OT: A remembrance - where were you?
Dear fellow MGoBloggers,
Today is 9/11 and 15 years now removed from that fateful day. I happen to be sitting outside on this nice afternoon and a nearby bell tower chimed the 5 pm notes and then... played the Battle Hymn of the Republic (Glory, glory Hallelujah...) It made me stop everything for a moment just to enjoy the moment and reflect on this day.
I was a student on campus (soph year) when everything happened on 9/11/2001. I still remember most of that morning vividly - at least when it was obvious something was happening. I was on an early bus from north campus to central and heard some hushed whispers by others. I arrived at my first lecture (Physics, large lecture hall) and the professor came on stage and said that class was canceled and everyone should try to contact their families. This was before the smartphone and I had no idea what was actually happening. I went to the closest computer lab (chemistry building), which was completely empty when normally at least half full by that time of day. Went to CNN.com and saw the headlines - read as much as I could for 30 minutes or so (internet was painfully slow that morning) and went back to the dorms. I spent the rest of the day with some hallmates just watching CNN nonstop (saw the towers fall live). A few of us tried to play some chords on a guy's guitar or play some catch now and then, but no one was really interested in anything else but the coverage. The next day was quiet - people started getting back to their routines and going from there.
I feel like we're all still trying to get back to those normal routines, but I for one have not stopped watching the cable news channels religiously since that day. Let us never forget.
If you have any reflections or remembrances to share, feel free.
September 11th, 2016 at 8:35 PM ^
I was a freshman at City High School in Grand Rapids. We were in a history class with a teacher whose name I won't use here. Somebody came in to our room and told us that something wild was happening in New York. Our teacher - who was well-intentioned - told us that we couldn't watch the news on the classroom TV because the media would "play this over and over" to "make money" over the next few weeks, and we'd learn about it then.
I still have dreams where I scream at him to turn the TV on.
September 11th, 2016 at 8:39 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 10:37 PM ^
In a client meeting after working through the night in my office. When I heard that the bridges and tunnels to and from NYC were closed and that vehicular traffic was bumper to bumper throughout Manhattan, I had no choice but to stay in the office, rather than trying to walk over 30 miles home.
By the time I closed my office a little after 5:00 PM, the other 150 or so people in my firm's offices had left hours before then. Walking east from Lexington Avenue towards the 59th Street Bridge, to the garage where my car was parked, at what should have been rush hour in midtown Manhattan, the only other people I saw on the streets were police officers and military personnel, and almost all of the vehicles on the roads were from police and fire departments, the military and medical first responders.
It brought back sad memories of sitting in a high school biology class on a Friday in November 1963 when a public address announcement was made that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas.
#NeverForget
September 11th, 2016 at 8:43 PM ^
No one said hardly a word in the halls at the next period change. We were told to stay in class, but a lot of people left or were picked up by their parents.
It was such an scary, heartbreaking, shocking feeling ill never forget.
Thoughts and prayers still go out to those who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 11th, 2016 at 8:46 PM ^
It was my daughter on the phone. I picked it up and she said, "Tell Mom I am all right. A plane just flew into the twin towers and we are about to loose our phone service." She was in her office in lower Manhatttan.
I spent the rest of the day watching the news. When we went to visit them a couple of weeks later there was still a smell of bakelite in the air. The towers were replaced by two searchlights.
September 11th, 2016 at 8:49 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 8:52 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 8:54 PM ^
i was playing golf and just made the turn. i watched it on TV and felt like throwing up. will never in my life forget this day. every terrorist killed is still not enough for me.
September 11th, 2016 at 8:55 PM ^
we had just moved to socal and i clicked the TV on to see a live feed of the one building on fire (no sound) and i was thinking, 'wow, that is one hellacious fire'. then the second plane hit. drove into work in a daze. it was my second day at work in this law enforcement agency and i'm telling my new boss, 'you've got to let all the non-essential people go home. they can't be here. families need to be together'. they sent them home about an hour later.
we had played NYPD and FDNY in football for years. some great games and great commaraderie. when we played them again after 9/11 we would have a memorial and play amazing grace on the bag pipes as the names of the former players and all the other cops/firemen were read over the stadium sound system. not a dry eye in the house. having trouble keeping eyes dry right now. God bless America, may we humble ourselves and go forward, may we learn, and may we be wise for His Glory.
September 11th, 2016 at 8:56 PM ^
I was in the first grade. One by one, students were getting calls from the office that their parents were here to pick them up. The teachers were instructed to not mention anything about it so were all really confused as to what was happening; as naive and inncoent 6 year olds, we were excited and happy that we were all going home early...little did we know. I got called by the office and when I reached my mom's car parked outside the school, she just hugged me tigher than ever and began crying. That's when I knew there was something very wrong going on
September 11th, 2016 at 8:57 PM ^
Senior year at U-M. I had no early classes on that day of the week (Tuesday) and just happened to turn on the TV as I was eating breakfast and . . . whoa.
September 11th, 2016 at 8:58 PM ^
Never forget.
September 11th, 2016 at 8:59 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 9:01 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 9:05 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 9:06 PM ^
My husband and I were getting ready for work. We were watching the Today Show, and they were showing the video of the first plane hitting the tower, but at that point, no one knew it was a commercial jet. We thought nothing of it, and rode our bikes as we always did to the Aon Building in Chicago, which, if you haven't seen it, looks uncannily like the World Trade Center buildings. But when we got there, huge crowds of people were outside. They had closed the building and weren't letting anyone in. No word on why. When we got home, our babysitter was watching the second plane hit, and soon after the towers came down. She was around 65 and from Poland and had lived through World War II. Soon after, she told me she was going back to Poland after having been here for 25 years, fearing another World War. For months after, whenever I saw a jet in the sky, it appeared black to me and ominous. All of these memories are as clear now as if it happened a week ago.
September 11th, 2016 at 9:13 PM ^
I distinctly remember crossing the Whitestone Bridge early that morning, looking at the NYC skyline including the Twin Towers as we passed by heading on to Long Island. Hours later we heard news of the first crash, thinking it was an unfortunate accident by a small prop plane. We soon started seeing smoke arise from the horizon and realized it was a much bigger deal than initially reported.
Following the second crash and subsequent destruction of the Towers, most communication was lost or very difficult to come by, so we were unaware of many details. We held a vote and decided to finish the shoot. Hours later we exited Long Island and made what turned out to be a very long and somber drive back to CT, at which point we became fully aware of the situation. Turns out I lost a childhood friend that day who was working for Cantor Fitzgerald.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 11th, 2016 at 9:14 PM ^
On the El train on the way to work at the Chicago Stock Exchange. Everything was normal when I left. I had no idea anything had happened until I walked in the door and saw the DOW futures down 700 pts.
I remember how gorgeous of a day it was. Clear sky, perfect temperature. I walked home and it was surreal how everything seemed normal, kids playing at school, workers finishing a roof...
September 11th, 2016 at 9:14 PM ^
I took the world trade path that day to get from Manhattan to JC at about the time the 1st plane hit. When I got out of the path, I saw the 1st building on fire. Nobody knew what was happening and I didn't get cell service (thanks 2001 Sprint!) so I went to work and told my coworkers what happened. They all thought it was a joke until I made them go to the "exec" conference room (with a view of NYC). It was then that somebody put CNN on the TV and we saw the rest happen. Our floor shook and you all know the rest.
I know horrible things happen daily, but damn man.
September 11th, 2016 at 9:24 PM ^
my own eyes as it happened. Will never forget. The posters for the missing that people posted in Union Square in subsequent days were also unforgetable.
September 11th, 2016 at 9:25 PM ^
I was working a construction job in Allen Park and we had the radio on and I hear JJ say a plane had flown in to the WTC. It was close to break time so we headed to a coffee shop near by and were sitting there and watched the second plane hit. That was is for me nothing was going to keep me from watching. I clocked out and headed to the nearest watering hole. A co-worker came with me and I remember him saying that they were going to come down. We both had worked at fire proofing steel beams and rafters before and knew the coating we put on would not withstand that impact along with the fuel. When the first one fell we switched from beer to whiskey.
September 11th, 2016 at 9:25 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 11th, 2016 at 9:43 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 9:48 PM ^
Even now, it's something I think about nearly every day. I remember almost every minute of that day and the following few and then almost nothing about the rest of that semester. Probably not normal. I don't (can't) talk about it in person but typing is easier.
September 11th, 2016 at 9:49 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 11th, 2016 at 9:52 PM ^
2nd week of my freshman year... economics class. We finished the class after an announcement from the professor, then found out what had really happened when we went back to South Quad.
September 11th, 2016 at 9:53 PM ^
At a nonprofit research organization around 21st and M Streets. IIRC, there were other rumors that morning with reports of other attacks such as bombings and shootings at other government agencies. We weren't told to leave immediately. I rode the Metro in from the Red line out to Wheaton. I figured it would be too crowded if I left right away and it might be safer to remain where I was. I left around 2 in the afternoon and it seemed surreal.
September 11th, 2016 at 9:54 PM ^
I will never forget those images and my mother's voice when I was finally able to call home from the Gym's pay phone.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 11th, 2016 at 9:59 PM ^
was how silent and peaceful the skies above were from that day and until flights resumed again. It was a surreal feeling like something out of an apocalyptic movie where planes were no longer around.
I was at work when it happened but the sky aspect is my most enduring memory
September 11th, 2016 at 10:01 PM ^
Living on the west coast the first plane hit the towers at about the time I was waking up for school my sophomore year of high school. I remember walking through the living room and my younger brother said that a plane crashed into the tower. I figured he meant a small Cessna type plane and it wasn’t until I went into my parent’s bedroom and saw the TV that I realized something big was happening, but still didn’t understand what.
There was a small TV in one of my classes in the back that we turned on to watch coverage and some students were upset that school was not cancelled. At the end of the day sports were cancelled and my family had to take a cab to pick up our car from the shop. The driver was talking about terrorism and how we were attacked.
September 11th, 2016 at 10:05 PM ^
Was backpacking in the UP in the Porcupines. No cell reception and no clue what was going on until the next day when we ran into two hikers coming the other way at the Presque Isle River. They tried to explain to us what had happened, but didn't really have a good grasp on it themselves (there was still a lot of confusion at that point, and rumors flying around), so it was like a bad game of telephone.
Went to the nearest gas station so the girls from NY could use the payphone and check in back home. The only newspaper they had was the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal, so we bought a few copies and read as much about it as we could on the way home. Still didn't feel real though and the pictures just looked like ads for a summer blockbuster. It was't until we got back to campus and saw the tv coverage that it really started to sink in. Years later dated a girl from NYC who watched the towers fall while standing in the street. Our experiences that day could not have been much different.
September 11th, 2016 at 10:34 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 10:40 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 11th, 2016 at 10:45 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 10:56 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 11th, 2016 at 11:20 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 11:29 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 12th, 2016 at 2:13 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 12th, 2016 at 7:09 AM ^
September 12th, 2016 at 10:33 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 11th, 2016 at 10:40 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 10:57 PM ^
When I got into the car I heard a quick news break that an aircraft had hit the world trade center. I'm an instrument and multiengine rated private pilot and I knew that it was severe clear over NYC that day so I couldn't imagine how that possibly could have happened. I changed to one of the network radio affiliates to try to get more news. It was an ABC affiliate and one of their stringers lived in an apartment that had a view of the twin towers. He'd called in and they'd put him on the air live describing the scene as his wife when around opening windows because they were worried about shock waves if there were further explosions.
As I continued on to work he decribed the second airliner appearing. Diverting toward the undamaged tower and diving into to it. I'll never forget that narration. Not ever. "There's another airplane. Oh my God it's heading toward the other tower..." At the moment of the second impact I knew that war had come to America and that our lives were forever changed.
When I arrived at work they had put the news on the projection screen in the largest training/conference room. There were 200-300 people sitting and standing watching the smoking towers. People were in shock. People cursing. People crying. People shaking on the edge of losing physical control. Others trying to calm or console the people near them. I watched the towers come down.
One of my closest friends was supposed to be on the United flight. When the plane was identified I knew he was dead. Then a little after noon my phone rings. "Hi. It's me. I'm not dead. I have a lot of people to call. I won't be able to fly back for a few days. We'll grab dinner before then. Got to go." He'd partied to hard the previous night and missed his flight and was sitting on the runway on a later one when the FAA closed the airspace. Just crazy luck.
There was a tech conference in the word trade center and a whole bunch of attendees from all over the nation and the world were at breakfast on the top floor. None of them got out. Most of the people in my area of specialization knew at least one person who died. The guy in the office next to me knew and worked closely with one of the passengers who led the charge to stop the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. I've always wondered what Osama thought about the fact that a random bunch of regular Americans over powered his carefully trained group of terrorists. I wondered if he realized what he'd set in motion.
I remember watching a reporter try to sand bag a NYFD Captain whose command was pretty much wiped out when the towers came down. She asked him something like "Why did they go into the building when it was so badly damaged?" He looked at her and visibly struggled for a second for control and said with utter calm "FIremen run into burning buildings when everyone else is running away". Then turned on his heel and walked away.
So much heroism from so many. God bless them all and God bless our nation and especially those who risk their lives in its and our defense.
September 11th, 2016 at 10:58 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 11:00 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 11:03 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 11:03 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 11:14 PM ^
living in TX at the time. I was listening to a rock station and the announcer said a small plain had crashed into the WTC. I got home and turned on the TV, it was on ABC since the night before I was watching MNF. I still remember Peter Jennings reporting on the 1st jet that had crashed and on air while watching a second jet crashed into the 2nd Tower. Then Peter Jennings said "This is no accident". I spent the next 6 hour changing to all the different news channel watch the entire awful event. I went to sleep around 3PM but only slept 3 hours. I remember gong to the gas station that evening and there were long lines of people trying to get gas, man I thought WTF, it almost like the end of world is coming!
September 11th, 2016 at 11:17 PM ^
is around 30, since most everyone posting here said they were in High School. Thanks for making me feel old!
September 11th, 2016 at 11:17 PM ^
September 11th, 2016 at 11:36 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad