Where were you?

[Ghost]

10 years ago, I was in school. Since we live in a real small town, we go home for lunch. I had no idea what happened until my dad told me when he came to pick me up. I got home just in time to see the second tower fall right before my eyes. Then they showed what happened throughout the day. Even at a young age, I wanted to know who done it, and where I can find them, so that I could make them suffer the most painful death they could ever imagine.


And here today, the weather is nearly exactly the same as it was on that terrible day, 10 years ago.


I might be Canadian, but...




'MERICA! FUCK YEAH! [url=http://www.freesmileys.or

[STRAITJACKET]

  I was in Columbus Ohio on that day working. Listening to Howard Stern on the radio from my service van, I heard the news break. By the time I got inside my customers building and into an office area, they had already set up a tv and crowds of employees were starting to gather around it.
  I remember from the initial reporting by Stern that they thought  it was a small single engine plane that hit the first tower, thinking what an awful accident, and how does that happen. I dont think most of us were in the state of mind that it was an attack at that point , but my gut told me that it didnt seem right. Standing around the tv I witnessed the second plane hit, Ill never forget that feeling.
The days following,driving around the city was strange as well, I remember scanning the skyline and not seeing a single plane in the air, after they grounded all flights, eery feeling.

Its hard to believe that ten years have come and gone. Never forget.

[JohnyMac]

I was in my office at work. At 10:00AM I had my normal Tuesday sales meeting with my District Managers.

At the beginning of the meeting I told them the meeting would be short and sweet. I told them this:

"No fucken terrorist would get the best of us. I know all of you want to close stores and send your people home but it isn't going to happen. I am not going to send people home to watch TV and feel sorry for themselves." I continued with, "the only stores allowed to close would be our Alexandria, VA. and Manhattan Str."

Man I got a lot of whining so I said, "you are either with me or against me. Make up your mind right now. Now who wants to close your stores?" Nobody spoke up. I then terminated the meeting. Then I started calling stores that were in CT., Long Island, NY, MD and Virginia to let them know we were here and ready to help in the regional office if they needed any. 

Throughout the coming weeks stores filled in for other stores as employees could attend funerals. In one case, I allowed the Stamford CT. store to close for half a day as one of their favorite customers had died in the attack and all of the employees wanted to go to the funeral. 

Ten years later: Two Wednesdays ago one of my DM's from that day were in town. He called me up and invited my wife and I to dinner. Now old JohnyMac is not one to turn down a free dinner or glass of wine so I said "Great!" As we sat there sharing a glass of wine my former DM looked over at me and said, "John I hated you on 911 for not letting me close my stores except for the Alexandria store. In hindsight you were 100% correct. I have been wanting to tell you that for 10 years now."

I guess even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.  So I guess that day I made the right decision. Now what do I do about all of the hundreds of wrong decisions I have made post that day 

[NOLA556]

i was sitting in my 9th grade homeroom classroom the whole day we just watched the tv and talked about what was happening. I know I was plenty old enough to understand what happened, i just didn't understand the gravity of it for another couple years.

[GoddamnUncleSam]

i was in 8th grade and i remember my mom coming into my room early in the morning (i'm on the west coast) and saying a plane flew into one of the world trade center  buildings and i wasn't really sure what they were and just as i was getting to the tv the second one hit and we both sat in the living room watching until they fell, and i didn't make it to school until 4th period because moms was to hysterical to drive and i really wasn't sure what was going on or why but i will never forget it. once i got to school in my history class and my teacher explaining most of the situation and then my next class was math and my teachers sister worked at the pentagon we sat in his class watching the tv while he was trying to contact her. what a sad day it was, will never forget it.       

[JohnyMac]

1) Thanks Ghost for asking the question.
2) Thanks for the remembrances- Please keep them coming. This great stuff!!!

[Kobalt]

Ten years ago I was in the front room of my grandparents house. I was five at the time. I saw the secont plane crash into the tower. I was horrified. I hade no clue why anybody would do it. but I knew it ment war. Thats most of what I remember.

[kindredspirit]

I was living in Wilmington, NC.... just got off my 12 hour night shift and stopped by the gym.  Everyone was gathered around the tvs... I saw the pictures on the screen and ask "what country is that?" When my friend told me it was NYC... and DC...  It was like a punch in the stomach.   It never crossed my mind in a million years that that could happen here.  I left.... numb and in shock...  and pulled my kids out of school.  I needed to hold them a little closer that day.....

[sledge]

When the first plane hit I was squeezing grapefruit to measure sugar content in the juice.  My first thought was, "How does an accident like that happen?  The pilot must have lost control of the plane or something."

When the receptionist came to the door and said the second plane had hit I was stunned for a moment trying to rationalize it.  Then the realization hit me, " This is our generations Pearl Harbor.  Someone is attacking us."

I felt anger rush through me.   They may be Yankee's up there.  But damn it, they're our Yankee's.

[militaryman84]

I was at Ft. Bragg. We were having a meeting and everyone beepers started going off at once. We knew the balloon had gone up some where but we had no idea. What a crazy fucking time. Still get sick to my stomach when I see the footage of the planes striking.

[Reaver]

6/7 Combo
First Period
Was either English or Reading class. Mrs. Cohens Class.
I was like 1 of 5 or something to not go home early that day.
No worries, Bill Ni the science guy tapes all day till I got to go home.

I also knew that it meant war. still to young and dumb to really grasp all of what war entails.

[CrystalHunter1989]

I was in 7th grade dreading another boring day in school, still trying to wake up. It was a Tuesday. Suddenly, during a class, we were all called out to the gym. They told us about the trade center but didn't describe it in detail. I thought someone had accidentally crashed their personal plane into a small building, like a Piper Cub. Some how, I knew I was wrong. All the seniors were crying their eyes out. As one of the faculty was speaking, someone else came and handed him a note. He sighed heavily and said, "We've just been told that the first tower has collapsed." Only after a round of prayers were we allowed to watch the news. Then I saw it, and it hit me. I thought, "This is it. World War III."

In my audacity I actually wrote a letter to President Bush theorizing that Russia was responsible for the attacks. I didn't mail it, and to be honest, I'm not sure why Russia of all places.

[NOLA556]

I was in 7th grade dreading another boring day in school, still trying to wake up. It was a Tuesday. Suddenly, during a class, we were all called out to the gym. They told us about the trade center but didn't describe it in detail. I thought someone had accidentally crashed their personal plane into a small building, like a Piper Cub. Some how, I knew I was wrong. All the seniors were crying their eyes out. As one of the faculty was speaking, someone else came and handed him a note. He sighed heavily and said, "We've just been told that the first tower has collapsed." Only after a round of prayers were we allowed to watch the news. Then I saw it, and it hit me. I thought, "This is it. World War III."

In my audacity I actually wrote a letter to President Bush theorizing that Russia was responsible for the attacks. I didn't mail it, and to be honest, I'm not sure why Russia of all places.

only you crystal. i think you're account of it is the best so far.

[CrystalHunter1989]

I was in 7th grade dreading another boring day in school, still trying to wake up. It was a Tuesday. Suddenly, during a class, we were all called out to the gym. They told us about the trade center but didn't describe it in detail. I thought someone had accidentally crashed their personal plane into a small building, like a Piper Cub. Some how, I knew I was wrong. All the seniors were crying their eyes out. As one of the faculty was speaking, someone else came and handed him a note. He sighed heavily and said, "We've just been told that the first tower has collapsed." Only after a round of prayers were we allowed to watch the news. Then I saw it, and it hit me. I thought, "This is it. World War III."

In my audacity I actually wrote a letter to President Bush theorizing that Russia was responsible for the attacks. I didn't mail it, and to be honest, I'm not sure why Russia of all places.

only you crystal. i think you're account of it is the best so far.

 [url=http://www.freesmileys.or

[Dave_M]

Just came back from the stumps' (29 Palms) the day before. I had the day off. Got woken up by some privates and told I needed to go to BN. Couldn't find my Captain, searched and found him sitting in front of a TV with a bunch of other O's. Second plane hit right then. I honestly don't know if it was exactly when or if it was repeated footage from minutes earlier. Either way, the gasps they gave made me think it was the first time. I also remember lots of rejected cellphone calls (fast tones or nothing) from overloaded networks. My NCO's wife's mom was stationed at the Pentagon and I remember him being told to go home and figure out if she were still alive (she was). Later on I would find out that another woman I knew what as the Pentagon, outside smoking a cigarette, when the plane hit (she also lived).

Also, that night it was the first time I was given live ammunition and put on a real security patrol. The significance of this I feel was lost on troops thereafter; we only really got live ammo on the range and in other training at that point. The fact we were issued it almost immediately, without question, was not lost on us at the time.

[1000meterstare]

I was at my first post-college job as a shipping clerk.  We were busy as hell that day.  I couldn't get the news replays until I got home from work that evening.  Now I'm just totally sick of hearing it.  The best thing America could have done was forget about it and move on.  But instead we changed our whole way of life and submitted to a police state and perpetual wars.  If you think about it, the terrorists won.

[JohnyMac]

I hear ya' 1000Meter however for the first 25 years or so after Gettysburg there was similar ceremonies there.  As the following generations come and go this event too will fade into the past.

[Alex1992]

I was in the 3rd grade, I was watching cartoons when they interrupted every channel on the TV saying the first tower was hit. I was running late so I couldn't watch the second plane until I got home at the end of school and nobody knew what was going on. I would've been 9 years old and I didn't know until I saw the destruction. I can say its an life altering event for everybody and I tell you that is a story I would be telling my kids in the future.

[Outonowhere]

I was in 11th grade at the time.  The bell had rung and my bio class basically emptied out, I wasn't ina hurry so I was still there when a student from the next class over rushed in.  "turn on the tv.  They are saying the pentagons been hit".  We did but I guess the tv was messed up and the picture was grainy.  It showed the pentagon but my first reaction was that it was a movie.  Just the night before or so I had watched a movie with my parents.  There were a couple big names in it but it was done in black and white.  It was basically mutually assured destruction and that cities on both sides got nuked.  I swear I was watching the same again but in color.  I ended up going on to my algebra class where I watched in horror with the rest of class as the second plane impacted.  Sadness and anger were naturally the overwhelming emotions, we didn't know who was responsible but we wanted blood.