9/11 terrorist attacks.

[Blackssr]

We are approaching the 20-year anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil. Do you remember where you were on that day, at that moment when the news broke that a plane hit the first Tower? We all tuned in and saw the plane hit the second tower live. Like a train wreck we couldn't turn away and all of us felt the horror and pain as the towers gracefully came down upon the first responders. Truly a horrible day, a day the world will never forget.

For me:
My first wife and I, had returned to the states from Saudi Arabia to attend the Michael Jackson 30th anniversary concert at Madison square garden on the 10th a week prior. That morning I was on line in dunkin' Donuts, (ironically) getting a large decaf when my phone rang and was told that a small plane hit one of the towers. The TV was playing the news and I saw the smoke bellowing out of the first tower. The gaping hole in that Tower was way too large to be a small private plane. I knew it was a jumbo jet and America was under attack. I believed it was Al-Qaeda led and financed by Osama bin laden. We were living in Saudi Arabia at the time. Bin Laden was a household name and his hatred of America was well known and feared. There were rumors at the DOD about a planned attack on American soil by Al Qaeda. The rest played out in slow motion for the world to see. It took us 2 months to get back to Saudi because it was safer to stay stateside.

Do you remember where you guys were on that fateful day? Who you were with and what you were doing?

 

[SwagSolo]

I sure as hell do. Was working an appliance parts gig. Just 21 years old. I didn’t see either plane strike live but was tracking everything over the radio even before the second plane hit. The boss ran home and grabbed a TV to bring back to the store. We all spent the rest of the work day not working, just watching in absolute horror. I’ll never forget 2 things about that evening, how tight my girlfriend hugged me when she saw me. She was bawling. And how we felt compelled to drive the streets. EVERYONE was out. Lining the curbs. American flags were already out. Downtown was packed. People hanging out of cars, Police with their lights on chanting USA over their loudspeakers. It was amazing. We wouldn’t know the level of devastation for days to come, but on that evening we were unified and it was a beautiful thing to see. Everybody also knew there was gonna be hell to pay for whoever was responsible. Never Forget.


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[F=MA]

Was in a construction meeting in the Georgia Power Building in Atlanta.

 

[GearHead_1]

I was within a few miles of the towers in a hotel getting some breakfast while waiting for our car to take us to a meeting, the TV’s were on in the dining room. They tried to begin a two day meeting but after only a couple of hours it was evident that people weren’t really there or at least their minds weren’t. The meeting was as it should have been canceled.

It was very difficult to get a line out to tell our families we were okay. We got the last available car at the airport from Hertz. We then found out that the bridges were all closed (3 days) couldn’t drive or fly out of the city. At that point the ferry’s were still open but not for long. We just hung out at the ferry, everyone was just waiting/hoping. Fortunately there was a restaurant just a short distance away and we could watch our car in line while we ate.

We were able to get a ferry out the next morning like 4 am. Due to the threat of attacks it was one of the last 3 boats they allowed to go, I remember the captain telling us over the loud speaker that we were all lucky to get out as all of the ports had been closed. We were in fact, blessed and I knew it. I remember floating past where the towers had stood and seeing this huge void in the skyline at sunrise. It was kind of errie.

I also distinctly remember going in the elevators of the buildings with lots of people and how deafening the silence was even in that confined space. I/we drove straight from NY to Utah, took about 38 hours, my business partner spelled me off only about 4 hours of that drive. It was a Taurus that had an opening that went back into the trunk. You could kind of stretch out. He slept most of the way, waking up only to say FOOD.

This point in time left me a little more somber, a lot more grateful and I remember being a little more jumpy for quite some time.

 

[CapTom]

My wife was in her office in the World Financial Center across the street from the towers. She watched the second plane hit and, thank God, had the common sense to get out of town. I was on a ship on City Island in Long Island Sound and actually took a small part in the evacuation of Manhattan.

 

[SwagSolo]

My wife was in her office in the World Financial Center across the street from the towers. She watched the second plane hit and, thank God, had the common sense to get out of town. I was on a ship on City Island in Long Island Sound and actually took a small part in the evacuation of Manhattan.

Jesus I can’t imagine being there. I also can’t imagine the people that stayed around. I know fear locks us in place but I imagine I would have gotten me and mine outta dodge like immediately.


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[DoingOK]

I was a Chief in the US Navy getting ready to attend a brief. Watched the second plane hit.....I knew right then that the base was going on high alert. I was part of the nuclear response team and we were put in standby just in case something went down in Norfolk, Virginia.

 

[Blackssr]

Thanks to all who shared your story so far. It means a lot to me and others as well I am sure. Looking forward to other stories from other members. I hope we get no jokesters, just actual memories of that day.

 

[SwagSolo]

I was a Chief in the US Navy getting ready to attend a brief. Watched the second plane hit.....I knew right then that the base was going on high alert. I was part of the nuclear response team and we were put in standby just in case something went down in Norfolk, Virginia.

Thank you for your service


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[SwagSolo]

Thanks to all who shared your story so far. It means a lot to me and others as well I am sure. Looking forward to other stories from other members. I hope we get no jokesters, just actual memories of that day.

Appreciate you starting thread.


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[Blackssr]

Jesus I can’t imagine being there. I also can’t imagine the people that stayed around. I know fear locks us in place but I imagine I would have gotten me and mine outta dodge like immediately.


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The city at that point was in complete chaos and no one really knew what was happening or what to do. Manhattan is one big traffic jam under normal circumstances. Once the situation made itself evident mass exodus began. However it was not as simple as driving across the several bridges to get out of Manhattan. Many were trapped for hours or even days before they arrived at at their final distination.

 

[Blackssr]

Thank you for your service


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I was not military. I was a DOD defense contractor deployed in the Middle East. Please edit your post. It was very kind of you. I feel the exact same as you and many others about anyone who serves our great country, but not accurate in my case. DOD Contractors put their lives at risk also but serve in a different way. Thank you anyway.

 

[Blackssr]

My wife was in her office in the World Financial Center across the street from the towers. She watched the second plane hit and, thank God, had the common sense to get out of town. I was on a ship on City Island in Long Island Sound and actually took a small part in the evacuation of Manhattan.

Did her building come down later that day? Which building was she in? I forget in which order a few buildings came down after the Towers fell. It still amazes me how gracefully the Towers pancaked. It was beautiful, haunting and disturbing all at the same time. Demolition crews could not have done any better with an engineering team setting explosives in strategic locations.

 

[Blackssr]

My father in law, at the time, was an Air Traffic Controller at JFK. He never really got over it and didn't like to discuss the chaos that occurred in the ATC control room that morning. He was on shift and they had no idea what the hell was happening. By the time they realized what had transpired, it was done and the real work began. They had grounded all flights and they had the humongous task of safely landing thousands of flights. A first in aviation history. THERE WERE MANY HEROS THAT EMERGED THAT DAY AND THE ATCs WERE JUST A FEW OF THEM.

Once things got back on track all the ATC Controllers tried to put that day behind them and do their jobs the best they can. My father-in-law was on duty went Captain Sully had to ditch in the Hudson. (Another incredible story at least with a happy ending. The ATC tape of that conversation is a good listen.) He retired later that year. He still doesn't like talking about 9/11.

 

[SwagSolo]

I was not military. I was a DOD defense contractor deployed in the Middle East. Please edit your post. It was very kind of you. I feel the exact same as you and many others about anyone who serves our great country, but not accurate in my case. DOD Contractors put their lives at risk also but serve in a different way. Thank you anyway.

Edited


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[20 Red ST]

I will never forget the helpless feeling I had in the pit of my stomach when I heard about the first plane hitting the twin tower. I was in a management training session about an hour away from home. Our training manager stopped the session and tuned a tv into the overhead projector. We watched the second plane hit the other tower. I am usually a peaceful person but would have given most anything I had to get my hands on the SOB that was behind this.
Telling my age here, but I also know I was in 5th grade math class when the principal opened the classroom door and told us President John F Kennedy has been assignation. There was a gasp of disbelief from the whole class. Then the small US flag at the front of the room fell from its stand without anyone being near it.
Some things you never forget.
May all the people that helped be blessed and our dead Rest In Peace.

 

[CapTom]

Did her building come down later that day? Which building was she in? I forget in which order a few buildings came down after the Towers fell. It still amazes me how gracefully the Towers pancaked. It was beautiful, haunting and disturbing all at the same time. Demolition crews could not have done any better with an engineering team setting explosives in strategic locations.

She had an office in the World Financial Center directly across the street from the World Trade Center. One of the falling towers, we don't know which one, took out the east face of her building. Her office was lost. When they finally cleaned it up she got back what remained of the contents of her office in a file box. As a side note her company then moved her to an office on Water St., which she lost when it flooded during Superstorm Sandy. She worked from our home home office after that.

 

[Floxx]

Yeah, I remember the day like it just happened. Was taking the family dog to the vet to get fixed. Heard about the "small" plane and thought, "that was odd, why would a small plane be flying so low"? When I heard there was another plane that hit the other tower I knew we were under attack and I was suddenly sick to my stomach

 

[MikeyP]

Was in 9th grade, getting ready for school. Just heard my dad say "Holy shit" as I was coming down the stairs, first plane had hit. I got down to the TV just as the 2nd plane hit. Took me a minute to realize it was real. There was an assembly about it at school. My AP European History teacher is one of the most patriotic people you'd ever meet, and he gave a great speech about what it means to be an American and why some people would want to commit this attack.

 

[yngrshr]

This one is going to be a tough year for me, I think. We lost a lot of friends that day. My dad used to work on the 105th floor and had left his company to go to a competitor about 2 years prior.

I will always remember where I was. Sophomore in HS and in my honors Chemistry class. We were actually blowing up the large water bottles that morning (I think it was with sodium and water? I forget, now). I grew up about a 50 minute drive into the City. My dad worked (well, still does - and I do now as well) in Midtown and went to the Trade Centers every morning via the PATH from Hoboken. Of course he was in that day.

Unbeknownst to us, he had thankfully made it in early to the City and was already at his office when the first plane hit. Issue was that when the first plane hit, the cell service began to deteriorate quite a bit. It was very spotty and 20 years ago the signals weren't that strong. So his area seemed to be pretty dark in terms of reception. Obviously after the second plane hit and the towers went down, service basically died. So, we were left hanging for the better part of 10-12 hours wondering if he was OK. We ended up getting a call around 9PM or so saying to come and get him. He was on the Parkway at the Cheesequake rest stop along with a few other people. He ended up walking from midtown in full dress attire all the way into Brooklyn across the bridge and all. He and a group from his office all made it down there. They found someone with a car who was going back to NJ and they piled about 8 people into a pretty small Honda and got out of the City. They got out just a bit before the bridges were shut down.

We ended up having to throw away all of his clothes from that day. Like many, he was covered head-to-toe in ash (a mix of building material, dirt, human debris, etc.).

Will always remember seeing the City on fire from a distance. We had a pretty good view of Manhattan just a bit north of us. But you couldn't see the Trade Center area for a long time. The debris cloud lasted for quite a while. But the fire (I guess there was still some smoldering going off or a while) is something I'll never forget. Nor the smell of the debris on my dad's clothes.

Luckily, he's been pretty blessed. No real issues with his lungs right now even though he was just covered with stuff from when the buildings collapsed. That was the scariest moment of his life since the dust clouds made some think it was a nuclear bomb going off.