sandpat

I had just gotten out of the shower and DH had just gotten in as we were getting ready to drive from Memphis to Little Rock, AR.- me for work, DH to visit his Mom. I watched the plane hit the 1st tower..I hollered to DH that some idiot in a little plane just crashed into a building. Then I stood and watched in horror as I realized what was really happening. We did drive to Little Rock that morning. It was the eeriest drive...no planes overhead (even crop dusters)..very little traffic. We sat in DH's sister's house and watched the tv coverage for the rest of the day. It was a horrid experience, one that I truly hope our country never has to go through again. My heart still aches for everyone who lost someone they were close to.

Ditter43

I was on my way to visit a friend. I had stopped at walmart and was in the garden department. I saw people gathering around the t.v. and could tell something was wrong. I watched there with strangers in disbelief. Then I hurried to be with my friend whose DH worked near the trade center. She was waiting to hear from him and I stayed with her until he called to say he was alright....It was a sad and strange day......

pab58

I was teaching my middle school students. We had to go through the day and not say anything to them. We knew they were safe, and the administration made the decision not to tell the students what had happened. They felt it would be better for their parents to tell them. Only a few parents came to pick up their children early. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the sky was absolutely crystal clear (what I call a Michigan-blue sky). We only had a couple of minutes to go before dismissal, and we were about to say a closing prayer for the day, when one of my girls said, "You know I feel like something has happened." Absolutely NO ONE had given ANY indication about the events of the day. I was maintaining my composure, and all I could say was, "Really? Gee, it's such a beautiful day outside. Why do you feel as if something has happened?" She said, "I don't know. I just feel it." The next morning when that class arrived for the first hour session, I mentioned our conversation on 9-11. I told her that she had freaked me out! She said that sometimes she just "gets a feeling" inside that something isn't right. Well......she was correct this time!! That particular class of students are now about 21 years old. My, how their world has changed! :cry:

I remember driving home and seeing huge U.S. flags already flying at half staff. I remember the silence.....the overwhelming, eerie silence that seemed to be everywhere. I don't live very far from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and not hearing any airplanes flying over was really strange. My best memory, however, was how everyone came together. The desire for mean-spiritedness seemed to be put aside, and people were kinder to each other. There was a renewal of patriotism and oneness. It is so sad to me that the farther removed we are from that awful day, the farther removed we are from that kindness towards one other.

I had heard a news report about the rescue dogs in NYC and how they were being injured by stepping on broken glass and metal. Something inside me cried out to be able to do something to help them. I went to JoAnn Fabrics on Sunday afternoon and purchased some heavy canvas fabric and stayed up all night sewing booties for the dogs. I made over 150 of them. I decided to have my 8th grade students help me with them by trimming the seams and clipping the threads. I then got the idea that they could use markers to decorate the outside of the booties. Well, that idea led to the idea to get the entire school involved! We mailed them out the same day (Monday) to a police station close to Ground Zero. I included a letter with the booties that expressed our thoughts and prayers for the rescue workers. I never expected to receive any replies, but we did! I cherish those letters of gratitude and photographs of the rescue dogs and their handlers. They were so thankful for our gift. Because the booties were made of canvas and not a material that was stronger, they were never used, but they were kept by the volunteers as remembrances of the kindness of strangers. We had touched their lives in a way that we never intended, but we were so blessed to be able to express our feelings to them.

SaraSewing

I was in the operating room, Casper WY, scrubbed in for a hernia case ( I was the nurse). Another surgeon came to the door and told us the news. We heard just bits and pieces as our busy day progressed. I didn't see the TV until I got home after 6PM. If little ole' me can still picture the people I was with that day, and the rest of our environment, I can't even imagine those who were in NY that day. My heart goes out to all those who are still effected by this tragic horror.

Lisanne

I was living in Massachusetts at the time and was driving home after some personal business in Pennsylvania. My route took me right through New York, but not into NYC. It was on all the radio channels, all the way home. For eight hours, I listened to every facet of news, analysis and discussion. I didn't have TV reception at the time, because I didn't have cable, so other than seeing the planes crash and the towers collapse, I didn't see the horrors of people jumping.

People were fleeing the city, driving north on the turnpike in NY just to get away. And the drivers on the road were very considerate of one another on that day. A lot of people made eye contact from their cars. People just wanted to reach out to each other, if only by sharing a look.

I didn't know anyone personally, but living in MA, I knew people who'd known some of those on the planes. I'd even heard of a few of them.

I think what stays with me the most is the horror of all those people trapped in the towers. It happened so fast, there weren't even very many people the rescuers could save.

Jingle

I was at work, listening to the Mighty MOX, KMOX AM radio when it was announced, my first words, the news people were just speculating about it being a terrorist attack, and saying they should wait before saying something like that. A few minutes later I knew it wasn't just hype. Watched news coverage of it at home that evening, it seemed unbelieveable that someone would actually do something like that.

Matilda

I was at church cleaning when the associate pastor rushed in with a tv and said a plane just few into one of the Trade Towers. We all gathered round to see a plane fly into the other one. We were all sick at heart.

Linda B

I was glued to the TV in the kitchen while I held the phone giving my DH reports which he shared with others at work (they had no TV). 9/11 is out 12/7. I remember just sliding off my stool to the floor in utter horror when the first building came down. It was so unbearable to watch helplessly while so many died. And I remember the quiet with no planes flying because we live just a few miles from the local airport. What a horrible day.

Beffy_Boo

I was at work (Baltimore, MD) when my friend called me to tell me that a plane had hit the twin towers. Went to my boss and asked her if we could turn on the tv in her office which she agreed to. Being only about 30 miles from DC, when the news came that the Pentagon had been hit, the govenor allowed state employees liberal leave. I left because all I wanted was to get in touch with my husband who was supposed to be at the Pentagon that day and get my kids and hold them tightly. DH was already at home trying to reach me because he had been called by the school to tell him that the kids were being bused home immediately. (Many of the kids' parents in this district worked in DC). We prayed with our children and then they went to their rooms to keep each other company while DH and I watched the horror unfold on tv.
We lived very near to BWI airport and the silence of the no fly order was deafening. The whole world seemed to stop.
Being a military family, we used the health care system on Ft. Meade. They kept things like medical appointments flowing as normally as possible. Going through gates that were previously "open" to ones with several soldiers armed with huge guns was unsettling to me and scared the kids to death.
My heart aches and I get choked up every time I think of that day and the aftermath. I thank and praise GOD for all the heroes that came forth during that time, especially the gentleman on the plane who lead other passengers to disarm the terrorists causing the plane to crash in a field rather than their intended target.
I am proud to be a Christian American! I love the USA!

Sandy1951

I was running a little late to work, but had taken the the time to stop at McD's for a breakfast sandwich. I had the radio on and heard the first reports that a plane had hit one of the twin towers. At that point no one knew what type of plane it was or whether it was an accident or not. I was the clerk-treasurer for our town and when I got to work I asked my assistant and deputy if they had heard anything (they had a different radio station on). They hadn't, but just as soon as I told them what had happened, the news came on that a second plane had just crashed into the other tower. I remember saying there's no doubt now, this is definitely a terrorist attack, as we all stared at each other in horror.

It was such a long day. We had no tv in our offices, but listened to the news on our radios. We were going through an audit, but it was terribly difficult to concentrate on anything except the news. One of the auditors kept calling me with questions regarding the audit (he was SO annoying) and during one of the calls he told me about the Pentagon being hit. I had a long meeting that evening, so it was quite late before I could watch any television coverage.

We live in a small town about halfway between Cleveland and Columbus and at that time we had a subscription to the Cleveland Plain Dealer as well as our local newspaper. I vividly remember how thorough the PD's coverage was and how I'd read each day's stories about the heroes and the dead with tears running down my face.

Our first granddaughter was born that year on September 23 and I remember how, in the labor room, our SIL kept watching news stories about the terrorists until I finally asked him to turn the channel to something more cheerful. It was so nice when our sweet Cleo was born and our focus turned to her and away from the horror and sadness of 9/11.