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

[Mickeyistheman]

I know this may sound odd, but I am glad to know that for those that did not live near it, they still remember where they were and felt as bad we we did that day.

I work in the Travel Industry so for many years it was spoken of daily. For me it never gets easier, its very hard this year.

I was just in DC this past weekend visiting my family (Navy) My cousin took us to the Pentagon Memorial.....had not been there before. It was very moving but for me the most difficult part was watching a woman sit on one of the benches there with a small stuffed animal. She lost her sister, brother in law and 2 nieces (ages 3 and 8)

The next day we went to Arlington National Cemetary to see Section 60.....That was very difficult, I was there about 3 years ago and the area was small, my mouth dropped open when I saw the rows and rows of graves for these poor young men and women who gave the ultimate sacrafice. Not all were young, but many of them were.

We also saw the graves of the Navy Seals that were shot down in August. They had just been buried the week before. They were all together. So on Sunday, I will mourn for my family and friends that I lost that day and for all those that have passed on defending our country. Didnt' mean for that to be long.

 

[kacaju]

Thank you for your story..it brought tears to my eyes.

I was just talking to my 11 year old on the way home about 9/11.

I had taken her out that morning to do errands and get myself to the oral surgeon because I had a tooth infection he was taking care of. On my way to Home Depot I was listeing to WPLJ 95.5 Scott and Todd the two DJ's are big goof balls and are always joking around. Well, they started to talking about a small plane hitting the TWC and I so clearly remember looking up at the sky thinking...how the heck do you hit a building on such a clear day...there is not a cloud in the sky. The DJ's got serious, but still didn't think too much of it until the second plane hit. They said we are under attack... I so clearly remember them saying that.

I called DH...whose brother worked in the TWC along with many of our friends.
I went to Target...to the oral Surgeon, who had the TV on..it was my first glances of what happened. I got my RX dropped it off at the pharmacy and ran to Kohls to wait for it. I knew if I went home I would not want to go back out (and I really needed that Rx)

DH does emergency management with his company in times like this (and the recent flooding) so he called me to tell me he stopped home to grab a extra set of clothes and his bag in case he had to stay at work. As we talked the first tower fell...I have never heard my dh scream and curse like he did that day...Don't forget his brother and friends was somewhere in that mess.

I finally got home and just watched TV in horror all day.My now 15 year old was due to come home soon from school so I waited for her...I had already heard that the bus drivers had been instructed to not let any child off the bus if there was no adult there to greet them.

my now almost 18 year old said she remembers the bus being very full because the driver would not allow anyone off if the parent was not there. Those kids had to go back to the school.

We live in a commuter town in NJ so we have a lot of parents who move here just to be able to take the train into the city.

Thankfully all of our friends and DH's brother came home.

I told dd11 that since that day I can never see a beautiful cloudless blue sky and think..WOW, what a beautiful day!!
I see it and say...this is just how the sky looked on 9/11/01.

 

[akhenaten]

I told dd11 that since that day I can never see a beautiful cloudless blue sky and think..WOW, what a beautiful day!!
I see it and say...this is just how the sky looked on 9/11/01.

Same here...

 

[handinpocket]

I remember feeling like I couldn't get to my child's school quickly enough to pick him up. I was in sheer panic mode and when I finally made it, all us Mom's were crazy panicked and grabbing our kids.

I still can't watch anything about 9/11, I may never be able to.

 

[Aisling]

In 2002 jennymouse posted a thread which was a compilation of DIS reactions and comments posted on 9/11/01.

I'm reading through that thread and saw this:
Posted by CarolA on 09-11-2001 03:48 PM:
Peter Jennings indicated that there are 2 missing planes after the planes were grounded. Of course, probably half of what is being reported is rumors.

It brought back a memory. Peter Jennings quite smoking 20 years before 9/11, but on 9/11, it shook him up so much that he started smoking again that very day. During his all-night broadcast, you could see the smoke billowing up off camera. A few weeks after that, I was in the MetLife building in the elevator and Peter Jennings gets on with a cigarette in his hand and not one person said a thing. He died a few years later from lung cancer.

 

[Scornelius]

I was 19 years old at the time, living in a suburb of Toronto, Ontario. I woke up to get ready for work and turned on the TV. The Today Show was on, and the first plane had just hit. I remember wondering how anyone could possibly hit something so big on such a gorgeous day.

I phoned my dad to chat about it, and while we were on the phone the second plane hit. The camera was showing the first tower burning, and I remember getting really nervous as a plane came into view. The feeling of dread grew and grew, (it's amazing how much the brain can work in one or two short seconds), when the plane hit I said to my dad, "this isn't an accident!! Another plane just hit the other tower!!". He swore, hung up, and started for home. I sat there glued to the screen with my hands over my mouth in horror. That huge black and red cloud. The fear in Matt Lauer's voice. I saw people waving from windows, falling, jumping. I couldn't believe that this was actually happening.

Then the tower started to fall. I started screaming 'No! NO!!' and ran over to the tv, just like your neighbour, Aisling. Like I could hold it up. One of the many images that's burned into my mind was the second tower falling with my hands clawing at the screen. Like it was slipping through my fingers. I just screamed and cried. I started vomiting. One of my biggest flaws is that I have a ridiculous sense of empathy. I take on everyone's woes as my own. The angst and turmoil of what those people were going through tore me apart. My father came home to find me on the floor in front of the TV, sobbing. He tried to get me to turn it off, but I couldn't even look away. The footage of the people in the streets trying to outrun that huge cloud was like something out of a movie. It was so apocalyptic, I tried to convince myself it was all a scam, like War of the Worlds. The people covered in dust. The alarms. The screaming. The paper flying. The windows blowing out. I'll never forget any of it, ever.

Throughout all this, the emerging news of the Pentagon, PA and everything else drove me mad. That fear of the unknown. Is this it? Is there more? Is it happening all over the world? WHO IS DOING THIS???

I can't believe it's been 10 years. I have been avoiding coverage, because I can't handle watching those clips again. Instead, I've been focusing on the news coming from Gander, Newfoundland, where so many planes were diverted that day. 6000 people were suddenly dropped in a town of only 9000, but the locals handled it with such compassion. I have friends who had people staying right in their home for almost a week because the shelters and churches were full. Really, if you're going to be taken in by anyone, there's no better choice than a Newf. If nothing else you'll eat and drink your worries away, even just temporarily.

To everyone who losts friends, loved ones and their sense of security that day, my (stupid, empathetic) heart is with you.

 

[kacaju]

I just found the clip from the radio station I was listening to that morning
http://www.history.com/audio/wplj--two-world-trade-center-is-hit#wplj--two-world-trade-center-is-hit

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

I was 19 when it happen. I worked at a theme park so I was off because we were weekends only. My BF (now DH) had spent the night (we now joke that we can't tell our DS that!) and my mom called and said I think we are at war, tell your father and turn on the tv. My dad was across the street talking with his friend. I remember telling him that a plane hit one of the towers. He came home and we sat glued to the tv. My mom worked for the local township and they were on lock down until they all decided they were going home. We live under a flight path for PHL and always see planes over head, the days following were so eerie because it was so quiet out. When the military planes would fly over my heart would stop until I realized what it was. I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet but remember the radio stations? How none of them played music it was just the news 24/7. I honestly don't remember when news and radio went back to "normal".

I'm still scared of it happening again. My DH works in Philly and DS and I are there a lot for dr apts and doing fun stuff.

 

[SaraJayne]

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.

My son was 4 and my DD was an infant on 9/11. No, I didn't feel safe. I spent almost the entire day pacing around the living room while watching TV. It was the only way I could get rid of my anxiety and shock.

We live within 30 miles of a nuclear power plant and there were thoughts it was a target, also. We had just moved into our house a few weeks earlier, so I was unfamiliar with the area and wasn't exactly sure how far away the plant was from us.

Our schools did not close, but all the government offices in surrounding cities did, as well as the mall.

I tried to keep DS out of the room and occupied elsewhere, because I wanted to watch TV, but not scare him. When The Today Show cut into broadcasting (we're tape-delayed an hour), I knew it was serious. I watched the second tower hit live, as well as the fall of both towers.

My Mom was a RN at St. Mary's (Mayo Clinic) and she was called up to go to NYC to help in the hospitals. Her call was cancelled when they realized there were very few survivors.

I was on the phone constantly with Mom throughout the morning, as well as my sisters and my husband. I kept him updated, as he was working and they didn't have a TV at the plant.

I was glued to the TV and I wouldn't go to bed alone for weeks.

The odd thing I remember about that day is Ashleigh Banfield. She was a reporter on whatever station I was watching (NBC, I think) and I just remember her standing there in the street, trying to talk to all these people walking past her about what happened.

I also remember watching FNC and I think 9/11 is the day the ticker at the bottom of the screen came into being. There was SO much information coming in, the stations just started scrolling along the bottom to just get it out there.

I've watched the documentary the 2 brothers made that were following one of the NY fire houses that day and it makes me cry every time I see it.

I can't imagine the horror of watching people jump and hearing them hit the pavement. Listening to glass break, knowing someone just heaved themselves to their death. Honestly, just even writing about it gives me chills.

 

[DebIreland]

It brought back a memory. Peter Jennings quite smoking 20 years before 9/11, but on 9/11, it shook him up so much that he started smoking again that very day. During his all-night broadcast, you could see the smoke billowing up off camera. A few weeks after that, I was in the MetLife building in the elevator and Peter Jennings gets on with a cigarette in his hand and not one person said a thing. He died a few years later from lung cancer.

Oh my goodness, that is so sad.

 

[beachcomber]

I was off work that day, as I taught only on M, W, F. I was having a slow morning...having some morning sickness, but enjoying finally being pregnant after years and months of infertility treatment. I had the news on, and heard the reports of the first hit. I know I had Fox News on, I can remember the shock and horror. I know I was thinking that it was such a gorgeous day that it couldn't be an accident. Like everyone else, I was glued to the TV the entire day.

I remember thinking and trying to process bringing a new life into this crazy world. I sobbed and sobbed as more and more footage came in.

Later that evening, we gathered with our church and all the kids in the youth group that we volunteered to serve in the parking lot of the YMCA where we met, and prayed. We prayed for our leaders, we prayed for the responders, we prayed for the people who didn't survive, and we prayed for our country. We prayed for our children, our cities, and each other.

The next day I was back at school, with my little first graders. They ended up drawing pictures and building towers all day long. (I only had 3 students, it was a new private school) That was their way of working through the situation.

I ended up having a miscarriage on the Thursday after. My doctor, husband, and parents all felt it could be from the stress...and since then a few studies have shown that there was a higher number of miscarriages in the days after 9/11 then usual. (Apparently high levels of cortisol can affect the baby...the results of one study) Was it the cause? I don't know.

After leaving teaching, I worked as a team manager and trainer for a facility that grades states' written portions of state testing. I can not tell you how many high school students' essays I read that related to 9/11 (We scored PA and NJ at that time), even if the topic was supposed to be about something else. Seeing how children processed and tried to work through their feelings about the day and the world around them was amazing.

9/11 I think affects us all every day....from the wondering over a louder than normal plane, to even making sure we know where exits are in buildings and how security would handle something in a large venue...it impacts us all.

 

[SaraJayne]

Something else I just thought of...I had a hair cut that evening, but I really needed gas in the car.

My sister had told me earlier in the day to get gas, as she had heard prices were going to skyrocket due to the attack.

So I get into town and see police cars (and this is a sleepy, boring town of 3,000 people), I was thinking "what the heck is going on?". Well, come to find out, the police cars were DIRECTING TRAFFIC for the gas station.

So I drove home, hoping I wasn't going to run out of gas before I could make it to the station closest to our house. I remember sitting in line at the station (with the van turned off to save fuel~ I really needed gas!! ), with my windows down and listening to Pres Bush give his speech that evening. There were 25 cars waiting to get gas (for 4 pumps), and every single car was tuned into his speech. It was surreal to hear the speech in stereo.

It took me an hour and a half before I was able to put gas in.

 

[Robmom]

Pauline, remember the smell and the black/red cloud?

And OMG I didn't realize you walked over the bridge, but of course you did, you had to get home. You must have many memories being in lower manhattan. Have you thought of writing them down to save for your kids and grandkids?

Jesse's leaving for Florida later today to see his gf and coming back on 9/11. I feel comfortable with that. It's the bridges and tunnels I'm worried about.

Yes, I actually didn't go back to work until about 3 weeks later, and the smell was still there. That would be a good idea to write down what I experienced. I can actually still remember exactly what I was wearing too. I actually threw away my shoes, because they were covered in ash.

 

[akhenaten]

I was off work that day, as I taught only on M, W, F. I was having a slow morning...having some morning sickness, but enjoying finally being pregnant after years and months of infertility treatment. I had the news on, and heard the reports of the first hit. I know I had Fox News on, I can remember the shock and horror. I know I was thinking that it was such a gorgeous day that it couldn't be an accident. Like everyone else, I was glued to the TV the entire day.

I remember thinking and trying to process bringing a new life into this crazy world. I sobbed and sobbed as more and more footage came in.

Later that evening, we gathered with our church and all the kids in the youth group that we volunteered to serve in the parking lot of the YMCA where we met, and prayed. We prayed for our leaders, we prayed for the responders, we prayed for the people who didn't survive, and we prayed for our country. We prayed for our children, our cities, and each other.

The next day I was back at school, with my little first graders. They ended up drawing pictures and building towers all day long. (I only had 3 students, it was a new private school) That was their way of working through the situation.

I ended up having a miscarriage on the Thursday after. My doctor, husband, and parents all felt it could be from the stress...and since then a few studies have shown that there was a higher number of miscarriages in the days after 9/11 then usual. (Apparently high levels of cortisol can affect the baby...the results of one study) Was it the cause? I don't know.

After leaving teaching, I worked as a team manager and trainer for a facility that grades states' written portions of state testing. I can not tell you how many high school students' essays I read that related to 9/11 (We scored PA and NJ at that time), even if the topic was supposed to be about something else. Seeing how children processed and tried to work through their feelings about the day and the world around them was amazing.

9/11 I think affects us all every day....from the wondering over a louder than normal plane, to even making sure we know where exits are in buildings and how security would handle something in a large venue...it impacts us all.

My son was 7 and in second grade. For over a year after 9/11 he drew the twin towers on everything he wrote or drew... tests ..homework.. cards etc. Every once in a while he will still talk about something that could help people trapped in tall buildings get out.... (we live in North Jersey)

 

[minkydog]

I can't even imagine what it was like to be in NYC or Washington or Pennsylvania on 9/11/2001. I remember clearly the silence in the air here in the Atlanta area. I had never realized just how much air traffic we hear daily until all flights were stopped. It was eery and frightening. The non-stop news coverage didn't do anything to assuage my fear and in fact, I became depressed and sleepless in the aftermath. Like a whole lot of Americans, I suffered with a form of PTSD just from watching the news footage. It took me months to stop jumping at every loud noise. If it was that hard for me, living here in the suburbs of Atlanta, how much worse must it have been for the people who lived near the scene

 

[Princess Nancy]

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!

I want to say very humbly...Thank you!

 

[LilyWDW]

I will note, there was one time that I turned the TV off (besides when we tried to head to campus). When people started jumping and everyone realized what was happening. I couldn't watch it so I turned it off, but my dad made me turn it back on so I just left the room for awhile. My dad later apologized but he was so scared to look away because he wondered what else could happen. He didn't want to miss any information and news...

 

[Wishing on a star]

Okay, I live in the rural South, so I never thought that my own personal safety was in jeopardy. But, since you asked, I will relate my 911 experiences.

I drove my son to PreSchool that morning, without having heard the beginning of the news..... as I was driving home, I happened to turn on the radio. Again, in the south, the programming was something like Bubba Joe and Billy Bob in the morning. (can you imagine!!!) I was hearing all kind of "Ohhhh my Gawwwwd..", etc... etc... and was just totally confused and baffled. Can you imagine hearing all of this the first time thru a local Bubba Joe and Billy Bob.... As I neared home, the station managed to cut to some national news programming... I went running into the house.... I had a small sturdy oak coffee table that had been my Mom's since the time I was tiny, that sat in front of the TV.... I sat there, clicked the remote, just in time to see the first building falling.... It seems I sat there on the edge of that table, motionless, for hours... First like this.. , and then like this...

I was alone that day, because my husband had set out at dawn for a big meeting that happened to be at an area associated with a good sized Military Base... He and his co-worker were contacted on their truck radio, and were instructed to turn around immediately and just head home....

I don't think I was ever so glad to see him pull in.....

My brother, who is a now-retired fireman, and who is somewhat of a musician, composed some very wonderful and haunting music, and created a slideshow of the event, and of each and every single fireman who perished that day. He posted it online, and I am sure many people were very, very, touched by it. I can remember when he told us about it, and had his laptop to show the presentation... And, I just had to walk away in tears.

I wrote a poem....

It began with:

God, Ohhh God, where are you, we raise our hands and cry.
As we watch the evil come descending from the sky.

It ends with:

Yes God is here, as He has been, and He will always be.
And with faith I know that God will have the final victory.

 

[21hearts]

I was in my 8th grade English class when it happened. We had a sub that day and she freaked out when we had to turn on the TV. The teachers were told to turn on the TVs in every class room because we had to watch 'history in the making' & that they were not allowed to teach for the rest of the day.

It did not feel real sitting behind my desk watching the TV. They were still showing re-runs of the 1st plane when they cut to the 2nd plane hit the other tower. That's when it sank in. I will forever remember the toughest kid in our grade start crying watching it. He just broke down and sobbed.

Then all hell broke loose because the school couldn't handle the flood of parents coming in to pick up their kids. They had parents walking from class to class trying to find their kids. Teachers didn't know if they should let the kids go or not. The police were called to the middle school & high school to help keep the peace. The elementary school kids were moved to their gym and the doors were locked. Parents had to call the school and tell them there kids name and show ID to pick up any child and they were not allowed in the gym.

 

[Michelle67]

Someone mentioned seeing all the flags go up at people's homes. I remember standing in our living room staring in disbelief at our television, looking out the window and seeing our elderly neighbor climb up a ladder to the second story of his house to unfurl and hang a huge flag. It hung nearly to the ground, and covered much of the front of his house. He left it there for a long time.

Does anyone else recall in those days and weeks just after 9/11, seeing drivers be more courteous to one another on the road, people being kinder and more patient with one another in general? I remember noticing that where we were, and thinking what a shame it was that it took such a horrible tragedy to bring out our compassion and sense of community...and yet what a good thing it was to see. I wish that particular effect had stayed with us longer than it seems to have.