Where Were You? When 9/11 Occurred?
Social Source September 10th, 2007I am a little too young to remember when Elvis Pressley died and I wasn’t even born when JFK was shot in Texas. I have heard that people that were around for these tragic events always remembered where they were at or what they was doing.
FREEDOM ATTACKED BY A FACELESS COWARD
I wanted to find out about the 9/11 stories and see what people were doing when those planes first hit the World Trade Center Towers 6 years ago in New York. That day would get worse as the Pentagon and a plane crash in Pennsylvania would follow the tragic happenings in New York. Today we are still paying the price as our brave men and women continue to defend our country and the world’s freedom in countries like Afghanistan where our military chose that as the first strike in response to 9/11.
My 9/11 story is pretty simple, but I will never forget it. I was online playing spades and had been up all night playing them. I was getting ready to go to bed that morning when someone came online and mentioned the World Trade Center was on fire. I got off the computer and figured I would watch that as I went to sleep that morning. While watching it on television, I saw the 2nd plane hit the WTC building. I thought it was a water-plane trying to put water on the other tower that was on fire. The station I was watching quickly determined that this was a terroist act and that water-plane I saw was actually a large jumbo jet. Those buildings in New York were so massive, they made those big jets look like a small airplane. I didn’t go to sleep that morning and I spent the next several days watching the constant 24 hour coverage that was on our television screens.
I don’t think many people realize just how devoted our television stations stayed with the 24 hour coverage they did on the events of September 11th. It was on a Tuesday Morning when it all started and for the main outlets of ABC, CBS, and NBC, they didn’t show a commercial until Sunday Evening around 5 or 6 in the evening that was about 5 days after it all started. It’s unthinkable to imagine how those news stations was able to deliver 24 hour coverage of this event for the next 5 days like they did. When they did finally show that first commercial on tv, it was a 9/11 or Red Cross related commercial. Our slogan for that day became known as “WE WILL NEVER FORGET”, and I hope that remains true for the rest of my life living in this great country of ours.
So many people are quick to point out the mistakes by our adminstration, the President, and the way our troops are still dying in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. Before you start pointing the finger at whose fault it is, and why our troops are still sheding blood over in the Middle East, just remember who started this and who the real enemy is.
I would like to hear your September 11th story. If you remember what you was doing, how you heard about it, and what your first thoughts were when those planes were drove into the buildings in New York, then please leave a reply. It’s been 6 years since all of that has happend and now we get a chance to reflect on it again, as this September 11th will be on a Tuesday in 2007.
GOD BLESS THE USA by LEE GREENWOOD (tribute 9/11)
September 10th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
The date of September 11th had always been special to me. It was my mothers birthday who passed away in 1973.
On September 11, 2001 I was touring the tire plant at which I am a site manager with my district manager. I was escorting him to the Security Guard Shack when one of the guards told us that a plane had just hit one of the World Trade Towers.
My throat went into my throat since my older brother Ronnie was working in one of those towers as an auditor for a major financial and brokerage firm. Ron like many other people working in the towers that day could not be reached by his cell phone. Minutes turned to hours as we all prayed. Here I was in Virginia watching this chaos unfold before my eyes. I kept telling myself that my brother was a fighter and if it was possible he would escape this fiery fate.
Then the buildings came crumbling down. What I said at that moment was “Dear God, all of those people that remain are gone”.
Later that evening my brother’s wife Antonette called and said had managed to escape and had ran down to the pier and managed to get a ferry over to Jersey with about 3 dozen other WTT workers. I said a silent prayer at the news and for the moment I was so happy. But the days ahead brought out many emotions. Since I am a Viet Nam vet I felt some familiar yet uncomforable feelings returning after over 30 years. They were emotions of rage.
I thought how the Viet Cong must have started a new breed of demons when you consider (or know) the heinous acts of terrorism that they wreaked over young men for 40 years. These young men were French and American soldiers (many who were only 18 years old). That war was on national and international news every day and every night.
One must wonder that the stories and pictures of young boys and women with gernades and bombs exploding themselves in the middle of crowds killing and wounding French and American GI’s was the “virgin” training grounds for these present day fundamentalist terrorists.
I hope that everyone will have the wisdom to see that freedom has an extremly high price. War is indeed hell. However I know in my heart of hearts if we don’t fight them on their ground they will be back. If we turn our backs to look the other way because that the war is ugly then we will regret it. We won’t be seeing Americans and other innocent civilians beheaded by masked cowards on television. We will see it on the streets of America.
God bless you Lee for giving me the opportunity to share and of course may God bless America.
September 10th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Living in the UK, I was still at school returning from the afternoon break to English class when a boy on the phone to a National newspaper (regarding the school paper) was told by the journalist there was a news story breaking as the World Trade Centre had been hit by a plane and had to go. This was around 2:30pm UK time and I’d never heard of the WTC so had no clue what the implications were to be.
Returning home that day, I switched on Sky News which provided better coverage of what was happening and pictures of the towers collapsing. I’m not a religious person but I certainly hoped there wouldn’t be as big a list deaths as they were estimating early on.
The documentaries are still hard to watch and I personally didn’t know anyone who was affected but I wouldn’t wish anything like that on anyone.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Let’s start with Sep 10th…
I was an over the road truck driver(Run local in columbus, oh now)
I was unloading and reloading on the coast, and saw the statue of liberty, and the manhaten skyline from where I was.
It was a typical day, nothing special.
I got done and headed back to ohio. I got in at about three in the morning,(zanesville, oh.)dropped my trailer, parked my truck and went home.(now it is the early morning of 11 Sep).
I fell asleep on the couch, and the phone rang. It was my mom, asking where i was(I talkewd to her the day before and told her where i was).
I told her I was home, and she asked me when i got in. I told her and she said,” So you don’t know?”
What.
She told me to turn on the tv(already on, just not a major network.
I was home at the time of the attack. The thing that sticks in my mind is that if I was there any later than I was, I would have seen it first hand.
I was out that way once since it happened. There is a big difference in the look of the skyline. It is not just the physical look, but the memories of the way it looked, and the reason, and loss that is tied to the way it looks now.
I still cry to this day, and I don’t know anyone who lost their life, or a loved one.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
I had just woke up at home and turned on the TV and saw the first plane in the tower. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I started watching intensely and then I saw the second plane come around and hit the other tower, I was in total shock. I couldn’t believe what was happening or who could possibly be behind such a horrific act. Having visited the towers and going up on the roof right after they were built I knew the people on the top stories were trapped and I wondered just how many people would perish. When the first tower collapsed I was in total shock and then the second one came down and I knew this was probably the most tragic event in the history of the world. I couldn’t see how anyone could survive.
When the next plane hit the pentagon I was still crying from the tragedy that struck the towers and I wondered just what the hell was happening. I figured the White house was next and I prayed that there would be no more attacks. I couldn’t believe that we were being attacked on our own soil in such a devastating way. Next was the last plane that struck the ground and by then Bush had ordered all flights to land and no more flight would be allowed to fly so I knew it was over. I still wonder to this day how many more events were avoided when Bush grounded the planes so quickly.
I was glued to the tv the entire week or so while the recovery process was going on. I was so proud that none of the stations were running commercials and trying to profit from this tragedy of epic proportions. I will forget that day and I will mourn the deaths that occurred that day forever and I will never forget what happened the day terrorism touched our lives in a most negative way.
I may not agree with the war in Iraq but I support our troops and along with the firefighters and police that died on Sept and the ones that were lucky enough to survive they are all true American Heroes.We will never forget!
Rich Morris
Traffic Heroes TE
trafficheroes.com
September 10th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
I was riding to work in my car when I heard about the first plane on the radio. A plane crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. Then, I heard that the plane was a passenger jet. I thought “uh oh. This does not look good.” I then accelerated way past the speed limit and ran into the building where I worked. It was all over the television. Pandemonium. Nobody knew what to do.
The next few days were a blur. I remember the President’s speech, and all of the songs that began to play on the radio. It was confusion, sadness, anger, and fatigue all rolled together. I think I prayed more that week that I ever have before.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
I agree, there was a faceless coward, i remember that day because i was on my (mormon) missionary service in culiacan mexico, me and my comp were tracting
(lookig for families to teach) and all of a sudden a guy we were about to speak just told us, hey! the US is under attack, and of course that even knowing that we were preaching about theGospel of Jesus Christ all of our feelings went to what we saw for a few minutes on TV, we saw when the second building went down that morning and all because of someone who is trying to change the world at their own way instead of leting people choose by themselves, when ever we had the chance to see a tv screen all that we cared about was the news coverage all that week or month, that morning will be always in my heart as a sad morning, im not american but i can still feel what a human being feels when someone loved or cared is gone or has suffered. This day will be just another witness against all the people who did this and the blood of all dead just will rise against them on the final judgement day.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
I was sick and in bed and took the day off from
work, my husband was getting ready for work and
turned on the TV to watch the weather news, when
suddenly he screamed Jana, that’s my pet name,
wake up, terrorists have attacked the world trade
center and the pentagon, they are still searching
for the third plain.
To my horror I saw the second plane hit the World
trade center, I started praying immediately for
the victims, and was crying at the same time, so
many people died on Sept. 11th, it made my heart
saddened for the survivors and their loss, and the
immense struggle they were facing in trying to cope
with their tragic loss.
The victims and survivors will forever be in my
thoughts and prayers. God bless and protect our
country.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I had just turned on the TV that morning a few minutes before 9am. I saw the replay on the first plane hitting the Towers, I thought it was a impossible accident. Then a few minutes later the second plane flew into the other tower and I realized we were being attacked not an accident. The planes were out of Boston, MASS near where I was living. I couldn’t believed it at first even after seeing it over and over, when the first tower collapsed it became extremely real. The days after were the weirdest, where I lived in MA the planes leaving Boston flew over head every few minutes, but after 9/11 the skies were empty. It was a constant reminder that we were at war with an invisible enemy and our safety here at home could no longer be taken for granted.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
I remember getting up about 10 in the morning. We had been having financial trouble and all we had was dial up internet service. Our cable TV had been turned off for a couple of weeks at this point. The only thing that I could get up online was a couple of headlines. One of which was “US Attacked. Twin Towers Fall.” I ran to the bedroom and woke my wife then we turned on the radio.
The shock of it all still gets to me today. When I think of all that happened that day, the heroes on the ground and the heroes in the air on flight 93, it still brings a tear to my eye.
My only thought that morning as things unfolded was, “How do I take care of my family?” We had been attacked, and no one knew if there were more coming. So I took off work and stayed home with my wife and kids. I felt safer knowing that I was with them, and they felt safer with me.
I will be lighting a candle in the morning that will burn all day, and I will remember.
griffintalley@yahoo.com
September 11th, 2007 at 10:27 am
On 9/11 my parents stopped by my house,as we were leaving to go shopping and I remember my father’s words “the whole world has gone mad!” I said “Why what happened?”He said “Arab terrorists have just flown a plane into the twin towers!”
While my wife was in the dentist,I sat in the car,glued to the radio,then afterwards drove straight home and turned on the TV and with my big dish checked out CNN and any wild feeds I could find!
The ironic part about all this,is that almost 10 yrs before,when I saw Louis Farakhan of The Nation of Islam on the TV during the O.J. Simpson trial,I said half to the TV and half to my wife “Now there’s your REAL problem - Islamic Fundamentalism!”
On 9/11 my “words” came true and the other ironic thing is our IDIOT governments all in the name of UN “multicultural policy” keep inviting thses Muslims in to set up Mosques,Schools and you name it -well guess where the extremists recruit from -among moderates -and that’s documentary that Fox News showed -because PBS banned it!
September 11th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
On 9/11 I Was in Washington DC, I’m on the board of directors, of a non profit organisation here in SaltLake, I was asked to attend a conference,( on issues concerning Women and Families) but just as we got to the Rayburn building, We had to evacuate the building, we ended up walking back to our hotel ( The Harrington ) There were crowds of people trying to make there way off of Capitol hill , Nobody understood what was going on but we could see the smoke comming from the Pentagon , we were told first that a bomb had gone off, but when we got back to the Hotel we turned on the CNN news and learnd what had happand …ended up jumping Greyhound and putting very slowely all the way home to SLC …
September 11th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
I was an over the road truck driver. I blew a motor in Kingman, AZ. We were up most of the night waiting to be towed in. The next morning my kids were calling to find out where I was at, then they told me the news. I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. This time, it hit too close to home. I then turned on the TV and watched the nightmare over and over. The sadness I felt for all the Americans who had family in the towers and on the plane. The children left without a parent and the many firefighters who died trying to save the people in the towers. I thought how dare they attack us. Then the pride I felt when all the US banned together as One Nation Under God!
September 12th, 2007 at 11:15 am
I remember that day like it was yesterday at the time we were living in NC. I was at work and my husband was home sleeping from working nights. All of us at work were watching the news as it unfolded. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Then it came on that a plane had hit the Pentagon an my heart stopped an I said “Oh My God”. I knew my mother-in-law worked there. I looked at my boss an told him I have to go home a wake my husband up he needs to know what has happened. It was along 15 minutes to get home. I keep thinking How do I tell him what has happened. When I got home I woke him and he turned on the TV to see for himself we both broke down in tears. It took us 3 days of trying to call his mom before we knew she wasn’t there that day. It was such a relief to know she was alright. But are hearts were broken for all the lives that we lost that day From the Twin Towers, Pentagon and the plane that went down in Pennsylvania field.
My prays and thoughts will always be with the families that lost love one on 9/11. God Bless America.
September 12th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
I’m from Chile and we have our 9/11 too. This because of the military Coup of 1973. When the twin towers disaster news appeared in our TV’s stations, almost nobody remembered our 9/11, because of the world impact and effect that the attack generated. In fact, the world is not longer the same since then.
I was at the university that day, and someone started to say that an aircraft crashed against one of the buildings, then I noticed that all tv stations were broadcasting through CNN what was supossed to be a terrible accident.
Late at night I could understand that this was a terrorist attack, and the first thing that come to my mind was to think: if this happened to the USA, what’s left for the rest of the world?
I’m not sure, but they say that even chilean people died during the Twin Towers attack. The saddest part always involves people. A bulding can be rebuid, but nobody can bring back those innocent that died because of a freak and sick mind which considers death and destruction like the best way to get closer to God.
September 13th, 2007 at 10:06 am
I’m a retired US Air Force officer, living in Korea. It was evening here when the 9/11 tragedy happened and thank goodness the Korean TV channels were broadcasting the live CNN coverage in English with subtitles. Naturally, the local TV journalists were doing their best to understand and report to the South Koreans what was going on, but I watched the replays over and over for the next several days.
I had never had a chance to see the Twin Towers but I had served in the Pentagon in the late 80s. The bravery of the American people, firefighters, police and military men and women was highly underestimated by the terrorists and I suspect they knew immediately that they had made a mistake. I am sure they know that now.
As I work now on a military base here with the military folks, it is impossible to not realize how this single event has changed the lives of everyone around me, my friends, my family, the Korean people, and the American public. I think it is imperative that, while we struggle with the memories and tragic results of that day, we keep our heads up, keep our faith, and vow that “We will never forget!”