10 years ago - where were you.

[tigerbob]

Suspecting that there would be plenty of people making observations apportioning blame, I thought I'd ask what people remember personally about where they were that day. What were you doing when you first heard what was going on?

Please, no politics for a change. Maybe we can get through a whole thread without someone deciding that they have to blame someone. Maybe the whole thread can be about respect for those who died, pity for those left to grieve, and support for those who worked so hard (irrespective of their political leanings) and in many cases gave their lives, to help with rescue efforts.

If we can get through a whole day without two groups ending up fighting each other about stupid partizan irrelevancies, maybe that would be truly demonstrating respect as opposed to just saying it.

So, where were you that day?

BTW - can I suggest to all readers that neg rep would be a good way to respond to anyone making a politically loaded post? I have never neg repped anyone in 3 years on this board, but on this particular thread I will dispense with that principle.

 

[tigerbob]

I was in a meeting just outside London, England.

We had a hugely important presentation scheduled for the following day, involving a potential investment of over $100 million. Our boss, a guy called Chris, was saying that for the next 24 hours, nothing was more important.

Then we came out of the meeting room and found out what was going on. Everything about the meeting was forgotten.

Pretty much everyone in the office went to a local bar and watched the news on the BBC as the events unfolded. I still remember the rumors, pretty much all of which proved to be untrue, but it was that kind of day, when even the most improbable things suddenly seemed possible, or even likely.

As I watched, safe in a bar thousands of miles away, people made the choice to jump to their deaths to escape the pain of the flames.

 

[strollingbones]

i was home...outside painting the ends of boards to keep them from 'checking' ...it was a such a wonderful fall day here....just like it is today....when my husband called....he told me that a plane had hit the world trade center.... i remember waving the brush in circles....going....how the fuck does someone not see the damn trade centers the biggest things in ny? he told me to go inside and turn on the tv.....they had done this on purpose....the day just blurs from there

 

[strollingbones]

we went to give blood...they were turning people away..there were hundreds in line

 

[Truthmatters]

I was getting my son ready for jr high school day.

we watched some and then I made him get ready for school and go.

I just felt he needed to be with his own generation on that day.

I felt we needed to be as normal as possible.

 

[Intense]

I was home watching the event on TV. Then at a Funeral Mass for a Neighbor. Both Towers had already fallen.

 

[Big Black Dog]

On this morning, I was sitting on the sofa drinking a cup of coffee getting ready to go to work. I had my suit on and was all dressed ready to head to the office. Was just finishing up that second cup of coffee for the morning. I was watching Fox News. As I watched the tv, I saw the second plane come in and strike the second tower. I thought to myself. Some air traffic controller is in a world of shit today. Then it suddenly came to me that this was no accident. Shortly afterwards they made the announcement that the Pentagon had been hit. I thought to myself. This is the beginning of a war. I went to the office and closed it down for the day sending home the employees and paying them for the day. It was not a day to conduct business. I came back home and watched the events unfold throughout the day thinking to myself that we would never be the same as a nation.

 

[Toro]

At my parent's.

It's my father's birthday today.

 

[editec]

for about the first 6 hours or so, I was wondering if my wife was on one of those planes as she was traveling from Portland Maine through Boston and unto Washington DC.

As I didn't know her flight numbers, and until much later didn't know the flights numbers of the planes that hit the WTC, I was sorta sweating having to raise my son by myself.

 

[Sunshine]

I was at work doing some charting. One of our clerks came in and told me a plane had hit the WTC. I thought it was a small plane like the one that hit the Empire State Building once several years back. Then a few minutes later she came back and told me another plane had hit the other tower. I said, 'two planes?' Again she returned and told me that one tower was down. I just looked at her. She came back again and said that both towers were down. I could only say incredulously, 'they are both down?'

It was beyond all reason. I didn't have a radio in my office, didn't see the broadcasts until that night. I honestly just didn't get it until I saw the videos of what had happened.

 

[California Girl]

Me and my twin, and my late fiance were at the parent's place. We were goofing off in the kitchen - having a water fight.... and Dad came in and told us.

Then we heard the Pentagon had been hit. My Uncle had recently started a duty there.... we spent the next 8/10 hours worrying about him. He was fine. Thank God.

Oh, later that day, an American friend of mine in the UK called to ask if we knew anyone in NYC because her Dad (who worked for the Government) was supposed to be at the World Trade Center and she couldn't get hold of him. Happily, she tracked him down and he was fine. Was a few streets away from what I understand.

 

[SFC Ollie]

I had just finished doing an estimate for some home improvements at a customers house. I got in the van to leave and Bob & Tom announced that a plane had hit the WTC. I made it back to the office just in time to see the second plane hit. We cancelled all our appointments for that day and the owner sent everyone home around noon.

 

[BDBoop]

At that moment? I was watching it unfold on whatever morning news show had Katie and Matt at that time. Going into shock. Calling my husband to tell him I love him, because I swear I heard someone say that war has been declared on the United States of America.

 

[Mr. H.]

Just got to work, turned on the radio and heard the news. Called the school and took the kid out of kindergarten. Went home and watched TV. Wife was a classroom aid at the time and was given the option to take the day off but she stayed with her kids. Turns out a lot of folks took their kids out of school and went home.

 

[Douger]

Driving home from Hotlanta with a truck full of road racer parts. I saw the farce, and the toothless flag wavers viewing it, at a gas station in the properly named Yeehaw Junction in Floridastan.
I made it home and immediately got on escape artist dot com and prepared for my exit in 2005.Real estate peaked and I jumped.

 

[random3434]

I had just pulled into the school parking lot that sunny day, a lot like today.

The radio station said a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers in NYC. There wasn't much info at that time, it must have been after 8 am our time, after 9 am EST. I remember thinking, "Oh, too bad, someone with a little plane made a mistake and flew into a building."

I go inside, and maybe a half an hour later the TV in our office was on, showing what was really happening. And then more tragic news of everything going on...teachers were crying, parents were coming to school to pick up their kids.....

I raced home after work and got my daughter from school, turned on the TV and watched the events unfold on CNN, while talking to friends and family on the phone.

That Friday a bunch of teachers got together in the gym before school started and said a prayer for the victims, for the families and for our country.

 

[PixieStix]

I was about to write a contract for a home rennovation, when I decided to watch the news before I got started. Got me a cup of coffee, and was about to sit down when I saw the first images of the first tower on fire. Oh my God, was all I could say once I realized that our country was under attack.

I did not ever sit down that day, I remember standing in front of the tv and my phone was ringing every 2 minutes. Family members and friends. I called my husband to tell him the news.

As I turned my TV on that day, and did not turn it off for the next 2 years. It was on 24/7. I honestly cannot tell you why I did that, I just did.

 

[Intense]

My Son watched most of what went down from the Roof of His High School, Brooklyn Tech. I made it there later to get Him Home, but He had already skipped out on Me. Got pulled out of Class by a Fictitious Cousin. I missed Him by about thirty minutes. First time NYC went into Lock-down in my lifetime. My Daughter made it home from Hunter College by way of the 59th Street Bridge, on foot. Tons of people walking through Queens trying to get home that day.

 

[Truthmatters]

At my parent's.

It's my father's birthday today.

Man oh man, tell him happy Bday from me.

that is a tuff one

 

[HUGGY]

I was up at about 5 AM(8 AM NY timx e) that morning as usual. I was sitting in my office at home, at the computer, working on the business plan for one of my inventions. The TV in the next room was on and I could see it from where I sat concentrating on the format and graphics of the program I had recently purchased. I looked over and I think NBC news was on and they looked pretty scared and I can't really remember anything but the fear in their faces so I got up and grabbed the channel changer and turned the TV to CNN. Then as the pictures of the first tower started being shown on all the channels I remember frantically changing channels with the remote and saw the second plane hit tower two in real time. It was at that moment I as well as the whole country knew we were under an organized attack. I remember thinking about how I had been at the top of one of the towers just a few years previously and how high up the observation platform was and then reflected on how scared those people must be...