SEPTEMBER 11th

[kirka127]

I got up and turned on the T.V. just after the first tower was hit. At first I thought it was just an accident. When the second tower was hit I thought to myself there is no way 2 planes could accidentally crash in to both of the towers. I was worried because I knew my Dad worked near the towers and took the PATH train into the city from N.J. and he got off at the station under the towers. I spent ALL DAY trying to call him and got a busy signal all day. I finally got a hold of him around 11 at night. It took him hours to get home. He saw both towers crumble. My father was not sure if he wanted to work in N.Y.C. after that. He lost some friends and business associates on that day.
Kirk

 

[N467RX]

I was in school back in Mexico, at lunch time we all gathered in the cafeteria where they had a TV and were broadcasting it. Some people said it was WWIII because the White House and Capitol had been evacuated and Bush was on a wheelchair (Bush wasn't even there anyways). We spent the rest of the day watching the TV on the classrooms, then got home to continue to watch TV.

 

[chrismol1]

I was in school on that day, they stopped teaching for that day and canceled everything, a TV was in every class and we watched and listened to the news reporters. it was just an amazing day, nothing but the same thing run over the TV over and over and over, I dont think anyone really got back on their feed until a few days after, everyone in this country, the United States of America, was shocked.
But now where in Iraq on terrorist hunt down.
it was something that hit everyone, because it could be anyone of us or families, thats where it really hit

 

[btritch]

I was in school on that day, they stopped teaching for that day and canceled everything, a TV was in every class and we watched and listened to the news reporters.

Same here..I was in history class, one of the other teachers stuck his head in the door and said to turn the tv on, We were now officially at war...That was the last thing said all day as everyone watched in shock!

 

[Mike_G_D]

Sept. 11th.

I was getting ready for work. Had the TV on watching the news as usual; saw the first tower in flames initially. As others have stated, I too, thought that it must be some kind of accident. Then, as a reporter on the scene (on the TV, obviously) was interviewing a bystander I saw over the reporter's shoulder the second plane heading right for the other tower...and the result, of course.

On the train to work nearly everyone was on their cell phones trying to get a hold of a relative or friend living in the affected areas, with, as you might imagine, limited to little success.

At work in the break room I ran into one of the engineers who hails from Israel - in that industry there are a lot of them and, as I understand it, they have some kind of mutual agreement with the US government (I think) which allows them relatively easy access to work visas and such to allow working in the US. Anyway, he wasn't aware of what was going on until I told him what I knew at the time. His response was something to the effect of "It's Hamass!! It's Hamass!! I know it! It has to be!" (sorry if I misspelled Hamass). He got very excited and quickly left the room.

I later found out that one of our higher up folks was in NY and supposed to be in a meeting in one of the towers. Apparently, he got waylaid somehow (traffic...?, I'm not sure, can't remember) and didn't make it in time - to his actual benefit, of course!

Needless to say, it was rather difficult to focus on work the rest of the day!

-Mike

 

[elk2370bruce]

There are a number of us here who were directly involved in the response and would welcome the obliteration of memories of what we saw and heard. Those who would like to visit that day and have a vicarious listening experience may do so. I'll pass on this one.

 

[rabidmoose57]

Crying.

I was monitoring the scanners that morning, no tv or radio on. I first heard of what was going on when our local police dispatcher came over the air crying, and requesting that the assistant chief report to the comm center. To hear a vetran dispatcher that shook up was sobering. Later that day I remember a call at a local store of two people fighting over milk because supplies were running low and a rumor of martial law was all over town. Never want to see anything like that again.

 

[andy404ns]

I was in history class when a teacher came in and confirmed that a plane had hit one of the towers. I thought it was a piper or something small so I didn't think much of it at that time. Shortly after that we went into another room to watch the news and saw both towers were on fire. That was probably one of the scariest things I had seen. I watched the first tower come down and it just seemed unreal. All I saw was dust for a while and when it cleared I saw only one tower standing, still on fire.

After that our school (northern CT) went on lockdown for some reason and we weren't allowed to go home. I went to the library and saw the second tower fall. When I got out of school I drove to my firehouse and watched the news with my fellow brothers and sisters. The next real memory I have of that is the solemn service we held in the firehouse with our chaplain doing his best to comfort us.

My heart goes out to everyone who lost someone that day and my thoughts and prayers are with all of our brothers and sisters protecting this great country both at home and abroad.

 

[Twister_2]

I was in school. One teacher was explaining to the other teacher what happened with her hands on the other side of the wall. That is all that I remember until I got home. Sad.

 

[RayAir]

I was going through primary training for my private pilot license at that time. I just remember tuning ATIS and hearing the recording saying "due to national emergency runways available for taxi only".

 

[rhicks6000]

I was at work when a coworker came in and told us what had happened. As I was going to work at my other job I remember see long lines at the gas stations and grocery stores.

 

[ibagli]

I don't remember all that much traffic in my area to do with it. What stands out much more in my mind is the anthrax the next month and all of the hoaxes and false alarms to do with that. There had to be at least 20 hazmat responses (all false in this area, thankfully) during that. As the number increased, the response slowly decreased from a full-on response with decontamination of everyone involved to a single hazmat unit checking it out to a regular investigation to just the police taking a report.

 

[talviar]

Can't remember the radio traffic from that day. . .
What I remember. . . .
Sometime just after 10 AM a call from Westmoreland County, PA 911 Advising that the hijacked plane (Flight 93) should be over Fayette County and to be alert.

Sometime just after that, Somerset County, PA 911 Called reporting it's headed our way and descending. . . Key staff under the mutual aid agreement with Somerset County EMA/911 started towards Somerset. . . .
Shortly after, the message came- - - Send everything, the plane hit the ground.

I remember pulling thru the Somerset Turnpike booth and one ham radio operator who was going thru the toll booth at the same time flagging me down asking if I had the directions and knew where I was going. (he wanted to make sure the help got there as quickly as possible)

I remember pulling in at Flight 93 Crash Site (11:30AM?) and seeing --NOTHING-- just some burnt trees and a small depression in the ground. Right after that I was too busy setting up a Command Post to remember much else.

Don't remember any of the radio traffic, remember scanning the various forces on the crash site for the three days I was at Flight 93 Crash Site, can't remember anything I monitored or who all I was able to monitor.

Sept 12 is a different story. While enroute to Shanksville for my shift, got banged out for a fuel truck over turned. (Two days in a row running foot locked to the floor boards running lights/siren traveling distances over 30 miles to get there)

Only thing I distinctly remember is how many people don't have a clue and can't get off their cell phone or turn their radio down long enough to pay attention to emergency vehicles and get out of the way.

Other person on list hit it on the head. Those of us that worked the various crash sites are trying to forget everything that ever happened. Everyone else doesn't want us to forget and wants to know everything we did/saw.

It's been seven years. Help us by letting us forget.
But also, never forget those that perished. . . .

Flight 93- - - - You will always be remembered as the real heroes of September 11, 2001-"Let's Roll"

Just my $1.95

Tony (EOC Staff and First Responder with Fayette County EMA/Hazmat)

 

[Jay911]

Those of us that worked the various crash sites are trying to forget everything that ever happened. Everyone else doesn't want us to forget and wants to know everything we did/saw.

I am a firefighter/EMT and 911 operator who was on duty in my 911 center on 9/11/01. With all due respect - and especially even more so in this case - the fact that you and the other poster were there, and did what you did, is in my opinion part of the reason we must remember this day forevermore. As a fellow responder, I know the hero label isn't something we like to get stuck on us, but those of you who faced the situation and got the job done against all odds (if you will excuse the melodramatic undertones of that statement) will be perennially held in the utmost respect by folks like me.

 

[hoser147]

I am a firefighter/EMT and 911 operator who was on duty in my 911 center on 9/11/01. With all due respect - and especially even more so in this case - the fact that you and the other poster were there, and did what you did, is in my opinion part of the reason we must remember this day forevermore. As a fellow responder, I know the hero label isn't something we like to get stuck on us, but those of you who faced the situation and got the job done against all odds (if you will excuse the melodramatic undertones of that statement) will be perennially held in the utmost respect by folks like me.

Very well Stated Jay...........

 

[FPOWLD]

Septmber 11, 2001

For those who lost their lives, and those who are still healing both physically and mentally.
Simply Said....I Will Never Forget.

 

[LEH]

I was at home this time on 09/11/01 putting together a briefing for a conference in DC the next day. I heard the word on the radio that a plane had crashed into one of the towers.

Immediately switched to the TV in time to watch the second plane hit.

I was going through some of my older 35mm pictures the other day. I found this one that I had nearly forgotten I had taken. This is from one of the ferry's going to the Statue of Liberty. I took it in 1988 or 89.

Let us remember what we lost and what we stand for.

 

[SAR923]

I was in San Francisco, watching the whole thing on TV, and thinking this was Pearl Harbor all over again. All of our off duty and reserve deputies were called back and worked 24 hours on/24 hours off for the next four days. My job was to go out with an AR-15, 10 mags of ammo, and sit on the dam in the middle of nowhere to wait for the hordes of terrorists that were supposed to attack. What stands out in my mind is that first night at the dam. Pitch black, all lights on the dame and substation had been extinguished and the closest city lights were 35 miles away. It was one of those rare clear, warm nights in the the North Bay. I can remember looking up at the sky and marveling for hours on end, seeing only stars and passing satellites. Both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. RIP to all the people who lost their lives in this senseless tragedy.

 

[rhalld38]

I was lying in bed watching I think it was "Good Morning America" and they broke away for a commercial and they came right back and just announced that one of the towers had just been hit by a plane. I thought at the time that it was an accident until the second plane hit. Then I remember a news reporter reporting from the Pentagon when he heard a loud explosion. I was called into work that day and worked alot of 12 hour shifts. RIP to all those that died on that terrible day and God bless all the family members who lost their love ones...We Will Never Forget.

 

[bob-the-scanner-man]

I was a lot younger then and still in elementary school. We were in portable classrooms and the rest of the school was in the main building while an expansion was being constructed. The admins used vhf radios to talk to the teachers in the portables and I remeber hearing the principal get on the radio and say something along the lines of, "All teachers, any teachers that have TVs on at this moment need to turn them off immediately." This was because they wanted us to find out about the attacks from our parents instead of off the TV. That day we did no work, the teachers left the classes and went to talk to loved ones or other teachers. When I got home my mom explained to me what happened and I was traumatized.

Even though Birmingham, AL wasn't at risk my dad(BPD officer) didn't get home until really late that night. He had to got to the airport to assist with all of the people from the flights that were forced to land here.


I will never forget.