from the Pentagon that never came.

[carol]

The day before, my husband, who is a member of the armed forces for over 20 years, and I had a discussion on terrorism, and one of the comments made was how we had never had a serious incident of terrorism at home in the U.S. That "they" meaning the terrorists would not dare try something here. And the very next morning, we woke up to my daughter saying "Mom, a plane just flew into a building". I will never forget that.

[Jared]

I was living in Los Angeles on the way to work, listening to Howard Stern and for the first time... Howard had a very serious and worried tone in his voice as he talked to his listeners. I didn't really understand it at that point, until I went to this job, looked on tv and saw what was happening. To this day, I still get the chills and teary eyed in what had happened.

[chichona]

i was going to the gym early when i arrived i remember silence i said to the receptionist what happend to the music she said don't you know what happend i said no oh my god a plane went through the towers in new york. i went home as fast as i could i was stunned i cried all day and did not go out of my house for weeks

[Kevin Sanchez]

An utterly horrific day in all Americans' lives. Thank you to those who, since then, have guarded our nation through your own sacrifices. Even at a time when our country faces some of its most trying challenges, I have never been more proud to be an American. God bless.

Kevin Sanchez

[Beau Wright]

I was twelve years old on September 11, 2001. I had just walked into my third period history class and watched with my classmates as Flight 175 slam into the South Tower. I recall turning to a friend and saying: "this is going to change the world." My mom was waiting for me outside when I got home that afternoon. I had never seen her crying before. Seven years later, that day remains fresh in my mind. I will never forget.

[dmj]

I had just arrived to work around 5:30 am. I too worked for a Major Investment Company when on the TV they just indicated tha a plane had crashed into one of the twin towers. We thought oh my god how did this happen, always thinking it was an accident when all of a sudden before our eyes we see another plane hit the other tower. At that point we realized this was no accident. Our Operations Manager came around to our floor and stated that everyone was to go home immediately. We all gathered our things and left the building and proceeded to go home. Home took all day for me as Rail transportation had come to a stop. I learned later on that The Pentagon was also attached. It was a very sad day for everyone in America.

[Robert Rivers]

I live in Manhattan, three miles from where the World Trade Center stood. Those towers were just about part of my daily view when I went to the supermarket, the gym or to work. For the rest of my life, I'll never forget the almost storybook beauty of that early Tuesday morning. Late night rain had cleared out Monday's mugginess. About 7:30, I went around the corner to grab a cup of coffee. I ran into a buddy who remarked that the weather made him feel like singing "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning" from OKLAHOMA. We chuckled.

On my way back into my apartment building, I remember thinking that it was such a crystal blue day that it felt like those gorgeous mornings I loved when I was a kid back home in South Central Los Angeles. I never told anyone this, but I recall thinking to myself as I looked up, "Wow. What a beautiful sky. It's just like the sky that day at school when the teacher told that President Kennedy had been killed." In the following hour that Tuesday morning, I would once again be in a country united in national shock and grief from a tragedy that would affect all our lives.

My windows were opened wide and I heard the sonic boom-like roar of the first plane overhead followed by a distant boom. The rest of the horror, I saw on live television.

[Karen]

I hadn't slept well the night before so I slept in on September 11th, 2001. I awoke to the news that New York was closed below 14th Street. As I listened, the whole thing took on a kind of unreality, the kind that cushions you when your doctor tells you you have cancer or when you see someone dead in the street. It was Primary Day so I got dressed to go and vote. When I got to the polls, the policeman was agitated, his ear pressed to his communication device. "The second tower just fell," he said. I voted and went back home. It felt as if doing something normal would erase the horror but of course ti didn't. Every year on Septemmber 11th, I have to stop and catch my breath. My poor niece has a birthdaay on September 11th and thinks it's forever ruined. I tell her that she redeems the day for me.

[Tim]

I was driving my daughter to school and heard the news on the car radio.

[Lino Gilbert K. Parone]

It was already Wednesday morning in the Philippines, September 12, 2001 and I woke up late. My wife and daughter already left for school. About 8:30 a.m. (Philippine time) I opened the television for some morning news when the first images of the burning twin towers came up. I initially thought I mistakenly pressed the HBO or Cinemax channel instead of CNN. But some seconds later I realized this was not a movie clip I was watching, that New York's twin towers were really on fire and that these images were all being beamed live. I wanted to leave for our news office in the city right away but the urge not to miss any detail from the incident as played on TV glued me to my living room seat, my notebook in hand. I decided I would come late today and phoned my editor at Cebu Daily News Thea Rinen. I was sure a lot of Filipinos were working on the WTC towers and that was our concern. The chance of having countrymen in there who actually came from my province was equally high that I stayed on until about after 2 p.m. Philippine time. Relatives? None, but my wife had friends who just arrived in New York a few months before to teach. So I was not really that worried knowing it was impossible for them to be at the WTC at that time. The day wore on with me fidgeting, walking around the house as dishes piled remained unwashed in the sink. After a quick lunch I decided to leave for work.
Cebu City went on life as usual that day but conversations everywhere, even in public transport like jeepneys and tricycles, were on the happenings in New York, with some about their relatives or family members they did not exactly know where at that exact moment in that city.
When I arrived at the newsroom I already knew what headline was coming out the following day, and I didn't bother to open my computer at my desk -- I joined my colleagues crowding one of the two televisions in our office, faces drawn, coffee cups in hand. This was going to be a long, long day, I thought.

[Gustavo Pennock]

In Washington DC - Sept. 11, 2001

At the time I was working on a program for the FAA. My office was located directly across the rear entrance to the National Air & Space Museum, at the National Mall. After receiving orders to evacuate all buildings and leave the city immediately, thousands of people, mostly commuters, ran towards all nearest Metro stations, evidently these where not able to support the mass of traffic of an approximately 40,000 people. Parallel to the chaos at the Pentagon due to the AA B757 strike, additional -misinformed- news were been broadcasted via radio and TV that was considered relevant, Among them were the State Department headquarter building had been struck by a car bomb at its main entrance and the USA Today building in Arlington, VA (just across the Potomac river) was engulfed by fire. The misfortune of the prevailing chaos increased a sense of paranoia to most people. At the time I resided in Crystal City, VA who is an adjacent area to the Pentagon, and next to Reagan National Airport. In lieu of the reports of the bombing and the enormous trail of smoke from the incident at the Pentagon, a co-worker and myself decided to better evacuate the city into Virginia by foot via the 14th St. bridge since we suspected that the most ideal location for additional alleged bombings to occurred -beside the White House or the Capitol- would be the Metro's rail track that crosses the Potomac River parallel to the street bridge since this could literally block the massive exodus of people in DC and subsequent loss of lives shall the Metro's six-car train falls into the river. Upon my friend and I were able to cross the street bridge and soon arriving to the Virginia side, the military police were blocking all access to any area in the perimeter of the Pentagon as its building was simultaneously evacuating all 18,000 employees and emergency response units attended the massive fire on the east side E ring building. Upon observing the hundreds of people -like ourselves- who exited DC to find solace across the Potomac and the short staffed impromptu blockade set by the military police, they soon become overpowered and people started to walk across an affluent freeway that runs along the riverside, whom to our shock and dismay, we witness a dozen of people getting hit by the crossing traffic and viewing bodies and body parts laying on the freeway lanes. To this day I can stop remembering that particular scene every time I read or view any particular article or documentaries relating to the events of 9/11.

[Willie]

I was in Ennis, Ireland in a pub having lunch. My brother and his then fiancee were getting married in Ireland and myself and my Mother and Father were there to help celebrate the nuptials. As we sat there the place became very quiet and some local said to my father "I'm so sorry" and told us all to come to the TV. We all got up and to our utter dismay watched as the second plane hit the South Tower. The memory has never faded.

[Lisa]

I was on my way to work and my friend rang on my cell. I asked her how she was and her reply was 'good thanks, glad I'm not in NY'. Quite odd I thought, until I saw a tv on my way past an electrical store. I was quite literally stunned into a standstill. For days after, I kept walking across the park to see my mum, thinking, will I be able to do this for long, are we going to be hit next? It certainly made me appreciate things more, and I made a trip to NYC the following February, to pay my respects and show my support. It broke my heart. God Bless you all.

Lisa. London.

[Charles]

I was sleeping when my mother told me that something was on fire in New York, being from Los Angeles I figured that it was a forest fire of some sort. I remember waking a few minutes later and thinking "forest fire in New York?, no way". As usual I turned on the TV to catch some news before heading out to school. Steve Edwards was in a sterious tone with live pictures...I was stunned. I was angerly watching every second of the broadcast when the second tower was hit. When the tower collapsed I remember the cast saying something like " there is another explosion", then "Oh my god". The realization that we were witnessing the collapse of the towers was unforseen even though the towers were on fire.

[M. P. Goel]

As my wife and myself moved to our own home where we still live we were slowly trying to settle in. This event was a rude shock and most unsettling. We
had chosen to be US Citizens (Originally from India) and planned to be very good neighbours we felt a little destabilized. Shortly thereafter we had the Halloween Day and we both wondered if children in our neighbourhood would
even visit us. We both were very pleasantly surprised on their great Welcome Visit and love for us. GOD BLESS AMERICA.

[LP]

Saudi Arabian Extremist flew into those buildings killing close to 3000
people. We then attack Aghanistan to hunt Bin Laden. Good move
Too bad we gave up and he is still alive! We then attack Iraq. Killing hundreds of thousands of women and children.
We have 5 thousand U.S. Troops killed and 5 Thousand more Allies Killed
because we invaded the WRONG Country. Where is the memorial for our Dead Troops???? Our Goverment keeps these facts from us in the media. WAKE UP AMERICA! I know lets vote McCain in for FOUR MORE YEARS OF THE SAME!!
Please God Almighty help The American People really think about this coming election and vote the man in that will end this WRONG INVASION.
May Peace find us someday again.

[DUDE!]

I was in Johnson City, TN on business and was headed down to the lobby to check out and drive back to Nashville for my flight back to San Diego. As I entered the lobby it was quiet and everyone was watching the television. I noticed smoke coming from one of the towers and a lady said to me that an airplane had hit the building. I thought to myself "how in the hell can an airlpane not avoid hitting one of the WTC towers?" I automatically assumed it was a small Cessna type plane and proceeded to check out. As I was walking out the second jet hit the other tower. That was when it sunk in that this was an attack. I stopped by my assignment one more time prior to hitting the road and heard on the radio that one of the towers had just fallen and they'd announced that all flights were grounded. I spent three days in Nashville until I could catch a flight home.

[Caroline]

I was getting ready to go to work at an L.A. elementary school. I remember many thing from that day, especially trying to help my students feel safe since they were very little, saw it on TV before school, and didn't know where New York was.

I also remember that I neglected my own children by staying at work that day and going to work on Sept. 12. I am a single parent. My young son was very upset the day after and stayed home from school crying. I didn't feel I could stay with him. All I could do was try to comfort him by cellphone as I drove to work. My principal probably would have been mad at me if I had missed work that day and I was probationary.

Our principal never mentioned one word of thanks to all of us for neglecting our own children in order to be there consistently for the students. The only word of thanks I ever received was a form letter from Superintendent Romer. At least he had the decency to recognize our personal sacrifices.

Perhaps this story is a perfect picture of all that is wrong with the bad schools in LAUSD? Perhaps too many people in charge in that district lack basic compassion for their fellow man and that is why those schools are so screwed up?

[Jennifer Lynn]

At the time I was living in New York City, I was in Psychology class at Kingsborough Community College and I was going to change one of my courses being it was the 2nd day of classes when the cafeteria was crowded watching the televisions. I was beyond shocked when I saw it unravel on television. I was just in the World Trade Center 3 days before the attack. I immediately called my parents since my father always had breakfast in one of the towers every morning. Thankfully he was already in his office in Jersey City when it happened. he saw the whole thing from his office window. My mother and sister were at the high school in Chinatown when they felt the plane hit the buildings, they said it felt like an earthquake. It took me over 6 hours to get home that day. The moment my father walked in the door, I hugged him so tight that I didn't want to let him go. 2 years later, I got a job across the street from Ground Zero, watching every day for 3 years as they started building.

[Tim L.]

My first buisness trip away from my wife and 15 month old daughter, was to Wichita Kansas, on September 10th. The next morning I woke up, already running late to a meeting, and went to the business lounge of my hotel. I walked in to a Television showing smoke coming from one of the World Trade center towers. The newscasters thought it might have been a small plane crash, and talked about how a plane crashed into the empire state building one time. I grabbed a cup of coffee, and got closer to the TV, and watched as a plane got closer to the 2nd tower, and then BLAM! The Biggest real Explosion I have ever witnessed in my life! Oh My God! My coffee went flying on another businessman next to me, I got shivers all over my body, and thought "This is It" the terrorists have brought it to us!

[Caleb Day]

I was a sophomore @ Westmont College in Santa Barbara, and was sleeping as most students were, considering the early hours of the morning. My bed was located on a top bunk, and I had never, and have never since then, fallen off in my sleep. I remember having a terrible dream, and while tossing and turning, fell off my bunk bed, crashing onto the floor and couch below. I woke up in a shock, and, slightly embarrassed, crawled back up into bed. Before I did though, I glanced at the clock, which read "5:47am". It was at that exact moment that the first plane slammed into the WTC. A couple of hours later my roommate woke me up with the horrific news, claiming the world would soon be ending. The entire day our campus mourned and prayed for the victims, as we struggled to fully comprehend the severity of what had just occurred. One positive from the situation was how America rallied around our flag, our country, while voicing/enacting genuine and steel-willed support for our brothers and sisters. Although everyone, including our political leaders, make mistakes, ultimately we all strive to manufacture an environment that is conducive to liberty and justice for all.

[Captain Howdy]

I was in Phoenix on the 17 freeway near the Thomas Road Exit heading south to work. I did not know what happened. I was listening to the local broadcast of the Howard Stern show, when the local DJ cut in and said that they were going live to the show in New York, because of the exident. I listend to it unfold as Howard explained what was happening.
When I got to work all the TVs were on CNN and we were watching it unfold live.

[rob]

I work within sight of the towers, and watched them collapse. I work at a college, and I thought our attendance would collapse because of fears of terrorism. I was wrong. We get twice as many applications as before. People are not scared like we expected.

[SC]

We were waking up to our baseball radio station expecting to hear replays/talk about the previous night's game (can't even remember who the Giants played the night before - not that it really matters) - instead we heard our announcers talking about a plane crash. As I started to fall back asleep, my boyfriend shook me and told me to turn on the television - QUICK!

Still, to this day, can't believe what we saw, nor can we ever forget it.