Where Were You Five Years Ago?
On September 11, 2001 I was at work when I got a call from my wife that an airplane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. In my mind I was thinking “small aircraft,” like a single engine Cessna (perhaps a traffic scout). By the time I had pulled up the news via the internet, the second plane struck. It was then that I immediately knew that this was no accident.
The guy in the cubical across from me, Eric, had a small black and white television that he had brought in earlier in the year for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Within minutes both of our cubes were filled with co-workers. We watched the scene at the Pentagon, the reports of a fourth plane crashing in Pennsylvania and eventually saw the two towers collapse. By this time our company made the decision to shut down and sent everyone home.
I remember arriving home and wanting to get away from reality. I remember going for a very long bike ride up over Lookout Mountain and back around through Chattanooga Valley. I remember coming home and being glued to the news until late in the evening; and the next day, and the next and so on. I remember not wanting to be consumed, but feeling helpless against it.
Where were you on 9/11 and what do you remember?
As you, I was at work at the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, MD. We were in the QC area when ouyr Chief Technologist came through and said that an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center. We said, “Yeaf, right”. She said that they had it on tv at the very moment. We all piled out into the waiting area about the time the second plane hit. We couldn’t believe what happened, but knew it wasn’t an accident. When the Pentagon crash occured, the Clinical Center was locked down, with non-essential employees allowed to leave. I remember going to the 14th floor to the observation deck, and looking out, seeing the smoke billowing from the vicinity of the Pentagon. As an aside, the guy on flight 93 that said “Let’s Roll”? His parents belonged to our daughter church in Columbia, MD.
I was here at school in my library, when a teacher walked by and told me there was something strange happening–something about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I turned on the TV just after the second plane hit. A class of fourth-graders arrived, and they all wanted to watch the news. They watched and I listened until I heard students exclaiming that people were jumping from the buildings, at which point I made the decision that we had seen enough news for the day. I found myself crying, but the students didn’t really seem to grasp that this was all really happening. It was as though they were watching a movie.
Later, I had a student (whose uncle worked in the Pentagon) come to me for comfort. He was terrified. We prayed together for his uncle’s safety (he WAS safe), and I broke down into weeping again. We wept together–I don’t know how comforting that is to a child. It may be even more frightening to see adults so affected. But, how can we watch these kinds of things? How can we watch people die in real time and not be utterly devastated? I confess, I cannot.
Tim: Wow, that must have difficult stand there so close and watch in disbelief/shock/horror at what was happening. It was so incredibly sad just watching it on TV. Also, that man on United 93 was very brave. Thank you for sharing.
illolibro: Thank you, too. Even just thinking back to the coverage of people dying brings tears to my eyes…which is why I cannot fathom folks wanting to see things like the video of Croc Hunter (Steve Irwin) being stuck with a stingray barb.
I had found out the week earlier that I was pregnant with my second child and had not yet told anyone other than our immediate family. I had just dropped my son off at preschool and was helping the teachers fix some problems with the classroom computer when someone came in and told us that two planes had just hit the WTC. That just didn’t sit right and I was in disbelief. I called my office as I drove and learned that everyone was watching it all on a fuzzy screened tv outside of my office. We all sat there all day and then had a large prayer gathering in the next room and the room was packed out for prayer.
I remember going and filling up both cars with gas in case things got really bad and I remember being worried for my new baby and for my son. I have often felt that we are too comfortable in our lives and that we are not as untouchable as we would like to think.
I was at school – a freshman in high school. We just watched it on television for the whole day.
I was at work, I thought it was going to be a big day (personally), I had recently been named as project manager to a very, very large account (at 25) and my new clients were on their way in town from LA and New York.
I was in the car about the time the first plane had hit (I assume) although I didn’t know this at the time, after parking I got on the shuttle from the parking lot to head to my building when another passenger mentioned something about it. I assumed, like everbody that it was a small plane. By the time I got to my desk, somebody said another plane had hit the WTC. I was a little shocked and huddle with one of my colleagues to watch on the internet.
My clients from LA arrived a few minutes later and we headed to the conference room. Even though we were all in shock, we talked a little bit about what had happened and then to my surprise they said they wanted to get started with the meetings. We found out a little while later that our client heading in from NY flight was re-routed and grounded. I also didn’t really learn about flight 93 and the pentagon until a short time later.
Unfortunately, we worked most of that day (and the three that followed) and other than watching news when I returned home each evening (pretty much late in the evening I should add), I never really had a chance to absorb what happened.
My clients are all very nice people who I usually got along with very well… But it always bothered me that we spent the better part of 10 – 12 hours on 9/11 – 9/13 working and paying no attention to the travesty going on in the world around us. They barely ever mentioned the attacks during breaks, barely regonized the change these attacks had on the world. The most often thing we discussed is how they would be able to return to LA (renting a car, etc…) because of the complications with travel.
Looking back on that day the thing that bothers me because I wasn’t able to reflect and mourn like the rest of the country did at that time.
Leda: That’s right…until you mentioned that I had forgotten that it was only a month after 9/11 that our first child was born. I remember thinking for the longest time about what kind of world he was being born into.
Kyle: Your experience and illolibro’s reminds me of when the Challenger shuttle exploded shortly after takeoff. I was in junior high school at the time, and while we heard about it, we did not have the privilege of watching it on television. Do all schools have TV’s in the classrooms these days?
Felone: I am sorry to hear that, but am glad this gave you the opportunity to share (and perhaps get it off your chest). I understand that business has to go on, but to shove it aside so much that it is relegated to a travel inconvenience doesn’t seem right. It must have been hard for you to focus on the work, let alone keep yourself from asking your clients if they were un-American or something.