Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to The Outside Course!

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features!

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
9/11/2001; Tell me your story
Topic Started: Sep 6 2011, 07:31 AM (900 Views)
Nylar
Member Avatar
We're on a bridge, Chaaaaaaaaarlie!
[ *  *  *  * ]
I was a junior in college, and was sitting in a lecture all morning. When I headed back to the dorm, the RAs were grabbing everyone to tell them that we were all expected to be in chapel at 11 for a meeting - that was my first knowledge that something was really wrong. Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day, so we all sat in the chapel for a while, and then my friends and I piled into my room and watched the coverage until we literally couldn't take it any longer.

Oddly enough, my best friend's father should have been in his office in the Pentagon that morning but was on a business trip, and my roommate's father worked near where the plane went down in PA but didn't go into work that morning.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
FlashGordon
Member Avatar
You're BANNED!
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Oh gosh. I was 20 and a junior in college. My parents and I were getting ready to attend a funeral for my best friend's father, who had just passed away after a very long and difficult battle with cancer. My dad came in to my room and told me a plane had hit one of the twin towers.... and I remember kind of blowing him off thinking it was a random accident or something. In the car on the way to mass, we heard about the second plane and my dad started to get visibly nervous which for him is unusual.

Then we were sitting in church, and halfway through mass someone came out to the altar and whispered to the priest, who then announced we were under terrorist attack and a plane had hit the pentagon. I will never forget the huge collective gasp that went through the congregation. The rest of the day was a blur, I remember sitting in the car in the funeral procession, being so sad for my friend, and listening to the radio and all the chaotic news reports.

We were thankful that my friend's dad passed before this happened. He was terminally ill, and his son was career military. We were glad he left this earth while things were in a peaceful state, and that he didn't have to die knowing his son would be involved in an ongoing war overseas.

Marc and I were dating at the time, he was living about an hour away on a gorgeous equestrian estate. I drove out there to be with him, as he was feeling pretty lonely since all his family is in the UK. I remember the drive well.... sunny, gorgeous blue skies.... and literally wondering if the world was going to end!! I spent the next few days at the farm with him, playing with the resident horses and taking long walks around the property hoping the craziness would have passed by the time I had to get back to reality.

It is hard to believe it has been a decade. I wish there was more resolution.. or something....
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Barn Girl
Member Avatar
It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Oddly enough, I was here in my office (well, a different actual office but in the same building). My then hubby (now ex) was a firefighter. He called to tell me about the first plane and before we could get a TV in here, the second one hit. He was really panicked being that he was a first responder, that something might happen here. All of my coworkers and I stayed by the TV all day. I remember wondering if a nuclear bomb was next and if I'd ever see my horses and dogs again. Mean bosses would not let us go home though we were doing nothing except standing around being shellshocked. Ex had a lot of busy days at the fire dept. after that, including dealing with all of the anthrax scares.

It really depresses me to think about that day. But on the other hand, I'm glad I experienced it because it gave me a reality check as far as taking life for granted. I think people who were too young to remember it could never understand what it was like... like the rug being pulled out from under your feet. It really woke me up and I subsequently made some pretty major life changes, including leaving then hubby about six months later and pretty much starting over.

An ex BF was supposed to be in a meeting at the WTC that day but had missed his flight. Thankfully that was my closest connection to anyone involved.
Edited by Barn Girl, Sep 6 2011, 11:21 AM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Twiceshy
Member Avatar
Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
It's very telling to me that this is still such an emotional event for most of us; each of us has a personal connection in some way (friend/colleague in the tower, family in the military, etc.). This is still emotionally difficult for me when I think about what happened.

I had returned to Chicago the weekend prior to 9/11 to attend my 20th HS reunion. To coincide with the trip I had rented a car to get around so as to not have to rely on family to drive me around. I had registered for a seminar in the suburban Chicago are ("Statistics for Non-Statisticians" :rolleyes: ).

I was preparing to go downstairs for the morning session and had the "Today" show on when the breaking news hit of the first plane striking the tower. By the time I got downstairs to the seminar I saw the second plane hit on the TVs scattered around the lobby. A short time later, we took a break and by then the Pentagon had been struck, but the PA plane was still "missing". The instructor offered to continue teaching but at that point everyone elected to watch events on TV and start arranging to get home. By then all flights had been grounded, and Amtrak was making noise about cancelling too. Stuck between staying in IL with my parents and getting home to my own husband and children (who were all understandably upset at my absence), I took the rental car and started driving back to Boston. Quite possibly the eeriest road trip of my life, one that I won't forget. The lines for gas at all the rest stops. The flags hanging from overpasses. The incredible sunset - devoid of airplane contrails.

My SIL was flying for United that day as a flight attendant. Their flight was ordered to land immediately which happened to be Cedar Rapids, IA - my brother had to go get her that night. She took an immediate voluntary furlow and didn't fly for nearly 3 years. She still does not discuss what happened that day with anyone but close family.

I wish we could go back to that time immediately following 9/11 when politicians got along and people were nice to each other for no reason other than we were all Americans. :sigh:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
DairyQueen2049
Member Avatar
DRAGON BREATH. DRAGGIN' BUTT
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Twiceshy
Sep 6 2011, 11:30 AM


I wish we could go back to that time immediately following 9/11 when politicians got along and people were nice to each other for no reason other than we were all Americans. :sigh:
I second this sentiment.


:cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Buryinghill1
Member Avatar
You're BANNED!
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
This is a good book on the subject:
The day the world came to town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Delia
Member Avatar
You're BANNED!
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I live about 5 miles from the Pentagon and usually pass by there on my way to work in a Northern Virginia suburb of DC. And at the time Mr. Delia was my boyfriend, working in Manhattan and living in Hoboken, NJ, right across the river from the towers. I had gotten to work early and my sister in Atlanta called me, all freaked out. She worked for Marsh and had been on a conference call with a bunch of Marsh people in NY when the first plane hit -- their offices were in one of the towers. There was a huge crash and then the phone went dead. She was perplexed, tried calling back but couldn't get through. Obviously she wasn't thinking it was anything other than a techical problem, so she just waited for them to call her back. But after about 15 minutes she went to get a cup of coffee and saw on the TV in the lobby, which was tuned to CNN, a report that a "small plane" had hit one of the towers. So she called me to tell me that I should try to get Mr. D on the phone and tell him to hold off going in to work. At that point I was thinking it probably was a small personal plane rather than an airliner. So I tried to call Mr. D but couldn't get through to him b/c cell phone circuits were jammed. And then news slowly started trickling in about what was really happening and I became frantic about Mr. D. Finally I got through to his mom, who had been able to reach him -- he already was on the bus and heading to the Lincoln Tunnel -- clueless about what was going on and thinking his mother was insane. Until the bus was stopped at the tunnel and told to go back to Hoboken. Everyone was dropped off at the bus terminal across the river from the towers, so at that point they had a clear view. Mr. D got some breakfast and sat outside by the river on what was an otherwise gorgeous morning. And then he watched as the first tower came down, and then the second tower tower. :,( Fortunately Mr. D and I didn't know anyone who worked in the towers. But my sister worked with scores of people who died in the NY office (Marsh had multiple floors high up.) And an attorney in my office lost his sister-in-law, who was 6 months pregnant with her first child.

Meanwhile, we had learned of the plane that hit the Pentagon. One of my partners was on the plane. He was married and had young twin sons. At that point we learned that our D.C. office was being evacuated, and there was a debate in our VA office as to whether to close our office or if it was safer for everyone to stay put. I remember that it all just felt so surreal -- it was really hard to wrap my head around what was happening. By late morning our office was closed, but there was no way for me to get home. All of the roads leading to my neighborhood either were closed or completely clogged with traffic. So I went to the barn because it was in the opposite direction. I rode, because I didn't know what else to do, but I remember feeling incredibly sheepish and guilty because I was doing something fun while this tragedy was unfolding. I stayed at the barn until about 9:00 p.m. and then tried to make my way home. It took me 2 hours (usually takes 35 minutes), but I did eventually make it. The smell of the crash, like an electrical fire, lingered in the air for days and days and was a truly nauseating reminder of what had happened.

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
naters
Member Avatar
It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I was at my desk at the nuclear weapons plant. Someone said, "hey look at Cnn.com live feed, a plane crashed into the twin towers in NYC".

I looked. Saw the 2nd plane hit.

Heard about the Pentagon.

Within 5 minutes we were on lockdown, expecting to be a target.

As a military family we had a lot of friends at the pentagon. Tried to get ahold of them to no avail. Finally heard back from them later that day through my parents.
Edited by naters, Sep 8 2011, 03:11 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
NatalieA
Member Avatar
Schooling
[ *  * ]
Second week of my freshman year of college. 3000 miles away from home and family. On the way to breakfast one of my friends had a boyfriend who worked in downtown NYC and he called her and told her to start watching tv because something was happening. I remember alternating between my dorm common room tv and the huge tv in the campus center for the morning, just watching everyone in a collective sense of shock. Also telling my mom that Pittsburgh was nowhere near Philadelphia, where I was. We had a campus-wide meeting and I remember people wondering if it was okay to have a big gathering outside... as if some terrorist would bomb a liberal arts college green? But at that time we were just so on edge that anything seemed possible. I'll forever remember that they were serving macaroni and cheese and fried chicken sandwiches in the dining halls at lunch... and I forever connected that meal with 9/11 for my entire college experience.
Edited by NatalieA, Sep 6 2011, 12:25 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Corey94
Member Avatar
Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I was at Deep Creek Lake, MD, alone, that morning. And it was a spectacular late summer day. I had been 4 wheeling in TN w/ friends for a few days, and stopped over at my then BF's 'rents house the night before to sleep and to drop off my ATV. They had no long distance phone service, and no TV. I was hosing off my ATV in the driveway with the radio in the truck on for company and heard the news. It was surreal, and didn't make a whole lot of sense at first.

Then I realized that the plane that was headed for PA hadn't been located and I was sure they were going to land in Deep Creek Lake, considering where it was expected that plane might be.

I was able to get cell phone service if I stood on the railing of the deck, and called around to see WTH was happening. I called my office, and everyone without a television was figuring it out without the visual. Like Twice, I had to make the long drive home on empty highways. My jackass ex bf (I was at his parents place) never even tried to contact me. We didn't last too long after that, luckily.

It is such a snapshot in time for so many. Can't believe it's been 10 years!! Seems like yesterday in so many ways..
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Onelanerode
Member Avatar
Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I was a junior in college getting ready for a 9:20 linguistics class. I heard the CBS anchor announce that a small plane had hit the World Trade Center, and I remember looking at the screen as they showed the tower on fire and thinking how on earth does one manage to hit the World Trade Center? And then when I saw the hole, I thought my god, that was no small plane.

I don't remember if I saw the second tower get hit or if I heard the anchor say it and then walked in just in time to see the replay. I did end up going to class, and our professor, who was from the Netherlands, was so grave. He said he did not feel like teaching and wanted us to know that we were in the thoughts and prayers of people around the world. We sort of muddled through class, and then after that I had an econ class. The lecturer never showed, and on my way out I overheard another professor with a group of students gathered around him telling them to get cash out of the ATMs and put gas in their cars.

I heard about the Pentagon on my way home ... my neighbor was at our house and we were all sitting around the TV for the rest of the day.

At the time, I was heavily involved in an evangelical church on campus, and we had an impromptu prayer meeting that evening. By then the enormity of what was happening was starting to sink in and most people were in tears.

My parents were in Rome at the time; they were supposed to fly home that day but couldn't get back till Thursday. It was almost a full day before I heard from them. I had to drive to the airport to pick them up and the National Guard searched my car before I was allowed to pull around to the terminal. They told me that the Italian military had troops posted at the airports with dogs, searching luggage and such. The manager of the hotel where my parents were staying was so kind ... he let them use his office computer to email my brother and me so we'd know they were OK.

I did not know anyone who worked in the towers or the Pentagon, but going through the pictures in one of my journalism classes over the next few weeks was wrenching ... we were discussing ethics in photojournalism and the use of certain pictures. Sept. 11 offered a really stellar learning experience where that was concerned, but it was so awful, and so raw.

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
JanM
Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I lived in Colorado then, and so it was early when I saw the news about the first plane. I turned on the station with Bryant Gumbel (the only live news I think) just in time to hear him make some smart ass crack about air traffic incompetence when the second plane hit. I grabbed my stuff and took off for work (I worked as a civilian for the military and still do) since I knew they would lock the gates down, but when I went on post the gate guards were still in normal protocol. I went to work (I was acting chief) and opened the building up for the class that was going to use one of our rooms. The instructor came in and asked about a tv, so we took the old black and white one and put it on the front desk. Between class sessions the students came out and watched (they were all military), and when the towers fell and then we found out the Pentagon was hit it really became surreal. A bunch of us had been to the Pentagon so we were using a road atlas and our knowledge to try and figure out what was hit, and what kind of a hit the building has suffered. It was so strange sitting there watching the coverage with all of the men and women who would soon leave to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq. The class in the building ended when they found out one of the students had a brother on the first plane, and then the students all went back to their units. My other staff members started coming in (only the ones who lived on post) and we started getting instructions from my boss.

A co-worker couldn't get on post, so I ended up with her kid, and later picked the other one up-it was a real mess getting them home and finding their mom (she was in a huge line leading to the front gate-many people just couldn't get the point that everything was closed and they weren't coming on post). We had some security duties to perform and then closed down for days, and then when we came back to work things were never the same. I will always remember the Air Force jets flying protective cover over the installation, and knowing what they would be expected to do if another attack happened. There were many changes in our lives after that, but I think the biggest change was in all of us. It was our generation's Pearl Harbor, and the day none of us will ever forget. I will be thinking about the lives lost, and the ones left behind to grieve for them this Sunday. But also remember the people who died helping others like Rick Rescorla, and the others who helped get so many out of the towers, and the people at the Pentagon who risked death to rescue others, and lead others to safety. And most of all I will remember the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who were the first people to fight back, and died knowing they were saving many of us with their sacrifice.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
MAR
Member Avatar
Thomas H. Cruise!
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I got in my truck to go to a lesson...heard something about it on the radio..so I went back upstairs just in time to see the second plane hit. I took my portable tv to the barn after that and sat holding hands with my adult student whose husband was on a plane somewhere at that point. We just clutched each others hands as the towers fell. The main thing I recall was how silent it was that day, almost no traffic or anything...no one could leave their tv's.....
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
lives2jump
Member Avatar
Shunnnnn the unbeliever. Shunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
I was a junior in High school sitting in honors English class, when another English teacher came to our room and said that a plane had hit the Twin towers. So we turned on the news and watched it in every class for the rest of the day. My best friends are from New York, they knew people who died in the towers. Very sad.

I do CrossFit and the "community" nationwide is coming together to do a workout in honor of 9-11 and the proceeds raised go to The Disposable Heros project (http://www.9-11throwdown.com/9-11-throwdown-wod.html).
2001 meter Row
THEN 11 REPS OF THE FOLLOWING
36/24in box jump
125/85 thruster (deaths @ pentagon)
burpee chest to bar pull ups
175/120 power clean (AA FLight #175 (south tower))
hand stand push ups
2 pood/1.5 pood kettlebell swings
toes to bar
170/120 lb DL (Flight 77 and flight 93)
110/75 push jerk (number of floors in each tower)

Then finish with another 2001 meter row.

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
CDE Driver
Member Avatar
It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Living in Oregon it was early here. I was awake but just laying in bed. My Mother telephoned me and said "Turn on the TV, we are under attack". I laid in bed with the covers up to my chin and watched the second plane fly in to the tower. I really have no other recollections of that day, I think it was so overwhelming that it is just a blur.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Fully Featured & Customizable Free Forums
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · The Hay Loft · Next Topic »
Add Reply