September 11,2001: How did you first hear about it?

[GODDESS6]

i was watching the TODAY show, & saw when the first plane hit~ then i don't think i left the news for at least a week~

offutt airforce base in bellevue, ne, is one of the places pres. bush was taken on that day, which is a mile from me~ his plane flew slowly flanked by fighter planes over my backyard~ was quite a site to see~

[LukeA]

I had just moved to Chicago a month prior.. living in a 30 story apartment building a few blocks away from the then-named Sears Tower..

My then-girlfriend called me and woke me up at approximately (going by memory) 9AM Central to tell me what was going on. I turned the TV on, and immediately called my mother, who's in Arizona- who also had no clue until I filled her in. I clearly remember watching ABC's coverage on mute as Tower 1 collapsed- I thought at the time it was the other Tower on tape delay, but realized later I had witnessed it live.

I remember being very concerned and uncertain while that extra hijacked plane was in the air, as it was widely speculated that the Sears Tower was a likely target. Who knows if it ever was.. but it was still enough for me to be shaken. I'm a pretty independent, strong willed person... but when this happened- well, I was 19, and on my own for the first time. Pretty jarring.

That Friday, I read about a non-denominational (non-religious, really) gathering at Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, which was set up by Jesse Jackson. I took a walk down to the park for the event, and I found the communal atmosphere to be comforting. One person spoke- without a microphone- this was all informal, even though there were a couple thousand people there- before Jesse appeared. I don't remember what he said exactly, but I remember it being very thoughtful and heartfelt- it stuck with me. I learned shortly afterwards that this person was, in fact, our State Senator, Barack Obama.

I later learned that a handful (forgive me for not remembering the exact number) of firefighters from my hometown's (Holbrook, NY) fire department died that day- the memorial is at the entrance to my old subdivision, as all but one lived there. This day- the day I went back to Holbrook for the first time since- was also the same day that Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinals/Arizona State Sun Devil football athlete (who gave up his successful career & multimillion dollar paycheck to fight in this war) was needlessly killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. The same Pat Tillman I had met years before, who made a profound impact upon me (which is a whole other post, really). Make no mistake- he was NOT a meathead, dumbass, war hawk Republican jock looking for blood out of some form of blind patriotism- he had genuine reasons, a genuine belief, and an implicit trust in our country & its leaders. Its a human tragedy that I'll forever be trying to come to terms with.

All of it.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by LukeA

I later learned that a handful (forgive me for not remembering the exact number) of firefighters from my hometown's (Holbrook, NY) fire department died that day- the memorial is at the entrance to my old subdivision, as all but one lived there.

Holbrook is less than a mile from me.
Remember that playground on Church Street?
I used to play there all the time when I was a little kid.

____________________________________________________

This is sort of a "side detail" but I remember very clearly that that evening, Tom Brokaw had announced that a van full of explosives had been stopped while attempting to cross a bridge into New York. Later on, they announced that the report was "erroneous." I personally have very little doubt that it was for real and they threw them in the drink.

Another thing I think was forgotten about was that after they grounded all the planes in the U.S., several jets were found with boxcutter knives either in the trash or under the seats. The attack, as planned, was actually much more widespread. It could have been much worse. And the people who were on those planes with those boxcutter knives are still out there, without any justice at all headed their way.

But I can never help thinking about this "strategically," also. They attacked the financial center, the military center, and they tried to attack the political center. That can't be tolerated, it just can't.

[LukeA]

Originally Posted by Ghost_Tracker

Holbrook is less than a mile from me.
Remember that playground on Church Street?
I used to play there all the time when I was a little kid.

Are you kidding? Wow.

I honestly can't recall that playground, unfortunately... although I have plenty of memories of Sun-Vet Mall, right off Church (and I do recall the big yard at Lincoln & Church- my grandparents lived right off Lincoln). I lived on Springmeadow Drive (the memorial I speak of is at the intersection of Springmeadow & P-H Highway)

Please PM me- now I'm curious if we know each other somehow

[nailatixela]

I was just in 4th grade when it happened. During the morning we were told that there was a "small plane crash" in NY so we were all going home. Well, we were all super excited. I remember that the overall thought of all of us was that we are sorry for that small plane, but it's not a big deal so I'm glad we get to leave school early!

My grandpa picked me up and took me back to my house where my mom and grandma already were. My mom stayed home that today because my brother, who was in preschool, was sick. When I got in the car my grandpa was quiet, which is unlike him. I was all excited to get to go home. When I got home and saw what was on the news it was obiously a different story then what I was told. I remember seeing that it was much more serious. But what I really remember was being angry at how the school lied to us, because I felt really guility about being happy I got to go home that day.

I changed schools next year, on my own will.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by nailatixela

I was just in 4th grade when it happened.....But what I really remember was being angry at how the school lied to us, because I felt really guility about being happy I got to go home that day.

I changed schools next year, on my own will.

Huge, huge kudos to you, for doing that.

[FMlex]

I was an eleven year old, at school like any other typical morning.

I guess I was in 6th grade. I remember being in class and the teachers got an e-mail about it from the principal. Of course all the televisions were turned on throughout the school. It was very quiet and there was a sort of bond among all of us that day and the days afterward.

Kids' moms and dads were picking them up early from school and everything.
Really sad. Something we will never forget.

I say we go back to September 12th. The nation we were the day after the attacks. We were all united, no matter what party.
That's what we need to get back to.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by LukeA

Are you kidding? Wow.

I honestly can't recall that playground, unfortunately... although I have plenty of memories of Sun-Vet Mall, right off Church (and I do recall the big yard at Lincoln & Church- my grandparents lived right off Lincoln). I lived on Springmeadow Drive (the memorial I speak of is at the intersection of Springmeadow & P-H Highway)

Please PM me- now I'm curious if we know each other somehow

Yeah we used to ride our bikes to the Sun Vet Mall all the time!
Only reason I go up there these days is to go to Blockbusters.
Patchogue 13 is outta business, by the way - They "took a look at
the numbers" and decided to turn it into condos - they always had
way too much parking space that wasn't needed. So they figured they
could make more money that way, especially with the huge multiplexes
being more popular these days.

[bucklind17]

I was a sophomore in college. I had an 8:00am class that day, followed by a 9:30am class. I remember the professor of my 9:30 class walking into the room and announcing that the plane had flown into the building and that the first tower had collapsed. We all just stared at him. The guy was kind of a jerk and it was a media communications class, so for all we knew, he was testing us to see our reaction and was then going to ask us how such a tragedy would be handled in the media. Obviously, he wasn't. He didn't keep us. My class was in the communications building and someone had put a television in the hallway and most of my class, and a number of others, were huddled around it, watching the second tower until it collapsed. After that, I went back to my apartment, remembering on my way that one of my housemate's father worked in the WTC. She was the only other person home when I got there. Her dad wasn't there that day, he was in his company's other office by chance.

I went to school at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. Right on the Hudson River. The planes flew right over my school on their way to the city. Being semi-upstate, we had a lot of kids from Long Island, New Jersey and the city at our school, many of whom lost friends and relatives. I still remember the mood of the school immediately following the attacks. I remember the memorial service in the chapel being so crowded that the majority of students who attended were out on the lawn in front, listening through loudspeakers. I remember going to the city again for the first time, two weeks later and seeing the musical 42nd Street and the large American flag they incorporated into the finale and how important it was to me to be in the city so soon.

I didn't grow up in New York City but I frequented it throughout my childhood and college. I've lived here for the past five years. It's very much a part of who I am and I feel proud to be a New Yorker every day. Eight years have passed, but it never is forgotten.