Remembering 9/11 - Independence,MO

I was at work at a school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I spent my day getting students from class as their parents came to pick them up. Our school was very fortunate. Only one student lost a parent (her mother) in the WTC but my boss lost her nephew who did not work in the towers but had gone there to attend a conference at Windows on the World. After work I met a friend for dinner at a restaurant on 2nd Ave. Second Avenue was used as the corridor to get all the emergency vehicles to the site. As we ate we watched convoys of trucks, construction equipment and workers drive by. I couldn't get home to Queens that night because all subways and bridges were closed.

The next day I walked down to Washington Square at West 4th Street. By the time I got there they wouldn't let anyone down near the sight. I walked back up to Union Square and witnessed an amazing sight. It was completely full of people creating makeshift memorials, playing music and singing. There were even groups very respectfully debating aspects of the attack. It was people coming together to support each other.

I am with Kathy D. in that I don't have anger when I think of it. I am overwhelmed with sadness that anyone could something like this to another group of people for any reason. While I realize that this was an attack on the U. S. what I feel is that was an attack on my home. I saw the devastation and the looks confusion, fear and sadness on the faces of the people around me. I felt the fear and uncertainty of not knowing whether I and the people I cared about were safe. I watched as friends and coworkers mourned lost loved ones. I had friends who worked near the WTC and saw people jump to their death rather than die in the fire and know how that affected them. Because of these things, I never want anyone else anywhere to experience these things. I think Kathy said it very well when she wrote. "I choose everyday to love in the face of anger. Be tolerant and understanding, compassionate. Love your neighbors for who they are and what you share in common. Do not fear what is different or strange to you, seek to understand. The only way we will have peace in the world is through unity. This is the lesson I will teach my children to take away from what happened on that day."

My children are only 2 and 4 and I feel too young to understand what happened that day. If we were still living in NYC, we would attend the special service that the church we attended is planning but other than that I think it can wait.

EDIT: I read Patricia G's response after I posted and I agree with so much of what she said about New Yorker's reaction. That was my experience too.

Her statement "The most interesting thing is that, in the wake of the attack, most of the NYC people I know were MUCH less angry, vengeful, etc. than the rest of the country seemed to be. People that weren't THERE seemed to feel a rage that the people who were couldn't engage with. Yes, we wanted the perpetrators punished, but there wasn't a "bomb them all into the stone-age" thing going on, " was completely true for me all the people I knew. I also agree with her statement about people using it for political agendas. It makes me very angry.

I also have no plans to do anything. Most of the time I would prefer to forget it or quietly remember it in my prayers.

I was in the Bronx babysitting my one year old nephew while my sister was at work in the empire state building. When his Barney video was over the news came on the tv for a second and I saw the first tower on fire. All the while I am watching everything unfold in complete HORROR and my little nephew is just sweet as can be, smiling at me, wanting to play. And I'm thinking for a great while that his moms office the empire state building is the next possible target! When they sent US fighter jets over manhattan for defense, which we didn't know at the time, and one turned around right over the building I was in and for a few seconds there I thought it was another hijacked plane aimed right at me, I threw myself over the baby and dove to the ground, and thought for sure we were dead. But it flew over the building back toward lower manhattan. That's when I figured out what it was. By 6 pm I had heard from sister and brother in law who works in lower manhattan as well, they were okbut traumatized. They both saw the second plane hit and both towers collapse with their own eyes on the streets of NY, not on tv. The next day I walked down to ground zero. I was still in shock, disbelief. I had to see it for myself. It was like winter, or nuclear fallout, Everything still covered in the white dust. It was eerily quiet and streets almost empty except for the rescue workers, firefighters, trucks full of them, carrying them in a nd out of the sight, covered in the dust, , when they went by anyone on the street applauded them but you could see in their eyes, no reaction, so somber. People still walking around the area and around st vincents hospital at that point posting flyers and asking has anyone seen my loved one? Ground zero itself, a war zone, all I saw was steel beams poking out above a huge cloud of smoke surrounded by demolished buildings. I am glad that I was there. It is so very real to me, I will never forget!! Life is precious and I appreciate every minute. I live in the moment. What's strange though to some is I have no anger over it, war, hate, violence, is unfortunately part of human nature. And the only thing that will ever change that is LOVE so I choose everyday to love in the face of anger. Be tolerant and understanding, compassionate. Love your neighbors for who they are and what you share in common. Do not fear what is different or strange to you, seek to understand. The only way we will have peace in the world is through unity. This is the lesson I will teach my children to take away from what happened on that day.

lol I asked the same question a few days ago and got so many negative responses. I hope your responses are more favorable...and patriotic.

I have told my 5 yo some of what happened and why I think it happened. To me 9/11 isn't just a day of devastation...its a day to see how people and community CAN come together, support each other, accept each other. I want him to know, even at his age, how people of all race, religion, beliefs can heal and hope together. I want him to know people can be thrown into the depths of hell but rise above more than they ever can. I want him to know about the strength of humanity and the bravery of so many from 9/11.

Blessings to our country as we remember.

I was at work at the biggest ice cream plant in the US when the loud speaker came on and we shut down production.
We all gathered in our cafeteria, all 500 of us, and watched the TV monitors in silence. There was a prayer vigil and then we went back to work in a most somber way for the rest of the shift. I believe I was glued to the TV for probably the following month. It was horrifying. I will never forget it.
We went out for the best steak and lobster dinner the wknd following 9/11... just in case. I have never had steak and lobster since that time that tasted as good.... so it had to have been the emotional atmosphere of the time.

I was working at a chemical plant on a turn around (7 days a week, 12 hours/day, for several months--until the job got finished). I was being rewarded though and able to go take the "big boss's" truck to a shop to get new tires though. I welcomed any chance to get out of my nomex suit and partake in some air conditioning! I walked in and gave them the keys, sat down, and they interrupted the Good Morning America junk that was on to show news on the first tower. I wasn't really paying attention, to be honest. Not at first. Some guy was saying it was probably "Arabs" and I rolled my eyes to pick up a magazine. I thought it was strange that some fool would crash into the big huge tower, and asked "Isn't that a no-fly zone?" But then I did get a little interested, just because they had noone to interview so they were just on the phone with a random front desk clerk at a nearby hotel to describe what she was hearing and seeing. I thought it was kind of neat that some random person is their "reporter" for now....and then a 2nd plane hit, and I dropped the magazine. We were shocked and glued to the TV. But when the pentagon got hit, I had a feeling I needed to get back to the plant (those chemical plants are vital to the economy (fuel, the raw materials for plastics, things needed for major farming endeavors, and basically, they are gigantic bombs)....I didn't know what was going on but knew there was going to be a major meeting asap. They hadn't even started on the truck because everyone was watching TV, so I left. I put the keys down on his desk, and the meeting was called right then, so it was perfect timing. 2000 of us all sat together and the boss gave a short speech that was basically "Our country is under attack. Planes have crashed into both towers of the WTC and also the pentagon. We don't know what's going on, but will be shutting down and locking up here.....go be with your families and you'll be notified when to return". That was it. All the plants went into lockdown and crazy security and we all went home. I was calm on the outside, but I know my brain was elsewhere because I paid for gas and then drove away without pumping it.....had to come back. I called my brother and got him out of bed to see what was up. When I got home, he and his friend were watching it and told me the towers fell. I saw it 3 times and then my brain had enough. I went to the couch and slept like 12 hours. We were glued to the TV for another day or two but then realized that wasn't good for us. We were glad when I Love Lucy reruns started playing all day, and then after a week we were finally allowed to go back to work with a whole lot of new security to deal with.
Some other posters have answered with a couple neat links (from another question a few days ago).....nickelodeon made a show for kids that you can watch on their archives (as well as pulling up other stuff to help). There was also an actual site that dealt with how to talk to kids about it that I liked, but don't have that info on me right now. My oldest is only 4. We'll treat it just like history and pretty matter of fact, because.......it is history now. Kids that are getting their drivers licenses now probably don't remember anything about it. How crazy is that? I remember it like it was 6 months ago. I have talked to him about it this weekend and told him that some bad guys stole planes and crashed them to hurt people, because they wanted to start a war in their own way (not a real war, but their version). I talked more about what the emergency personnel did and how important those jobs are, and how it's easy to forget how important they are or that they train all the time to be ready to help us, and we need to remember to thank them and think about that. We're cooking dinner today (arranged it a week ago) for our local firefighters and paramedics and we (I helped the boys) make thank you cards for the police, firefighters, and paramedics. We won't be doing that every year, but we will remember and discuss it in our own way every year. We do want to do something special to observe it on the "big" anniversaries though.

I'm in CA - I was at home working early in my home office and was unaware when the first plane hit. I got a call from a colleague to turn on the TV, I saw the second plane hit the towers and was in complete shock. My former company was based out of New Jersey and my division was out of Boston...I had three colleagues that had flown out of Boston that morning and were still in the air. I could not tear myself away from the television but I had to drive down to USC to cancel an event for physicians that obviously would have been inappropriate the next day. My daughter was eight at the time and has a good grip on things still. I didn't pick her up from school early but that day I really wanted to be with her. My ex has a former team mate from basketball that took a later than planned flight and was on the second plane that hit the towers. His wife left before him as originally scheduled, that was heartbreaking at the service.

Our school has plans for students to wear patriotic colors and sing songs at the beginning of the school day. I am a Kindergarten teacher and my plan is to discuss our nations colors (red, white, and blue), learn some patriotic songs, and explore what they know about Sept. 11. Some students may know more than others. I will let them lead me as to how far I will discuss this particular event. My goal is not to instill fear (and that might happen with one or two of my "little ones"), but to let them know that even though things may happen that we don't like, or Mommy & Daddy don't like, or things happen that make us sad...they should know that the adults around them (teacher and family) will do their best to make them safe. Example: seat belts, sitting while eating (not running around the tables at restaurants), holding hands when walking across the seat, wearing helmets while riding their bikes, etc. I will read the book called September 12.
5 year olds are smart but innocent, and easily scared. Telling them graphic details is not in their best interest at this age. They have plenty of time to learn everything when they are more mature to understand.

I still was in NO VA that day...shannon still had nurses then, and the night nurse (betty machete as we fondly called her) had just left. The older kids were off to school.

I turned on the today show...and the first plane had hit one of the towers...I was riveted to the TV...I did not believe for a moment it was merely a commuter plane.

My folks were in their brand new home (they had one built in W VA about an hour from me) and they were waiting on movers to deliver. I called when second plane hit...and they had movers get out a TV.

I seriously considered snagging all the kids and going to W VA...when the pentagon was hit...I was mostly concerned there could have been a biological component...I was petrified...horrified.

My ex was a government contractor at the time...and he was out of country.

Scary scary SAD day.

We have our american flag up already...not sure what else we will do...except remember those who needlessly lost their lives...and pray for the families who remain...

Michele/cat

I wrote this a while back.

I remember that day in excruciating detail. I was on my way to work when I heard that a plane had crashed into the Twin Tower. I remember thinking it was maybe a small plane flown by someone who lost control, I thought. "Really, what idiot flies that close to those buildings?" When I got to work, I was meet with a look of abject terror on one of my workers face. She ran to me and said, "Did you hear about the plane that hit the twin tower?" I said I had and I told her what I had thought on the way. She started shaking her head and interrupted me, "There's been another one." We stood there just looking at each other for a minute. I went ahead and set up for the day. We had a T.V. in the lobby and watched it with growing horror. Then we learned that a plane had hit the pentagon. This same co-worker looked at me, and as long as I live I will never forget the expression on her face, the tone in her voice or the look in her eyes, when she said, "What is going on?" As the day progressed, we spent the day watching the news. Hardly anyone came in that day. I remember my dad calling me at some point and saying, "If you see anything funny get out." He was scared and, since I worked in a bank at the time, was really afraid for me. Silly, I know, because here I was at this no name bank in a little town, but it just shows how much fear and confusion it created. I remember thinking, for all the turmoil and horror we felt sitting there safe in that bank, on the ground in New York it was a million times worse. What I was feeling was a miniscule fraction of what was happening there. I prayed that day, I prayed hard. Driving home, I thought of my family, I worried that my sisters fiance would be deployed, I grieved for the people we lost and feared for the future. I had often heard from people that were alive during the Pearl Harbor attacks, that they would always remember what they were doing, where they were and who they were with when the attacks happened. I know now what they meant, my co-workers that morning were Adrienne Meyer, Robyn Thomas and Joe Newman. That day lives on in my memory and probably will forever. All I can say now is, in my own small way, I still grieve for those people lost, I still fear for our future, but I also learned that each day is precious, a gift for us to take advantage of. So I close in saying, keep your loved ones close, forgive when you can and enjoy every moment you get.
God Bless you and God Bless America

We probably aren't going to do anything for the anniversary, mainly because Sept 11th is also my dad's birthday, and my step uncle passed away last night.

I was at home with my twins, they were turning 1 on 9/13 and I had been watching something on Tivo and I turned on the news and the first plane had hit, my husband travels with his job and he was supposed to be leaving the next day. I called him at work absolutely freaking out telling him he wasn't going anywhere the next day. He hadn't heard anything yet and so everyone in his office went to a bar near them and watched it.

I'll never forget it and of course, for the longest time after that when he traveled it caused me such anxiety. He still travels and I still hate it...but honestly don't know what I'd do if I had a husband at home all the time, LOL!!

Sleeping.

My mom and I had a fight the night before.

I told her that I didnt need to get up early on my days off(which I had alot of at this point in my life just out of HS and hardly working).

After the first plane hit I can still remember what she was wearing when she slammed my bedroom door open and yell''You got something to get up for now...a plane just flew into one of the world towers in New York''.

I remember not knowing what that meant.

I walked up stairs in just enough time to witness the 2nd plane fly into the other tower.

My face went numb.

I remember yelling,''Daddy, why are they doing this to us...how come no one is stopping them''

When the Pentagon was hit, I just kept repeating ''When is it gonna stop....when will it stop''

I was suppose to work later that day. they ended up closing the malls...So, I drove. numb.

I was dating an Army Ranger at the time. He had been told to get back to base and I didnt see him or hear from him again for 45 days. You want to talk going nuts...It was like I had been put into Solitary confinement and no one was talking but I had an audience.

We live in what I now call ''Airport Row''. When the planes stopped. It was the strangest thing.

We normally can see up to 100 plans a day, if not more...going in and out of SeaTac Airport. My mom and day live right next to the Puget sound and this has always been such a ''PERK'' to living where they do.

When the Airplanes stopped....my nights were silenced. We were no longer woken up in the morning by the first few giant planes taking off in the early morning.

I think that feeling of creepy...That feeling of not normal is kinda how I have stayed and matured into an Adult.

Eeverytime we see a giant plane going over head now(where we live we dont see as many as my mom)we look up just to stare for a bit.

About two years ago we had a plane that had taken off and about 35 miles from the Airport the wing caught fire. It flew over head above us, smoking. that sudden fear came back even though when we had called 9-11 they were able to report the plane had an engine fire and was turning around . Just seeing that image again...was too soon.

My kids are still a bit too young to grasp 9-11.

My son watched the Rep. Debate and then the Presidents speech with me.

He started asking questions about what everyone was talking about.

I realized then I could not give him an answer that was unbiased. The answer that had come out of my mouth was one that I wanted to preach.

Realizing that what I wanted to say about what they were talking about....and then understanding the correlation...that 9-11 kinda follows how people are behaving in washington now..kinda makes me a not so good teacher on the topic.

So...when the time comes, my kids will learn...and hopefully by then I can teach them about it and not be so sided on the issue.

Coming up on the 10 year is a little mind boggling.

I can still feel that pit in my stomach....It comes and goes but it has never gone away completely.

Thank you for posting this question. It has been asked before. I think though it is good to answer it as many times as it is asked...because that is how we dont forget. that is how we learn from things.

I was home this day; my day off of work the house was empty I had just made myself a cup of coffee sat down & turned the tv on to the first plane crashing into the first tower I also thought WTH some idiot just lost control of his plane I called my husband who was at work & told him what was happening I remember him asking me if it was an accident at that point the second plane crashed into the second tower I told him to find a tv this is not an accident I let him go to call my dad who lives in Texas as soon as my dad answered the phone I remembered my brother was doing his Army in processing he had just celebrated his 18th birthday the day before I started crying & my dad told me he was ok flight were grounded then I started hearing about the Pentagon & told my dad I needed let him go my very best friend works at the Pentagon I called her house on the off chance she would be home no answer next I called her cell phone no answer but a left a message wondering if she was ok & to CALL ME lol then I called her husbands cell no answer & left a voicemail wondering if he had heard from her or if she was off & again to CALL ME! I called my dad back & I just kept asking him what's happening, why who would do this & I was thinking this will forever change us. I was glued to the tv the entire day I couldn't move I didn't finish that cup of coffee that I had made I never made it out of my pjs around 6:00 the phone rang and all i heard was she's ok she made it out...my best friend made it out of the pentagon that day at that time my husband came home from work I was crying & told him she was ok. I have a 2 1/2 yr old & a 6 1/2 yr old I'm not sure why but I really haven't given much thought about explaning the event; I need to think about that one :) I also planned on baking something to take to our local fire station.