9/11............your own story.

Forshadowed but sometimes forgotten Beneath all the media specials and planned events to mark 9/11/11
comes the "everyday person" story of simple actions that caused one to react instinctively in one way or
another whether near or many miles from the site. I'm very interested in stories "outside the box" (sort of
speak) ...... please tell your story in a few sentences.

I remember that morning vividly..... I was driving my usual 60 mile commute to Chicago to go to work listening to "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" I'm sure a couple mid-westerners here know who that is. :wink: Anyway, he was kinda a "shockjock" and announced that a plane flew into the WTC. I was like, "Yeah,, Right..." No one really knew what was going on at that point and, if it was real, sounded like a small private aircraft or something. All of a sudden, Mancow and his possie were all screaming! They then all started shouting that another plane just crashed into the WTC!!

I was like, Woah, WTF! And immediately changed my radio to 780AM. Sure enough, it was no hoax. Details were scrambled and the reporters were flustered but they did confirm that both WTC buildings were hit by large aircraft. I immediately thought "terrorist attack!"

At this time I was in the Rosemont area next to Ohere airport. Most of the drivers on I90 were driving more irratically than usual and everyone, including me, was peaking out there windows at the skies for aircraft. I wasn't scared but was in shock over the details I was hearing.


When I finally got to work, I told all the other guys what was happening and we all had radios going listening to the details unfold and the attack on the pentagon. What was really weirs is the only two calls I got while I was there for 3 hours were both from Arabic gentlemen. I don't hold anything against them but I thought it was kinda strange and they didn't say a word about what was going on. Neither did I though.

My boss finally called me and told me to let everyone go home. After that, It was a blurr I think I just sat in front of my TV for 12 hours in awe...

I think it's very important to remember the victims of this tragic day and fight to make it better.... However,,,, We SHOULD NOT let these FU(ks Destroy our rights, freedoms and induce fear. This is what they want. The United States is a great country, and we need to keep it that way.
Adam

My office was 10 blocks north of WTC.
On a clear day I could see people standing on the roof observation deck of WTC2.
I saw WTC2 collapse when I was riding my bike down Fifth Avenue.
When I got to my office I went to the roof and watched as Tower1 burned and collapsed.
I lost a best friend who was in the Windows on the World restaurant.

It was the first time in my life
that my mind did not believe what my eyes had truly witnessed . . .
I looked out my window for days somehow expecting to see the Towers again.

I will never forget . . .

600 miles east , out in the Atlantic , it was a beautiful September morning just like it was in NYC.
I had just gone into the city to do a few errands and had stopped in one of the banks. I could immediately tell something wasn't right when I went in the hall. There was a large overhead TV with CNN on and everyone in the hall had put their business aside and was watching the screen.
At that point only the first tower was on fire and details were sketchy ..you know , the small aircraft rumour.

Went right back to work and every TV in the office was on. We all saw the second crash in total disbelief. The atmosphere was so sombre that a long awaited for department function to be held that day was cancelled.

We're only a tiny reef in the middle of nowhere , but three Bermudians lost their lives in the disaster. My wonderfull neighbor works for a local firm whose NY office had terrible losses in the disaster too .

Strange how these things become etched in our minds .. I can also take you to the exact spot where I was when I heard about JFK's assasination and the Space Shuttle disaster too . (And I was just a wee little boy when JFK was shot )

Heard about the first airship hitting from a co-worker's wife by phone...5 minutes later, the second...our work was cancelled for the day...went home, stayed glued to the tv coverage for the next xx hours. Could not believe the overwhelming gravitational pull to NYC during and then again when I awoke. Kept waiting for the news of our counter-strike...two months later was two months too long in my book. Had I been given access to "the button", by Sept 15, the "Middle East" would have been unrecognizable to "them" as well as their ancient ancestors...and my finger would be poised to launch on the 16th as well.

Son of a WW2 Veteran...and with kind regards,

Phil S.

My wife and I had taken my grandmother to have blood work done near PBIA Palm Beach International Airport, and while she was inside the building Gina and I were standing outside watching the planes fly over and Gina commented on what a beautiful day it was to be flying somewhere. When we got home 8:30am we had turned on the TV and were watching GMA when they announced that a plane had just flown into the WTC. We couldn't believe what we were seeing.

My wife worked at a Publix store about 1.5 miles from our home and when the picture of Mohammad Atta was shown on the news she started shaking and said oh my God, he used to come into my store with one of the other guys and by cigarettes from me. One of her associates was in the same flight school and sat next to him in class.


WE WILL NEVER FORGET. MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA

I was on an US Air flight from Charlotte to Newark. Just as we were passing D.C. the plane slowed way down.
That was very unusual as I flew that flight several times a month. A couple minutes later the plane started
a very slow and long turn west. No words from the crew.

Several of us seasoned travelers knew this was not good for an on time arrival so started calling our destinations.
Word of the plane hitting the WTC started spreading. At 1st everyone thought it was a joke then word spread that it
was arab hijackers and several planes were involved. The guy sitting across the aile, 1 row back, said he was FBI and wanted
to know who was with him in defending the plane ! Many of us sitting near him responded with something like "I would
rather die then let them take the plane and kill more". He then got up walked to the front of the plane and showed his badge to the flight attendants.
Extreemly tense atmosphere !!!!!!!!!!!

A few minutes later the pilot anounced that the flight would not make it to it's destination and we would be attempting
to return to Charlotte. When the plane finally finished it's turn we were west of the mountains and headed south.
The return trip took hrs at really slow speed. I finally got through to my girl friend who was freaking out as
she didn't know if I was on 1 of the hijacked planes.

When we got off of the plane in Charlotte we were met by fully armed military and escorted out of the airport.

I was really lucking not to have landed in No-where USA like so many others. A day I will never forget !!!!

Ironically, I was driving up to Armonk for a meeting with IBM's WW Head of Disaster Recovery. I heard the radio interupt and pulled off the road in Ardsdale into a little hand car wash that I went to. I made quick contact with my wife in World Financial. Her office faced the Trade, and many Europeans that she worked with had an immediate sense that it was an attack and they all evacuated. Then all the phones got jambed. I watched a tiny TV with a few other customers and the owner in disbelief as the Towers dropped. Our oldest was at school in Riverdale. I made it there and got him but Manhattan was closed so there was no way to get home to 71st Street. He was 8 at the time, and we finally skirted the city to Brooklyn and waited for two hours for an empty car into NY. I remember he kept asking why there were so many soldiers. We got home at 11pm walking through streets that were completlely empty. There were NO people and no cars anywhere. My wife said she ran up the West Side Hiway and ended up walking North with 1,000's of others. I remember it like it was yesterday. God Bless the families of those who perished in all three locations that day.

2 of the hijackers that went to the same school as Atta..... lived next door to me.... we had the FBI and Secret Service in our house twice, and camped out on/off across the street for over 2 years after that... same clown that housed them still lives there.... and as of last year was still being watched, because we were interviewed again then when Obama released a couple of Guantanamo detainee's, and they slipped out of sight....

I had just pulled into a buddies yard when his wife ran out screaming the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane, we ran inside to see the perfect imprint of the plane in the building and the smoke just starting to come out. We were thinking how the hell could this happen when all of a sudden we saw the second one hit, we saw some of the plane parts come out the other side of the building. As soon as we saw the second hit I said to my buddy I bet it was terrorists, the three of us like many sat through the whole thing. Never forget! Never Repent! Kill off the radicals they are an insult Islam and the world!

I was in my senior year of high school at the time. That morning, I was in my weight training class. The coach always had the radio on the local classic rock station while we were working out, so we heard what was going on at the same time that everyone else on the outside of the classrooms did. The radio announcers were like all of the others in the beginning of the situation. They were saying that no one knew if it was a small plane, a big plane, or another possible terrorist attack. I'll never forget looking at my workout partner and saying, "You know, if this is a terrorist attack, when are these people (the terrorists) going to figure out that they can't take down the WTC, NYC, or the US?" After all, we had seen attacks there before.

After a few minutes of all of us talking and getting nothing done, the coach took us in the film room and we watched it all on the big screen. That's when we saw the 2nd plane hit. That's when we knew that it was a real deal. We would remember this day as the beginning of a new war forever. We didn't know who it was or why it was happening, but we knew that it wasn't going to be over that day. Once that class period was over, we moved onto the next class, and to the best of my memory we watched it on the TV there too.

The main thing that I remember about the whole experience was that I just didn't know how to feel. It was kind of a mix of awe, sadness, anger and fear all at once. That night I went to work at the restaurant, and we watched what was going on in Afghanistan and the statements from President Bush.

I'm so thankful for the efforts of all of those who have kept us safe since that day. I think it's ok if we forget the feelings of awe, sadness, anger and fear. In fact, it's probably a good thing. But what we should never forget are the feelings of thankfulness, perseverance, and patriotism. God Bless America!

I was at work that day, nothing got done,,, we all stood around with the same look on or faces, I will never forget seeing on tv the second plane hit,,,WTF
four years later my oldest daughter enlisted into the navy, she wanted to make a difference. She is going to nursing school and also is in the navy reserves. 10 years after my middle daughter enlisted into the navy and is currently serving in Japan,,, she is an MA, ALSO 10 years later my youngest daughter who is 17 has just enlisted into the navy, she will be in DEP for her senior year in high school and will be going to boot camp on 23-07-2012, than onto pensicola fl for her A-school. she is going to be an ABE, aircraft launcher. She hopes to be stationed on a carrier. I am a proud navy dad, and we should all be proud of our sons and daughters serving thier country in the military through out the world. Thankyou to all of you out there.