Where were you on 9/11?

[sigp220.45]

I'll start.

I was gassing up at the west end Town Pump in Cut Bank, Montana, about to head into my little office on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

I heard the first reports on the radio in my rig. We didn't have a TV in the office then, so I went to the tribal PD dispatch in Browning.

As it slowly dawned what was really happening, I felt like I needed to do something. I don't think you can get culturally farther away from Manhattan than Browning, Montana, but there was a sense of were all in this together that day.

I went to a little border crossing on the rez. Its a one man post, and the Customs guy there was a good dude. Word had gotten out that the border was going to be closed, and all the Americans in Canada were trying to get across before it happened. Canucks on our side were doing the same thing. Somebody had told the Customs guy to do 100 percent inspections on incoming and outgoing, which was an actual impossibility for one guy. He had traffic backed up for miles in each direction.

I spent the day searching cars, and I found not a single Al Qaeda coming or going.

When they let planes fly again a week or so later I got a frantic call to go to Cut Bank International Airport, which was a landing strip and nothing else. A plane had crossed the border without a flight plan and the FAA told it to land or an F-15 would land it over several square miles. We rolled up as it was stopping - a nice private jet. We pointed MP5s at it, and the pilot opened the door. It was Tim McGraw's plane, but he and his hot wife weren't on it. They were in Canada when the towers fell, and took a bus home. We poked through their undies and sent the plane on its way.

How about you?

 

[rwsmith]

I was asleep....

My MIL called and told me what was happening and said something about Pearl Harbor. I said, "This is going to be worse than Pearl Harbor". Being around during Pearl Harbor, she said she didn't think so. 9/11 killed over 3000 civilians on US soil. Pearl killed over 2500, most of whom were military personnel (not to mention our military assets) and threw us into 4 years of terrible war in which we lost over a million American military lives and total civilian casualties in the world of around 50 million. After WWII America returned to 'normal'. As a result of 9/11 we've been at war going on 14 years now and there is no end in sight with 57,000 serious military casualties In fact, I'm afraid the worst may be yet to come and our lives will most likely never return to 'normal'.

PS Charleston had many attractive military targets and rumors flew that suicide planes were heading our way. None of that panned out, the damage had been done, just like the Japanese didn't have to launch a second wave against Pearl Harbor.

 

[venomballistics]

I had just been putting an RC model P51 through its paces and shut it down, pending more coffee to help keep up with it and it's fully blown 120 power plant when I got the first word of the event.
Soon there after, non military flights were grounded.
While it didn't apply to RC, I put the plane up in the shop out of respect, then maned the reloading press soon after hearing about the flight going down in PA when the passengers put on their boots and fought back.

 

[johngalt]

I flew back from vacation in Wisconsin to Cincinnati on 9/10. The morning of 9/11 I was at the dentist for routine cleaning. When I got to work everyone was standing around watching TV. Until then I had no idea what was going on.

 

[Frank46]

I had gone to bed late and the wife woke me up a few minutes later I said lets go get the girls and get them home. School was a madhouse. I parked the truck around near the teachers spots and the wife went to get them. Meanwhile the whole front of the school is packed with cars illegaly parked, more cars trying to get in and parents running around looking for their kids. Whole thing took about ten minutes. Schools closed early that day. Frank

 

[Rustyt1953]

I was unlocking the door at my shop when my mom called.

"Turn on the tv" said she.

I turned it on just as the second plane hit. I watched in horror. When customers started coming in I said "follow me".

We went to the pub up the street and stayed until evening. The place became packed and all conversation stayed on point.

I remember the atmosphere was one of solidarity. All were in agreement on patriotism, resolve and righteous anger. The energy in that pub was tactile.

If we would have been issued traveling orders, we'd have gone. In fact, 6 FF/EMT's and 4 LEO's from that pub went to NY to help.

The reason was tragically sad but we all renewed our oaths that day.

 

[bigchuck83]

I was working for a contractor at a local oil refinery, myself and a coworker were refilling some equipment before going back to an oil tank we were working on. Sitting there when we heard about the towers being hit on the radio.

 

[Fishinfool]

I was on vacation with the wife up in northern Maine, camping. We had just came back to the camper after a morning of kayaking, and the wife was making breakfast while I fiddled with the portable TV. Got one channel, kind of poor reception, but I could make out something about the Mayor designating the sports building on the west side as a morgue, and ordering thousands of body bags. I knew something bad had happened. Spent the rest of the day in the truck, listening to the radio.

If I had not been on vacation that morning, I would have been on business at the Federal court house in NYC, very close to the site of the attack. First time back in the city after my vacation, it was very disheartening to see that big gap in the sky line where the twin towers had stood...

Larry

 

[Bahamaroot]

In bed. I worked nights back then.

 

[Old TexMex]

Having coffee, watching a morning news show. Saw the whole thing on the tube.

 

[P&R Fan]

I remember it well.
I had just gotten home after taking the kids to school when my Mom called and told me to turn on the TV. Watched in horror as the buildings fell.
I remember a magazine which I had set next to the TV. I subscribed to National Review back then. It was the 17 September issue. (They always come out early). In the front they have a Newsmakers column. The Rev. Al Sharpton was quoted as saying since the Cold War was over there was now no threat the American security.
Yeah, he nailed that one.
I went and got the M1 Carbine out of the safe and put it in a bedroom closet. Since then there has not been a day I didn't carry.
Jim

 

[OMCHamlin]

I was on the USS Emory S Land, pulling into Gaeta, Italy to tend the USS LaSalle, the Med flagship that was home ported there. We took the brow back up and headed back out to sea.

 

[Aden67]

I was teaching an undergraduate CJ class at Temple University in Philly...finished class and found out what was happening. I was to have some other meetings...but I got the heck out of Philly...as many of the taller buidlings in the city were being evacuated.

 

[Engineer1911]

I was cutting grass in the Church ditch with a weed eater. Our Church is a corner lot so the job takes all morning. The ground has a short steep slope that only a weed eater can handle.

Second Shift at work was filled with angry people that night at Club Car. My people still made their production numbers.

 

[whitestang]

It was my day off and I was painting the garage when my then wife called as she was at work and told me to turn on the TV. I received a call from work that I was on stand-by until further notice. At the time I was a Lieutenant and Shift Commander at a Nuclear Power Plant. I will not forget that day and the things that occurred. The following year my son went into the Army and later did two tours in Iraq.

 

[S. Hammer]

Supervising a patrol squad in central Florida. Found out when I walked into Ice Cold Auto Air to get my speedometer calibrated.

 

[Brian41]

I was at work when someone in receiving told us a plane had hit the first tower. Thinking a Cessna or something hit it by accident we went to the break room to see the TV. Soon the second plane hit and I told my buddy I bet Bin Laden is behind this. He said who is that? We all learned much about him after that.
I saw the country rally soon after but that seemed short lived too and too bad. Not been the same since I'm afraid.

 

[The Big D]

In my living room.

Was standing around, literally, finishing a cup of coffee before heading to work for a day of meetings when my cell phone buzzed. Was a pal who worked on Wall Street who said 'where are you?' (The first plane had just hit.) After telling him he said you best get your lazy arse to work and turn your radio on. Details followed; I turned on the teevee for a quick peek, saw the NYC weather, and knew it was not an accident.

By now my Blackberry and radio were updating constantly. Whilst I was inbound in my g-ride I could see the smoke from the Pentagon. Several long days and nights followed...as they did for every LEO and first responder in all the affected areas...and just about every other city in the U.S.

Be safe.

 

[DWalt]

I was driving to my dentist's office that morning and heard about the first building collision on the car radio. No details then, but it seemed very strange. When I left the dentist's office to go to work, of course the second plane had hit the second building. I worked at Randolph AFB, so I called my boss. He told me to not try to come into work, as the base was sealed and I wouldn't be able to get in. So I went home to watch events unfold on TV.

 

[sheepdawg]

I was on vacation that week and I was painting the house. My wife's vacation was scheduled for the same week but somehow her job got her to put it off for a month. I was really mad about that and told her just to quit. Turns out if she would have we would have been at Mt. Rushmore that day.