My 9/11 experience and why I'm worried about the new threats

[surfergirl602]

We were stationed in West Point on 9/11. The scariest day of my life and I will never be the same. We thought we were next. I couldn't get to my children. No phones, nothing.

I will never forget.

 

[diznygirl]

Exactly. And the helplessness. We were in Los Angeles at the time and I worked for the government. We felt like a bunch of sitting ducks. Where do you go when the threat is potentially everywhere?

Thank you for sharing your story.

 

[Aisling]

We were stationed in West Point on 9/11. The scariest day of my life and I will never be the same. We thought we were next. I couldn't get to my children. No phones, nothing.

I will never forget.

Exactly. And the helplessness. We were in Los Angeles at the time and I worked for the government. We felt like a bunch of sitting ducks. Where do you go when the threat is potentially everywhere?

Thank you for sharing your story.

They were certainly saying so here. Seattle is the home of Microsoft and Boeing, after all, two more symbols of America (among the very many). But the needle would have been a much flashier target.

That's what scares me right now, we don't know when or where. They say NY but anywhere can be a target. Zurgswife posted about closing the Disney parks. No one knew what would be next.

I'd be interested in hearing more stories from those who were not in NY or DC on 9/11 and your experiences and feelings that day. Did you feel safe? Did you think more was coming? Did your schools close? Was your town/city calm? What did you tell your children and were they afraid? I know so many stories of people from my area but not much from the rest of the US who were also terrorized by the whole thing.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Thank you so much for posting this- I know it must have been hard. I cried reading your post.

I was in fourth grade when 9/11 happened, and I remember being ushered into the school cafeteria, and they wouldn't tell us why. All kinds of wild rumors were spreading through the different grades, and it was terrifying. So many of my friends parents worked in the pentagon, and when were told someone had attacked the pentagon and the twin towers in new york, I remember sitting in a circle with my friends, crying, because we were all so scared for their parents.

I can't imagine being so close to NYC when it happened.

My DD were in the 2nd & 5th grade at the time. The schools didn't want to tell the kids in case their parents and relatives might be working in the city. Nevermind the number of Policemsn & Fireman that live in the suburbs.
Thankfully a neighbor got my kids without me knowing as the phones were all dead. DH was out of town so I talked to him before we all left the office.

Even though I work Midtown I was afraid once my kids heard Manhatten they would think of me. One of my older DD classmates came in late and told everyone but they knew something was up because the teachers father worked at WTC and she was panicking. He did escape safely.

Unfortunetly we know of too many people that didn't maake it. One was ex-co worker who left our company in July but didn't tell us where she was going. She had 2 small kids who I think about all the time. She always came in after 9:00 but that day she went in early. We found out days later when we saw the list of "missing" for Cantor Fitzgerald.

Sorry for babbling I could go on with more. There are so many stories everyone must have. This time of year is very hard.

 

[Michelle67]

Sorry for babbling I could go on with more. There are so many stories everyone must have. Every year this time of year is very hard.

You're not babbling. These memories are important. Thank you for sharing them.

 

[Aisling]

One more memory of Fr. Mychal and then I'll stop.

That photo of the men carrying his body in the chair to the church, well Fr. Mychal would be happy to know that his hair stayed in place. I mean this with no disrespect, I loved that man, but he did the comb-over thing and used hairspray every day to keep it in place. Whenever I see that photo, I have to laugh through the tears that his hair looked good.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

One more memory of Fr. Mychal and then I'll stop.

That photo of the men carrying his body in the chair to the church, well Fr. Mychal would be happy to know that his hair stayed in place. I mean this with no disrespect, I loved that man, but he did the comb-over thing and used hairspray every day to keep it in place. Whenever I see that photo, I have to laugh through the tears that his hair looked good.

 

[golfgal]

I hope those of you that are able to do write or have written all of these feelings, experiences and lasting effects of 9/11 down somewhere to pass along to future generations. These stories are what make history real for kids (and adults).

 

[Aisling]

You're not babbling. These memories are important. Thank you for sharing them.

Not babbling at all! many of us NEED to talk about this once in a while. We're here to listen to each other.

 

[Michelle67]

Not that it is pertinent to the conversation, but I'm sitting here wondering now if it wasn't in the days surrounding the first anniversary that my daughter had that field trip. I do remember many parents not allowing their child to go, and worrying about our decision to let ours, but I'm wondering now if they would even have allowed any children to come visit the needle within the first month or two after 9/11. I might be blurring my memories up...it was all horrible all the way around, and some days I think I'm getting kinda old in the memory department.

 

[DWGal210]

I was a sophomore in college in Iowa City, IA. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was getting ready for class & saw the 2nd plane hit on TV. It was surreal.

The university is a large, bustling campus but it was silent that day. We all stayed in from class; I don't think most classes were in session after mid morning. About 40 of us lived on our hall & we spent the whole day together, crowded around the TV in my friends room.

That Saturday, we had a football game & the no fly was still in effect, I believe. The stadium is right next to a large hospital & at one point, a helicopter fly over to land. It was eerie; we all knew it was OK but that sound was so loud.

Aisling & others, I can't imagine being in the midst of it all. I was terrified & here I was in the middle of the country. I can't recall that we heard about local threats. I think of that day & us all huddled together, not speaking, just not wanting to be alone in our own rooms.

 

[crz4mm2]

I am in west Central IL. Heartland.
I was at work. My DD was in school, DS and DH both at work. I could not WAIT to get home and have my family intact.
It was extremely eerie driving home without any planes in the sky (except Airforce one and a fighter plane). I know we were several thousand miles from NYC, but we were still "there". Amazing how the media has made us so much closer to everything.

 

[LilyWDW]

That's what scares me right now, we don't know when or where. They say NY but anywhere can be a target. Zurgswife posted about closing the Disney parks. No one knew what would be next.

I'd be interested in hearing more stories from those who were not in NY or DC on 9/11 and your experiences and feelings that day. Did you feel safe? Did you think more was coming? Did your schools close? Was your town/city calm? What did you tell your children and were they afraid? I know so many stories of people from my area but not much from the rest of the US who were also terrorized by the whole thing.

I was 19 when it happened (and I still have trouble thinking it has been that long) and in undergrad at ETSU. I was home when things happened and getting ready to leave for campus. As I was getting dressed, my dad came down and told me what had happened. I can count on my fingers the number of times I had seen my dad cry... and he was fighting tears at that point.

We turned on the TV and watched as a plane hit the second tower. I hadn't heard anything yet about school, so we packed up and my dad started to drive us to campus (he didn't want me to be alone). I think I was still in shock at that point because it only made sense to still go to class. We hadn't made it more then 5 minutes from home when my mom called us and told us that classes were canceled (she worked at the campus bookstore) and to head home... so we did.

We got home in time to see everything else that happened. When the towers fell, that is when it REALLY hit me. Like I said, I think I was in shock before then. I called my boyfriend, who had just joined the reserves and was heading to boot camp a couple weeks later, and begged him not to go. I also called my family because it was thought that Chicago could be a target as well and I had family that worked downtown. After that, I just watched and cried and worried. They were talking about Oak Ridge being a possible target as well... which is less then 2 hours from where we were and very close to UT.

Over the next few days I learned that some friends had lost family in the attacks. I had one friend that lost 3 family members total... 2 in the towers and 1 as a first responder. I just tried to be there for people since I didn't lose anyone... it was all I could do.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Ten years ago I was a fresh faced happy go lucky 22 year old just graduated college girl. I was living in Arkansas in my own apartment asleep when the first plane hit and my mom calling really worried.

I went to her house to see what was going on an just shocked and cried and cried. I cried for what I was seeing and cried for the fear. I also was crying because I had just a couple months prior started dating a handsome sweet army guy and he had really taken up a place in my heart. I knew that 9/11 would change my life forever and it did. My now husband managed to shoot me an email to say "I think I'm in love with you. We'll talk more later."

I never had the fear that something would happen where I lived in no where Arkansas but we did have a large nuclear plant in town and I've never seen it so guarded.

My life has changed drastically in the last 10 years. I married the handsome army guy and made the army my life. Because of the events on 9/11 my husband has been in combat for almost 50 months total in the last 10 years and no doubt will add more before we leave the army.

My heart breaks everytime I see the 9/11 footage not just because of the heartbreak of that day but the heartbreak that has resulted everyday since then. One day's events really can shape an entire generation.

We need chocolate all around this weekend!

 

[ckay87]

My goodness, your writeup was so vivid and so real, it made me cry.

You know what I think about? Today, 10 years later, I remember that the news on the radio at about 8:00 am that morning was about the low IQs of Miss America contestants. The fact that I remember that ridiculous mindless radio quip TODAY shows what that day did to us. How everything and nothing suddenly had meaning. That was the last ridiculous, mindless, silly piece of news I heard for a LOOONG time. To this day when someone makes fun of a news piece and says "oh must be a slow news day" I say "yes, praise God it is."

 

[DWGal210]

To this day when someone makes fun of a news piece and says "oh must be a slow news day" I say "yes, praise God it is."

So true!!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Brought a flood of tears to my eyes and memories to my heart. Thank you for sharing your story

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

They were certainly saying so here. Seattle is the home of Microsoft and Boeing, after all, two more symbols of America (among the very many). But the needle would have been a much flashier target.

My mom worked in a highrise in downtown Seattle and they told everyone to go home. No one felt safe!

 

[Kitty 34]

I still cry hard when seeing the pics and reading the memoirs so your post Aisling is no different. Thanks for sharing.

 

[DebIreland]

Aisling that's a very moving description of that day.

Around the world our hearts broke for America that day.

In 2002 jennymouse posted a thread which was a compilation of DIS reactions and comments posted on 9/11/01. Here is a link to that compilation thread:
Here is September 11th as it happened on the DIS