Where were you on 9/11?

Kirk W · Wednesday at 09:11 PM

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 Wednesday at 09:14 PM by Kirk W
correct typo

GlennWest · Wednesday at 09:47 PM

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 · Wednesday at 10:03 PM

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 · Thursday at 01:20 AM

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 · Thursday at 02:45 AM

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 · Thursday at 05:07 AM

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 · Thursday at 06:46 PM

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

Chad Heiser · Thursday at 10:27 PM

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 · Thursday at 11:00 PM

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 · Thursday at 11:37 PM

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 · Thursday at 11:57 PM

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 · Friday at 01:10 PM

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 · Friday at 01:18 PM

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 · Friday at 08:22 PM

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 · Sunday at 01:12 AM

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