Where were you on 9/11/02?

[Guest]

Getting ready for work, sending the kids to school. My Boss calls and says that a plane crashed into the tower. I clicked on the news to see the second plane hit. My heart went to my stomach because i new what was happening..................................A very sad day in deed! My thoughts to all this sept 11, 2002EdPolski Pilot

[Datalink 26]

I was at work at Toys R Us (UK) (yeah, yeah). I heard about it from a colleage who said a plane had crashed into the WTC. I first though very bad weather nad pilot/controller error. Others were saying that the towers hasd collapsed, but I didn't believe them, but then in the afternoon, customers came in saying that the other tower had been hit, then the towers fell. I was in a total daze for a couple of days. I couldn't eat when I got home and saw the news and people jumping. It was so upsetting. May they rest in peace.As I said, I was in a daze, as I want to pursue an piloting career, and saw it disappear infront of my eyes. But now things are beginning to settle a bit and things may pick up in the future.Those are my thoughts and memories of that terrible day

[Guest MikeEppright]

At the time, I was flying a corporate jet from Westchester County Airport. We took off at 8:48. A couple of minutes into the flight the NY departure controller told a couple of inbound aircarrier flights to plan on diverting elsewhere since JFK was now closed. Apparently AN airplane had hit the WTC. His tone was that of "I wish he hadn't done that, this is going to be a long day.About 5 minutes later while still on departure he came back and announced with alarm in his voice that a second aircraft had hit WTC and BOTH were aircarriers. We went on and landed at Hyannis as planned, knowing we weren't going anywhere soon. We watched the morning unfold on TV along with the rest of the world. Another crew we watched with had been in the airspace west of BOS and moved out of the way by ATC since ATC had lost contact with AA11. Next day as I was driving rent car back to HPN it was sobering to see the sky void of contrails only to see a F15 pass low over the highway southbound in afterburner heading for NYC to do CAP.

[greggerm 312]

I was lying in bed, slow to wake up because I was taking a sick day from work for a job interview.Listening to Imus, one of his buddies called in and said "A plane just hit the tower"... so they in the studio turned on the TV and sounded rather stunned. All accounts said commuter plane. I ran downstairs and flipped on my TV, and sat and watched. The hole, the fire, and what I thought was the outline of an airliner told me it was not a commuter... but I was hoping. Then the second plane hit - I was mortified and genuinely scared, even though I was in suburban Rhode Island. I had to get ready for my interview, so I took a shower. As I got out, the first tower collapsed. On my ride into the interview, news of the PA crash came in and the second tower crumbled. My interview was in a local federal building. They had multiple Providence Police officers stationed in body armor, as well as multiple federal officers. I was well checked for credentials, and went upstairs. My interview was cut short because the building was being evacuated as a precaution.That afternoon was spent watching TV, listening to the radio, and distinctly noticing the LACK of air traffic over my house (At the time I was on the northern approaches to KPVD). The amazingly crip, un-contrailed sky was striking.Thanks for letting me share - good topic. -Greg

[JSACKS 0]

I was at the Fed in Washington DC ready to train up to NYC for a conference at the NY Fed. I'd spent 6 months arranging this and was all psyched to go. After boarding the Fed's minibus at Farragut West metro station, I thought the driver had the radio on horribly loud because there was an apparently endless review of what I thought was some new Hollywood film about airliners crashing into skyscrapers. Everybody in the bus figured similarly and was irritated by the deafening broadcast.But as we neared our destination, we started to realize that this was a NEWS broadcast and that something horrible and bizarre seemed to be happening.Upstairs with colleagues five minutes later, I looked up directly at the Pentagon in the distance and saw a huge plume of smoke erupting skyward into the steel blue sky. I heard no explosion but I suddenly felt light headed and panicky as I heard myself say "#####, are they attacking us in DC now?!"Out on the street with legions of staff shortly after, I heard a huge explosion in the distance and felt a momentary ground tremor. I figured that the Pentagon was blowing up in stages.We had teams that were supposed to be on the 96th floor of one of the towers at 9 am starting a review at a Japanese bank. The bank and its staff are no more but by the grace of God, our staff were late and missed everything.One never really stops thinking about 9/11.JS

[ILYUSHIN_IL62 0]

I was on the city bus going too my class, when one of my friends told me about how a plane crashed into the WTC, I thought he was joking, but once I got too the school CNN was on the TV's :( Sad DayBest Regards Derek Beal :-wave[link:www.aeroflot.com]http://flightsimmers.net/va/aeroflot724/header_logo_ru.jpgPROUD RUSSIAN/CANADIAN! :D http://www.x-plane.org/users/dbeal/3dflags...om_russi2bl.gif http://www.x-plane.org/users/dbeal/canadaa.gif

[spilok 1,136]

I was driving on route 309 (Pennsylvania) North to Hazelton, Pa. I was listening to Howard Stern, and my wife called my cell phone to tell me of the plane embedded in the World Trade Center. Of course, I didn't know what had happened, and I had been inadvertently "rude" to my wife (I've regretted it ever since) and said, "I'm in a remote cell area, and I'll probably lose this call. If it were something important, I'd have heard about it on the radio." Soon afterwards, Howard started commenting on the plane hitting the WTC. I started getting misty-eyed, and called my wife to apologize my rude, abrupt behavior. I'll never forget the exact moment, and it is in my mind like when I was changing classes in 11th grade, and heard that JFK had been shot! Stan

[Guest Edam]

Interesting perspectives from all of you so far, especially the comparison to the JFK assassination. It's a cliche, but you don't forget where you were when such an event happens.

[JimmiG 244]

Because of the time zone I'm in, I was at school when it actually happened. I didn't hear about it until I got home some hours later, I believe it was my mum who first told me it had happened. Turned on the TV and just sat there for a couple of hours in disbelief. It was scary when you flipped channels and they were talking about the same thing on all channels. The small local Swedish newschannels, CNN, Sky, everyone was showing the footage and talking about the attack.Then I logged on to IRC on the Internet, to talk to some of my friends from the US and to make sure there were OK. I remember that it was totally impossible to log on to any site in the US from here (Sweden, Europe). The whole Internet collapsed for a couple of hours.

[Guest]

I was laid up in my bed having just returned from the hospital the day before after having another ligament transplanted in my knee. I was heavily under the influence of Morphine as the surgery had been in Alabama and I lived in Puerto Rico at the time so I had just made a very long plane trip in a lot of pain the day before. I woke up and turned on the TV and thought there was some hollywood special effects show on. When I finally realized what was going on I was stunned. I sat there in bed in front of that TV for 3 days without sleeping, all the while staring at the TV and feeling sad for the families and the rescue workers. Being a member of the Coast Guard I wanted so badly to go to work and help in some form or other but I was unable to move my left leg due to the surgery and felt helpless and depressed. That depression still lingers on today when I see footage of that terrible day. I still get choked up and feel like crying again when I hear about, or see the footage, of those poor people jumping from the flames holding hands on their way to their deaths. Sad day indeed.Ken

[Guest]

I was asleep when my mom called me and told me a plane hit the towers.At first I thought "this can't be". I turned on the tv and hung up the phone.As the reports on tv where going ,10 mins later I saw the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower and I could not believe it then of course the others shortly there after.I did not know what to think except to start calling friends and family to make sure they were ok.It took me almost 3 hours just to get one call through.I watched both towers collasp and must admit that I have never felt chills or sadness like that.I could go on and on but i think i will stop here because we all know what the aftermath was.I knew a few people that did die in the towers and it still effects me to this moment .Richard Dillon KPDKSr First Officer www.jetstarairlines.com"Bill Grabowski's"ERJ-145 panel Beta TeamMD-11 panel Beta Team____________________________"Lets Roll" 9/11 Specs AMD 1600 XP MSI KT 266t pro2 512MB DDR 2100GF3 ti 200 64MB SBliveCh Products Yoke and Pedals(usb)Windows 2000 Serivce Pack 3

[Guest]

I was actively involved in the stock market around that time. My job had transferred me from Atlanta to Kansas City and I'd been in town for only a day. I was staying at a local hotel while preparations were being made to move into my new place. I'd had a very long night the night before driving myself to Kansas, so my usual routine of waking up an hour prior to the opening bell was disrupted and I managed to roll out of the bed at around 10:00 a.m. Central time. Instinctively, before I was fully alert, I turned on CNBC to see what was going on with my positions and to decide if this would be the day I took my lite profits off the table and pursued other positions. I can still remember standing in the middle of the floor wearing nothing but my boxers, mouth ajar, thinking "okay, Demetrious, you need to wake up now" as I read through the timeline of the attacks. Immediately upon turning on the TV I was struck by the huge America Under Attack graphic, and my first thought was "damn, another USS Cole incident...or was it an embassy bombing...."The timeline read like something from a Tom Clancy novel-turned-movie:8:45 a.m.: A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 from Logan International Airport in Boston, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center. 9:03 a.m.: A second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into the south tower of the WTC and explodes. 9:40 a.m.: The FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports -- the first time in U.S. history air traffic has been halted. 9:43 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77, departing Washington Dulles International Airport and bound for Los Angeles, crashes into the Pentagon. 10:10 a.m.: In Sommerset County, Pa., a hijacked jet, United Airlines Flight 93, crashes. If I recall correctly, there was even a timeline description of a car bomb exploding at the Capitol Building that was, thankfully, not accurate. It's really hard to recall the emotions I went through that day, and the proceeding days, because there were just so many of them. They all seemed to cascade around me like I was standing under a waterfall. The next day (or the following day) it became apparent to me that I had just lost what amounted to my life's savings in the stock market. No amount of conservative investing or "Due Diligence" could have saved my finances. I also remember calling the local recruiter a week after the attacks to find out what I needed to do to reenlist in the Army. Unfortunately, at least at that time, a combination of age, lapse in service time, and a service-related medical condition (torn right shoulder, followed by a handful of surgeries) stood in my way. My heart still goes out to those who were needlessly lost that day, and to the families of those victims. It's my sincere hope, naive though it may be, that we all, as citizens of the world, can come together and clean this mess up before it's too late.I Am A UCLA BruindAddictYesterday, the greatest question was decided which ever was debated in America; and a greater perhaps never was, nor will be, decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting colony, that those United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States. -John AdamsLet every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill,that we shall pay any price,bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty. -John F. Kennedy

[mackintosh 0]

Due to the timezone difference it was around midnight here in Sydney. I was actually still at work, finishing off some paperwork when I got a call from my head office to turn on CNN, needless to say, I haven't left my office until sunrise, glued to the tv watching the drama unfold. I couldn't belive it, I still can't believe it now. For so many years the twin towers had been there and now there's nothing, it was just so eerie...and all those lives lost, it's still difficult to think about that day, even though I was not directly affected by those events. On Wednesday, my prayers and thoughts will be with all people in the U.S.

[brucek 38]

My wife called on the way to work and told me to put on the TV, that a plane had crashed into the WTC. I turned it on, and I will never forget Brian Gumball(sp?)on CBS, as we watched with horror as the 2nd plane crashed. I remember thinking it looked like a toy plane, and in fact the whole scene looked so much like a movie.Later at my work, as we watched a few TV sets, it all began to sink in. Meanwhile, my wife had left work and gone home, very upset. I came home later in the AM, and we cried a lot. The first thing we thought of was to fly our US flag over our balcony, then find out where the nearest blood banks were.That evening, the sky was so still with no aircraft in and out of DEN. I recall hearing a turboprop overhead, small position lights in the sky up above, heading east. I wondered if it was a LifeGuard flight from the West Coast. A flight of F-16's roared in the distance, like thunder.Although we are several thousands of miles away from New York, the pain we all felt for those survivors and families of the deceased was heartfelt. I have never seen this country come together so quick as one, as on that day. Similar I guess, as it was when Pearl Harbor was bombed.Bruce,Boulder, CO

[Guest]

I was at Greater Pitt that morning. There wasn't hardly a cloud in the sky. The leaves were changing. It was beautiful outside. My Father was due to fly up to see me that day. I heard shortly after the first tower had been hit by an aircraft. The person told me though it was a small commuter. I was tied up but thought it was a horrible crash. Thats all. Very soon after that I got a phone call from my boss. He said the Pentagon was bombed. I guess he figured I knew about the second tower as well. I told him that somebody was playing games. Nobody could bomb the Pentagon. They would never be able to get close enough to it. I got a radio and tuned in. Thats when I found out everything that happened so far. The big shocker was when the United 757 hit just outside of Pittsburgh. The local radio was saying that the planes target was Downtown Pittsburgh. I received a call from my boss to make sure all aircraft on our ramp was secure and make sure all else was secure. Security was on it's way out. On the otherside of the airport there was the PA Nat guard. I had somebody get me a TV. I had seen the two 767 used as missles to kill innocent people. The same with the 757 into the Pentagon. I was in shock. Everything finally set in that night when the airport was quiet. It was so strange. I felt anger and sorrow. The main emotion was the extreme sense of Patriotism. I can say something positive happened for me that day. It made me appreciate life more and taught me not to take things for granted. My father never made it from Florida. There wasn't a rental car within 800 miles of Orlando (the car rental capital of the country). The first thing I said to him was stay put that afternoon and made sure everybody was ok in my family. It's hard to beleive it's been a year now. My son is going to be two. Me and my family have moved to Florida. A lot has happened in that year, but that day still hurts a year later. My prayers are with the families that were not as fortunate as my family was on that day.Jeff