10 Years!

I was on vacation at the Delaware shore.
I will NEVER forget the eerie silence as all air traffic was stopped.
Rarely do you hear the world THAT quiet.
We ended up staying extra days because the Bay Bridge was closed and all other modes of transportation were pretty much out of commission.
All I wanted was to get & be home.

I was at a MOPS meeting (mothers of preschoolers). My daughter was 2. I heard something on the radio on my way to the meeting, but the second plane hadn't hit yet, so I thought it was an accident. They interrupted our meeting to tell us. I immediately felt the need to grab my daughter even though she was in the same building and was being well looked after. I called my parents who had already heard from my sister who worked on Wall Street. When the 2nd plane hit, she saw it live on the TVs that were all around the trading floor she worked on. She immediately left the building (within walking distance of the Trade Centers - she had actually gotten off the train under them on her way into work just an hour or so before all this happened). My parents told me my sister needed me to pick her two kids up from their schools - they were maybe 7 & 13 at the time. I picked up the kids & tried to stay calm - it was such a scary day. I brought my 2 year old and both my sisters kids to my sister's house to wait for her. All I can tell you is that all I did that day was take over 100 phone calls from concerned friends/family of my sister's. I kept a list so she would know who was concerned. She and a friend eventually made their way to a church in Jersey City. They stayed there all day while the bridges were closed. The church staff fed them lunch and even offered them a place to sleep for the night. They were able to make their way home around 8 that night. All I can say is I never again want to see the shell-shocked look my sister had on her face when she got home. She had been on a ferry right in front of first tower as it came down and she saw the whole thing happen up close. Everyone on the ferry ran to one side of the boat and she felt like it was going to turn over. My sister suffered post traumatic stress afterwards for several months. Only God got her and us through it all. I don't think anyone is exactly the same since this happened.

I was at work, less than 2 weeks away from delivering our first child. We heard about it on the radio, and I called my husband at home and told him to turn on the TV. He worked 2nd shift at the airport, but they called him in early to help deal with all of the grounded planes and stranded travelers. We listened to the radio all day, and I remember my coworkers crying. I felt so sad driving home, and then I started to notice many of the drivers around me were being very considerate. People were slowing or stopping to give other cars space, there was not the usual tailgating, horns honking or stacking cars right through the intersection on a light change that was normal for my rush hour commute. I think were were all, for a while, bonded by the realization that we are first and foremost Americans, forgetting for a bit the other political, social and religous divisions that we put up between ourselves. I wish that feeling could have lasted longer, but I will always remember it when I look back to that day.

My hubby and I were getting ready for work, the tv just happened to be on in the background with the news like we did every morning. We just sat stunned torn between being late for work, or watching more. We too saw the second plane hit live and it was unreal. My hubby and I did do the responsible thing and leave to go to work, but our internet and phone calls back and forth all day was just as crazy. My husbands brother works right next door to the pentagon so when the news came up stating a plane had hit the pentagon it was definitely scary. Thankfully, my BIL was completely unharmed. Our world has never been the same since that day, it's sad.

I was in northern Ohio at work. When the first plane hit I was on the phones (I was the manager of a telemarketing firm) and a woman in Brooklyn told me what was going on. This was after three other calls to NY where the people screamed that we were under attack. I thought they were crazy, but when the older woman explained to me what was going on, I shut down the phones immediately and turned on the radio while we tried to find a TV and cable.

I stepped outside to smoke a cigarette and watched a plane fly over head. I stood there thinking flying on a plane would never be the same again. I got halfway through the cig and realized the plane was turning around. I watched as it flew back. I thought it was going back to Cleveland, but then it turned south slightly. From research I've done, I have since learned that the flight I saw crashed in a field in PA.

My brother was supposed to be in NY that day. We had no idea his trip was cancelled. That was a long 24 hours before we got a hold of him. I was so worried about him and so relieved when my mom said she got a hold of him.

I met my husband that day...although I don't remember it. He does. I remember talking with him two days later. Either way, we met because of that tragedy. That's what I try to focus on whenever this day rolls around.

I had just turned 29 and I was working that day, at the vet hospital where I was employed at the time. We usually rolled in between 8 and 8:30 am, but it was one of our receptionists that came in at 9 and had heard the news on the radio in her car on the way in. Our boss got an old "rabbit ears" TV out of the back and set it up and just when he got a picture up on it, the second plane hit. We had it on all morning, but still had appointments coming in that had to be seen. Every time I finished up with an appointment and came out of the exam room, something else had happened and there was another development. The phones were ringing as usual at first, but by around 10:00, they had stopped - nobody was bothering to call us about anything. We still worked a full day as usual, but then I was glued to the news later on that night.

The father-in-law of a fellow vet that I worked with was supposed to be on one of the planes that morning that flew out of Boston and was crashed into the towers - it was for work and he ended up being called the night before to be told they didn't need him to go after all. He still has his plane ticket.

I was at home after walking the boys to school. I rarely have the tv on during the day, but happened to turn in on. (Same thing on April 19 when the Oklahoma boming ocurred.)
I watched in horror as the second plane flew into the tower. I called the school to make sure they were not showing it to the kids. They said they wouldn't, but they did. Couldn't blame them though I was so unbelievable.
My nephew was in downtown Dallas and I was so afraid something would happen to him there.
My younger son and I visited ground zero a couple of years ago.

I was working at Riley Childrens Hospital in Indianapolis. I had just got back on the unit after taking a patient to MRI.......as soon as I got the patient back to their room and got back up to the nurses station, one of the CNA's came running up from an empty room and said "Oh my God they just go the Pentagon!!" I had briefly saw a flash of something on one of the tv's earlier but it was so quick I had thought it was just a movie. I stood staring at the tv for a long time with everyone else, just watching. I was on a break when the first tower fell. I remember being so scared, just kind of freaking out thinking what next. when I got off of work, every single gas station had a huge line, and prices at some were above $6 a gallon, I think back then they were averaging around $1.60...drove home and the tiny gas station by my apartment had normal priced gas. waited in line for about 20 minutes. the tankers were so low it took like 10 minutes to pump half a tank.....i think we will all remember where we were and what we were doing that day.

Freshman in high school. They had certain people to go to the library to get their eyes check. I Came back into my second hour class,after getting my eyes check and didn't have a clue what just happened. Everyone was looking at the tv,so I knew something was wrong. Our teacher was explaining to those what was going on. The rest of that day(in every class) we was watching the news and all that went on that day. Principal said to dismiss any work for that day!!! (9-11-2001) and also my daddy's birthday is that day also,which he seems to not really celebrate.

I was at work, pregnant with our first child and my husband called to tell me what had happened! It was a blur of a day, watched the news and sat in complete shock and sadness.

I read all the responses and am sitting at my desk trying to hold the tears back.

I was getting ready for work when I saw it on TV. I also saw the the 2nd plane hit the tower live. I remember calling my mom who lives near the airport in Cleveland. At the time they were shutting down airports for fear of more bombs/attacks. I was concerned for her being so close & called her. But of course mom was watching HGTV and completely unaware of what was going on. I remember almost yelling at her to change the channel. I wanted her to know what was going on and know if she needed to get away from the area.

I spent the entire day at work glued to the TV and later that night at home. It was unreal what was happening. I read so many stories of people trapped and calling or texting their loved ones to say good-bye and cannot even begin to understand how you go through something like that.

I was at work. There were people talking about something really bad that happened but I didn't know what for about 1/2 hour. I turned on my radio and listened and after awhile it got to be too depressing. I watched the tv when I got home and it was just too much. Some of the government offices were closing down for the day. It breaks my heart every time I hear about it or see a clip from it.

My oldest was 6 months old, I was 30. My phone rang, it was my husband. I was asleep when it all began but he called to wake me up to tell me what was happening. I turned on the TV in the bedroom first and just stared in horror with my husband on the phone. I finally went downstairs and turned on the TV. The rest of the day was awful! My son woke up a little bit later and I just held him wondering what kind of hell I'd brought my child into. What kind of world was he growing up in.
It was horrible as we waited on news from people we knew there. Our close friend was finally able to reach his sister, she was running late that morning so missed her usual train so she wasn't there when it happened. My husband learned of some co-workers lost and of others that were safe. It just kept going. I tried to not watch a lot of TV that day but I was only partly able. I just wanted to reach through the TV and hold all those people and make everything better. As the days went on I got angrier and angrier at the response our government was taking.
I still can't watch footage of that day without the heartbreak for all those people that lost so much that day. I also can't watch it without feeling extreme anger at how the people in charge of our nation at the time handled everything.

My husband and I had gone to Reno to meet friends from a chatroom. (yes weird huh) They are all old enough to be my parents and grand parents so we had been in charge of arranging the trip and special outings for 10 others. We saw it on tv that morning. I thought it was a small plane, and an accident until the 2nd plane hit and they said what type a plane it was, which was huge. We then just looked at eachother and knew this was a huge big deal and not a good thing happening. We still had to take the group of friends to Virginia City and Carson City. We had reservations for a 15 passenger van and when my husband went to get it, the lines were horrible, and mob mentality. He was almost trampled by people wanting the van to get out of town. People screaming, swearing at him, offering a lot of money just for a ride. It was all because the airports and trains were shut down and people wanted to get home. We took our friends out anyway and everywhere we went they had tvs on and everyone was glued to the news. Then as things progressed the next few days we had another problem on our hands. We were responsible for these people and they were all stuck in Reno at the hotel and no way to get them home. We had driven to Reno so we could have just gone home but couldnt leave them stranded. You cant just up and leave a sweet 80 year old lady from Florida. You cant leave the 75 yr old couple from Tennessee or the 78 yr old man from PA. It took a lot of doing but we arranged for family members to drive across the country and other places to get their moms and dads, and get them somewhere safe. You cant imagine how we felt trying to calm their fears of not only an unplanned longer stay in a hotel, but what was happening in their country too. You think about what horrible wars these people had lived thru and it was so scarey for them. We did get home a few days later than planned and they all ended up home eventually. I still chat with the 5 who are still alive and we have a special bond having gone thru this together.
So yes I remember where I was. I was in Reno in a hotel with a terrific group of people.

I was at home with my brand new baby, who was exactly 1 week old. I was watching "Telatubbies" on TV with my 3 year son when my husband called and asked if I had the TV on. I told him "yes", but I was not seeing what he thought I was seeing until I turned the channel. I remember feeling lost that day. Wondering why someone would do this. The hatred astounded me. It was a very sad day, but we are still here. We still love our country and know that we live in the best place ever.

I had just walked back to my car from bringing my 2 1/2 yr old daughter into day care. My MIL and I sat in the car then I called my husband who worked in Fairfield, NJ who could see the NY skyline from outside his store but thought I was kidding. He hadn't heard anything about it. I'm with you about how hard it is watching some of these shows. Throughout my life I've been told everything happens for a reason, we closed on our house in 1994 on a Friday and that following Monday my husband was accepted with the NYPD only he had to decline because we had just bought our house in Hopatcong and he would've been required to have lived in NY. Our daughter to this day (she is now 13) wonders what the lives of those children must be like. I remember that night holding her while watching tv and she asked if we could help the children that lost their mom & dads. I don't think that feeling that came over us that day ever truly goes away, there's always that fear. But many say that is their wish, for us to live in constant fear. That is not something I want for myself or for my daughters, yet we as parents can only do so much.

I was in high school - drivers ed! We watched all day in my classes.

I was at home here with my 96 year old mother, my daughter and 1 month old granddaughter.....my friend called and told me to turn on the tv and I did...saw the 2nd plane hit and the towers fall.....horrendous.
It was such a beautiful day and in the afternoon all the neighbors gathered on the back porch of another neighbor, and her husband came out periodically to report what was going on on the TV, and we ate White Castles and chocolate cake while we speculated on what had happened....my husband was in Canada on business and had to take a bus home.....one of our sons had just gone to China and he called a day or two later to see how we were......it was a very scary time.......

Just like the others, the day is crystal clear in my mind.
I had just met my soon to be husband at the court house to get our marriage license. Total blue skies. Beautiful morning. We drove seperately so that we could leave straight from there and head to work. He drove north as I drove south. I was listening to Howard Stern and I thought that they were doing some sort of crazy skit on the radio. Then my phone rang...my now husband asking me if I was listening to the radio. Since we didn't really know what was going on we both continued on to work. We left early that day...after listening to the tragic scenes being described on the radio. I live just past Hopkins Airport in Cleveland...people were walking up the ramps from I480 leaving the airport. There was no air traffic, something that was completely out of the norm. The silence was eerie. The next days were spent glued to the TV...scared, questioning, wondering, crying...it was truly unbelievable. I worked about an hour away, so I had a bit of time listening to the radio on my daily drive in...I don't remember having dry eyes for days. People were more courtious...people drove with their headlights on, there was a spirit that we as Americans never had/shown before that day. I was married on 09/22/01. My marriage license reads 09/11/01. A day I along with many others will never forget.