POLITICS - Where were YOU on 9-11-2001?

[El Chivo]

I remember it vividly, I was at Midway airport waiting to board a 9 am flight back to San Diego.

The news started coming over the TV in the lounge and my flight was cancelled. I watched the towers collapse.

I ended up making my way to downtown Chicago on the train, and after a hectic morning made it to the Greyhound station where I got a bus to California. During the trip armed soldiers stopped the bus and checked us out. Finally arrived in San Diego two days later.

Haven't flown since, don't think I will.

I know everybody's forgiven and forgotten but I am still MAD.

So, where were you and what were you doing?

[Iron_Marshal]

I was at the firing range when the initial reports came in that a single plane had crashed into the WTT. I still have a picture of me using a police Jeep as cover in a shooting scenario on that day. At first it was reported, at least here in SW Virginia, that it was believed to have been an accident. Then all of the other details began to pour in. We were on high alert for days and I remember the numbness that came over me, the feeling of such helplessness to stop it from happening. Then I felt the waves of anger that washed over me and the fear for loved ones near Pittsburgh when the plane hit the ground.

Pearl Harbor was interesting history I learned about from my grandfather, a WWII vet. 9-11 was a stinging reality that I lived through. The perspective/contrast is still fresh in my memory and I will never forget what the Islamic-Extremists did to this great nation. My grandfather did not like the Japanese and as a kid I did not comprehend his point of view. I still think he broad brushed an entire race, but now I understand the enduring hatred a man can have.

[octagon]

I was on a horse ranch in Jamul, Ca, getting ready for work when the first plane hit. I knew at once it was the dang towelheads who always target civilians (cowards). I was so mad that if I could have pushed a button and wiped them all out I would have done it. I have neither forgotten nor forgiven these cowards.

[Tycer]

Roofing a house. The radio personality was so obviously shaken, we immediately asked the owner if we could turn on his TV and watch it. I sat on the kitchen floor petting his dog. The dog added a nice perspective for me. He couldn't care less, just wanted to be petted.

[Borregos]

I was building a fence for a neighbour and my daughter called me on my cell phone to tell me, I went and told the neighbour and we put the TV on. You cannot forgive and forget that!!!

[RIHMFIRE]

Sitting right here in my office....
Went downstairs to the tv stations office to watch
the footage......
a few of those bastards were in Daytona the
day before....

[Ysabel Kid]

I was working from home. We had a big teleconference - about 50 or so people - set to begin at 9:00am. People starting calling in, and were just chit-chatting waiting for the teleconference leader to start the meeting. Someone mentioned that a plane hat hit one of the World Trade Towers, and you heard a bunch of TV's click on in the background (most of us in sales work from home). All of the sudden someone said "did another plane just hit a tower?". There was dead silence for a moment, then someone else quietly said "no, that was a second plane - the other tower has been hit!". Well, everyone's TV went on at that moment, as everyone instinctively knew that a second strike eliminated the possibility that the first one had been an accident. Needless to say, we didn't end up doing the teleconference that morning.

I fly 40 or 50 segments a year, and though 2001 wasn't that high (the company grounded us for almost a month), I've continued to do so. The nature of my job.

God bless the souls we lost on 09/11/01. God bless all of those who now stand (or have stood) in harm's way keeping us safe and free. God bless our leaders with the wisdom and strength to do the right things to keep us safe and free.

[Hobie]

I post this every year. My cousin James was in his office looking up at the towers (he is alive and well). With a little research I was able to discover that we were only 1-2 degrees of separation from about 20 people who were killed that day. I imagine that is true for many Americans.

[Ysabel Kid]

BTW, not to hijack this post, but my wife and I were just talking about that fateful day and something occured to me. If on 09/11/01 someone would have told me that sevens years from then we'd be on the brink of electing a half-Muslin named Barack Hussein Obama, I would have called the folks at the loney bin to come pick him or her up.

How soon we (well, most people - not us here) forget.

And if I ever hear anyone tell me again what a racist, bigoted, spiteful country the good ol' US of A is I'm going to pop them in the kisser but good!!!

[WCF3030]

Totally in the dark working with horses at my second job. When I pulled into the drive way my wife came out of the house crying and told me the news.

[slowhandscotty]

I was in the communication room of the Campus Police Department fixing a computer. They turned the TV on when they heard what happened over the radio. The rest of the day we were fixed on trying to find out what happened and to see if anything more was going to happen. Can't believe it's been seven years ago now. I know I'll never forget.

[rjohns94]

Was walking out of the Baltimore Sun news paper plant from a sales call, standing in the parking lot when I got a cell phone call. I stopped working and drove the hour home to watch the news unfold listening to the talk radio all the way.

846 this morning was the national moment of silence so that we all could remember again. I have never forgotten. I remember most the eerie silence of no planes in the sky for days after except for military jets. eerie.

[Buffboy]

I was out about 2 miles from the place setting up a brace post on a mile long section of buffalo fence when my boss drove up saying he'd heard about an airliner hitting the WTC on the pickup radio. As we are both pilots we were wondering how that could happen. We took a little break to go in to check out the tube. We turned on the tv just in time to see the first tower fall. Then the second fell. He didn't get much spraying done the next couple months as he, along with all the other spray plane pilots were grounded.

[FWiedner]

I was working in a network operations center for the largest telecom company in the world at the time. Work in the NOC was virtually stopped. We had (4) 7' x 9' displays that usually display systems status information that were redirected to news channels. Picture a room full of technical professionals who do nothing but service emergency and disaster calls all day long stopped in their tracks, stunned by the scope of an event.

Having spent many years in the military, I was impressed by the execution of the attack. They literally caught us, their enemy, with our pants down. An attack akin to Pearl Harbor on the American homeland, in my lifetime. Absolutely incredible. A defining event. As an American, I wanted to see the blood of the perpetrators running in the street.

IMO, September 11, 2001 has gone unavenged.

[AmBraCol]

I was staying with friends in a small town in NE Colorado in the middle of a reporting trip to our supporting churches. My wife and sons were in Barranquilla, Colombia. I came upstairs after showering and dressing for the day, I'd be leaving in a little while to head north to speak at a Bible College later in the week. As I came upstairs my hosts said "A plane hit one of the twin towers." "One of the WHAT?" is what ran through my head - I've never paid much attention to yankee land and their supposed "great places" so was clueless to what they were talking about. I accepted a cup of coffee and sat down to watch the news with them. As we were watching the second plane slammed into the second tower. I knew then that we were at war. In the meantime my wife was back in Colombia, teaching English at a local institute. Her phone started ringing and folks started asking "Is Paul OK? You've not heard of the attacks?" They have no concept of the sheer size of the US national territory. It reminded her of '85 when "just outside of Bogotá there was a terrible disaster which wiped out a town of 20,000 people." - and folks in the US were calling to find out if her folks were OK. "Just outside of Bogotá" in this case is about a six hour trip by road - a LONG way from where her folks were. But I digress. We had breakfast while glued to the tube and I kept the radio on for the day and filled up at about every town as I headed north and saw the rising prices of gasoline. Just a few days later I was headed back home - and I knew then that we were in deep problems. It was known that the planes were all hijacked by a group of MUSLIM MEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 40, but the "airport security" was confiscating EMBROIDERY NEEDLES AND 1/2" BLADED SCISSORS from WHITE, PROTESTANT GRANDMOTHER MISSIONARIES - not the kind of folks who would do such a deed. My premonition has proved right - that our nation would continue to hide her head in the ground and pretend that she doesn't know who attacked her on that day (not to mention many prior atrocities committed by the same demographic). As it is, I don't fly more than I have to - and there are fewer and fewer ways to NO have to when one travels internationally. Overland is impossible since I could never get a permanent permit for an imported used car and via sea? Well, there's no longer a thriving passenger vessel business except for cruises - and none seem to start down here with an affordable price. So we're locked into the occasional flight, but once we reach US soil we grab wheels as soon as possible and only submit ourselves to the tender mercies of the Terminally Stupid Administration on our way out of the country once more - in preparation for returning to once more live under oppressive socialist policies. It's kind of like we're back down here - while still up there.

And as has been observed, how on earth did we manage to get a sympathizer of the folks who hit us 7 years ago into the position of running for president? How soon many forget what was done to our nation - and by whom...

[Old Ironsights]

I was checking in at the Temp agency trying to see whether or not I could make any money that day despite my degree.

The staff was all in shock/tears.

After having been involved with testing FAA security (which has NOT gotten any more effective BTW) and just coming off writing a White Paper on the looming danger of Fundamentalist Islam as part of the application process to the CIA, I was totally not suprised.

Bloody ragheads cost me a $$$$ Analyst job when the Fed shut down all hiring.

[Birdman]

I was home watching TV as I was recovering from one of my many knee surgery's. I saw the report of first the one hit and about crapped my britches. My brother was on his way up from Mississippi and was due to arrive at any momment. He had driven through the night because he prefers to drive at night. I saw the second plane hit and knew for sure and for certain it was no accident. He arrived 10 minutes later. We gassed up his car and made him breakfast and he turned around and headed back home. What a day.

[Bis]

I was half way between San Diego and Hawaii on the U.S.S. Constellation with my son on a Tiger cruise. They definatley took it seriously. The ship went "zip lip", the captain told us that if you were in the military and caught using your cell phone, you would be placed in the brig, if you were a civilian you would be escorted to the flight deck and you would watch as an officer threw your phone overboard.
When the ship left Hawaii they unloaded all most all their ordnance for the next ship going overseas, so we were pretty much unarmed, until they had a ship catch up to us and rearm the ship.
When we got to San Diego they had Navy Seals in inflatable boats chasing any small ships way from us.

[C. Cash]

I was just passing Beaver stadium at Penn State when my mother in law called, followed by my wife who said the towers had fallen and the Pentagon hit. I was taking my kids to the park to meet two buddies with their kids. I told them what had happened and they just laughed in disbelief at what I was telling them. I shook my head and drove off back home. Like everyone else...I just stood in stunned silence/sadness, then anger for several days. What shocked me and angered me about as much as the attacks, was CNN's reporting those several days on how WE brought on those attacks by playing the part of rogue Cowboy on the world stage...interviewing many Muslims as to how the US had oppressed them enough to have brought on 9/11. The absurditiy of those reports was a wake up call to me as to how deranged many of my fellow countrymen had become.

My Dad flies for AZ game and fish and right outside his hanger in Deer Valley sits the planes that some of the highjacker pilots were trained on. Raised the hair on the back of my neck to see those and think about what happened as a result.

[2ndovc]

I was in my truck on my way to a job site when a buddy called and told me to turn on the radio.
Couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Spent the next hour frantically trying to track down my now ex-wife that had flown to St. Louis for a business meeting. Finally found her in a conference room where they had been locked in to some meeting and none of them knew what was happening.
I won't forget that as long as I live. For the first few hours there was report after report that there were 3 planes missing, 7 planes missing on and on. The Airline wouldn't even tell me if her plane had even landed or not. It had and she'd already gotten to where she belonged.

I remeber that night thinking that I'll never see again in my lifetime a sky with no air traffic.
I spent hours on the deck that night with my dogs wondering how people do such things.

[Blaine]

I was in the dark until about 8am PST when I got to work...... The muzlims in Seattle were having a celebration and doing their african dances, etc. It was hard to not go up there and even harder to believe that Seattle did not stop any of it...That would have been a butt whuppin' down here in Redneck Land... Kill 'em all and let God sort it out

[86er]

I was there. Less than 9 blocks away in the Federal Building. We went down there to do whatever needed to be done. That lasted 36 days, 12 hour shifts. Amazingly, out of the dozens, maybe hundreds of people there I personally knew none of them were among those killed. I have a little black bar with a gold WTC on it - (an award given to officials that were there) that reminds me every day. I received a Citation that in part says "For your effort and committment in response to the attacks on our Country and the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001". I don't need any awards, I was rewarded enough when I was not at the Towers and the terrorists did not get another plane to the Federal Building as intended. My reward was being able to call home and say "I'm fine" before I started working to help others.

[mescalero1]

At home, my girlfriend called me and told me a commercial plane had flown into WTC.
I said " that is NOT possible, TCAS would have given them ample warning "
I turned on the TV and watched the second plane fly into WTC, I realized they had turned TCAS off.

[Bullard4075]

As an air traffic controller I was working the morning departure rush. Another controller came upstairs and said an aircraft has hit the twin towers . Thinking it was a repeat of the 1940's (B-25 in fog crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945) we started discussing how it could have happened. Hearing of the second crash everything changed. Confidential procedures were put in effect .We were informed to land everything in the air. Within a couple of hours our radar screens were completely blank. For the next few days anything flying was intercepted by F-16's.

[homefront]

I worked in NYC for 12 years in advertising. To me, the WTC was like Mount Rushmore, the Lincoln Memorial, the Statue of Liberty - monuments to our history. To hear that it was attacked and destroyed was inconceivable.
I had been out of the city for about 8 years, and was doing carpentry. I was in Nazareth, Pa, installing a decor package for Giant Supermarkets, and got down off the man-lift to call my wife as soon as the talk started inside the store. I remember the cellphone going dead during our conversation, and all the frightening possibilities that went through my head at that moment. I called it a day then and there to go home to be with my family in case the situation spread closer to home. I will never forget that day.

[AJMD429]

BTW, not to hijack this post . . .

Nice word choice.

[Old Savage]

I was on a fishing boat, the Mirage, at the Channel Islands off the Calif coast. We could only listen to the onoging events on the radio, surreal in this day and age.

[reo]

At dark on the 10th myself and another officer arranged for a drop off at a wood lot across the street from a known meth cook. We sat and observed until 3 am, noting a couple of cars we allready knew were involved and listening to the deer move behind us and the cook's dogs barking in front of us. We left with no more than we came with. Off duty and dressed appropriately we decided to bugle for elk. We received a couple of responses but nothing came in. I left his house and turned on the radio. I think the thing that struck me most on that day was G Gordon Liddy's voice on the verge of tears. The second tower had just been hit. I called my buddy told him to turn on his radio. (Neither of us uses TV.) I went to my kids school picked them up and took them home. We sat around the kithchen table and discussed it, then held hands and said a prayer together. I look back at the year and a half I was gone for the war and the little innocent faces I left and hope it was worth it.

[gamekeeper]

I was overseeing some contractors working on a Motorway service station. It was just after lunch when the news of the first tower came over a car radio, we thought it was a tragic accident. We all stood in silence when we heard the second tower was hit. I will never forget that day.

[EnglishBarry]

I was working on my computer at home, (I was on sick leave) and stopped for a coffee, so I thought I would see if there was anything on the box. The first tower was burning and I thought it was a movie (no sound) then the second plane hit and I still thought it was a badly made film. Then I turned on the sound and was just stunned. In the UK we were used to bombs etc (30 years of the IRA) so I suppose the impact took a bit longer to sink in here.

Then we had the London bombings, the first for a few years, still shocking in the fact that once again only the unprotected and unsuspecting were targeted. I was in the Czech Republic (RM at a shooting comp) the day the police shot the guy on the underground, all the people around me applauded, when they heard the news on the radio. Right response, unfortunately wrong guy. The terrorist who blew up the bus was being followed by another cop, who didn't shoot and he was killed with the other victims (not publicised). Was he unsure, unwilling, we will never know. Both incidents have been put down to bad intel.

Unfortunately the Muslim fanatics are subject to better PR than we can supply. theirs; Kill innocent people, yourself and go to heaven and be waited on by 70 virgins. Us; if we catch you, we may lock you up in a nice prison and look after you for 20 years. No contest! What it should be; if you commit terrorism, survive and are caught, you will be executed and in either case your body will be buried in pigskin and you will not go to heaven. Could this be a better counter offer?

Did John Travolta's character in Swordfish have it right?

Sorry for the slight thread drift.

Barry

[RKrodle]

I was on a flight from DFW to ATL. I was asleep, as usual, when the pilot came on the intercom and said our landing would be delayed for about an hour, he said nothing to worry about, just heavy air traffic. We landed and I was in high gear trying to hurry and get to my customer, who had a down machine. I was rushing around getting my bags, getting a rental car and all that. I noticed people standing around looking at the TV's. I remember thinking " don't these people have some place to be". I got my rental car and was driving through Atlanta when a friend, from the company I contract to, called and asked where I was at. I told him I as going as fast as I could to get to the customer but that my plane was late. I figured the customer had called him to see why I wasn't there yet. He said " then your on the ground right", I said "of course I am you called me on my cell phone". That's when he told me what was going on. My first reaction was RAGE!!!!! I immediately called my wife and told her to stay home and not go anywhere. I continued on to my customer and fixed his machine. I wound up driving home from Livonia Georgia on Thursday. Other then heavy traffic in Birmingham I never got below 90 mph and sometimes quite faster. I only stopped for gas and nothing else. I averaged over 75 mph for the entire trip, I was rolling. Sure felt good pulling up to my home. It was an emotional time for me, as I'm sure it was for others.

[AJMD429]

I heard the report on the news (radio) at work, and assumed some Cessna had dinged the building, but when the second report came in, I knew it was either much more serious, or the news media was just confused (imagine that!). Most patients cancelled, so we finished early, and my wife rounded up the kids and went home. We inventoried supplies and hunkered down for the next 24 hours, glad that we are of a mind to keep water and food on hand, and at least a dozen or so rounds of ammo. We hooked up a television antenna (we barely get any reception so we never watch television) and watched news most of the evening.

On a more pleasant note, it was fascinating and beautiful to see the SKY with no jet trails for a few days; if it were in the days before video computer editing, filmers of westerns would have probably have thought it a miracle to be able to shoot their civil-war-era movies without having to worry about a jet trail showing up on the screen.

My first reaction to the specifics was anger that our stupid 'system' prevents passengers from being armed (bullet holes in fuselages only cause 'explosive decompression' in James Bond movies, contrary to public opinion). This was compounded by not even the pilots being armed, which I had assumed was their own political correctness or nasty employers. A couple weeks later I found from fellow gun activists and pilots who formed the APSA group http://www.secure-skies.org/ that the FAA had only a couple weeks before that issued a ruling that pilots could NOT have handguns aboard, even if their employers allowed it. One MORE instance of wondering whether government officials are merely incompetent, or somehow actively conspiring to cause harm.

Then of course our bureaucrats have made it all better by 'allowing' pilots to train and get special permission to carry a locked box with a gun in it and then lock the gun in another locked box. Of course with all the nail-clippers confiscated there will be no future problems. (I've even had pilots as patients who told me THEIR nail clippers were confiscated - I suppose you wouldn't want a PILOT somehow using them to "take control of the plane!")

[jeepnik]

Interestingly enough, I was where I was today. I left my house the same time this morning and took the same drive. Sometimes, it's funny how little some things change when the entire world has changes.

I took the same drive home. Along the Pacific Coast Highway. This was different.



You could only really see it all from the air. One flag for each lost soul.

[Duff L Bagg]

Iris and I had got home from vacation at about 0300 the morning of the 11th. Iris got up early to go to the kennel and pick up our dogs. While she was getting ready she had the TV on listening to the news when they started reporting that a plane had hit the WTC, she came into the the bedroom to wake me. I was watching as the second plan flew into the second tower. I sat in total disbelief, I knew that the world as we had known it was to be no more. When the Pentagon was hit I began to wonder what other facilities were to be targeted.
I called into work at the Kennedy Space Center to see what was going on out there. I was told that everyone in the shop was safeing and securing the facility. KSC was shut down for a week except for security personnel.
We had Navy and Air Force fighters orbiting over center for several months. Gun ships were a regular site from then on. Everything Changed!

[hfcable]

here on alaska time, i had just gotten up, made coffee, walked dogs, and started pre-work ritual of my two first items every day: drinking coffee and checking on the sixshooter forum, and on eof the first post was about the WTC; went and find the tiny LCD tV [the only one we have, and i dont know where it is right now] was watching as the 2nd tower fell. will never forget this; it is etched in my minds like the day in the 10th grade that the PA system at school announced that President Kennedy had been murdered.

[shdwlkr]

I was talking with some former co-workers that I had left for a promotion when one of my friends who was a really techie like me and into current events ran up and said one of the twin towers was on fire. Well we went to the tv and found out that a jet had crashed into the building and before that set in a second jet went into the other tower and all I could think of was one of my friends at the new place was to be in a meeting in one of the towers and a Muslim friend I worked with was not at work when I left that morning but it would have been early for him to have been there.
I was filled with hate for who ever would kill innocent people and not care and I still do. I don't hate all Muslims only the ones who are trying to wipe us off the face of the earth. My friend was ok because he had to have a special cup of coffee and he forgot it that day and went back to get it only to walk out of the store and see the tower burning and the store owner pulling him back inside and locking the door. He knew it was going to be bad and he was right. He told us of the dust storm that went by and all the damage. My other friend heard on the news that it was done by Muslims and was scared he would be attacked he and his family never went outside of their house for almost a week for fear of being attacked and he and his wife where on the phone trying to get information on who did it to help our government find the jerks. When he came back to work he was escorted around the building for almost a month to make sure he was safe and yes I was one of his escorts as I am not a small person and my military training had taught me that when someone is that scared they didn't do a thing.
If I wasn't a DAV I would have gone back into the Army that day and been one of the first over there that is how mad I was and still am.
As to the chance we will have our first traitor to America in the White House it is a sad tale of America. He will bring America to her knees and may see the deaths of lots of good Americans because of the willingness to trash the Constitution and the jerks who want him in power. I don't want someone who thinks Muslims are more important then all Americans, Refuses to wear a lapel pin of the US flag unless his party orders him to wear it 3 times only have they asked, refuses to talk to our military personnel or be seen with them, Says he will do what ever the UN asks, wants ever higher taxes, and who knows what else.
Yea I am opinionated, old and most likely in the minority but I am not dead yet and I do vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Griff]

I was delivering rolls of newsprint at one of the Chicago newspapers when I remembered I needed to call DirecTV about my services... was on hold listening to this "actor" delivering lines from some "play", and remember quite clearly thinking, boy, this is like Orson Wells' "War of the Worlds" broadcast and wondering why it wasn't being taken off the air as I thought that type of thing was forbidden. The Tech guy answered and we went over my questions, I thanked him and walked back to my truck. Climbed in the cab and started fiddlin' with the radio to see if I could get a clear channel (being underground hinders radio reception somewhat). A guy from the dock walked up to the cab and asked if I'd been watchin' the TV. Said nope, can't get any reception; he said "you better follow me."

Went into their lunch room with several big screens, the were showing the fires in Tower One when the second tower was hit! I turned to a the guy and asked, "is this a movie?" Was sorta in shock. Then got angry, haven't got over it yet.

Like other things, I can still remember exactly what I was doing when Pres. Kennedy was shot, when I-880 in Oakland, CA collapsed and several other disasters, both natural and man-made.

[Carlsen Highway]

I was on a Russian container ship.
I walked intothe Captains ofice to discuss something with him and he had the TV turned on and said something to me about it which I didnt regester - The picture on TV was of a plane crashing into the WTC. I was busy and annoyed at him watching what was obviously a TV movie when I needed his attention.
not long aftert that I was told as the news went round the waterfront on the handheld RT's. Terrible accident we thought. Later I heard of the second plane crash. Bull, I thought at the time, someone exaggerating. I was that busy on work that kept me awy from radio or TV that I didnt catch up with the rest of the world till that evening and saw the complete footage on the news. Was horrifed and could hardly believe it.

[Paladin]

I was making breakfast for my wife who had just gotten out of the hospital. She told me a plane had just hit the WTC and I turned on the TV to watch. After seeing the video of the 1st plane I knew it wasn’t an accident and couldn’t understand why. The more I watched the madder I got. After a couple of hours I got a call from the local school asking if I could come over as the parents picked up their kids as the school was closing. (I was the chief of police for a small town after retiring from a larger department). I put my armor on, my Sig, and a suit jacket and the principal and I stood in front of the school until it was closed.
My paperwork was in to retire from the Army Reserve and I call and canceled it. I was assigned to a reserve unit that was not ever going to deploy and after an invitation by the commander to return to a special operations, unit ask for reassignment from the brigade commander. After being refused (because he was “short officers”) I resigned my commission and went to the unit as a NCO. I deployed later that year for Iraq and then Africa. FWiedner “I wanted to see the blood of the perpetrators running in the street.” I have photos for you.
I don’t feel any better, but I know I have done my share and am still at it. I am still mad don’t know if I will ever not be...

[Jeeps]

I was delivering beer in Troy, NY. While running kegs down a flight of stairs I saw the first strike and wondered how in
the heck something like that could happen. The next one explained it all to me. I've never had such a long drug out day
in my life. Every delivery I had after that I had to sit in the parking lot and compose myself before going in.

[penates]

I was stationed at Malmstrom AFB and was pulling weapons with my fire team down in the armory when the first plane hit. Went up to the office and saw the second plane hit. The whole base went into a serious lockdown.

[JReed]

I was out at 29Palms Ca. putting on my boots and getting ready to go to work. The whole base locked down soon after. We spent the rest of the day watching the news.

[Andrew]

I was at highschool. All we new was that some plane ran into the tower. I didn't know the whole story till later.

[Doc Hudson]

Sitting right in the same chair I'm in right now, discussing the situation here and at the Sixshooter Community, and worrying myself sick about Pete Martin.

And I can tell you were I spent September 12 and 13, 2001. I was talking to Army, Air Force, Marine, and Navy recruiters trying like hell to get them to take a fat old man. At least they didn't laugh at me.

[bogus bill]

I had recently retired and had to go home to wisconsin to live with my dad who was stuborn and had alzheimers. Saw all on tv as it happened. It caused the only argument I ever had with my dad. As we watched people jumping off the building to escape the fire and heat, dad who was a old time bible thumper raged they were all going to hell for commiting suicide! I lost it and temporary forgot he was deep in alzheimers and bellered at dad!

[Rustolium]

I was in my Senior year of high school. First class of the day was Ecology, a student came in and gave the teacher a note. He didn't tell us what was going on untill the end of class. I thought it was a Cesna untill around lunchtime when we found out more. We had VA Gaurd F-16s flying topcover over our nuclear powerplant.

[Bogie35]

We were vacationing in Garden City, SC. I was walking on the Garden City Pier with my 19 month old son. When the first plane was reported, I remember thinking "What a terrible accident." When the second plane was reported, I thought, "Uh oh. That's no accident."

Not sure what was coming next, we hurried back to the condo to check on my wife. We were totally stunned as we watched it unfold. I don't remember hearing a single word while we ate breakfast. It was shocking to realize that the US mainland had been attacked.

bogie

[scr83jp]

I was at june lake in the sierras getting my float tube ready to head out on the lake for some trout fishing,that was cancelled when I heard the news,we sat in a 5th wheel watching the carnage.I still wish we would've had a pres with balls to launch strikes against all of the nations involved instead of just talking about it.A Blue Boy in every capital would've gotten their attention once and for all just like we did in WW2.In 1955 I asked an older mohamed in N Africa why they didn't encircle the base and take out the french air force the reply was America has beaucoup guns,bombs & planes,they still remembered the WW2 invasion of N Africa.

[drboomboom]

I was at home and got a phone call from "Crazy" Eddie. Eddie's passed away now, he was an old Viet Nam veteran who was crazy like a fox. He said, "Turn on your tv, Bin Laden's attacked us." This was before the second plane hit. Eddie, of course, was right. I think we should have had a bigger response. Instead of trying to farm it out and do it on the cheap, we should have hit the Taliban in Afghanistan a lot harder than we did, and followed them into Pakistan if necessary. Then taken out Saddam much quicker with a larger force...then gotten out and let them know if they didn't straighten up we'd come back twice as hard.

[El Mac]

You wouldn't believe me if I told you...