9/11 -- Seven Years Later

I remember sitting in a customers office when a local radio station ,known for playing pranks, said a plane had hit one of the twin towers. I thought that was sick even for them. A couple of minutes later, her boss called in to say she saw on tv another plane hit the other tower. I was thinking at the time,"geez,the computer system for air traffic control really screwed up. " I left my customers office,heading home. Listening to the radio, it was then announced a plane had hit the Pentagon. I knew then we were under attack. My route home took me on a road that is close to our airport (George Bush Intercontnental-Houston) and I saw the weirdest,chilling thing. A continual line of plane after plane descending in rapid time to land at the airport- almost like a traffic jam in the sky. That was when it became real for me. I think Americans are starting to get complacent again,believing that we are very safe. We probably are safer but I believe the threat is always going to be there. Irregardless of your feelings about the war in Iraq, I believe it should be mandatory that the news media replay the events of that day in full on Sept 11 to remind us that there are people in this world who mean to do Americans of ALL political,ethnic,and social backgrounds harm. .and will stop at nothing to try to do another Sept. 11.

I remember being at work and a friend of mine called me over to his office to watch it unfold over the Internet. At first we didn't think it was real. Soon afterward calls were coming in about the situation. Our offices are in One Liberty Place in Philadelphia which is over 60 stories tall and at the time was the largest building in the city. Philly is located between NY and DC. You can imagine what we were thinking. They evacuated our building and the whole business district pretty much did the same and made a mass exodus out of the city. It was a very surreal moment. Unfortunately, coworkers of my wife were killed in the World Trade Center which made it even harder to handle. It definitely has changed my view of the world.

i was in my last class for the day- leaving cert. irish. a fellow student arrived late into class and apologised, saying that he had been watching the news- that america was being attacked. the teacher told him to 'dún suas agus sígh síos' (shut up and sit down) and class continued. it was only after, walking through the empty hallways that we realised everyone was glued to tv's in different classrooms. i went to an international school with many american and arab students. there was an air of total disbelief, a lot of people were crying, others trying to call parents. we watched as the towers came down, like it wasn't real. i took the dart home- rush hour commuter train and it was dead silent. when i arrived home, my mum was watching the news and pouring a whiskey. it wasn't for hours that what was going on in the usa sunk in, when it did, i cried and did not stop for a long time. it was the first time in my life i had ever been scared of anything, i knew that the world was changed forever.

Actually when I do think about it, all of the feelings come right back as if it happened yesterday. I worked on Third Avenue in Midtown at the time. Disbelief was a word I kept repeating to myself that day and many days after. This just can't be happening!
I remember going out at lunch time that day and not being able to find anything open, not even Starbucks. Myself and a few coworkers finally found a pizza place and stood outside of it on Third Ave. when a man full of dust and obviously just walked from downtown stopped to tell us what happened to him. That in itself was strange. People just didn't do that in Manhattan.
I couldn't leave the city that night to go home to NJ because my car was parked right near the UN and it was all blocked off. I couldn't even get near it. Plus they kept opening and closing the bridges and tunnels that you couldn't be sure that if you did try to get out that you would be able to. I ended up sleeping in the office that night along with another New Jerseyite. At 7:30 that night we walked down there to see if we could get close to the site. It was an eerie site. In the dark of night you saw white dust everywhere. It looked like there was snow on the sidewalks. Loads of people standing around just looking, waiting to hear some news of any kind.
I suppose the thing that stands out the most is the next morning. I walked outside about 6am to see if I could finally get to my car and go home. There was a deafening silence and anyone that lived or worked in NYC understands how strange that is. There wasn't one car on Third Avenue. No buses, cabs, trucks, cars. Nothing. No people bustling on the streets going to work. I really felt like I was in a war zone and I was the only survivor. I did finally get out of the city that morning but what I saw in Jersey was also startling. I was driving on Route 80 and saw a illuminated sign, you know the ones that are overhead on the highway warning of accidents and such. It simply said "NEW YORK CLOSED"! I have a picture of that and it still gives me goosebumps when I look at it. It was just so surreal.

I returned to add an item to the punchlist of repairs to my husband's Jeep following the ride together to his workplace. Since we were conversing we didn't turn on the radio. The repair shop had the TV on and I saw the second collision. // I left the shop to go to the eastern shore of Mobile Bay in Alabama. I got on my knees and began praying for all the family members whose souls had been ripped from corporeal life. I knew nothing of the building collapse until later in the afternoon when I retrieved my husband from his office. That was an ordeal because the nearby federal courthouse was protected by street closure. I stood on the hood and waved my son's school jacket, imagining how much more sorrow others were enduring while trying (and many failing) to be united that day. // Back to the Bay in the morning. I was a bit embarassed to be on my knees, so I began picking up cigarette butts and tidbits of litter from the tide-line every time a car drove up and paused for a few minutes to also watch the bay. I thanked God for the privilege to be watching calm water and geese rehearsing flight school with that year's crop of youngsters preparing for migration. I wept frequently, knowing how much work it would be to recover from the aftermath, having survived a hurricane in the 60's which had body recovery work as late as 8 weeks later. Miniscule by comparison, but my only frame of reference.// I made a vow to spend one hour per day in prayer for the survivors. To lift them up. To direct to them by prayer: comfort and recovery, healing, strength, progress, worker safety. Each day I returned to the shoreline to pick-up litter and to pray. I ran out of litter at the shoreline so I went to the fencelines outside the school. Eventually the principal allowed me to go into the schoolyard and classrooms talking about being a litter-getter. // Today my prayer remains much the same: humbled by the privilege to live where the view is so quiet, as an agent to direct that serenity towards the hearts and thoughts of sisters and brothers who are enduring so much and accomplishing miracles by their resilience. GOD SPEED!

i was seventeen i was in class my mother called the school because she worked for 911 and she was telling me a girl i went to school with was dead. right as she was telling me that horrible news she gasped and told me a plane crashed into the world trade center she said she had to go but to get my teacher to turn on the TV. as the whole class and i sit horrified at the scene in front of us.....plane 2 crashed in to the second tower, at that moment i knew life would never be the same. after that the next 48 hours are a blur alot of tears, yells of anger, thoughts and feelings of hopelessness. i graduated that following may and two days after i received my diploma i was on a plane head towards lackland air force base. i served in Afghanistan for over a year, i saw and did some things over there I'm not proud of but it was a must. as i sat on a ridge in the mountains i looked upon the sun setting and thoughts of those 3000 men and women who lost there life haunted me, every time i would get tired of fighting that is where i got my inspiration. today people have forgotten. i haven't, i never will. the sad part was when i was sent home with 2 purple hearts, a bum leg, a bad back, and post traumatic stress syndrome, all i could think was......please let me go back, i love this country, I'm useless at home.

I remember sitting watching Good Morning America while my kids were getting ready for school and then the "breaking news" about the first plane and as we were watching the first building on fire, you see this second plane come in and hit the second tower, what an awful, scary, unimaginable sight to see and feeling so helpless. All I could think of was God help us, what is going on. I don't think any of us will ever forget that day...ever! We may be in MInnesota, but we are all one!

I work and live in the Washington DC area. On September 11, 2001 I was scheduled to attend a briefing at the Pentagon but I had to reschedule due to a medical appointment. Several of my fellow workers did attend a meeting in the Pentagon. Three died and two were forced to evacuate the building by crawling on the floor all the while fighting to breathe and see through the thick black smoke that was filling the corridors and rings. For about one week as I commuted to work I had to pass the burning section of the Pentagon. Each time I passed the building I had to stop to remember my fellow workers. Even today, seven years after that tragic day I still take a moment of time to remember those who died that day.

As a native New Yorker living in Kansas City I was in shock watching the first tower fall. My son, who had just gotten out of the Marine Corps called and said," come home Dad." It was several days later, after being glued to the news all that time, that we went to the City Market, on Saturday, where a farmer's market is held. There had been no planes in the sky for days, other than military. The City Market is near the old Municipal airport. The market was crowded but somehow oddly subdued, when suddenly a small plane flew over very low. Many people cringed and ducked in shock and fear. It was at that moment that it finally sunk in that every aspect of our everyday lives was changed forever. Never Forget.

I remember the feeling of shock and disbelief. At first the news kept reporting it was a commuter plane that had crashed into the tower and we kept looking at the video. I remember saying that was not a commuter plane, but we thought it was just an accident and then the second plane hit. I had people traveling at the time and people in California. I called the people in California so they could rent a car because I knew they were not going to be able to fly home. I had woken them up, but their initial reaction was the same as everyone else's--shock. My boss who was already supposed to be in Denver called me from St. Louis where they were forced to land saying he needed a ride home. He wasn't even supposed to be in the air at the time. We were all crowded around a coworker's portable TV trying to get any news we could. Where would the next attack be?? I remember the eerie silence while planes were grounded. Everyone watched in disbelief as the towers collapsed. We watched the news and prayed for the families of those missing. The stories of heroes and bravery touched our hearts. We listened in horror and disbelief of people who actually celebrated as people died at the hands of the terrorists. I think that day redefined for people what it meant to be Americans and renewed our sense of patriotism. It also meant that our country as we knew it would never be the same. We were relieved that even as bad as it was, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It still affects our lives today and I believe it will for generations to come. How long has it been since Pearl Harbor and we still remember that day. I just hope and pray that there's not another 09/11 type attack.

I was on my way to work when I heard about the first plane that hit the World Trade Center. I thought to myself what a horrible accident. I got to my job which at that time I was working in the Activity Department at a nursing home. I started making my rounds and inviting residents out to morning activities and I was in a residents room when the second plane hit. Her TV was on so we both saw it. I stood there in total disbelief realizing that this is no horrible accident. I looked at the resident and said, "this is not an accident, is it?" She just smiled at me and said no. I will never forget that resident. As soon as I got back to my activity room I turned the tv on and turned it so that residents could not see it. It was extremely hard to watch but even harder to turn the tv off and not know what was going on.

I remember the day being so bright and clear, weather wise. When I heard about the attacks, I was
driving into work and thought, "what the hell". Later, while at work, I stepped outside about 10am,
work was real close to the local airport and I would always watch the aircraft landing and you could
always see aircraft in the landing pattern all day, I remember looking around and not seeing a
single airliner in the air and thought that this was not an accident and that something earthshaking
had happened. How right I was. I now look at everything as pre/post 9/11 and still remember
all those who died that day. And since.

I will always remember 9/11, as I remember the day JFK was assassinated.

Two weeks prior to 9/11 I spent in Portland, Or, taking care of my daughter, Leslie, after she had a knee operation to help stabilize her knee from MD. I remember the night I left Portland, it was late in the evening. I was standing in line at the Portland airport, to catch a flight back to Knoxville, TN. A whole company of Army reservists were standing at attention, getting last minute orders from their commanders, before boarding their own flight to Germany for their two week active duty. That was the Monday before 9/11. After 9/11, I thought of them often, and wondered if they weren't activated before they got home.

The morning of 9/11, I was out working in the yard, when I heard the phone ring. My other daughter who lived in Upstate NY was on the phone in a panic. Valorie worked for the phone company in their call center, and had heard the Trade Center had been attacked. At that time, the attack had just happened, and the news was still very unclear as to what really happened. There was rumors flying around that the Trade Center was under nuclear attack. Valorie's voice told me she was on the verge of hysteria. She had recently divorced, with two very small children, and no family within two days drive. She was crying, and said,, "MOM did you hear about NY? " I said,"No what's happened?" She told me to turn on the TV, that the word at work was that NY had been hit with a neuclear bomb. I asked her where she was, and were were the children?
She told me they were at the sitters, and she was still at work. They wouldn't let them leave work to be with their families. Typical Frontier Phone Co,, they treat their employees like those in sweatshops are treated. She said again, "MOM TURN ON THE TV AND FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON". IF NY HAS BEEN HIT, I NEED TO GET THE GIRLS AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE,, THE FALLOUT WILL BE UP HERE SOON." My heart was ripping out of my chest. My baby was in a possible war zone, with two small children, and I'm here in TN two days drive away.
I ran to the TV and turned it on, and to my horror, the cable was out. OMG I thought. Is this country under attack, and our communications are being disrupted. What else could it be? I wanted to start screaming,, yet reason said,, "Stay calm. This may just be a big mistake." To make a long story short, when I called the cable co, they told me the cable was temporarily out, because there were workers repairing a line that was hit by a car. The reception was back up in less than a half hour.

It was then I realized the true nature of the attack. After assuring Valorie no fallout would reach upstate, I spent the rest of the day in shock, as I watched the TV, and watched the plane hit the second tower, and the people jumping from the Towering Inferno. It all still seems like a really bad movie. My middle daughter, Shirley was in the Army reserves, and would be activated within the next 6 months.

Shirley, and her fiancee Rhett, met in the Army, and wanted to be married. That was put on hold, for six years, until their commitment to the Army was met. Neither wanted to marry and start a family, with the possibility of them both being deployed. Rhett has served two deployments. Shirley suffered severe injury to her feet during Combat Training and was medically discharged. She never served in Iraq. Rhett did, as I mentioned, and came home safely. They both are now discharged and preparing for their wedding sometime next year.

Today, Valorie and her two children have moved to TN, remarried, and has a third beautiful little girl. We talk everyday, and her children are doing wonderful. Not to mention, Valorie is able to sleep better at night, knowing she has a loving husband, and other family close by to help her, and the children in times of need. We all have learned that what's real in this world is Family.

Leslie is doing well in Portland, her MD has not progressed in 5 years, due to the Reiki she has received. She also started practicing Reiki, and is a Reiki Master today. She works for a non-profit organization, and gives and receives Reiki regularly. Her health has never been better. She walks better today than she ever has, due to Reiki. But that is another long story.

Until next time,, let the sunshine in.

I remember sitting at home after taking the day off. I turned on the news and saw Tower 1 on fire. I called my spouse and starting describing what was happening. Then the second plane hit tower 2. Eventually I watched Tower 1 collapse.

the most haunting thing I remember to this day was not the images but the sound of all the firefighter movement alarms going off after the collapse. These alarms are attached to firefighters and go off when they have not moved for a certain period of time. It is supposed to help someone find them. There was continual high pitch sound that you could tell was from hundreds of firefighters.

More than anything else, that sound is still what stays with me.

I was in the process of moving to upstate New York (Catskill area). At the time we had no connection with the outside world. I went to a local bed and breakfast to use their phone. The owner was watching the debacle. As I looked on, the second aircraft struck. Soon after one of the towers collapsed. It went down just like a demolition job. I had to get back to our new home. I told my wife about the situation in NYC. It was so unreal that it took a while to realize the extent of the tragedy. I guess this was the most salient part of my thinking: I just couldn't believe it. We were up to our ears in moving boxes and could barely move around the house (the movers had appeared a day early). We had closed on the house on 9/10. On 9/15 I flew from Newark to Salt Lake City where I picked up my invalid mother-in-law. Needless to say, there was plenty of room on the plane, but I felt no fear. I could not imagine a repeat of the event so soon. I confess the shock was coming home when I was faced with a young grim faced National Guardsman carrying an automatic weapon. Later, at my new job, more and more I realized the terrible extent of the attack and who was behind it.

I just started my senior year at high school. After by biology class ended (this was around 10, after everything had happened) I walked to my Government class. I remember looking in all the classrooms and seeing that almost all the classrooms had TVs. Since school had only started a week before I found this odd, but I remember wondering if we get to watch TV in Government. When I say the TV, I was excited but then became disappointed after I saw it was just the news. Our teacher then came in and explained everything that happened. I remember me and almost everyone else being in shock. I also remember some guy next to me saying "Who cares?" and putting his head down.
When I got home I watched the news some more and saw it was on EVERY SINGLE channel.
We watch the news the rest of class and in the majority of are classes that whole week.

I was at work when a co-worker called me and told me that a plane had crashed into a building in NYC. We were in shock. My boss brought in the portable tv and we all stood around the screen watching in horror. I remember saying, "that building is going to crumble." Shortly after, it did. My boss was then on the road and called me to ask me to find out where his wife was....she was on a plane to florida at the time. I sat on the phone for 20 minutes with the airline and finally she told me that his wife was safe and her plane was forced to land in Tennessee. With tears in my eyes and much relief I was able to tell my boss that his wife was ok. We had her rent a car and start the long ride back to NH. Later in the day, I found out about a woman from our small town who was on the plane and then about the mom of a friend of mine who was flying out to CA to visit her grandchildren. That night, I sat with my then boyfriend, now husband, and cried as we watched the events of the day over and over again. I felt completely unable to help and vulnerable. We did a lot of praying for the people in the planes and buildings and their families, and thanked god our children were all safe and healthy. I still to this day tear up and/or cry when watching or reading or thinking about 9/11. That date is very haunting.

The sky was so blue that morning, I was working as a Dept Head at the Plaza Hotel. I had left the Marriott WTC hotel two years prior and still had friends working there. I was praying that they would all make it out and sadly Joe Keller who replaced me was one of two managers that did not make it out after the collapse of the South Tower. We had just spoken the week before about one of the associates still working in the building, shared some laughs....to this day I think about about him and his family...at the Plaza we were mobilizing what staff remained after the collapse, many associates left to go home to their families, all the managers stayed and we kept the hotel running. We had the Saudi Arabian Defense Minister and his entourage staying on the entire 5th floor we were flying the Saudi Arabian flag on 5th avenue we rushed up to take it down...you could smell the ash and dust all the way to Central park South later in the morning like an army people hundreds of them walking silent some crying a weeping heading North away from the disaster some stopped to ask for water or use the restrooms we of course helped , I work in downtown again and pass the site every day and not a day goes by that I do not say pray for all those that perished and their families that were left behind..May God Bless the United States of America and all the men and women in uniform in the military, Police, FDNY EMS......and of course the families of all the heros that perished that day.

I was home after taking the kids to school and my mother called to turn on the TV. I watched not really believing that this could happen. What kind of people are they that could even think of this? You wanted to stop watching but could not. All I could think of was my family, and those of the victims. All of the paper that the vpeople were working on. Floating down from the Towers like little angels. Then the shear quiet of the skies over the United States. We live near a major airport and it was so quiet. No traffic - nothing in the skies. I still think of 9-11 and pray for peace to the families and victims. I still see the Towers come down.

My husband woke me up and said "We are being attacked." What I saw on the news was like being punched in the stomach and I threw up. Then we both went to work. At work, all the employees were in shock and my supervisor found a TV and set it up in his office. We watched silently throughout the morning while working. My supervisor used to work in Pakistan and Afghanistan while in the Army and the fear for him was way much more than mine; his emotions went from anger to fear to desperation mostly because he couldn't do anything to help. All flights were suspended and my brother called to say that he had taken in two stranded travelers that he knew and that other people in our small town were taking in stranded people because they didn't know how long the flights were going to be suspended. The shock at seeing the jet airlines ram the twin towers was painful. My grandson was three years old then and he asked why the planes kept hitting the tall buildings over and over.

I was a Police Officer with Oldham County Police, in Oldham County Kentucky. I was actually on the phone with the Chief of Police at my residence discussing an Honor Guard detail he wanted us to do, just after the first plane struck the tower. While talking to him and watching the television the second plane struck. It immediately ended our conversation because we were both shaken by the news. I remember the panic that permeated the community when I went on duty later that afternoon. Being a retired veteran from the U.S. Army Reserve in 1997, I felt anger and questioned if we were up to the task. When one is under attack you must react and react with direct force if you wish to survive. We as a nation have a history of second guessing our response toward enemy aggression. We have countries that we have heaped tremendous aid and support to, who would love nothing more than our complete demise.

I work in the city but had no idea what was going on - I work in mid-town. I remember my boss coming in saying a plane hit one of the towers - it was a small plane and it hit the restaurant on top ( Top of the World). A few minutes later my brother called me (he's a cop) to say he would probably be in the city because of what had happened. I said "Oh you mean the plane that hit the restaurant?" He then told me it was a jet - I asked him to define 'jet' as there are many types. He told me a passenger jet, then hung up. A few minutes later, he called me to say the other tower was hit. He then told me about the Pentagon and the plane that went down in PA - America was under attack. To be honest, my heart was broken, my trust and faith in the government was broken and never repaired. I think about the attacks EVERY day, especially as you still have plans flying over the city. That day, the government let me and the country down. With all the intelligence this country has - the top people ignored it. With all the money this country HAD, things could have been put into place but never were because you had some people with the attitude of 'it could never happen here'. The problem is no one wants to spend the millions/billions until something happens first. The attitude is "whats a couple of thousand people compared to billions of dollars". With that being said, please don't get too comfortable - it can happen again. The terrorists are getting smarter too, they are recruiting Americans - your typical average Joe.

I was going to a trade school at the time and decided to go home for a snack. When i got there i turned on the T.V. and thought it was a movie. Then i realized it was on a public station. To my dismay this was unraveling before my eyes. I rushed back to school and informed my fellow students. We brought a T.V. into the room and watched. Class was over at that moment and every-ones eyes focused watched as the reports continued. Being in the military i also was stunned at the fact the the PENTAGON was hit by a plane. To this day I find it hard to even watch the Discovery channel and or any specials on 9/11. It is still painful to think that the person and or persons responsible for this hideous action is still out there. We as the Greatest Nation in the World should not have to deal with this type of Terrorism.

I'll never forget that morning! I was on a little National Guard post in Louisiana for training. I had gotten up that morning for a run with my major. I can still remember how great that run felt & what the weather was like. After a late breakfast, I joined the major & a few other fellow soldiers waiting to be driven to the range. Someone had a radio & was just surfing channels trying to find something to listen to. He kept coming up to news reports that weren't making any sense so he finally stopped. It took a few minutes to figure out what was happening. We finally realized that the towers had been hit along with the Pentagon. We got really quiet & just listened in total disbelief. We finally had to go check on the other soldiers in our unit who were doing training exercises. I remember coming back to the barracks that evening & there was a message from our battalion commander to finish our training. A few of us tried to go to the tiny shopette on post but were only able to catch glimpses of the news reports on the small televisions. The rest of the week had to continue as normal as possible as we had a mission to complete. It wasn't until Friday afternoon of that week that the full reality of the attacks hit me. I came back to the base & for the first time since being stationed there, I had to show my ID to enter post. I was greeted at the entrance to my housing area by 2 armored humvees with mounted weapons. There was also a roving humvee guard going thru the housing area. I went home & turned on the television. I sat there & was transfixed! I couldn't believe it! I cried for a long time until I could no longer take it. I had to finally walk away. I went outside to talk to the guards at the entrance to my housing area who turned out to be friends of mine. I talked to them for a long time that night trying to find some resemblance of normal. I realized that night that nothing was going to be normal ever again.
I served for another 4 years in the army. I think of my friends who have been & who continue to be deployed constantly! I'm so proud of my country & our military!