Where were you when you first heard about what happened on 9/11?

[Matt Williams]

It's hard to believe, but we are almost 5 years away from that day...

I was working at Home Depot at the time. My buddy Dave came up to me and said "A plane hit the WTC.". My first thought was Osama and terrorists. But he told me it was a small plane.(Which was the thinking at first). We were all joking about it at work. We thought some drunk guy hit a tower by accident in a small biplane. Then, about 10 mins. later, I heard the 2nd tower was hit. At this point I knew it was OBL. I called my sister up and we talk about it for 10 mins. She said she heard the plane go over her house. She went outside because it was so loud. Then she said, "You know the towers will collaspe soon.". I said "No way, they are too strong.". I went back to work but no one was working. No one was in the store. Then I hear the Pentagon was hit. My sister in PA works for the CIA. I was like, "F=this, I'm out of here." I left and went home. On the way home, I noticed a woman crying unconsoleably in her car at red light. I went home and put the TV on. About 5 mins. later, I am on the phone w/ my sister again and the 2nd tower falls. I yell "Holy shoot, they are DEAD.". But I thought only 1 tower fell. I ask what happened to the other one and my sister tells my it collasped about a half hour ago. At this point I realise the WTC is gone. At this point, I wonder how many I know have died in the building. Then I hear the State Department was bombed (which proved to be false), and that 8 planes are unaccounted for. Then I hear that a plane crashed in PA. I leave my house to go to my sister's and as soon as I got near Parsippany on Rt 80, cars were pulled over, people were crying, and you could see the smoke from Manhattan. Honestly, it looked like a Volcano erupted. Now keep in mind, Parsippany is still about 40 miles or so west of NYC. The DOT sign on 80 said ALL ROADS TO NYC CLOSED, GOD BLESS AMERICA. Then at my sisters house, we finally got in touch with my brother in Seattle. He was still sleeping. The first thing my sister tells him is that the towers are gone. He's watching TV and couldn't comprehend that the WTC was gone. Now my brother is working for the Cassini Sattlelite (he's an astrophysicist). So for him to be confused spoke VOLUMNS to me.
Also, my father was a Firefighter from Brooklyn. He died when I was 8 months old. CNN said around noontime that 1,000 firefighters were unaccounted for and my sister lost it. She was about 10 when my father died so she knew what the families were going through. As it was, I had 3 cousins who were firefighters and they all were in the WTC. Unbelievably, all 3 got out. One of the cousins was getting married on the Saturday 4 days later, but the wedding was postponed. My aunt heard from him on the afternoon of the 11th saying he was OK along with my 2 other cousins. All 3 weren't heard from again for 5 days. Eddie tells me he got about 3 hours of sleep that week. I believe him.
To me, the biggest suprise that day was the media explaining OBL and the Taliban. I don't follow politics a lot, but even I knew who OBL was. My surprise was how on that day people were asking "Who would do such a thing?". I guess ignorance is bliss.

Ironically, I didn't know anyone that died that day. But I know about 30 or 40 people that knew someone that had died. My brother's best friend had breakfast at the restaurant on top on the 10th and was in the lobby when the first plane hit. He got out OK. One of my co-workers sons was 2 blocks away when the 1st plane hit.
The thing that made me aware that most Americans had been de-sensitalized was that my brother in Seattle told me that it wasn't even the major news story about 2 or 3 weeks later. The fact is, there were obituaries for over a YEAR in the NYC/NJ papers; but elsewhere it wasn't major news. This really worries me. It is only a matter of time before Chicago, LA or San Fran. is hit.

[UATrewqaz]

This was during college for me. I was in bed asleep and getting up to go to class. I rarely turned the tv on before heading out but for some reason I did and it was on a news channel fromt he night before and I saw all the smoke from teh building (this was like after the first plane, but before the 2nd).

I thought it was just a big fire and they said a plane hit it and I was like "Whoa, weird" then I went to the bathroom and came back and the 2nd plane had hit it, and then shortly after they got word about the Pentagon and there were initial reports of like 12 other planes or something crazy like that unaccounted for and of course I began waking up my roommates and crap at that point.

Then the buildings fell and I went to class and the teacher just sent us home.

[cambraceres]

I had just left health class at uni, and a friend ran up and told me that the WTC had somehow exploded. We all went to the nearest TV, the streets outside school were frozen, the cops actually imposed defacto marshall law here for a few hours. We were so confused that I had heard the city of New York had brought the towers down themselves, for safety.

I was walking with a good friend of mine from Turkey later that day, and all I could think about was how I'd be fighting with some redneck as soon as they saw him, but nothing happened and I was sure glad.

Cam

[Paul B.]

I was in school about 3 blocks away.

[Villainaire]

I was skipping school at Best Buy in the checkout line purchasing Jay-Z's "The Blueprint," and Fabolous's "Ghetto Fabolous".

Went back to school and everyone was talking that Osama Bin Laden [censored] and how we should blow up every other country.

I'm like STFU.

[cambraceres]

[ QUOTE ]
I was in school about 3 blocks away.

[/ QUOTE ]

Could you maybe elaborate for those of us nowhere around?

If you don't want to then ignore me and move on [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

Cam

[UATrewqaz]

Thank god for caring compassionate people like you.

(spineless, weak willed, good for nothing American hating liberals I mean)

I question the loyalty and patriotism of ANY American who's first instinct was not "Let's go F somebody up for this"

[Schwartzy61]

I was just waking up and the whole thing had already happenend. I didn't know it happened and had an E-mail saying class was canceled because of the tragedy. I was like what tragedy? So I turned on the news and was like oh [censored], WTF? And then proceeded to watch the news coverage for awhile. then I had to walk to my next class which wasn't canceled. But when I got there it was canceled. So I walked back to my dorm and proceeded to watch more news coverage.

[molokoman]

I was masterbating quite a bit to the fashion channel. They were having runway week and hot models runwaying in transparent clothing was the norm. I woke early for intermediate microeconomics hoping to rub one out before class. Turning on the travel channel I was suprised by news coverage. I caught coverage just in time to see the second tower fall. It's one of two times i cried in the past 6 years. The other being my grandmothers death.

[Caldarooni]

Teaching high school in Queens.