I was driving to a customer site downtown Columbus. Listening to the Morning Zoo – the announcement came on – I called my friend Ashleigh who had just moved back to Ohio on 9/08 from Manhattan told her. When I reached the customer site the second plane hit. My boss got out of his car when I did – said sounds like Bin Ladin to me. When I got back to the office – someone had rigged up a tv (no cable at the office) and we all watched in horror as the towers collapsed. It as like a bad dream – we went on about our business but in automatic pilot – no focused. That night my sisters and our families all went to church for a service. I remember my brother calling from North Carolina just to say he loved us. I think we all call everyone we loved to say that. It was a terrifying time. I remember the emptiness of the sky for the next few days. So blue and yet so empty.
I was standing in the kitchen when my sister called to tell me that a plane hit the WTC. I turned the news on and watched in disbelief. When the second plane hit the WTC, I knew then, it was a big plane. I remember someone saying on the news that it had a tan belly. My husband tried to reassure me that it was not United. United had a gray belly. My heart knew differently.
I had recently taken a leave from United as a Flight Attendant due to high risk pregnancy. I started to call my coworkers. I reached a friend of mine who was working that day. She was sitting on the runway in Chicago. She said, I think we have one missing.” I immediately started plugging flight numbers departing Newark. I finally pull up 93, records secured.
The Newark base was a small base of flight attendants. Everyone, knew everyone. We were a family. I will forever miss, Sandra Bradshaw, Wanda Green, Deborah Welsh, Lorraine Bay and Ceccee Lyles.
I could have easily been me that day. I had worked flight 93 many times. I even remember having 2 of the hijacker’s on board the plane. They made many dry runs. When my son looks at me and says, “Mom, I saved your life.” I tell him, “You very well could have.
As I left Scioto High School the morning of 9/11/01 to attend a student/parent conference at Tolles Techinical Center I saw on the office TV news of planes crashing the WTC. On the 25 minute drive to Tolles a guidance counselor intern and I rode in silence and disbelief as we listened to the radio and learned that the Pentagon was also hit. I remember trying to reach my husband by cell phone but I could only get a busy signal. When we arrived at Tolles I tried to call out on the land line and only got a busy signal. I recall that it was it was very important to talk to my husband. I wanted to find out if what we were hearing was really happening. The conference went on as scheduled but it was difficult to focus. On the way back to school we picked up her child at his preschool. I remember seeing a student of a different nationality leaving school with a parent. I thought of my husband, children and family all day as I watched and listened to the events unfold. You knew everything had changed. It is a day that is etched in my memory and will never forget. My heart and prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attack and to our military men and women who serve to protect our freedom.
I was on the 55th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center attending a seminar for work, at the time I lived in Dublin and worked for Honda in Marysville. The seminar had just begun the room we were in was large and windows surrounded us. Suddenly we heard and felt a loud crash as the plane hit 38 floors above. The windows vibrated loudly as if they would shatter, the floor shook from side to side. As we looked outside and up we saw a ball of fire, paper and debris flying, part of the building above us engulfed in flames. We were told to move away from the windows and began the evacuation process, a slow hour long descent down a stairwell that seemed never ending.
I recall the panic and confusion minutes after the plane hit, we knew a plane had “accidentally” hit the North Tower but nobody knew any further details. I was able to contact my boyfriend (now husband) to tell him I was actually in the Tower that was hit and after I hung up with him suddenly everything felt real and this fear of the unknown began to set in. I turned to the woman next to me whom I had just met to let her use my phone to call her family, from that moment on we turned to one another for comfort and stayed by each other’s side the rest of the day. Evacuation was slow but orderly and despite the fear there was a sense of calm, nobody really spoke at first but later we turned to each other for support, some WTC veterans that had been around for the ’93 attacks reassured the rest of us. We stopped moving somewhere around the 30th floor and shortly after we noticed there was smoke coming through one of the doors, it was difficult to see and breathe. It was around that time when someone from the top floors came rushing down in a panic, we found out the South Tower had also been hit by a plane, there was confirmation these were no accidents and hijackers were behind the attacks. I remember feeling dread and panic and truly thinking I was not going to make it out alive. I thought about my family that I would never see again. We continued to see firefighters going up to rescue those in the top floors- some looked to be in their early twenties. We also saw emergency workers with a severely burnt victims rushing down, the thought that these First Responders did not make it out was devastating later when we saw the towers fall. Once we were on the @10th floor evacuation went by quickly.
When we were ushered out we noticed the crowds outside, ambulances, firefighters, camera crews….in front of us was pure chaos. What we witnessed first-hand when we crossed the street was horrific, it was all very confusing at the time. We did not have much time to truly digest what was happening when the South Tower collapsed around us, the sound was deafening and the cloud of black smoke came rushing toward us. I remember running and somehow finding shelter in a nearby building where we stayed until police officers came in and told us to evacuate immediately, we didn’t know where to go. We walked approximately 15 miles in a cloud of smoke and among debris across towards the Manhattan Bridge. There were hundreds of people crossing the Brooklyn & Manhattan bridges that day, we saw military helicopters overhead and wondered if this nightmare was over. As we crossed into Brooklyn we saw a Red Cross Shelter at a Church and at that point we were safe. I was able to contact my family and a friend of mine who lives in Brooklyn.
No words could ever truly describe what it was like to be there or feel what we felt that day; there is a certain level of guilt had by those who survived. I pray every day for the families who lost loved ones that day and for the heroes that gave tirelessly that day and in the days that followed. I have never been more grateful to be an American and it was truly beautiful to see how we all came together as a result of this tragedy. On a personal level, as I’m sure is true of most everyone’s experience not just mine, being there showed me how incredibly fragile life is, to seize the moment and not take a moment for granted.
My 6 year old grandson, like many boys his age, wanted to be a fireman. When he came home from school on 9/11 he had heard of the events briefly. His question to his mother was “Were any firemen hurt?”
I was working at Capital University at the time. I had just returned from a meeting when I heard the report. I’m originally from New York City (Queens) and started calling all my relatives. My Dad worked at 100 Church Street, which was directly across from WTC7 and had a view of WTC2. We didn’t hear from him for hours, and it was particularly frightening when the towers fell. He had heard the planes hit the buildings, saw people jump, and walked home from lower Manhattan to Queens. When he arrived, he was covered head to toe in the ash. We lost a few family friends that day.
I drove home to New York that Thursday. The PA Turnpike was empty. Lee Greenwood played on the radio. As I crossed the George Washington Bridge, even with my windows up and the air conditioning on, I could smell the acrid smell of the fires in lower Manhattan. I could see the smoldering for miles, even in Queens. I remember seeing “Missing” posters up everywhere for loved ones, who would eventually never return. I was lucky since my Dad made it home. I pray for all those that lost loved ones in such a tragic way.
I worked a few blocks from the World Trade Center. The first plane passed our building and we heard the loud engine. Then we heard a loud boom. We ran to the window to see what was going on and we saw the fire and the plane. We all assumed it was an accident. Then minutes later we heard the second plane hit. We ran out of our building. Everyone was in a state of shock and didnt know what to do. I remember seeing people jump out of the building. I can’t even imagine what that decision was like for those in the WTC. Be burned alive or die by jumping.
My friend and I decided to walk uptown. Thousands of New Yorkers that day did the same thing. I can’t even tell you how many hours it took to walk all the way to uptown. We were so nervous, anxious. As we walked we would pass restaurants and try to understand what was going on, but many folks were confused. I was able to reach my husband who worked uptown and we were able to get home late in the evening. I was worried for my friends and family.
I had never bonded with strangers like I did that day. As we walked everyone was united.
No one I knew was in the WTC that day or was hurt. Going back to work a few days later was hard. Seeing all the debris, knowing what happened. I pray for all the families that lost a loved one that day.
I was at home making scrambled eggs for my 11.5 month-old son. We were watching the morning news as we did everyday waiting for my husband to get home from work. I remember watching the news of the first tower being hit, called my husband to find out that he was on his way home. He made it home to see the second tower hit. We sat there and watched the coverage for hours wondering what was going to happen next. I couldn’t bring myself to drive into work until about noon. I remember calling my both my parents and brother that day. It was a day to bond with family.
I was 9 years old, living in Waldorf, Maryland at the time. I had gone to school like every other day, walked into the fifth grade class room, and watched the morning announcements.
As usual, we pulled out a piece of paper to take our spelling tests. And as usual, we didn’t turn the TV off after the announcements. I remember spacing out after a word and looking towards the TV, staring out the window. In that second, the blue screen shut off and the news came on just as they had footage of the first plane hitting the tower. It was loud, since the announcements were so quiet, and screams were heard from most girls in the room, along with a few “Whoa!”‘s from the guys. We weren’t sure what it was we had just seen, so our teacher explained it quietly after turning off the TV.
We eventually convinced her to let us watch a little more, wanting to know what it was that was going on. Again we watched the footage of the first plane hitting the tower. After seeing live footage of the second plane hitting, hearing the anchors surprise, our teacher turned off the TV again and got us back into our work.
It was probably only an hour later, I’m not sure of the actual timeline, but we were reading in our Lit. books, when the phone rang. My teacher answered, and I watched her expression change. When she hung up, I asked her what was wrong. I can’t remember if she was talking to the class, or just to my table. She told us that her husband just called and said they were evacuating D.C. and that a plane had just hit the Pentagon.
At that young age, many unreasonable fears ran through our heads. We were worried about another plane hitting a school, not understanding politics.
Some were reasonable, though. Many kids in my class had at least one parent if not more working at or near the Pentagon. My own father worked across the street from the Pentagon, but back then, I didn’t realize it was the freeway, not just a small street.
I and many of my classmates worried the whole day until school let out. I ran home from the bus stop all the way home, with the thought in my head that if Dad’s van was in the driveway, everything would be fine. I didn’t even wait for my little brother (in third grade at the time) to get off the bus. before taking off around the bend.
His van was not in the driveway, and I sprinted through the front door, almost straight into his arms. He told me that he had had to walk, traffic was so bad, and a friend picked him up to give him a ride home.
The next three days were hard, as one of our classmate’s mother was still missing. She did a lot at the school, and with my girl scout troop. I haven’t forgotten her yet.
It was a rough year for all of us, but it brought us closer together as a class, and as a country.
I was living in London, Ohio at the time. My children were quite young, with the oldest in second grade; I was still at home, waiting for the sitter to watch my younger children before I left for the office. One of my employees called to tell me that airplanes had crashed into buildings in New York. I didn’t even know what to think. The concept simply did not sink in. I logged on to the Internet and there were photos on AOL’s homepage of the Twin Towers, its upper floors engulfed in a storm of fireballs. I turned on the television for a few minutes and for some reason, dashed to my daughter’s school to let the teachers know (it was a very small school, K-2). I still remember the teacher, like me, could not really understand what she was hearing. I drove to my office and after me and my employees conversed for a bit about this unfathomable tragedy, I let everyone go home. We were all very upset, even though the more tangible sadness and anger would set it later, and in doses. Ten years later, one of the strongest images in my mind is of Tom Petty singing on a televised program that was to benefit New York City – ‘you can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won’t back down.’ September 11, 2001 changed me forever, from what I thought I knew about the religion in which I was raised to how the tapestry of my beautiful nation is changing and corroding right before my eyes, not by invasion but by immigration; one that does not meld in but rather, taking advantage of our open hearts, sews in values and expectations that contradict the very convictions that make this nation the most unique; the land of the free. I will never forget what happened on that still and sunny September morning in New York City, at the Pentagon, in a field in Pennsylvania.
I had just arrived at work. I was a consultant working at Applied Retail Systems, a division of Batesville Casket that designed and installed casket showrooms in funeral homes. I walked into the offices and found everyone in an office watching the events in NY unfolding on TV, and watched in disbelief as they replayed the first plane hitting, and then in horror as the second plane hit. It was no accident, we were under attack. I knew the WTC area well, had lived in NJ for three years and had spent every spare moment in the City. I went into my office, shut the door, and hit my knees in prayer, crying out for our nation and against the evil that was seeking to destroy us. I am still praying that prayer, for our nation, for our troops and their families, and that good will prevail over hate. May God bless our troops, and God bless America.
On September 11th a number of us were at the Hyatt Regency downtown attending a Steven Covey workshop.
At our first break mid-morning,we went to the lower level to use the restrooms.Masses of people were huddled around a small TV at the bar,and you could see the Tower burning.
Initially we thought,how bizarre to be watching a science fiction movie at this time of day………….would that it was.
The reality of what happened hit home minutes later.
We called our offices and those that requested were given the okay to go home and or pick up their children from school.
We all attempted to finish the day,as Dr. Covey elected to continue,and we did,but the afternoon was strained and numbing.
Police had barricaded downtown and it was so bizzare-a truth we could not all absorb.
That night we stared at the silent sky in our backyard.
Our daughter,a Junior at Marietta,was nearing Japan on an around the world semester at sea experience( that began 8/31 and ended 12/10).
Our youngest son was a Senior at Coffman, and that folowing Saturday night we traveled to Toledo to play Central Catholic. Everyone held a flag. The atmosphere was surreal. Coffman won that game.
In days ahead we all won, banding together in community, at every level,revealing the true America we are all a part of.
I was a volunteer fireman in New York and Virginia for seveal years before we moved to Ohio, and to this day the events still can be overcoming.
Thank you for the invitation to share 9/11.
I wrote a poem that week entitled “Land That I Love”, and have shared it with friends and family.
I was training new associates at Cardinal Health. Someone popped in to say a plane crashed into the WTC. I figured it was a small personal aircraft and was annoyed by the interruption. We took a break and one of the associates went to the café where a TV was set up showing news coverage. He returned with some detail and said he felt physically sick. We all went down to the TV and were transfixed by the unfolding events. We all felt physically sick and violated. Everything was different after that day. It still is.
I was working at Ohio State, administering a program for hundreds of new international students new to campus. These were students from all over the world, and as confusing and shocking as the events were for all of us working that day, I kept wondering what these strangers to our country were thinking about all this, in a land where attacks like this do not happen.
After the 2nd plane hit, I was able to make contact with my wife, who was at home with my youngest, to be sure they were okay, and share my thoughts and fears with her, my best friend.
The oddest thing in the next few days was the absence of airplanes flying over campus in their landing pattern to Port Columbus. It is such a common thing to hear them fly over, the silence was deafening…
I was in school. At nine years old, i had very little idea what was going on. All I knew was that the principle, pastor, and teachers had the school TV on and were in the principle’s office watching something with the volume down.
There was a whispered conference,then each teacher told their students what happened in as much or little detail as they thought our age would allow. I, being in second or third grade, didn’t get to hear much detail. I do remember realizing that the teachers were concerned and that whatever it was weighed heavily on their minds. I don’t remember whether or not we finished out that school day. Over the years I have come to realize just how tragic 9/11 was, and I have definitely come to thank my teachers for sparing a nine-year-old the brunt of such a reality. This may be unpopular to say, but I also continue to applaud former-President Bush for his efforts in the aftermath of it all. God bless the USA and may His peace be with those affected as this anniversary nears.
We lived in New Jersey on September 11. I was working in a health club and when I arrived at work, I found many of the guests and workers watching the television as information was being broadcast about the first tower being hit. A woman sitting beside me was holding her 2 year old son and was very pregnant. She was talking to her husband who was in the second tower. He told her that he was in the stairwell trying to exit the building but they were told it was safe to go back up to their office. The call was dropped as we watched the second plane hit his building. We had no news about him for a few days but were thrilled when we heard he had survived. He had decided to continue down the stairs and go outside. Unfortunately, we knew many people who lost family and friends. It was a difficult time to live in that area but the community joined together to support those who lost so much.
I had a rare day off from work, and, it being a beautiful morning, I went to Safari Golf for a round. While I waited to pay, we saw on a television there that the second plane had hit the towers. Needless to say, no golf was played that day. I went looking for a place to donate blood. With the ban on flights that soon occurred, the world seemed odd and utterly changed–it was so quiet, as if the very sky had fallen silent in shock and grief. When I went home and watched coverage and saw the people jumping from the towers and the buildings collapse, I cried, torn, like all of us, between frustrated anger and overpowering sorrow. It was such a lovely day, but so many innocent people simply showed up for work and died. Thinking of it on the tenth anniversary still brings deep sadness and numbed disbelief. Like others, I will remember the day for the rest of my life.
I was sitting at my desk at work when my co-worker told me that a plane just rammed the the first tower. We turned on the tiny black & white TV used mainly to view videos and managed to get reception to a local news channel just as the 2nd plane hit the tower. I ran downstairs to tell the rest of the department and found that one of my co-workers had a sister who worked in one of the towers. Between that, all of the shock and uncertainty, and not knowing if my brother, a United captain who flies those routes frequently had been on one of the planes it felt surreal. Driving home was strangely disturbing for the lack of any air traffic. My then 3rd grader sat between my husband and me all evening long while the news played. He didn’t say a word but we found out later that he absorbed it all and really grasped that something horrible had just happened to our country. It was surely a defining tragedy in all of our lives.
We lived in the Phoenix area and were just getting up when the first plane hit.
My husband hosted a morning classic rock radio program and called from the station. They immediately suspended programming and switched to straight news.
They gathered audio clips throughout the day and produced them over the song “Seagull” by Bad Company. The CDs were offered to the community in exchange for donations to the Red Cross.
This was the item my son took to middle school to put in a time capsule. I believe they’ll be opening it this year.
Perhaps this time of reflection will cause us to recapture that spirit of selflessness, generosity and compassion that seemed to grip our nation after this tragedy. May this experience change us all for the better.
I arrived at work at 9:00 and a few minutes later another coworker arrived and told me that a plane had hit one of the towers. I guess at that point I thought it was a very unfortunate accident. A half-hour later the second plane hit and we knew it wasn’t an accident. Everyone was stunned. We walked around in a fog– taking turns in the break room, glued to the TV.
Some people went home for the day, worried about family members. I worked at a library– and we stayed open, giving updates to people who walked through the doors and making sure they could use computers to get news updates or email family members.
We live near Don Scott Field and it was strange how silent the skies were. Everything grounded.
As we watched the towers fall, something inside all of us changed– like we knew down deep our country would never be the same. This was to be the defining moment of our generation. There would be “before” September 11th and “after” September 11th for the rest of our lives.
I was in a meeting at the Dublin Schools Administration Building discussing a Leaderhsip Dublin project that would benefit Dublin City Schools. I suddenly heard people chatting in the hall, louder than usual, and then heard one administrator say, “Oh my gosh-we’re under attack!” Everyone on that second floor moved toward a television on an AV cart, and we watched, almost paralyzed, feeling helpless. I immediately went to my office, and found that our employees were just as frightened and bewildered. Although many memorable moments of support and togetherness occured throughout the day, the most significant memory I have is a phone call from my dad, who came to America after growing up in Europe during WWII. He said, “You OK?” Then in a tearful voice he said, “I came here hoping my children would never have to see this kind of tragedy on their own soil.” It was almost as if he were apologizing…such a sweet and tender moment with my dear dad. It was a day of an immediate sense of what was important in life. Family and friends. Love. Unity.
I was living in Pittsburgh at the time. I was getting my 1 year old DD ready to go to playgroup when I got the call from my mother. My sister worked across from the WTC but luckily the ferry she was riding never got there & was redirected back to Staten Island before the first plane hit. Shock was not the word. In college I worked in the career center where we placed many of our graduates in those big Fortune 5 companies in WTC. I tried calling all my friends and all the circuits were busy, it was scary not knowing and not being able to reach anyone. I know people who personally knew someone missing from that day. I still get emotional when I see images of 7/11 and for the longest time couldn’t watch it being repeated on every station over and over and even after every anniversary. I am living in Dublin now and happy to see the patriotism of our great country and how we continue to honor those many lives lost. God Bless America!
I was there…no words can describe that day or what I witnessed the several days after it.
I pray for all the families that lost a loved one that day. I pray for all the First Responders and other Heroes that did something to help during that time.
All terrorists are cowards and the world will be a better place without them.
Be proud and be extremely thankful that you are an American!!!
Sing the Star Spangled Banner at any event regardless of how bad you may sound!!!
For no reason other than to say thank you….salute a Police Officer, a Fireman, or a Paramedic for doing their job and always SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!!!
I was living in CA at the time and getting ready for work with my daughter who had just turned 1. Mornings were spent getting everyone out of the house, not watching TV or listening to news, so when my co-worker called me and told me that “the towers fell”, I had no idea what she was talking about. Her family was in Staten Island and she was obviously hysterical. I didn’t know what to do…being so far away felt off a bit, like it wasn’t really happening. I felt a little robotic as I drove my daughter to day care, simply following our normal routine. Her caretaker had family that worked in Manhattan close to where the towers stood and we prayed for them. We just couldn’t believe it. We watched news footage for a while and she assured me it was okay to head to work and figure out what to do next. As I drove about 5 miles to work, it was the most solemn drive I’ve ever had. No one was rushing, cutting anyone off or honking. Nothing. As we were all starting our workday on the west coast, other events were still unfolding. At work, we were all consumed with the news and each person’s connection in NY. We also had sales reps there at the time so we waited to contact them before leaving work (all were accounted for). All I remember after that is going to pick up my daughter and meeting my husband at home. We probably watched the news for a week straight. I’ll never forget that day and I’m glad we are remembering those that lost their lives with this tribute.
I had just started my freshman year at BGSU. School had started for about two weeks and I was just getting into the groove of being away from my parents and family. I was walking home from class when my boyfriend called me and said the towers had been hit. He heard the news on Howard Stern’s radio program so at first, I didn’t believe it. I went straight to my dorm and all the cable was out everywhere which made the situation even more strange and scary. Our resident advisor was the only person who had TV ears and could get a signal for the local news. After the cable came back on, I sat alone in my dorm room at 18 years old watching the chaos unfold. I cried for my mom, my sister, my boyfriend and the rest of my family, and I wanted to go home. I don’t know how my mom got me to be brave and stay. I played softball at BGSU at the time and our coach cancelled practice for the week. It was a solomn time around campus and an unforgettable way to start college. I am pleased and honored that Dublin is honoring the lives that were lost on that day. I still think about it all the time, and I am glad our city has not forgotten about it.
I was driving on 315 South on my way to work downtown listening to WNCI on the radio when they reported the first plane had hit the Trade Tower. I believe they tuned into the NBC Today Show and were watching and commenting live when the second plane hit the other tower. It is really incredible to think back to the thoughts that were running through all our minds. I got to work and everyone was silent and numb sitting in front of a TV. I will never forget sharing that day with my co-workers. Screams erupted when the first tower collapsed. It was all so hard to comprehend that this could happen in the USA. I had been in those towers several times on business and dined at the Windows of the World a few times. I could not imagine these towers – icons of the financial world and the New York skyline – could crumble to the ground – becoming a grave for so many people.
I headed back home shortly after Flight 93 crashed in PA. I needed to be with my family. I wondered what my girls, in elementary, middle and high school, knew about the tragic events. I just wanted to hug and hold them and tell them how much I loved them.
I was in a meeting with Heinz vonEckartsberg doing a DIF wrap-up. We walked out of his office and saw a bunch of people watching something on a TV in the Chief’s office. We walked in and thought it was a movie. When we realized what had happened, we ran into the radio room and watched the events of the second building happen before our eyes. We opened up the EOC (emergency operations center) at Dublin and staffed it for the next day.
I called my wife at work and insisted she go get my daughter’s and go home.
Fast forward to 4 years later, 9/11/05, I was stationed at Ali Air Base, Iraq with the Ohio Air National Guard.
I lived in Oceanside, CA and my husband called and woke me up to tell me what had just happened. I turned the tv on and watched in total shock as the twin towers fell. My sister was a flight attendant, who flew international flights. We were very concerned for her as we watched it all unfold.
Later that evening, our church held a prayer service. Oceanside borders Camp Pendelton Marine base and our church was right at the back gate of Pendelton. Most of our church consisted of current and ex Marines, current and ex Navy personnel and their families. During the service, where the pastor had asked people to turn off their cell phones, a cell phone began ringing loudly. As the Marine walked out to answer it, the pastor said, “He is allowed to answer. He warned me before the service that his phone might be ringing. He is expecting a call from the President of the United States.” Then we continued the service. It was a really eye opening experience having so many friends who were in the military at that time.
I was at work and someone said a small plane hit the WTC. I was in my office and searched the internet only to find out it was down due to everyone searching it. I walked into the lunch room and looked at the TV only to see the 2nd plane hit. I sat down in disbelief and just watched. Then I went home for lunch and they told me to stay home they were closing. I watched and as the first tower fell my mother calls me from Virginia and she was to come home the next day. She was stuck in VA for the next week due to the planes being grounded. It seemed so surreal.
I was driving to a customer site downtown Columbus. Listening to the Morning Zoo – the announcement came on – I called my friend Ashleigh who had just moved back to Ohio on 9/08 from Manhattan told her. When I reached the customer site the second plane hit. My boss got out of his car when I did – said sounds like Bin Ladin to me. When I got back to the office – someone had rigged up a tv (no cable at the office) and we all watched in horror as the towers collapsed. It as like a bad dream – we went on about our business but in automatic pilot – no focused. That night my sisters and our families all went to church for a service. I remember my brother calling from North Carolina just to say he loved us. I think we all call everyone we loved to say that. It was a terrifying time. I remember the emptiness of the sky for the next few days. So blue and yet so empty.
I was standing in the kitchen when my sister called to tell me that a plane hit the WTC. I turned the news on and watched in disbelief. When the second plane hit the WTC, I knew then, it was a big plane. I remember someone saying on the news that it had a tan belly. My husband tried to reassure me that it was not United. United had a gray belly. My heart knew differently.
I had recently taken a leave from United as a Flight Attendant due to high risk pregnancy. I started to call my coworkers. I reached a friend of mine who was working that day. She was sitting on the runway in Chicago. She said, I think we have one missing.” I immediately started plugging flight numbers departing Newark. I finally pull up 93, records secured.
The Newark base was a small base of flight attendants. Everyone, knew everyone. We were a family. I will forever miss, Sandra Bradshaw, Wanda Green, Deborah Welsh, Lorraine Bay and Ceccee Lyles.
I could have easily been me that day. I had worked flight 93 many times. I even remember having 2 of the hijacker’s on board the plane. They made many dry runs. When my son looks at me and says, “Mom, I saved your life.” I tell him, “You very well could have.
As I left Scioto High School the morning of 9/11/01 to attend a student/parent conference at Tolles Techinical Center I saw on the office TV news of planes crashing the WTC. On the 25 minute drive to Tolles a guidance counselor intern and I rode in silence and disbelief as we listened to the radio and learned that the Pentagon was also hit. I remember trying to reach my husband by cell phone but I could only get a busy signal. When we arrived at Tolles I tried to call out on the land line and only got a busy signal. I recall that it was it was very important to talk to my husband. I wanted to find out if what we were hearing was really happening. The conference went on as scheduled but it was difficult to focus. On the way back to school we picked up her child at his preschool. I remember seeing a student of a different nationality leaving school with a parent. I thought of my husband, children and family all day as I watched and listened to the events unfold. You knew everything had changed. It is a day that is etched in my memory and will never forget. My heart and prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attack and to our military men and women who serve to protect our freedom.
I was on the 55th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center attending a seminar for work, at the time I lived in Dublin and worked for Honda in Marysville. The seminar had just begun the room we were in was large and windows surrounded us. Suddenly we heard and felt a loud crash as the plane hit 38 floors above. The windows vibrated loudly as if they would shatter, the floor shook from side to side. As we looked outside and up we saw a ball of fire, paper and debris flying, part of the building above us engulfed in flames. We were told to move away from the windows and began the evacuation process, a slow hour long descent down a stairwell that seemed never ending.
I recall the panic and confusion minutes after the plane hit, we knew a plane had “accidentally” hit the North Tower but nobody knew any further details. I was able to contact my boyfriend (now husband) to tell him I was actually in the Tower that was hit and after I hung up with him suddenly everything felt real and this fear of the unknown began to set in. I turned to the woman next to me whom I had just met to let her use my phone to call her family, from that moment on we turned to one another for comfort and stayed by each other’s side the rest of the day. Evacuation was slow but orderly and despite the fear there was a sense of calm, nobody really spoke at first but later we turned to each other for support, some WTC veterans that had been around for the ’93 attacks reassured the rest of us. We stopped moving somewhere around the 30th floor and shortly after we noticed there was smoke coming through one of the doors, it was difficult to see and breathe. It was around that time when someone from the top floors came rushing down in a panic, we found out the South Tower had also been hit by a plane, there was confirmation these were no accidents and hijackers were behind the attacks. I remember feeling dread and panic and truly thinking I was not going to make it out alive. I thought about my family that I would never see again. We continued to see firefighters going up to rescue those in the top floors- some looked to be in their early twenties. We also saw emergency workers with a severely burnt victims rushing down, the thought that these First Responders did not make it out was devastating later when we saw the towers fall. Once we were on the @10th floor evacuation went by quickly.
When we were ushered out we noticed the crowds outside, ambulances, firefighters, camera crews….in front of us was pure chaos. What we witnessed first-hand when we crossed the street was horrific, it was all very confusing at the time. We did not have much time to truly digest what was happening when the South Tower collapsed around us, the sound was deafening and the cloud of black smoke came rushing toward us. I remember running and somehow finding shelter in a nearby building where we stayed until police officers came in and told us to evacuate immediately, we didn’t know where to go. We walked approximately 15 miles in a cloud of smoke and among debris across towards the Manhattan Bridge. There were hundreds of people crossing the Brooklyn & Manhattan bridges that day, we saw military helicopters overhead and wondered if this nightmare was over. As we crossed into Brooklyn we saw a Red Cross Shelter at a Church and at that point we were safe. I was able to contact my family and a friend of mine who lives in Brooklyn.
No words could ever truly describe what it was like to be there or feel what we felt that day; there is a certain level of guilt had by those who survived. I pray every day for the families who lost loved ones that day and for the heroes that gave tirelessly that day and in the days that followed. I have never been more grateful to be an American and it was truly beautiful to see how we all came together as a result of this tragedy. On a personal level, as I’m sure is true of most everyone’s experience not just mine, being there showed me how incredibly fragile life is, to seize the moment and not take a moment for granted.
My 6 year old grandson, like many boys his age, wanted to be a fireman. When he came home from school on 9/11 he had heard of the events briefly. His question to his mother was “Were any firemen hurt?”
I was working at Capital University at the time. I had just returned from a meeting when I heard the report. I’m originally from New York City (Queens) and started calling all my relatives. My Dad worked at 100 Church Street, which was directly across from WTC7 and had a view of WTC2. We didn’t hear from him for hours, and it was particularly frightening when the towers fell. He had heard the planes hit the buildings, saw people jump, and walked home from lower Manhattan to Queens. When he arrived, he was covered head to toe in the ash. We lost a few family friends that day.
I drove home to New York that Thursday. The PA Turnpike was empty. Lee Greenwood played on the radio. As I crossed the George Washington Bridge, even with my windows up and the air conditioning on, I could smell the acrid smell of the fires in lower Manhattan. I could see the smoldering for miles, even in Queens. I remember seeing “Missing” posters up everywhere for loved ones, who would eventually never return. I was lucky since my Dad made it home. I pray for all those that lost loved ones in such a tragic way.
I worked a few blocks from the World Trade Center. The first plane passed our building and we heard the loud engine. Then we heard a loud boom. We ran to the window to see what was going on and we saw the fire and the plane. We all assumed it was an accident. Then minutes later we heard the second plane hit. We ran out of our building. Everyone was in a state of shock and didnt know what to do. I remember seeing people jump out of the building. I can’t even imagine what that decision was like for those in the WTC. Be burned alive or die by jumping.
My friend and I decided to walk uptown. Thousands of New Yorkers that day did the same thing. I can’t even tell you how many hours it took to walk all the way to uptown. We were so nervous, anxious. As we walked we would pass restaurants and try to understand what was going on, but many folks were confused. I was able to reach my husband who worked uptown and we were able to get home late in the evening. I was worried for my friends and family.
I had never bonded with strangers like I did that day. As we walked everyone was united.
No one I knew was in the WTC that day or was hurt. Going back to work a few days later was hard. Seeing all the debris, knowing what happened. I pray for all the families that lost a loved one that day.
I was at home making scrambled eggs for my 11.5 month-old son. We were watching the morning news as we did everyday waiting for my husband to get home from work. I remember watching the news of the first tower being hit, called my husband to find out that he was on his way home. He made it home to see the second tower hit. We sat there and watched the coverage for hours wondering what was going to happen next. I couldn’t bring myself to drive into work until about noon. I remember calling my both my parents and brother that day. It was a day to bond with family.
I was 9 years old, living in Waldorf, Maryland at the time. I had gone to school like every other day, walked into the fifth grade class room, and watched the morning announcements.
As usual, we pulled out a piece of paper to take our spelling tests. And as usual, we didn’t turn the TV off after the announcements. I remember spacing out after a word and looking towards the TV, staring out the window. In that second, the blue screen shut off and the news came on just as they had footage of the first plane hitting the tower. It was loud, since the announcements were so quiet, and screams were heard from most girls in the room, along with a few “Whoa!”‘s from the guys. We weren’t sure what it was we had just seen, so our teacher explained it quietly after turning off the TV.
We eventually convinced her to let us watch a little more, wanting to know what it was that was going on. Again we watched the footage of the first plane hitting the tower. After seeing live footage of the second plane hitting, hearing the anchors surprise, our teacher turned off the TV again and got us back into our work.
It was probably only an hour later, I’m not sure of the actual timeline, but we were reading in our Lit. books, when the phone rang. My teacher answered, and I watched her expression change. When she hung up, I asked her what was wrong. I can’t remember if she was talking to the class, or just to my table. She told us that her husband just called and said they were evacuating D.C. and that a plane had just hit the Pentagon.
At that young age, many unreasonable fears ran through our heads. We were worried about another plane hitting a school, not understanding politics.
Some were reasonable, though. Many kids in my class had at least one parent if not more working at or near the Pentagon. My own father worked across the street from the Pentagon, but back then, I didn’t realize it was the freeway, not just a small street.
I and many of my classmates worried the whole day until school let out. I ran home from the bus stop all the way home, with the thought in my head that if Dad’s van was in the driveway, everything would be fine. I didn’t even wait for my little brother (in third grade at the time) to get off the bus. before taking off around the bend.
His van was not in the driveway, and I sprinted through the front door, almost straight into his arms. He told me that he had had to walk, traffic was so bad, and a friend picked him up to give him a ride home.
The next three days were hard, as one of our classmate’s mother was still missing. She did a lot at the school, and with my girl scout troop. I haven’t forgotten her yet.
It was a rough year for all of us, but it brought us closer together as a class, and as a country.
I was living in London, Ohio at the time. My children were quite young, with the oldest in second grade; I was still at home, waiting for the sitter to watch my younger children before I left for the office. One of my employees called to tell me that airplanes had crashed into buildings in New York. I didn’t even know what to think. The concept simply did not sink in. I logged on to the Internet and there were photos on AOL’s homepage of the Twin Towers, its upper floors engulfed in a storm of fireballs. I turned on the television for a few minutes and for some reason, dashed to my daughter’s school to let the teachers know (it was a very small school, K-2). I still remember the teacher, like me, could not really understand what she was hearing. I drove to my office and after me and my employees conversed for a bit about this unfathomable tragedy, I let everyone go home. We were all very upset, even though the more tangible sadness and anger would set it later, and in doses. Ten years later, one of the strongest images in my mind is of Tom Petty singing on a televised program that was to benefit New York City – ‘you can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won’t back down.’ September 11, 2001 changed me forever, from what I thought I knew about the religion in which I was raised to how the tapestry of my beautiful nation is changing and corroding right before my eyes, not by invasion but by immigration; one that does not meld in but rather, taking advantage of our open hearts, sews in values and expectations that contradict the very convictions that make this nation the most unique; the land of the free. I will never forget what happened on that still and sunny September morning in New York City, at the Pentagon, in a field in Pennsylvania.
I had just arrived at work. I was a consultant working at Applied Retail Systems, a division of Batesville Casket that designed and installed casket showrooms in funeral homes. I walked into the offices and found everyone in an office watching the events in NY unfolding on TV, and watched in disbelief as they replayed the first plane hitting, and then in horror as the second plane hit. It was no accident, we were under attack. I knew the WTC area well, had lived in NJ for three years and had spent every spare moment in the City. I went into my office, shut the door, and hit my knees in prayer, crying out for our nation and against the evil that was seeking to destroy us. I am still praying that prayer, for our nation, for our troops and their families, and that good will prevail over hate. May God bless our troops, and God bless America.
On September 11th a number of us were at the Hyatt Regency downtown attending a Steven Covey workshop.
At our first break mid-morning,we went to the lower level to use the restrooms.Masses of people were huddled around a small TV at the bar,and you could see the Tower burning.
Initially we thought,how bizarre to be watching a science fiction movie at this time of day………….would that it was.
The reality of what happened hit home minutes later.
We called our offices and those that requested were given the okay to go home and or pick up their children from school.
We all attempted to finish the day,as Dr. Covey elected to continue,and we did,but the afternoon was strained and numbing.
Police had barricaded downtown and it was so bizzare-a truth we could not all absorb.
That night we stared at the silent sky in our backyard.
Our daughter,a Junior at Marietta,was nearing Japan on an around the world semester at sea experience( that began 8/31 and ended 12/10).
Our youngest son was a Senior at Coffman, and that folowing Saturday night we traveled to Toledo to play Central Catholic. Everyone held a flag. The atmosphere was surreal. Coffman won that game.
In days ahead we all won, banding together in community, at every level,revealing the true America we are all a part of.
I was a volunteer fireman in New York and Virginia for seveal years before we moved to Ohio, and to this day the events still can be overcoming.
Thank you for the invitation to share 9/11.
I wrote a poem that week entitled “Land That I Love”, and have shared it with friends and family.
We can never-will never forget.
I was training new associates at Cardinal Health. Someone popped in to say a plane crashed into the WTC. I figured it was a small personal aircraft and was annoyed by the interruption. We took a break and one of the associates went to the café where a TV was set up showing news coverage. He returned with some detail and said he felt physically sick. We all went down to the TV and were transfixed by the unfolding events. We all felt physically sick and violated. Everything was different after that day. It still is.
I was working at Ohio State, administering a program for hundreds of new international students new to campus. These were students from all over the world, and as confusing and shocking as the events were for all of us working that day, I kept wondering what these strangers to our country were thinking about all this, in a land where attacks like this do not happen.
After the 2nd plane hit, I was able to make contact with my wife, who was at home with my youngest, to be sure they were okay, and share my thoughts and fears with her, my best friend.
The oddest thing in the next few days was the absence of airplanes flying over campus in their landing pattern to Port Columbus. It is such a common thing to hear them fly over, the silence was deafening…
I was in school. At nine years old, i had very little idea what was going on. All I knew was that the principle, pastor, and teachers had the school TV on and were in the principle’s office watching something with the volume down.
There was a whispered conference,then each teacher told their students what happened in as much or little detail as they thought our age would allow. I, being in second or third grade, didn’t get to hear much detail. I do remember realizing that the teachers were concerned and that whatever it was weighed heavily on their minds. I don’t remember whether or not we finished out that school day. Over the years I have come to realize just how tragic 9/11 was, and I have definitely come to thank my teachers for sparing a nine-year-old the brunt of such a reality. This may be unpopular to say, but I also continue to applaud former-President Bush for his efforts in the aftermath of it all. God bless the USA and may His peace be with those affected as this anniversary nears.
We lived in New Jersey on September 11. I was working in a health club and when I arrived at work, I found many of the guests and workers watching the television as information was being broadcast about the first tower being hit. A woman sitting beside me was holding her 2 year old son and was very pregnant. She was talking to her husband who was in the second tower. He told her that he was in the stairwell trying to exit the building but they were told it was safe to go back up to their office. The call was dropped as we watched the second plane hit his building. We had no news about him for a few days but were thrilled when we heard he had survived. He had decided to continue down the stairs and go outside. Unfortunately, we knew many people who lost family and friends. It was a difficult time to live in that area but the community joined together to support those who lost so much.
I had a rare day off from work, and, it being a beautiful morning, I went to Safari Golf for a round. While I waited to pay, we saw on a television there that the second plane had hit the towers. Needless to say, no golf was played that day. I went looking for a place to donate blood. With the ban on flights that soon occurred, the world seemed odd and utterly changed–it was so quiet, as if the very sky had fallen silent in shock and grief. When I went home and watched coverage and saw the people jumping from the towers and the buildings collapse, I cried, torn, like all of us, between frustrated anger and overpowering sorrow. It was such a lovely day, but so many innocent people simply showed up for work and died. Thinking of it on the tenth anniversary still brings deep sadness and numbed disbelief. Like others, I will remember the day for the rest of my life.
I was sitting at my desk at work when my co-worker told me that a plane just rammed the the first tower. We turned on the tiny black & white TV used mainly to view videos and managed to get reception to a local news channel just as the 2nd plane hit the tower. I ran downstairs to tell the rest of the department and found that one of my co-workers had a sister who worked in one of the towers. Between that, all of the shock and uncertainty, and not knowing if my brother, a United captain who flies those routes frequently had been on one of the planes it felt surreal. Driving home was strangely disturbing for the lack of any air traffic. My then 3rd grader sat between my husband and me all evening long while the news played. He didn’t say a word but we found out later that he absorbed it all and really grasped that something horrible had just happened to our country. It was surely a defining tragedy in all of our lives.
We lived in the Phoenix area and were just getting up when the first plane hit.
My husband hosted a morning classic rock radio program and called from the station. They immediately suspended programming and switched to straight news.
They gathered audio clips throughout the day and produced them over the song “Seagull” by Bad Company. The CDs were offered to the community in exchange for donations to the Red Cross.
The sounds of the day take me back immediately.
You can hear the MP3 here: http://www.downloads.nl/music/September+11+Tribute (Scroll down to Bad Company Seagull, KSLX to hear it.) (Warning: Have your tissues handy.)
This was the item my son took to middle school to put in a time capsule. I believe they’ll be opening it this year.
Perhaps this time of reflection will cause us to recapture that spirit of selflessness, generosity and compassion that seemed to grip our nation after this tragedy. May this experience change us all for the better.
I arrived at work at 9:00 and a few minutes later another coworker arrived and told me that a plane had hit one of the towers. I guess at that point I thought it was a very unfortunate accident. A half-hour later the second plane hit and we knew it wasn’t an accident. Everyone was stunned. We walked around in a fog– taking turns in the break room, glued to the TV.
Some people went home for the day, worried about family members. I worked at a library– and we stayed open, giving updates to people who walked through the doors and making sure they could use computers to get news updates or email family members.
We live near Don Scott Field and it was strange how silent the skies were. Everything grounded.
As we watched the towers fall, something inside all of us changed– like we knew down deep our country would never be the same. This was to be the defining moment of our generation. There would be “before” September 11th and “after” September 11th for the rest of our lives.
I was in a meeting at the Dublin Schools Administration Building discussing a Leaderhsip Dublin project that would benefit Dublin City Schools. I suddenly heard people chatting in the hall, louder than usual, and then heard one administrator say, “Oh my gosh-we’re under attack!” Everyone on that second floor moved toward a television on an AV cart, and we watched, almost paralyzed, feeling helpless. I immediately went to my office, and found that our employees were just as frightened and bewildered. Although many memorable moments of support and togetherness occured throughout the day, the most significant memory I have is a phone call from my dad, who came to America after growing up in Europe during WWII. He said, “You OK?” Then in a tearful voice he said, “I came here hoping my children would never have to see this kind of tragedy on their own soil.” It was almost as if he were apologizing…such a sweet and tender moment with my dear dad. It was a day of an immediate sense of what was important in life. Family and friends. Love. Unity.
I was living in Pittsburgh at the time. I was getting my 1 year old DD ready to go to playgroup when I got the call from my mother. My sister worked across from the WTC but luckily the ferry she was riding never got there & was redirected back to Staten Island before the first plane hit. Shock was not the word. In college I worked in the career center where we placed many of our graduates in those big Fortune 5 companies in WTC. I tried calling all my friends and all the circuits were busy, it was scary not knowing and not being able to reach anyone. I know people who personally knew someone missing from that day. I still get emotional when I see images of 7/11 and for the longest time couldn’t watch it being repeated on every station over and over and even after every anniversary. I am living in Dublin now and happy to see the patriotism of our great country and how we continue to honor those many lives lost. God Bless America!
I was there…no words can describe that day or what I witnessed the several days after it.
I pray for all the families that lost a loved one that day. I pray for all the First Responders and other Heroes that did something to help during that time.
All terrorists are cowards and the world will be a better place without them.
Be proud and be extremely thankful that you are an American!!!
Sing the Star Spangled Banner at any event regardless of how bad you may sound!!!
For no reason other than to say thank you….salute a Police Officer, a Fireman, or a Paramedic for doing their job and always SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!!!
I was living in CA at the time and getting ready for work with my daughter who had just turned 1. Mornings were spent getting everyone out of the house, not watching TV or listening to news, so when my co-worker called me and told me that “the towers fell”, I had no idea what she was talking about. Her family was in Staten Island and she was obviously hysterical. I didn’t know what to do…being so far away felt off a bit, like it wasn’t really happening. I felt a little robotic as I drove my daughter to day care, simply following our normal routine. Her caretaker had family that worked in Manhattan close to where the towers stood and we prayed for them. We just couldn’t believe it. We watched news footage for a while and she assured me it was okay to head to work and figure out what to do next. As I drove about 5 miles to work, it was the most solemn drive I’ve ever had. No one was rushing, cutting anyone off or honking. Nothing. As we were all starting our workday on the west coast, other events were still unfolding. At work, we were all consumed with the news and each person’s connection in NY. We also had sales reps there at the time so we waited to contact them before leaving work (all were accounted for). All I remember after that is going to pick up my daughter and meeting my husband at home. We probably watched the news for a week straight. I’ll never forget that day and I’m glad we are remembering those that lost their lives with this tribute.
I had just started my freshman year at BGSU. School had started for about two weeks and I was just getting into the groove of being away from my parents and family. I was walking home from class when my boyfriend called me and said the towers had been hit. He heard the news on Howard Stern’s radio program so at first, I didn’t believe it. I went straight to my dorm and all the cable was out everywhere which made the situation even more strange and scary. Our resident advisor was the only person who had TV ears and could get a signal for the local news. After the cable came back on, I sat alone in my dorm room at 18 years old watching the chaos unfold. I cried for my mom, my sister, my boyfriend and the rest of my family, and I wanted to go home. I don’t know how my mom got me to be brave and stay. I played softball at BGSU at the time and our coach cancelled practice for the week. It was a solomn time around campus and an unforgettable way to start college. I am pleased and honored that Dublin is honoring the lives that were lost on that day. I still think about it all the time, and I am glad our city has not forgotten about it.
I was driving on 315 South on my way to work downtown listening to WNCI on the radio when they reported the first plane had hit the Trade Tower. I believe they tuned into the NBC Today Show and were watching and commenting live when the second plane hit the other tower. It is really incredible to think back to the thoughts that were running through all our minds. I got to work and everyone was silent and numb sitting in front of a TV. I will never forget sharing that day with my co-workers. Screams erupted when the first tower collapsed. It was all so hard to comprehend that this could happen in the USA. I had been in those towers several times on business and dined at the Windows of the World a few times. I could not imagine these towers – icons of the financial world and the New York skyline – could crumble to the ground – becoming a grave for so many people.
I headed back home shortly after Flight 93 crashed in PA. I needed to be with my family. I wondered what my girls, in elementary, middle and high school, knew about the tragic events. I just wanted to hug and hold them and tell them how much I loved them.
I was in a meeting with Heinz vonEckartsberg doing a DIF wrap-up. We walked out of his office and saw a bunch of people watching something on a TV in the Chief’s office. We walked in and thought it was a movie. When we realized what had happened, we ran into the radio room and watched the events of the second building happen before our eyes. We opened up the EOC (emergency operations center) at Dublin and staffed it for the next day.
I called my wife at work and insisted she go get my daughter’s and go home.
Fast forward to 4 years later, 9/11/05, I was stationed at Ali Air Base, Iraq with the Ohio Air National Guard.
I lived in Oceanside, CA and my husband called and woke me up to tell me what had just happened. I turned the tv on and watched in total shock as the twin towers fell. My sister was a flight attendant, who flew international flights. We were very concerned for her as we watched it all unfold.
Later that evening, our church held a prayer service. Oceanside borders Camp Pendelton Marine base and our church was right at the back gate of Pendelton. Most of our church consisted of current and ex Marines, current and ex Navy personnel and their families. During the service, where the pastor had asked people to turn off their cell phones, a cell phone began ringing loudly. As the Marine walked out to answer it, the pastor said, “He is allowed to answer. He warned me before the service that his phone might be ringing. He is expecting a call from the President of the United States.” Then we continued the service. It was a really eye opening experience having so many friends who were in the military at that time.
I was at work and someone said a small plane hit the WTC. I was in my office and searched the internet only to find out it was down due to everyone searching it. I walked into the lunch room and looked at the TV only to see the 2nd plane hit. I sat down in disbelief and just watched. Then I went home for lunch and they told me to stay home they were closing. I watched and as the first tower fell my mother calls me from Virginia and she was to come home the next day. She was stuck in VA for the next week due to the planes being grounded. It seemed so surreal.