If you are old enough to remember the events that took place on September
11, 2001, then chances are you've asked, or been asked the question...where
were you? And like me, you can probably name the exact location you were at when
life as we knew it changed forever.
Today is the eighteenth anniversary of one of the most
tragic days in modern US history. On September 11, 2001, 2,977 innocent lives
were lost in the Twin Towers, at the Pentagon, and in a rural field in
Pennsylvania. The tragedy set in motion by those events would change the course of
life both in the US and worldwide.
At the time, I was working at a high tech company in Austin,
Texas and taking a leadership class in the basement of our building. We had a
TV in the breakroom. Someone came into the classroom and said that a plane had
hit the World Trade Center. Everyone rushed to watch as the terrible events
unfolded. I still remember the shock, the disbelief I felt at watching those
planes hit the towers.
So today, I thought we’d take some time to remember that day
together. Let’s share our stories about where we were, what we were feeling
when we saw the first plane hit the tower, and how September 11, 2001, has
impacted our lives today.
I’d like to give away a copy of one of my books, Rocky
Mountain Pursuit, to one person. I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday,
September 18th.
Blessings, always,
Mary Alford
I was teaching at an elementary school, I was heading to my classroom when my principal stopped me in the hall and asked if I had heard about the plane hitting the Trade Center. I asked him if it was an accident and he said no. I went to the media center (I didn't have any students at the time) and the TV was on with several staff members there and I began watching. That is when we saw the 2nd plane hit. I will never forget that morning!
ReplyDeleteIt still seems surreal to see those pictures of the towers being hit.
DeleteOn that awful September 11th, I was having an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy performed. No one had mentioned it, if they knew, before my release.
ReplyDeleteAfter I was discharged, we went to the state capitol to see if then Governor Huckabee would autograph a photo of him and us as the clowns we were while performing at a large 4th of July event. It was upon arrival and finding the capitol building on shut down that we learned the horrible news.
Being an old military brat, I could remember my Dad saying that his biggest fear was that war would be brought to America soil. That thought flashed through my brain immediately. Then I thought of all the families affected by such loss and the military and their families that would be affected as we defended our country against terrorist. I felt and still feel great sadness from the attach on the towers and the following chain of events.
That one day has and will always impact this country and the way we live. I think we lost a sense of freedom or being untouchable. I think it brought to home how other countries in the past felt as their country was senselessly attacked. We lost a lot of things that we all took for granted like the ability to go and do as one pleased with no thought of others around us or the freedom to go to common places without having to prove who we are or that we mean no harm. As with all things, we have adjusted but it's a shame that we can't go back to the innocence and freedoms prior to 9-1-1.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I so agree Kay. Our world changed forever that day.
DeleteI was at home in Florida, watched it all, and never want anything like this to happen again!!!
ReplyDeletewfnren at aol dot com
Amen, Wendy. Our class was dismissed and we all went home. I remember when I got home, I watched the events of that day long into the night. And every TV station seemed to have it on, even those who weren't news related.
Deletesaw it on tv
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Yes, me too.
DeleteWe were living in an apartment while building our new house. My daughter was getting ready to leave for school and saw the news on TV. She came and told me. Such an unbelievable tragedy! It changed many things about our country. I think we lost a lot of our feeling of security and peace.
ReplyDeletewhthomas13 at yahoo dot com
DeleteWe did, Winnie. So sad.
DeleteI was cooking at a day care and the girl from our baby room yelled that a plane hit the World Trade Center then my co worker and my self went into the baby room that had a small TV and we watched just as the second plane hit the other tower. I remember saying this is a terrorist attack then for the next few hours we switched our watching and doing our job that was a truly sad day.
ReplyDeleteTighefan42atgmaildotcom
So tragic.
DeleteI was at work (sheltered workshop for adults w/ disabilities when a co-worker told me about the towers being hit... I went to a room w/a tv & watched in shock & horror the newscast. Soon I rec'd a phone call from my oldest daughter who lived 7 hours away--she was in shock & said all the airports were shut down & she didn't know when she'd see me again, and that she loved me! Badawson16 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteI remember all the planes being grounded.
DeleteI was watching the Today Show when they cut in speculating on the plane that hit. Was it an accident? Then I saw live the second plane hitting the other tower. That was when everyone realized we were being attacked. This past summer I got to visit the crash site in Pennsylvania. It gave me chills and tears.
ReplyDeletetumcsec(at)gmail(dot)com
Oh, I can imagine, Gail.
DeleteI was in our home office working on the computer when hubs came hurrying back there & told me to turn the tv on. We sat there in shocked silence watching the horror scene unfold. :(
ReplyDeleterw620 AT aol DOT com
Yes. It was like we couldn't do anything else but watch. Such a helpless feeling.
DeleteI was visiting my parents and was supposed to fly home. I was in the bathroom getting ready and my dad screamed. I went running and we watched in horror. I was unable to fly home for two more weeks.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable.
Deletehttps://youtu.be/p4yfivS8SWs
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Thanks for sharing, Audrey.
DeleteI was sitting in my living room folding laundry and watching 7th Heaven on tv when the news broke in. It was also my 1 month wedding anniversary. I popped a VHS tape into the VCR and recorded the news coverage, switching between stations. I still have the tape.
ReplyDeleteThe news coverage was overwhelming and yet it was impossible to look away.
DeleteI was in Law Vegas for a Star Trek Convention. I flew on 9/10 to the Grand Canyon for the day. And I was scheduled to fly home to Atlanta on 9/12. I was so thankful not to have been in a plane on that day. Grounded somewhere. At least being trapped in Vegas, I had a hotel and a rental car. It took more then a week to get a flight home.
ReplyDeleteWow. So glad you weren't flying on that day as well, Nancy.
DeleteI was getting in my car to go to work when I heard the DJs of our local country music radio station talking about it. I worked about 5 blocks from where I lived and I thought the DJs were joking, because they joked around a lot. I got to work and found my dad, my boss, had pulled an old portable black and white tv out to my desk and was watching what was happening. Being stockbrokers, we spent the next week glued to the tv watching and praying. Very scary time in our history.
ReplyDeleteSo scary.
DeleteOn that Tuesday morning I was delivering the newspaper. I had stopped at the campground when the first plane hit and as I walking into the next store, they had the TV on when the second plane hit. Before I even got to my last store in the town I was in, there was a man that had just gotten off the phone. His Dad worked at the twin towers and the company he worked for had had a meeting that morning on the bottom floor of the twin towers. Him and his colleagues made it out. His son was crying happy tears, one of the few calls that made it out of New York City. When I made it home, my Mama had yet to hear anything. She had been out that day and she hardly ever listened to the radio.
ReplyDeleteThat's so good that they made it out okay. So glad the call went through.
DeleteI was at home, just finished cleaning up after breakfast, and had not turned the TV on yet, when my neighbor called and told us to turn on the TV. My husband and I spent the rest of day watching and praying.
ReplyDeleteOh, I know. I couldn't look away. I felt like I needed to see it.
DeleteI was at work. A part-time worker who came in later called that she was staying home to watch the news and told us. Even though being on the internet was forbidden at the office, we were all on-line that day. jarning67(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI can imagine under those circumstances, no one had a problem with it.
Deletei was at home jusy cleaning and my sister-in-law called me to cut on mytv. i remembe the fear i felt and the feeling our country would never be the same.
ReplyDeleteWe are a different country than before September 11th.
DeleteI was at work. I remember watching updates on a small blaxk and white TV we had in the office. Susan
ReplyDeleteIt just didn't seem real for the longest time, Susan. At times, it's still hard to believe it happened.
Deleteat work & a co-worker told me to go look at the TV in another room... Then my oldest daughter, who lived 7 hours away, called me to say all the airports were shut down; she didn't know what was going to happen in the US, and to tell me she loved me!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a scary time, Barb.
DeleteI had won tickets to a country music festival in Morehead KY and my husband and I had just gotten in the car and turned on the radio. The announcer said that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center My first thought was "Oh, what a horrible accident!" It was when tne second plane hit that I knew that this was not an accident! We did go on to Morehead but some of the vendors had TVs so much of our morning there was spent watching newscasts. November 22, 1963--January 26, 1986---September 11, 2001. Dates I will never forget as long as I live!
ReplyDeleteBlessings & praying for our country!
Connie
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Absolutely. Those were moments in time that changed our world.
DeleteI was at home feeding my baby. He was only six months old. It was a long day as we watched the news wondering what was going to happen to America. And yes, my baby is almost 20.
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe 18 years have passed.
DeleteI was living in Northern WAshington state. I was home and hadn't started my shift for work yet. I watched the towers come down on TV at my friend's house. :(
ReplyDeleteIt still feels surreal to me when I watch those moments on TV.
DeleteI was working as a teller at a bank at that time. We had a tv on in the waiting area and heard them make the announcement. We all rushed over to watch and saw the the second plane hit and then heard the news the plane hit the Pentagon. I called my husband who hadnt heard yet and then waited and watched. Everyone at the bank was scared, not knowing we something else would happen or if it would get closer to us in the Midwest. It was a scary, horrific day that I pray we never repeat!
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Melissa.
DeleteI was in College, I had just worked an overnight and my roommates woke me up right after the first plane hit, needless to say I didn't go back to sleep and called all of my loved ones. What a day that no one will forget.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is branded in our hearts forever.
DeleteI had morning news on TV, getting ready for work. I was horrified at what I saw, but went on to work where I knew 500 elementary children would be in my care throughout the day. Our principal encouraged us to keep things as normal as possible. As an art teacher, I let the children draw a picture of their choice and tried to keep them in comfort. Many drew pictures of the towers being hit by a plane. If they wanted to talk with me about it, I let them tell me whatever they had to say and tried to encourage them with assurances of safety. It was a tough day to be "normal."
ReplyDeleteFor someone so young to have to try and process the events of that day. I can't imagine how confusing and frightening it was. I'm glad they had teachers like you around.
DeleteI'll never forget that day. I was at work and one of the supervisors came into the office to tell us that he heard about the attack on the radio. We didn't have a TV, but we did have a radio. Our office was eerily quiet that day. I remember how quiet it was outside with no planes in the air. I live close to a major airport and it was really noticeable. Our lives did truly change that day.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine you noticed the absence of the planes for sure. I truly scary day, and yes, our lives and our world is not the same. We lost our innocence that day.
DeleteHi, oh yes, it is a day that none of us will ever forget, so tragic and so sad. Hard to believe it has been 18 years. My husband and I were actually staying in a cabin in New Mexico, when it actually happened we were on a hike, so when we got back to the cabin site, a man was outside his cabin and told us what had just happened. My husband and I just looked at each other in shock , we just couldn't believe it. So we went to our cabin and turned the t.V. on and the site was just so devastating and sad, so very hard to believe. Our daughter was at Baylor University and our son was in Lubbock. It was such a feeling of helplessness, I so very much wanted to be close to my daughter and my son, but of course it was impossible, so all I could do was just pray. It was just a very shocking, and sad day, a day that will never , ever be forgotten. God Bless America.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Licha. We all felt so helpless.
DeleteI was setting up at work. It was just so incredibly hard to fathom. The world is full of heroes though.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is and there were a lot of every day people who became heroes that day.
DeleteI was teaching a Second Grade class. We were told to keep our classroom TVs off. I was wondering about a friend's daughter who was stationed at the Pentagon. Was relieved to find out she was out of town when this all went down. It seemed almost surreal that this was happening in America.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was such a shock that it happened here on our soil.
DeleteI had just turned on the TV and my daughter had left for work. I just couldn't believe that anyone could do something like that on purpose. It was unthinkable in my mind. When I realized it was done on purpose and an act terror toward country, I was angry. Especially with the lose of all the lives! I will never forget!
ReplyDeleteYes, I was shocked and angry as well. A terrible feeling of being helpless.
DeleteI was a sophomore in college living on campus. Our college sat right next to an Air Force base. I can remember waking up and watching Good Morning America and it being breaking news. As I was watching it my mom called me and we were talking when the second plane flew into the second tower. I unintentionally screamed and woke up my other dorm mates. I watched for a little and realized how life had just changed in an instant. I decided I needed to get to class and started walking around campus finding out classes had been cancelled but people had brought TVs out onto the sidewalks and we just watched together the horror. To me the most terrifying moments was watching fighter jet after fighter jet leave the Air Force base because at that point we didn’t know if there were more planes coming to hit targets or not. That day will always be apart of me but boy I wish we had the spirit we did on September 12th!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Alison. I long for us to return to that spirit of September 12th.
ReplyDeleteI was here in NY getting a blood test. I was shocked and saddened.
ReplyDelete3 people from my town were killed
1 boy from my high school class
1 man who left a 34 year old widow with 4 children. My son would later be a basketball coach to 3 of them. A grandpa cheered them on.
A firefighter who had attended our church survived. He has health issues.
Fighter jets in the middle of the night going overhead.
Having 2 people say they were happy to actually have their loved ones bodies found.
One girl from our church went to 15 funerals. Her husband is a police officer.
It's raw, real and heart breaking
marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
Merry
It is, Merry. Saddens me to think of all those lives lost. Children having to grow up without their parents. Very tragic.
DeleteGreat article, Mary!! I was in Amish country, doing research for a book. I hated that I was all alone when I heard the horrible news.
ReplyDeleteOh, I can imagine, Mary. That must have been a different take on the events of the day as seen through the Amish eyes.
DeleteHey Stella!! Are you reading this today? Please leave me your email address. You are my lucky winner of Deadly Memories from my interview of Mary. Please contact me with your email address so I can pass along your address to Mary Alford. Thanks for leaving a comment on Suspense Sisters!!
ReplyDeleteI was outside in Mexico when my ran out to tell us. I remember fear gripping me and feeling so far away and helpless/hopeless. So many tears.
ReplyDeleteSuch a frightening,sad day, Jessica.
DeleteThe winner of a print copy of Rocky Mountain Pursuit is Connie Porter Saunders. Connie, I will email you shortly. Thank you all for sharing your memories from September 11th. And thank you for never forgetting!
ReplyDelete