Where were you on 911?

Over here in Korea.....woke up to find a note from my wife on the kitchen table; something like 'Look at CNN....you won't believe what is happening'). I got on the computer and the first thing I saw was a headline "America Under Attack", with one of the towers on fire. In utter disbleief (was this some kind of hack? A prank? How could this be?), I ran into the LR and turned on the TV just in time to se the second plane hit..........I sort of remember my knees buckling and that's about it for a long while.......

I was asleep when I received a call from my husband who is the Operations Manager at LAX control tower. He told me that two planes has just flown into the towers and that it was believed to be a terrorist attack. For the rest of the day, aside from an occasional potty break, I sat in my family room, glued to the TV as it all unfurled.

Several times during the day, the local news broke to the airport ... the eerily empty airport ... where news reporters would talk about another 'scare', possible bomb, etc. My husband was able to call occasionally but they were so busy that he had little time to do anything. After all the flights were grounded and there was no more air traffic, there was still a need for a skeleton crew at the tower. As the Ops Mgr, hubby was part of that skeleton crew. They had to evacuate the tower once but because the threat was believed to be so near, they were not able to go to their assigned evacuation point but were forced into the basement by FBI agents and police. (There were several FBI agents on hand, some of whom knew people directly affected by the Pentagon attack. and were having a hard time with everything as well.) Hubby said it was a very hard day for everybody at the tower. After watching to special on NBC tonight about the controllers who were involved with the actual highjacked flights, I can be thankful that my husband's involvement was not as direct.

By the time he got home that evening, after 12 hours at work, he was emotionally drained. It was the first time that our son had ever seen his father cry ... a very touching moment in our family indeed.

Praying nothing else like this ever happens again. My heart is still broken for the people who were murdered that day and for all their loved ones who have to live with the voids caused by the terrorists.

quote:

Originally posted by FutureBack.Mom:
By the time he got home that evening, after 12 hours at work, he was emotionally drained. It was the first time that our son had ever seen his father cry ... a very touching moment in our family indeed.

Praying nothing else like this ever happens again. My heart is still broken for the people who were murdered that day and for all their loved ones who have to live with the voids caused by the terrorists.

Amen,

Your husbands tears will make your son stronger.....please accept my thanks for your familes efforts in a time of great need. You all are heroes and your son probably grew as a man that day!!!!

May God Bless you and your family!!!!!

A high school student commented to me the other day that someday they would be telling their own kids "I remember where I was on 9/11". They are just starting to see themselves as having lived through an important - and tragic - moment in history.

I was on my daily walk with my neighbor. We got back to her house and she invited me in for a cup of tea. She has a message from her husband that just said "you better turn on the TV." We did and at that point it was still thought that a plane had accidently hit the WTC. We watched for a few moments and then suddenly realized that they were now showing us scenes from the Pentagon. That's when we knew it was more than an accident. I can still remember the feelings that ran through my body, like an electric shock.

I went home and turned on the TV and, although I know it's not accurate, my memory tells me we did nothing but sit in front of the screen for the next two weeks in a state of utter shock and disbelief. In the early days we saw scenes that have never been replayed, and those are the things that have stayed in my mind the longest and clearest... when I see reminders to "never forget" I know that I never will.

We were in a different time zone,...across the ocean on an island. Got the news at 4 am,...the dreaded "phone call". Calls that come at 4 in the morning are never good. My insides started trembling. Husband jumped up into commando mode,...he's a military guy. I've seen this reaction only a few times before,..Panama and Saudi. He had to get to the Main Post and didn't know when he would get back. " Stay by the cell phone,...if I can get a secured phone line I'll call you. "


"Dont leave the house", he said,...." Keep the kids together and keep the phone lines clear".

A few seconds later as he's running out the front door, " I love you ".
He left into the dark.

We were on threat-com Delta,..never experienced that before.

Before 5 a.m. the military housing gates were buzzing with army personel in full gear with loaded m16's. We were in complete lock-down. No one comes in or out, NO ONE!! The posts and military bases were secured, the housing was secured, the island of Oahu was being protected by the Air Force and the Navy's fighter pilots crossing over continuously in steady streams over head, circling the island. This time their buzz was errie sounding.

America was under ATTACK. Would the terrorists hit again,..and if so where?

I made one phone call,..to my sister and mom. I woke them up. They were both in the hospital. My sister had just had her third baby boy. They hadn't heard yet,...it was such a hard phone call. "Mom,..its me. Is sis and the baby ok? Good. Mom I hate to tell you this but you have to turn on the news. Its bad mom,..really bad. We are under attack. You had to know. I love you all. I have to get off the phone".
Silence,...............

I have never felt so far away from my family EVER...but yet even more so,..we felt sooo far away from the conus land. America's land. America's home. Family, friends, Americans,...were all so far away.

For the first time in my life I felt stranded and helpless. There was no way to help.

To this day we fly our " We will always Remember " flag right next to the United States flag and United States Army flag. The hubby doesnt ask anymore,..he just knows,....every time we pcs ( move ) he has to install three new flag pole holders. We fly those flags as a tribute and a rememberance. Its something I vowed we would do everyday, forever.

God Bless those who perished on that horrific day. God Bless the people who lost loved ones, friends,& co workers. God Bless those who helped and those who couldn't.

September 11,..a day the World will never forget.

~ America shall overcome ~

** GOD BLESS THE USA **

I saw smoke from lower Manhattan from my office window and then watched the plane hit the second tower on television. Thet night was spent handing out meals and water at the New Jersey base of the Goethals Bridge, which was shut down, as was every artery to NYC. The following morning I took an erie trip with emergency management personnel and vehicles through the Holland Tunnel into lower Manhattan with our mobile communications center, which we were bringing in for use by the NYFD because their communications system was destroyed. When I saw what happened and what was going on, it was like a childhood nightmare of hell on earth. The most hearbreaking thing was watching families desperately searching for their loved ones. I still cannot drive on the Garden State Parkway or the Turnpike near NYC without recalling the two towers of the WTC as they majestically stood above the other buildings in New York City, before they were turned into death chambers by terrorists on 9/11.

I was in the firehouse watching the news as they said a small plane had hit the Trade Center. We watched more news and realized it was not a small plane. Shortly after a second plane hit and we new that we had just been invaded on our home turf. The phones in the firehouse began to ring as we were being told of upcoming briefings. Within a half hour we were told we were headed to the Bronx to cover some of the Borough since almost all FDNY units were headed to Manhattan.

As we then watched the first tower fall and realized how many of our Brothers had just been murdered while trying to rescue others.

Before the second tower came down my crew was on it's way to lower Manhattan. The second tower was already down before we arrived. I spent the next 14 hours of that day at the site and parts of the next few.

Watching the skyline of NY protected by F-14's during the afternoon of 9/11 was a site etched in my mind forever. One would have never thought it would ever be necessary.

In all 343 firefighters were murdered on 9/11. Let their memories and those of the police officers never be forgotten. These brave men and women of NY gave of themselves so others can live.

I still hate the fact of what my family had to go through with the uncertainty of the situation and all the false reports that were coming out of the news stations. What the families of those who died that day had to endure is just unbelievable...How they have been able to go forward is even more a credit to their strength.

Tomorrow AM parts of my crew from 5 years ago and those in my new crew will head back down as we have the past few years to pay our respects and spend a day together.....

For the last 4 years, my daughter who is a SR at UMAss, always calls just to say she's thinking of me and of my "Brothers"...

I am in awe of your stories! Coach Merc, I will be thinking of you and your family on 9/11.

I am a teacher and I was at school with my 3rd graders. The principal came into my room and called me outside the door to tell me. Wow! How I was able to maintain my composure and go back into my classroom and act normal I will never know. The principal didn't want the kids to know, so as not to scare them. On my break, I went to the lounge and watched the news on TV. Parents started trickling in to pick up their kids. By the end of the day, I only had 3-4 kids. Sometimes, it's really hard to be a teacher!

TWO THOUSAND ONE, NINE ELEVEN (2001-911) ­
­ ­
­Two thousand one, nine eleven ­
­Three thousand plus arrive in heaven ­
­As they pass through the gate, ­
­Thousands more appear in wait ­
­ ­
­A bearded man with stovepipe hat ­
­Steps forward saying, "Lets sit, lets chat" ­
­They settle down in seats of clouds ­
­A man named Martin shouts out proud ­
­"I have a dream!" and once he did ­
­The Newcomer said, "Your dream still lives." ­
­ ­
­Groups of soldiers in blue and gray ­
­Others in khaki, and green then say ­
­"We're from Bull Run, Yorktown, the Maine " ­
­The Newcomer said, "You died not in vain." ­
­ ­
­From a man on sticks one could hear ­
­"The only thing we have to fear. ­
­The Newcomer said, "We know the rest, ­
­Trust us sir, we've passed that test." ­
­ ­
­"Courage doesn't hide in caves ­
­You can't bury freedom, in a grave," ­
­The Newcomers had heard this voice before ­
­A distinct Yankees twang from Hyannis port shores ­
­ ­
­A silence fell within the mist ­
­Somehow the Newcomer knew that this ­
­Meant time had come for her to say ­
­What was in the hearts of the five thousand plus that day ­
­ ­
­"Back on Earth, we wrote reports, ­
­Watched our children play in sports ­
­Worked our gardens, sang our songs ­
­Went to church and clipped coupons ­
­ ­
­We smiled, we laughed, ­
­we cried, we fought ­
­Unlike you, great we're not" ­
­ ­
­The tall man in the stovepipe hat ­
­Stood and said, "Don't talk like that! ­
­Look at your country, look and see ­
­You died for freedom, just like me" ­
­ ­
­Then, before them all appeared a scene ­
­Of rubbled streets and twisted beams ­
­Death, destruction, smoke and dust ­
­And people working just 'cause they must ­
­ ­
­Hauling ash, lifting stones, ­
­Knee deep in hell, but not alone ­
­"Look! Blackman, Whiteman, Brownman, Yellowman ­
­Side by side helping their fellow man!" ­
­ ­
­So said Martin, as he watched the scene ­
­"Even from nightmares, can be born a dream." ­
­Down below three firemen raised ­
­The colors high into ashen haze ­
­ ­
­ The soldiers above had seen it before ­
­On Iwo Jima back in '45 ­
­The man on sticks studied everything closely ­
­Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly ­
­ ­
­"I see pain, I see tears, ­
­I see sorrow -- but I don't see fear." ­
­"You left behind husbands and wives ­
­Daughters and sons and so many lives ­
­Are suffering now because of this wrong ­
­But look very closely. You're not really gone. ­
­ ­
­All of those people, even those who've never met you ­
­All of their lives, they'll never forget you ­
­Don't you see what has happened? ­
­Don't you see what you've done? ­
­You've brought them together, together as one. ­
­ ­
­With that the man in the stovepipe hat said ­
­"Take my hand," and from there he led ­
­Three thousand plus heroes, Newcomers to heaven ­
­On this day, two thousand one, nine eleven ­
­ ­
­Author UNKNOWN (What a shame!)­
­ ­
­September 11, 2006, will soon be approaching. On this day, please wear red, white and blue to work or school to show your support for those who lost their lives on 9~11~01 and to honor the heroes who worked to save them and the families left behind At noon your time on September 11, 2006, no matter where you are or what you are doing, stop, put your hand on your heart, and say the Pledge of Allegiance out loud or to yourself and say a prayer for our nation. ­
­ ­
­In addition, for those of us who drive to work, please drive with your headlights on to also give honor and remembrance to those who perished on September 11th. ­
­ ­
­If all of us do this together in every time zone round the world, we will have a powerful chain of thoughts surrounding us. Please keep this going to your friends and family.­
­By September 11, 2006 hopefully enough people will have read this and will join together in unity.

I had been given an assignment by American Express to go to British Columbia for a month, to leave on 9/12. I had just finished packing when we turned on the TV. The planes had just landed into the Towers, not long after they collapsed. I had to leave to get over to American Express immediatley to resume my position as a supervisor and it is a day I will never forget. I knew there would be many people stranded all over the US and would need assistance in getting home somehow. You would not beleive how many people were ANGRY that their flights had been cancelled indefinetly, yelling as if it were our fault, all the while we knew that we had lost many of our coworkers in NY(our corporate headquarters next to the Towers) and our NY building most likely.
We had many people calling us for information regarding loved ones on the plane. For weeks and weeks afterwards, seemed like everyone who called had some relationship with someone who lost their lives that day. I was to leave a week later for my assignment but decided it was in my family's best interest to remain at home.

My sister-in-law worked at the science museum directly across from the Towers in NJ and watched the whole thing unfold before her eyes, there are no words to describe how she felt that day seeing it all live and in person.

CoachMerc: Thank you for sharing your story, it has brought this event even closer to our hearts and home. Tomorrow I will now say an additional special prayer for you and your brothers.

As to where I was on this day 5 years ago, I was on the phone to another webster, catchallmom, after dropping my boys off at school, her husband is a pilot for AA as is my brother in law. As we were talking her son (now a Sr. in HS)came into the room and said that a plane had just hit the WTC and my first thought was how could a plane hit something that big on accident,,,,,,,scary thought to have at that moment....what we saw and watched together while still on the phone still haunts me.....

This tragic event has touched us all with a constant heartache for those innocent victims....... 2 of the things I remember,in addition to all the pain and anger, are:

1. What we knew to be true and safe was forever changed in our lives that morning.

2. And the other thing that I will remember, living so close to DFW was the errieness of the days following of not seeing or hearing anything, absolutely nothing overhead.......

Thank you to all that helped our country during this horrific event, the police, the fireman, the city employees, the military and those in the business of air traffic/flight........

To those that lost someone we have not forgotten, we will never forget and our heart continues to ache.............

It is our charge as adults to continue to educate those generations that have come and will come after 9/11/01 on what we had before 9/11 and what we lost so dear to us.....................

Was in an office with a police task force composed of local, state and federal agents, 20 miles from Camp David and the Underground Pentagon, 60 miles from D.C., and about 100 miles east of Shanksville. After the three planes crashed, received a call that the fourth plane would be entering our airspace and to get everybody out of the building.

Sitting watching the second plane hit the Towers one of the officers said "alot of our brothers in blue died today." I will never forget the look in his eyes. The depth of sorrow and the level of rage made me weep. I was glad my sons saw me cry that day, I truly believe they came to understand why America is the greatest nation to ever exist and share an appreciation and love of their country.

Thank you to all the firefighters, policeman and servicemen and women on this board and across the nation. God bless America.

I can't read through my tears any longer...

God Bless all of you that were affected and God Bless all of you that stepped up and helped that day...and continue to help to this day in our united fight against this dispicable scourge.

Thank you catcher09 for posting this...we can not forget...we must remain vigilant...the world must rid itself of this evil.

Oh my God. I, too, have tears reading this... Thank you, catcher09, for posting this.

Special prayers for all of you who so directly witnessed and were affected by this horrific event.

Blessed thanks to all who participated in helping on that day-- forward...There are so many who did help--and they remain anonymous. God knows who you are, though, and has a special place for you......



Compared to so many of the stories, mine is so insignificant. My children had transfered schools, and I had just picked up my 7th grader from serving Mass when we heard on the car radio that a small plane, which appeared to be lost, had just hit one of the towers. We raced into the house just in time to see the second tower hit. My son was mesmerized by the sight and declared he wasn't going to school. I had a meeting just a little while later with the principal of my other children's new school and told her; since the school day was just starting, they weren't aware of the attack. My son is now a high school senior and he is researching Homeland Security as a college major.


We live somewhere between O'Hare and Midway Airports and therefore, we see lots and lots of planes fly throughout the course of the day. The silence, for the next couple of days, was deafening. That day my definition for "freedom" changed. Freedom, to me now, is hearing and seeing planes fly overheard.

God Bless you all, and please God, Bless America.

I was working in the office in my home where I am typing this now. But I was calling my sister at her home to ask her advice about possibly flying our 70-yr-old mom home early from a vacation trip she had taken that wasn't going well. Reached my brother-in-law instead, and he told me to turn on my TV. Realized very quickly that my mom would be staying where she was for a while.

My husband who is a police sergeant in our city was very busy and did not call me but made a quick stop home on what would have been his lunch hour, came in and saw the TV on so he knew that I knew. His first words to me were: "The world will never be the same." How very true.

We touched base with both of our boys' schools to make sure all was safe there, and I picked both of them up a little early. I remember a haze of watching images on TV, praying, crying. Allowing our teen boys (13 and 15) to understand some of the impact of the tragedy, but not wanting them to drown in it. Talking with them about God's power and praying with them.

My husband had some days off coming up and was preparing to pack some essentials in his pickup truck and drive to NY to volunteer with rescue and cleanup efforts when notice came out that no more volunteers were needed.

sluggo:

Thanks for the post...that is powerful.

Wow... thank you everyone for sharing such personal and heartfelt stories.

I was getting ready to take my boys to school that morning. I had "Good Morning America" on in the background when I heard Charlie Gibson say that one of the Twin Towers was on fire. They kept referring to a small aircraft. I called my boys back to my bedroom to see one of the Towers on fire. It was then that we saw live on "Good Morning America" the second aircraft crash into the second Tower. They kept replaying the moment... I went ahead and took my boys to school. I came home and went late to work. Looking back now, of course, I wish I had kept my boys home. Neither of them had access at school to watch the events unfold.

We will NEVER forget...

2 days in my life I know exactly where I was. when President Kennedy was shot I just got home from school and saw the news bulletin on the TV. 9 11 I was teaching my second period class when another teacher came to my door and said a plane had crashed into the WTC. I was off the next period and went to one of the offices and they had the TV on. We watched in horror as we saw the first tower fall as it actually occured. We were all numb.

I was just leaving for work when I got a phone call. It was our eldest son saying "Mom, I'm OK. Go turn on the TV". He was just starting his First Year at Columbia University. He had come back to the dorm after his first class and saw black clouds. In the lobby he was told what was going on. Went to his friends room on the 12th floor and watched the 2nd tower go down and called home. All I could think of was "how am I going to get him back home NOW". He hadn't gotten a cell phone yet so we could only IM the rest of the day. He seemed desparate to get another call home. The next day he and a couple of other football players headed downtown to see what they could do.The lady at the Red Cross told them that since they were under 21 they couldn't help. Then a man loading a truck called them over and put them to work. From that point he stopped asking what he was doing there, and realized that he was supposed to be there. God has a plan and a purpose for all of our lives.

playbaseball ...

quote:

The silence, for the next couple of days, was deafening.The silence, for the next couple of days, was deafening.

I can only imagine how silent that was. Hubby told me that for the first 3 or 4 days when he went to work, he had to park 'off site' a bit and walk to the tower. He said the eeriest feeling was walking past the terminals, empty of people and vehicles, with the PA system repeating 'The white zone is for loading and unloading of passengers only ..." He said it felt like something out of the Twilight Zone.

Coach Merc ...
Thank you seems hardly enough, but thank you!!!

Sluggo ...
That poem touched my soul much as Alan Jackson's song "Where were you" ... thanks for sharing that.

I was on my way to a meeting with my co-workers/friends (Marsh & McLennan in the North Tower) - when I saw the plane flying unusually low over the Hudson River. It was flying straight as an arrow.
I followed the plane all the way into the building - which hit directly into my company's 7 floors.

I never even saw the 2nd plane coming - just the explosion.

I stayed there for about 45 minutes - then headed uptown to my company's other HQ building - and the South Tower collapsed before I got there.

It was a terrible thing to see and still does not seem real to me.

I was home waiting for a delivery when my mother called and said to turn on the TV. When I saw the fire at the Trade Center I realized I needed to get to work immediately, I was, at the time, a Precinct Commander in the NYPD. I then saw the second plane hit and knew how bad this was going to be. I went to my Precinct picked up some men and went to the Brooklyn side of the waterfront to offload injured from boats to the local hospital. It was eerie watching the smoke pour endlessly from the site and military planes fly overhead. It was hours before we realized we were not going to be evacuating many injured. It was a difficult time for me because I come from a FDNY family so we lost many friends, and my sister and her husband were both American Airlines pilots so by the time we were able to check on everyone's well-being hours had passed. It was days before I went home and the fear and loss of innocence in my son's eyes will never be forgotten.
For many weeks after 9/11 I worked at the site supervising one of the rescue zones. Amazing how everyone came together in the recovery effort. The best of NY came out in those days.

I was in the 5th grade,so I dont think I quite realize just how bad it was then as I do today.

I woke up like I would any other day,and I sat down to tie my shoes on the way out the door to school.A few minutes later,the 2nd plane hit the WTC.

I went to school,and we were all locked in 1 room,and we all saw the towers collapse on TV.

I was never more scared in my life.

i remember getting into my truck to run to the shop.the radio had what i thought was orson wells war of the worlds on.i kept changing the station and got the same thing.drove home turned on the tv and saw the second plane hit.i was devistated.
my familys prayers go out to all who lost people and those who helped,i am reminded how america pulled together to lend a hand.we will never foget.thank you all.

Where was I? I was living in a world that led me to believe every human being has some degree of compassion for human life. I never knew a sect of people could be so consumed with hate that they would literally destroy themselves just to inflict some pain on me. I was living in a corner of the world that allowed me to see things as I chose to see them ---- not as I was told to see them. I was standing there in awe trying to understand how a group of people could find joy in killing and maiming thousands of innocent people. I will never understand that. Where am I today? I am still here but now I understand there are people so consumed by hatred that they are devoting their life just to destroy my life and my lifestyle. The big questions now are: #1. Can we isolate ourselves and build enough security systems and police our own land enough that we can turn back these radical extremist? Or #2. Do we need to get proactive and seek them out and eliminate them before they breach our security and do this same thing again or maybe something even worse? At some point in time I think we will be forced by to chose #2.

Please remember to fly OUR flag today. For days,weeks and months after 9/11, mant took comfort from the unity that was shown. You could not drive down a street without seeing OUR flag on houses, cars etc. Take the few minutes and stand proud.....

I was conducting a routine weekly meeting that morning. A co-worker knocked on the door and told us what had happened. To tell you the truth, we said something like how terrible and frightening that was. We finished up our meeting and went out to join others hovered around a TV set. Only at that time, did we actually realize the reality of the situation and what had really happened. It was impossible for us to absorb initially the scope of what had taken place.

My prayers for all the families of the 9/11 victims.

I was in the shower when my wife came in to explain what she had just seen on TV.

I had a 10AM CST appointment in a office tower about 3 blocks from the Sears Tower.

After arriving for my appointment and actually going up 20 stories to the office, we got word that the building would close down for the day.

Appropriate post, here - we all need some reminders - I recall A guy at the Phillies game every night that year after 9/11, running around the stadium the whole game with a large flag - I was just wondering the other night - why did he stop?? Our war on terrorism continues, but complacency is back.

Merc - thanks to you and all your brother and sisters, and our condolescences on your losses.

Where was I?? I was in DC about 3 blocks from the Capitol building, the other intended target. I'm an engineer working on weather systems for the FAA, and was there for a meeting on my program. I can still remember someone coming into the room and saying "A plane hit one of the World Trade Center Towers" - right away, everyone assumed that Air Traffic screwed something up [FB Mom will attest, due to her husband's AT position, if something goes wrong, it's always Air Traffic's fault]. When the report came in that another had hit, we new it was something else. We got word that the city was being evacuated, and people were just running everywhere, trying to meet up with carpool members, AMTRAK was shut down, the Metro was shut down. I was just standing there in the room trying to decide what to do.

One of the guys finally asked me what I was going to do - I said "Honestly, I have no idea" He offered that I could go home with him,walking 20 miles - The streets were packed with peds and cars, but everything was orderly. I walked a bit , before I had a thought. One of the guys that works for me in Atlantic City, actually lived in DC [he was in AC at the time] - I called his wife, ostensibly to check that she was making out OK, when in reality, I was hoping she would do what she did - offer that I could wait things out at their house. Took forever to get a cell line to call my wife back in PA...I walked 5 miles to my guy's house; I watched the horror on TV with his wife, a women I had never even spoken to before much less met. Finally, she said - how are you getting home? I had no idea. Turns out they had a spare vehicle, that she lent me to drive back to PA. I-295 and I95 were eerily traffic free by 2pm when I left.

I can honestly say that I was never more scared in my life that day, especially when I found out how close I was to a target. I probably never felt more alone during that day, too - I just wanted to be with my wife and family, and while I was lucky to get home when I did, only 8 hours after the crash - it seemed like an eternity.

A day I will never forget

Never forget the spectacular beauty of the day and then the horror of it all. Little did we know at the time that one of the planes flew right over downtown Cleveland (where I was working) before crashing into a Pennsylvania cornfield.

I have never been prouder of the brave people who gave their lives to save others that day and will never forget those that were lost.

I still feel rage toward those responsible. Whenever I hear someone try to explain that somehow it was our fault that led to this, the rage resurfaces.

I awoke late and checked Drudge Report and saw the where the first plane had hit the tower, turned on CNN and watched the second plane hit live on TV. My wife was working for a tissue bank at the time and was in a staff meeting, called her up and she ended up coming home to watch the coverage with me.

After the towers fell, I went and pulled the two kids out of school. If for nothing else to watch the coverage, to realize the history of the event.

My wife's company was mentioned in President Bush's speach in front of the joint session of Congress. They put a guy in a van and he drove straight through to New York to deliver much needed human skin for the burn victims, although there sadly wasn't as many survivors as first thought.

It was a very sad and moving day. One that changed my life forever. I stayed up nearly 48 hours straight transfixed on the television. Not believing the pictures. I wanted to drive to New York to see the devistation in person, my wife wouldn't let me. She wondered how I would get to ground zero. I told her I was in construction and they needed people there and that I could talk my way in. She insisted I didn't go. I still regret not going.

I remember my cell phone not ringing for two or three days, except for people that wanted to talk about the tragedy. All business came to a stop. I remember sending my older kids to the movie to get away from the TV and them saying the theaters were empty. The mall was empty.

I remember being mad. I am still mad. I think they should show the planes flying into the towers on a daily basis on TV. That people soon forgot about being attacked and forgot how they felt that morning.

I remember our company going from over 100 employees to 8, in a matter of a few weeks. To me not knowing whether we were going to make it, whether or not I would have a job.

I remember the tears, some that still flow when I watch something on TV that I remember from that morning.

I remember the national candlelight vigil, and my wife and a few neighbors sitting in my driveway with their candles. The large wax stain is still there on my driveway. Our small symbol of that day.

From that day forward I have always flown at least a small American Flag in my front yard, and will always from that day forward.

I will never forget.

On one hand it's great to remember the fallen and heros of 9/11. On the other I get sick to think there are people in this world who are firing their AK's in the air in celebration of the day.

How quick many forget this day and condem our leadership and military forces for attemting to stop these terrorists in their own backyard before they come back to ours. This is not your "typical" conflict that could be negotiated, we are playing by their rules.

I mourn those who lost loved ones, will never forget the day, but unfortunate for me I will never forgive those who changed the everyday life for me and my family.

Maybe it's just me but I'm having a hard time differentiating mourning with despise.

I was asleep in my bed. I was sick that day. My ex wife called to say a plane hit one of the towers... she didn't elaborate since she did't have any more info.. I figured it was some off course cessna and I went back to sleep...

Then she called and said that another plane hit the other tower..... I got up and dragged myself down stairs to the TV.

Sat in front of it all day. Saw the towers fall live on TV. Worried for all my friends in NY... Called people I knew would be at work with periodic updates....

Ran out to get my son from school....

My ex's cousin was the co pilot on flight 93...

I remember the pain, anger, fear.........

I am a middle school teacher and I was off campus at a training. I remember they came into the conference room and told us to look at the tv. I saw the second plane hit and immediatlly thought of my students. I left the training immediately and went back to school. In the meantime I had talked to my husband and had him pick up our 2 boys.

I ran into the classroom and found my students working away on their papers and I realized that they did not know what had happened. Gradually parents came to school to pick up their kids. We discussed the trajedy the next day in school and my kids concerns seemed to lean to all of those kids that no longer had a mom or dad or grandparent. I saw the saddness and confusion in their eyes and realized that I was looking in a mirror of my own eyes. As I write this I am on lunch break from my students. Today seems like any other day to them and I realize the resiliancy that children have...and that this day impacts each of us in different ways.

9/11 opened for me with a bit more anticipation than most days. I and my co-workers got to work a bit early to witness something you just don't see everyday. ...and right on schedule, with a precision you should expect from the secret service, the presidential motorcade passed directly by our building, just below our third floor window. I remember the pride I felt at the time in witnessing an otherwise mundane event...the passage of yet another dozen or so vehicles in a seemingly endless stream of traffic bearing passengers from where they were to where they couldn't seen to get quickly enough...only this was not just any passenger. This passenger was the leader of the free world. (...bears repeating...) ...FREE world. ...and this particular day, he was taking time out from important matters of state to meet with and address young school children.

Within the hour, that pride turned to shock, then horror at the events unfolding on live televison in our own country. ...to our own countrymen.

In the days and weeks that followed, that horror moved through anger, with determination, to once again swell with pride at the way our citizens rediscovered their patriotism, and united in efforts to support the families of those who gave their all in this newly defined threat to free-thinking people everywhere. Somehow, the need to quickly arrive at our appointed destinations gave way to thoughtful and introspective consideration of the journey itself.

The message at church yesterday focused upon Faithful Remembrance. Surely, each of us, as Americans, has a duty to faithfully remember the events of 9/11, and the efforts and sacrifices put forth in the aftermath to reconcile the ledger, and protect our shores and people from recurrance of such ignorance and aggression as was witnessed that day. For in the remembrance, lies a tempering of will and determination to stand fast...stand tall...stand proud.

God bless America.

My wife and I flew in from Aruba the morning of 9/11 from our honeymoon. We arrived at O'Hare from Philadelphia at 2:30 in the morning - only 6 hours before the attacks!! We had gotten back up early to move into our new apartment, we heard the start of the attacks on the radio and the first tower was going down when we got to a TV to check it out. I will never forget that day as long as I live!!

I got the call that AM from my son who was at sea on his carrier ... He didn't know where they were headed at that instant, but knew they were in a hurry to get there.

It was the last communication I had out of him for days. His carrier ended up off of NYC flying air cover for the City.

The only other time I had felt so helpless is when I heard about the USS Cole, which was one of the escort vessels for his ship while he was in the gulf.

I just sat at my desk all day with the news on ... unable to work.

I was in an early Tuesday morning meeting in Chicago that was disrupted by the news. I recall that it was a clear beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky, often called a “high sky” by my then outfielder son. The whole office stood and watched the TV in the reception area. We were listening to the receptionist’s speaker phone to our colleague in NYC who phoned in on his way to the World Trade Center for a meeting. He was one block away from the WTC when the first attack took place. I will never forget the sound of his voice and the drone of the incoming plane when the second attack took place. It was surreal watching these events unfold while listening to an eyewitness account in real time. We were all numb. My colleague in NYC freaked out. Shortly after that the trading floors in Chicago were closed and the CBOT building was evacuated. They were worried that there would be an attack on the Chicago financial district or the Sears Tower. We live in a community that is under a landing pattern to O’Hare Airport. The silence was deafening. Occasionally we would hear (and see) fighters circling above. Several times formations of Blackhawk helicopters thundered overhead low enough you thought you could hop a ride. Things were not right.

I have spent a lot of time at the WTC. One of my largest clients, Carr Futures, occupied the 92nd floor of WTC1. This was the point of impact to the first attack. I’m numb again just thinking about it….. Months later I was invited to attend Mass under a Cross made from beams found in the rubble and erected next to Ground Zero. I was privileged to be given this sacred opportunity. It was one of the greatest honors in my life and one of the most moving outside the birth of my children.

The link below lists all the victims of 9/11. If you scroll down the list of victims from the WTC you will realize the enormity of this act of terrorism, overwhelming. Click on a name…
http://www.september11victims.com/september11victims/victims_list.htm

We can not forget…. GOD Bless all those who perished and their family, friends, and colleagues. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

I had just got the kids off to school.Of course , another rushed morning that ,"I love you", wasn't the last thing they heard from me going out the door.
Being another "Good morning America fan", I heard the news break of the first crash.
I called my husband, a broker in the Sears Tower, and told him to check the news wire.
Normally, he hears all the news first and calls me.
Stunned, we watched the second plane hit, AND KNEW. Life was NEVER to be the same.
Our daughter, stationed in Texas w/the Air Force, called my cell and wanted my husband out of the city immediately.The Board of Trade or the Sears would be a great hit.
I relayed to him that there were other planes in the air, with undisclosed destination targets
and she said he had to leave the city.
He hung up for a few minutes, called back, and said the from his view- the streets looked like ants in a fire. There were droves to the train stations... They didn't even have to be near us to envoke the terror.We got lucky.
The only other day I felt even close to that was Columbine.
Tell them going out the door, you might never get the chance again...