Where were you 9 years ago today?

I woke up this morning, much like I did 9 years ago on this day on which the entire face of America changed forever. In fact I had actually forgotten what day it was on this sunny morning in Montana, so far away from the terrible events of 9/11. Much like 9 years ago, it wasn't until I got onto the computer and saw on the web the reminder of the terrible tragedy that befell our country 9 years ago.

9 years ago, at around the same time, was just getting up after deciding to sleep in late and arrive late at my morning class. I was going to my local College and starting my degree in Information Systems management. Dreery eyed from over sleeping and not really wanting to pay attention to my instructors lesson, I fired up my computer terminal and decided to browse through my usual tech and computer forums for something worthy of my time.

I was immediately struck by the major forum topics of the day on the main page in big bold letters " New York attacked! WTC buildings on fire!!!! WTC collapsed! Pentagon attacked, on fire!!"

Wondering what in the hell was going on I verbally called out loud to the entire classroom right in the middle of my instructors speech

"Ummm, can someone tell me what the hell is going on in New York?

I still remember the entire room going deafly quiet as 30+ people slowly turned their heads towards me with looks of surprised, shock and even some anger towards me. My instructor looked at me with both somewhat disbelief and disdane

"You don't know Bryce? I think you better go to the study hall"

Without a second thought, I threw myself outa my chair and ran across the campus full tilt and barged into the cafeterial study area were they had set up a makeshift TV and stand. Surrounding it were well over a hundred students, faculty and teachers with various looks of shock, horror, surprise and even some crying. I ran to the TV just in time to see the second tower collapse on the news feed. It wasn't until the newscaster was saying something to the effect of

"The WTC are gone, the second tower collapsed, its gone...its just gone"

did I realize what had happened. I fell sick to my stomach and for the first time in my life, didn't know what to feel or think as I stared at the TV for what seemed to be hours. After watching the replays of the planes smashing into the towers, the pentagon burning and the crashed plane in the field, I felt sick and utterly numb in my entire body. I slowly dragged myself to back class and tried to concentrate on my studies but my mind was completely gone through the entire day.

I came home after school and watched more news feeds of the events with my parents, not saying alot until I had to go work my late shift at Wal-Mart. It wasn't any better there, I hardly spoke with anyone and didn't really need to, the store was eerily quiet with only the soft murmor of shocked and stunned conversation between people of what had transpired that day. Even the Wal-Mart satellite feed had been switched to CNN coverage of the 9/11 tragedy and I spent most of that very quiet evening in the electronics dept of Wal-Mart, watching the world change via a wall of TV's showing me the cruel reality of what had happened that day.

So, where were you on 9/11?

[Bondonutz]

I was manageing a Local Body Shop at the time, was business as usual till a customer came in talking w/a friend about the first tower being hit. I of course was like WTF ? After they got their car and left the shop I clicked on the radio and caught a few details but was way to busy to be hanging around the radio. After the day was done I boogied home and was glued to CNN/FOX all night long. I was horrified, dumbfounded and really pissed off that "we" were attacked. The sorrow and grief I shared with the rest of the country for all the lost souls in the those buildings and other forced landings was unmeasurable.
To this day that dirty goat humper Binladen is still scurrying around the country side, why this sorry assed POS isn't dead yet is beyond me ?

RIP and we will never forget.

[nitrostarter]

I was in 9th grade Civics class taught by our Assistant Principle/Disciplinarian. It was the first class for that day. Teacher came in 10 minutes late with tears in his eyes and turned on the tv in our room. He told us what happened and and explain some things to us about the Bin Laden types. All the girls in the room were crying hysterically eventhough none of them had ties up north. School was at a halt until lunch time. Every classroom had the new channels on for us to know whats going on. Sure is a vivid memory in my head!

[suicideneil]

I woke up and put the TV on as I was eating breakfast/ lunch ( day off, slept in ); the 3 out of 4 channels had live footage of one of the towers burning. I couldnt quite understand what had happend and neither could the presenters/ reporters who only had sketchy info.

Then I watched the 2nd plane hit, and I knew exactly what was happening.

[radioman193]

I woke up late and turned the tv on CNN as Normal
and it was 8:50am. and I was Horrified at what i was watching ..

I stayed home all that day watching CNN ...
My Tv did Not go off or off CNN for 3 days after that.

And to this day i can play back EVERY moment of that day.

Im a Man but on that day i Did shed tears..........

I know I will NEVER forget 911 and all the people lost on that day.

May God rest there soules ..................

[mistercrash]

I was home alone, the wife had gone to work and I worked the evening shift. I turned on the puter to see an image of the first tower in flames. I went downstairs to turn on the tv and saw and heard the tragedy unfolding. I remember yelling NOOOO!!! when the second plane hit the second tower. My stomach was churning and I felt sick when the towers fell. It was surreal, I went to work anyway and the whole factory was at a very slow pace that night. Not much talking, no fooling around, no smiles and not much work done. Everyone was just stunned.

I was in a creative writing class in my last year of high school. A student came in yelling about the twin towers and we turned on the TV. That pretty much ended any learning that would have occured that day.

I was heading to Corporate Finance in college, once in the class the guy next to me asked if I had seen the news. He and I were both basketball fans and I thought he was talking about Micheal Jordan going to play for the Wizards. He said "No a plane has hit one of the World Trade Towers". I was stunned, but assumed like most at that point that it had been an accident.

A few minutes later our professor came in and said that the other tower had been struck as well as the Pentagon. He was usually a light hearted guy who liked to talk about money, but when he said "that there were more important things to talk about and that we should all go home." I knew it was serious.

Sadly he said that, looking back on it now because a guy in my class lost his brother (who was an alumni and known to the professor) in one of the towers, he worked for one of the investment firms. The College I went too had a lot of kids from up north and several lost friends or family in the towers.

Then I went home and watched Fox News for several days.

I would also like to take a moment to remember my friend Susan's brother Gary Giedel. I never knew him, but have known his sister Susan for several years, she is a good person and I am sure he was as well. He was a NYFD fire fighter and that day had just gotten off work and was on his way home, when the first plane struck the first tower. He turned around to see if he could catch up to his guys and help. He was last seen entering one of the towers at a full run, right before it collapsed. May God bless and comfort his family.

^ A true and utmost hero. End of discussion

[BrianG]

I had just flown back to Maine from a work project in Iowa. I went to the office and that's when it started showing up on TV. I'll tell you, the next flight out a week or so after things calmed down was a nervous one for me.

No doubt Freeze! And even though this is a day of sadness, we should also remember there were a lot of people that day that gave us reason to be proud.

[JThiessen]

Good Thread Freeze.

I remember I was parking my truck at work, listening to the local sports radio, and they had briefly mentioned some accident at the towers, and speculating about how an accident could have occured that way. It was a very important day at work, so I wasn't able to take the time to even look at the news on the PC. And I remember actually getting a little upset with a lady that worked across the aisle from me because all she did all day was blabber on and on about this "accident".
It wasn't until I got home, and was able to turn on the news, that the full impact of it hit me. I shed tears even today thinking about how we humans can do crap like that to each other. It just doesn't register in my brain how anybody can rationalize the taking of human life in such a manner.

Remember how people used to to thank their firefighters and police in the weeks/months/years following this? Wonder how many still do it?

[PBO]

Woke up to the news (time zone) & started calling family about my cousin who would normally have been in his office on a 100+ floor in WTC1. He was fortunately out of the office

He resigned not long after, returned to Sydney & set up his own private firm from his home. Much safer (& more profitable)

[What's_nitro?]

I was in the 10th grade- in American History class ironically enough. Like a few of you have already said, not much learning occurred that day in school.

[JERRY2KONE]

Well I remember being at the DMV that morning taking care of getting my motorcycle license all taken care of, and then heading into work just to acquire my paycheck because I was off for a few days. I was driving down the highway heading to Universal Studios Orlando where I was a rollercoater tech. In fact I had just moved from "The Dueling Dragons" coaster over to the Incredible Hulk ride that week. When I arrive on site I noticed quite a few p employees gathered around the big screen TV in one of the cafiterias there, and stroled up to see what they were all watching. At first I found it strange that a plain could hit such a huge structure in the middle of a great metropolis after that screw ball had just crashed his single engine plane into the IRS building like two weeks prior, and shortly after that the second plane hit tower #2. I remember blurting out that this was no accident, and everyone just looked at me like surely you jest. I grabbed my paycheck and rushed home to watch the rest unfold on my TV. I think I spent almost every minute glued to the TV set not wanting to miss any info about what was really going on. I had only been retired from the US Navy a few years when this happened and I felt helpless not being able to do anything about it, or at least be a part of our response.

My wife has a news paper framed hanging on our office wall that depicts it all. It is the San Francisco Examiner special edition with a huge picture of the towers buring, and all it says in great big letters is "BASTARDS". It is a constant reminder to us that we are all volnerable no matter where we live.