September 11th...Nine Years Ago Today

[QM]

September 11 ~ May we all remember it in some way today, so we never forget.

As we remember one of the most horrific/memorable days ever, what are some of your memories of September 11, 2001?

I'll start...
I was sitting at my desk at work when people went rushing past me with panicked looks on their faces. That was when I heard the news of the first plane. I can vividly remember the horror of hearing about a second plane. It was so hard to believe it all was happening... That evening I watched the news for so long. Every channel was showing the 'event' of the day. So sad and scary.

[hotprincesscm]

I heard about it on the radio on my way to the grocery store. I had a toddler at the time and pregnant with my second child...we had been watching Nickelodeon all morning so didn't hear about it on the tv....On my way to the store(around 9 am) it was on the radio...I thought it was a joke at first...because the radio station that I was listening too...had been known for doing that to thier listeners early in the morning to get everyone all stirred up..but then..after a few minutes I realized it was real...So I finished my grocery shopping went home and turned the tv on...and was in shock for the whole day...thinking that my poor babies are going to be growing up in such a horrible world! I will never forget!

[LeeCee]

my son had left for school and I went back to lay down because I wasn't feeling well. my mother called me and told me to go put on the tv.we both watched, me in florida she in new york as the second plane hit.we knew then is was intentional.I will never forget those poor people jumping out of windows. someone said to me I bet you're happy you aren't in ny anymore and I said I never wished I were in ny more than now.

[cab54]

At home......got hubby and teens off to school.......NEVER normally took my coffee and went and sat and turned on the TV, but did that day.........

Immediately saw the burning tower (the first), and thought, OMG all those people!....by the time the second tower was hit, just like everyone else, knew it was intentional........Horror.....thought first of my kids at school...how many cities were they going to hit?......more horror....

Then began to see something dropping form the buildings that looked like maybe debris?......NO, IT'S PEOPLE!!.......more horror...I had to look away.......called DH at work.....OMG do you see wat's happening?...."we're listening on a radio"....OMG, it's horrendous!.....

OMG. Later, they showed people in .....Afghanistan?... dancing and laughing in the streets. I was sick.

[Missy]

I saw it on tv and I kept waiting thinking any second the images would stop and a news reporter would explain it was all part of a movie being filmed. But they never did. Then the second plane hit and I called hubby. I couldn't do anytihg but cry when I saw the people flinging themselves from the windows. And the people walking away, dazed and stunned and covered in ash. Images I won't ever forget.

[Jamielane]

I just relayed the story to my kids and one of their friends. The two youngest dont remember as they were only 2 but my oldest remembers a little. She was in 1st grade. My friend and I took our oldest kids to school and went to do errands which included Walmart. We went in were doing our stuff when we walked past the electronics dept. and alot of workers were huddled around the tvs crying. I asked what was going on and when they told us we were under attack we got outta there . Came home called the school and the secretary said they were on lockdown but would let parents in still at this point . No promises of when that would change though and if I wanted her then I should come and get her. My friends husband went and got all the kids and brought them home. The kids took naps blissfully unaware and I watched the news and cried . Watched for days and cried and actually. I still can't watch it without crying the whole time. Dont know if I ever will. Its interesting to hear the kids talk about it because this is the only world they have ever known and I struggle to explain to them what it was like before 9/11. It has always been their reality.

[Russ]

I watched it over and over... I became addicted to the news, I got so addicted it started affecting me. After a week of watching, I turned the TV OFF for 2 weeks.

Horrible horrible tragedy. I can not watch the "re-runs" of it to this day and I will not be watching TV at all today.

[Luckybustert]

I watched it over and over... I became addicted to the news, I got so addicted it started affecting me. After a week of watching, I turned the TV OFF for 2 weeks.

Horrible horrible tragedy. I can not watch the "re-runs" of it to this day and I will not be watching TV at all today.

I did the same thing.....watching it over and over, addicted to the news....it was like I was walking around in a daze, just in shock, for a time afterwards. I still cry when I think about it and particularly when I remember the pictures of the people who were at the windows on the top floors....horrible, horrible tragedy.

[QM]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oOW-1OwtCA]YouTube - I Believe - A 9/11 Tribute[/ame]

[Missourimom]

I remember so clearly it's like it happened yesterday. I was in the kitchen and my husband called out from the living room, "hey honey, some idiot hit one of the towers with his plane." I came in and was watching it with him when we saw the next plane hit a building. Both our hearts sank and we immediately knew it was a terrorist attack. My baby was only 9 months old and I ran to grab her, just to hold her. I didn't understand at the time what was happening or what was going to happen to our country.

[many houseapes]

I was 6 months pregnant w/Lindsey. I was helping one of our children with their Grammar class. Dh called me from work & told me that a plane had struck one of the Twin Towers....without hesitating, I told him "It has to be terrorists". Dh called me a few minutes later and said "I think you're right b/c another plane just slammed the other tower". At the time, we had cable & watched the reports...... I was astonished to see how this brought out my children's character as I had never seen .......my oldest boys were 15 & 16 - they wanted to join the service right away to defend their country....the older 3 girls wanted to donate blood......there was later a toy drive for the children that had lost their parents - all of my children rounded up what they could & we took it down for the donation to be sent to New York.
I too saw the other side laughing & dancing in the street...it made my blood boil - it was sickening.

[Rhayne]

I was still in bed when the phone rang. It was a friend that I was not speaking to telling my answering machine about the first plane. I got up to listen to the machine and realized what she was saying. I turned the tv on in time to watch the second plane. I called her back and we discussed where the towers our friend worked. I hung up and tried his cell and pager with no answer. After that day ended and serveral more days turned into weeks we realized he was gone. I went to his memorial service in Oct 2001 and then in August 2002 they "found him" or least some part of him for his parents to bury. I'll never forget. I lost someone who was like a brother to me.

[IntlMom]

I took my youngest son to preschool and then stopped to get gas. While at the gas station, I saw the news reports of the first tower being hit. I wasn't really thinking terroists at that point. Then I took my other son with me to WalMart to shop and get the car serviced. I noticed tons of ppl in the electronics dept huddled around the TVs..."I knew" at that point what was going on. I stood there with all there other ppl watching, getting sicker and sicker as the morning progressed.

[cashcow]

I was just about to leave for my morning walk in the Pacific Northwest, when my DH yelled at me to come downstairs and watch the news. His voice was filled with a terror that I haven't heard before or since. We saw the plane hit the second tower and knew for certain that we were under attack. Just two weeks earlier, we had taken our then 18 year-old DD to school at NYU. Her dorm was just twenty blocks north of the towers. Immediately, we called her, waking her and her suite mates up. She was very confused, thinking that it was still night as it was totally dark outside. Then she smelled the smoke and we could hear her roommates exclaiming over all of the people who were running up the streets, covered in dirt and soot. After talking with her, we were glued to the TV set for the rest of the day and were very worried because we couldn't get through to DD again until the next day when she called us crying because of the smoke and heat making it difficult to breathe inside her dorm room. For weeks, she walked to classes with a bandana tied over her face to avoid inhaling the stench of all that had burned.

The rest of that fall, I obsessively watched cable news and followed every terrorist alert, warning, etc. Our DD still lives in New York today and loves it. NYU did a fabulous job of comforting and protecting their students, and the people of New York were extremely kind and helpful. I absolutely LOVE THAT CITY!!

DD learned the true meaning of community during that time.

[sinopa27]

well, I am originally from nyc. I lost 5 (family and friends). 4 in the Twin Towers and 1 at the Pentagon. I was preparing for school. My husband is also from nyc. He had just got home from work. I turned the channel to see the news. There was the 1st tower burning. I said, "look babe...another movie with new yorkers screaming. Yeah...another "attack" on the twin towers. What's the name of this movie?" Well.....it wasn't a movie when I saw that second tower. I couldn't believe it. I was like, "what floor does Frankie work on?" My fv family.....direct hit. I wonder if he saw it coming. I wonder what his last thoughts were. So many questions. And then trying to get in touch with family was horrible. I kept watching. My brother....undercover Narc was in the area. Debris or something knocked him out. He got to a hospital somehow....who knows how. I'm sure a brave rescue worker. I couldn't find him for 2 weeks. I was a basket case. I couldn't get a flight to nyc. I couldn't get to nyc. That's all I can say now........