Where were you on 9/11?

[Kirk W]

We were in route from Cheney State Park in Kansas to Clovis, CA to see our youngest son who was an Army recruiter there.  We had just completed our second tour as RV volunteers and stopped in Dalhart, TX for a couple of days to visit a museum and some historic sites, before traveling on. We got up and made coffee, then turned on the TV to see all of the commotion about an airplane crashing into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Just minutes later we sat transfixed to see the airplane hit the south tower, live on TV! After a while we left, still believing that the NYFD would get everything under control and went to visit a local museum. We weren't in the museum long before there was a commotion at their office and all of the docents headed into it, so we joined them. It seems that the news of a plane striking the pentagon was just breaking. We stayed with the museum workers through the collapse of the south tower, when we returned to the motorhome. We got back, turned on the TV and at 9:30 central time watched the north tower fall. We just hung around our RV, numb for the rest of that day. 

Edited September 11 by Kirk W
correct typo

[GlennWest]

I was back in NC working in a Fabshop. Come over loud speaker and told us what was happening. I feel to my knees and prayed while crying like a baby. They sent us all home where my wife and I hugged and cried. To this day it is the darkest time in my life. 

[D&J]

I was trenching power into a new house, finished up and went home just in time to see the first tower come down. What's ironic I was in NYC in the USCG going to electrician school and seen the towers when they were a hole in the ground, years later we were in NYC and went to the memorial and they were holes in the ground again. Very sad time in our nations history.

Denny

[bruce t]

This wasn't just a terrible event that affected the USA. It changed the world. Think of how our airport security has changed for example. It has changed our trust. But now it seems some folks are forgetting those lessons. I hope note.

[sandsys]

Dave was at work but I was at home, in the house we later sold to go fulltime RVing, waiting for repairmen to come fix walls damaged by an ice dam. When they came, they asked if they could watch my TV. I had no idea why but said they could. I spent most of the rest of that day glued to the TV while they went back to repairing the damage to our walls.

Linda Sand

[2gypsies]

We were volunteering at a national park and were in the ranger's station.  A phone call came in and immediately an alert was given to all employees and volunteers for safety precautions.  We had to tell all campers to evacuate the campground and the park was closed for a few days.

[sheldons65]

Had just arrived on an international flight and connection from the USA to Casis, France. Will never forget. 

[Chad Heiser]

I was serving a major search warrant with about 30 other detectives at a compound in our town.  It was still early morning on the west coast and we had just left our briefing and were headed to the target location when things started happening on the east coast.  It was hard to stay focused on our tasks, but we had a job to do that needed to be done.  Myself and another detective had to chase one of the occupants several blocks after he decided to run when we arrived.  We were able to catch him though.  It was a memorable day in more ways than one.

[bobsallyh]

Sitting on the beach at North Myrtle Beach Travel Park in South Carolina. Our RV was very close to the beach and my wife came running down to tell me to come up and watch TV. Shortly after there were no airplane sign draggers up in the air and everything seemed to come to a stand still. 

[bigjim]

Volunteering with the Forest Svc near Albuquerque. Me and another host had to vacate our location for about a week. Like the terorist was going to come after one little guy in the woods when you had Kirtland AFB nearby and Los Alamos not too far.   Goes to show logic does not always play a part in a crisis.

[DanZemke]

I was working from home (Connecticut) that day .  Walked outside and could see the smoke, which was about 40 miles (by air) away.  Spent most of the day glued to my PC.  It's still hard for me to believe it happened.

Imagine being trapped in one of those towers and your choices were:  burn to death, or die more quickly by jumping out a window.  Truly horrible.

 

[LindaH]

We had just recently returned from a summer spent traveling Alaska & Canada and were staying at an RV park in Spokane, WA visiting friends. The RV park was close enough to the airport that we could see the planes taking off, so it was eerie that there were no planes for several days afterwards. We spent the next few days glued to the TV except for the times we got together with friends.

[Bill Joyce]

My wife and I were getting ready for work and listening to news on the radio.  It was a complete shock.  I went to my normal coffee shop and everyone was also in complete shock.  At work the emails were flying.  We had a manager who was Israelite and he basically said, "Welcome to the club".  A couple co-workers were Arab and they were also in shock, saying this was not true Islam.  

What I also remember was the disruption of air travel. I knew multiple people stranded, coworkers, friends and family.  My nephew was one of those stranded at a small town in Nova Scotia when his plane was diverted.  My wife's sister knew someone on the plane that hit the Pentagon.  A friend was stuck in Fiji for over a week, which does not sound like a bad place, but he really wanted to be home.  Another called his wife and said, "remember that mini-van we were going to buy in a few months, well I just bought it and am driving it 2000 miles to get home."  

We had a trip to Hawaii in November 2001 and decided to still go.  They were so happy to see us, because many cancelled their Hawaii trips.  

[sandsys]

One of Dave's co-workers was in San Diego. He immediately rented a car to drive back to Minnesota. He was one of the lucky ones because he acted so quickly. Car rental places quickly ran out of inventory.

Linda

[lappir]

I was working in my yard at the time in South Florida when my wife (at the time) came out and said I needed to come inside and see what was on the TV. We lived near PBI in West Palm and it was so weird not to see or hear aircraft coming and going right after the event. Sad day for all. My youngest doesn't remember much of it since she was only 2 at the time. 

 

Rod

[KodiakJack]

I was at our home in Kodiak when the phone rang.  It was a friend I worked with for the USCG Facilities Engineering before he transferred to the EPA.  He was calling from the site of the Pentagon attack where he had been assigned as part of EPA's response team.  He was seeking advise on how to control clouds of suspected air born asbestos without deterring the search dogs abilities to find remains.  I probably got the call because I was both a accredited AHERA Project Designer (has to do with asbestos in schools) and a search and rescue dog handler.  He explained how efforts were underway to sift vast amounts of debris for human remains.  I will never forget the beep, beep, beep sounds of equipment working in the pack ground.   

Later,

J

Edited October 1 by KodiakJack
Typo. Screens were set up to "sift" for remains.

[Vladimir]

We had fires going on the National Forest and I showed up at 6:00 am to answer media inquiries about the fires.

I signed up to the internet and checked local news outlets for stories that they had printed about the fires.  It was on one of the news sites that had a bulletin that a airplane had hit one of the Twin Towers and the story noted that is was probably a small private plane.

That story was quickly corrected. 

The Forest Service expanded dispatch office was set up in the downstairs conference room and I went down there to watch the national news coverage.

The fires continued, but the media interest died down dramatically.  We ended up with very few media or public calls that day.

A couple of Forest Service teams, including one from the Wenatchee, was dispatched to Ground Zero to handle logistics and supplies.  Those were interesting stories when the teams returned home.

[bruce t]

Should we also have a thread on "where we're you on October 7th?"

 

[sandsys]

9 hours ago, bruce t said:

Should we also have a thread on "where we're you on October 7th?"

 

On October 7th, 1994, I was meeting my future husband. Is that what you were looking for?

[palmeris]

10 hours ago, bruce t said:

Should we also have a thread on "where we're you on October 7th?"

 

no

[Kirk W]

4 hours ago, sandsys said:

I was meeting my future husband.

That seems to have been a successful day, in spite of the distractions! Not to change the subject, but where and how many years married now?

[bruce t]

5 hours ago, palmeris said:

no

Why not? My question was harmful enough but my bones tell me that we will, at sometime in the future, see it as a significant date just like 9/11.

 

[Darryl&Rita]

17 hours ago, bruce t said:

Should we also have a thread on "where we're you on October 7th?"

 

National Bathtub Day? We only have a shower in our 5th wheel.

[bruce t]

25 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

National Bathtub Day? We only have a shower in our 5th wheel.

Huh?

[DanZemke]

Bruce,

I didn't know the significance of October 7 either, so I googled it and one of the first hits was National Bathtub Day.  Since most of us on this forum live in North America, it's not surprising to me, that stories about events within the USA generally get more attention than those that are more remote.  It was a big, and scary, surprise to us.

Had you stated the Hamas attack on Israel, rather than just a date, I think everyone would have known what you were talking about.

From Wikipedia: September 11
    "2001 - The September 11 attacks, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks killing 2,977 people using four aircraft hijacked by 19 members of al-Qaeda. Two aircraft crash into the World Trade Center in New York City, a third crashes into The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and a fourth into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania."
     
From Wikipedia: October 7    
    "2023 Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launch an attack into Israel, which results in the deaths of around 1,200 mostly civilians, and taking more than 240 hostages, including civilians and soldiers. The attack initiated the Israel–Hamas war."

Edited October 4 by DanZemke
clarity