I was working third shift at the PD and had not been home very long when my Mom called. I didn’t have cable tv and was just sitting on the couch winding down. My Mom was crying and kept trying to tell me what was going on in NY. I couldn’t quite understand what she was telling me so I turned on a talk radio station I always listened to. I was mesmerized by the radio narrating in real time what was happening in NY. Then my pager went off with a message to be on standby until further notice. I never went to sleep that day while I stayed glued to the radio and then went to work early. We all sat in the squad room silently watching the television until our shift started. Everyone had the feeling that everything changed, that nothing in this country will be the same. On a side note my family is originally from New York and I still had extended family living there at the time. My cousin worked in one of the towers and went missing for 12 hours. He was running late for work that day and was on the way when the first plane hit. It took him 12 hours to make his way back home.
ETA: I went to NYC last year to visit family, my first time back in the city in 30+ years. We walked over the Brooklyn Bridge to the 09/11 Memorial. Looking at the size of it and the names around it was very sobering.
Across the river in Newark on the 5th floor of the Architecture school building at NJIT. We all went up to the 7th floor to get a clearer view and we were told that classes were canceled.
At work of course. I remember thinking some retard with a shit box Cessna smacked the trade center. Inconceivable that it was a real airplane at first.
I was Teaching High School so yeah I remember, that was a short career.
I had been in the Military in May, retired and was Teaching Algebra. Tried to get in the Army that night, no dice,I got on as a Mechanic rebuilding Tanks on Fort Hood the next week.
College. We were on a road trip for a frat brother’s 21st before starting fall quarter, scheduled to return to Seattle from PDX that day.
Literally wakeup call from Hell. I-5 might as well have been closed trying to get past the bases, so we looped around and bypassed via old Forest Service roads.
In the field (Camp Pendleton CA), with my platoon, 1st Plt India Company 3rd Battalion 5th Marines. We were OPFOR for Lima Company, was conducting a helo-assault onto our “terrorist encampment”. Around 0800, our Company Gunny rolled up with several 7-tons, ordered us to break down the encampment, and head back to the 62 area (San Mateo). There were numerous sections of Cobras and F/A-18s, fully armed, conducting orbits over the entire base, which was unusual… we still had zero idea what had occurred (no cell phones etc). We passed through several VCPs, all of which were manned by armed Marines, with M240G’s oriented down Basilone Road. Once we finally got back to the barracks, we were able to see the images on our squad bay tv set. From there on, 3/5 was at war.
Was working night shift 7P-7A at the hospital, and was working the next night too (the 11th). Had gotten home from work after eating a bite on the way, used the bathroom, and went to bed. I used to get up and work out in the afternoon so I didn’t dally. Wife came home a bit later and went to bed. I wake up at like 3PM and the message light was flashing on our land-line phone (turned the ringer down when I was sleeping). There were like 9 different messages, from my dad, in-laws, even my brother. All basically asked if I had seen what was happening and to turn on the TV. I turned on the TV and there it was.
Wife got up and I told her. She says “Oh yeah, I saw something about that right before I went to bed.” I was like WTF!!! “You didn’t wake me up?” Apparently only one plane had hit by the time she turned in for the day so she didn’t think anything of it (yeah, I know). Guess in hindsight I’m glad she didn’t wake me up because I had to work that night also and would have never been able to go back to sleep.
In my previous life (prior to becoming an academic egghead) I worked in retail. So, my day started a bit later than most folks. When my clock radio went off - tuned to a rock station - the news guy announced that a plane had hit the WTC. I went in and turned on the TV and saw the smoke pouring out of the building while the commentators were trying to figure out what was going on.
I was watching this when the second plane suddenly appeared and plowed into the South tower. I knew at that point this was deliberate. One plane might somehow have a weird accident, but two? No way Jose.
I then called one of my best friends. He worked nights so I knew he would probably be in bed asleep. Sure enough, I woke him and he was annoyed at that of course. I told him that New York was under attack - that someone was flying planes into the WTC. That woke him up instantly. I predicted that someone was going to get iron bombs dropped on them in response.
Showered and headed towards work - the store opened at 10:00 AM Central time. Had the car radio on of course. I think this is when I heard about the Pentagon being hit - the timeline posted online kind of supports that - to be honest it is all a bit hazy and knowing the facts now might have blurred my memory. But I do remember that the flood of news involved waiting for the other shoe to drop.
When I got to work almost everyone was in the TV department, watching the coverage.
The store was not open long. They closed down the mall and sent everyone home.
Obviously, we were all upset, but after years of reading military history, I was holding up pretty well - lots of familiarity with atrocities and death. I didn’t really get emotional until the next day when the British did the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace, and the band played The Star-Spangled Banner. I got pretty emotional then.
Sometime after that - maybe a few days, a couple of weeks - I found an American flag sticker at the auto parts house and put one on the rear window of my car. Somehow, it seemed to be the least I could do. But I was certain that our armed forces would be able to do something a lot more substantial.
Who knew that 7 years later the U.S. would elect a hate America muslim to the WH and 24 years later NYC would elect a communist muslim who rubs elbows with terrorist supporters to be mayor?
I have never really believed that BHO was a Muslim - but he is definitely a Muslim sympathizer. This is consistent with his Marxist world view that there are two groups - oppressors and the oppressed. Since White Europeans are always the oppressors, the non-white Muslims are automatically an oppressed minority that deserves leftist respect.
Your comments about Mamdani are spot on target. It is mind-boggling that actual normal Americans sat on their butts and let the immigrant population and the Marxists select the mayor.
I was doing a job insulating refrigerant pipe at a new grocery store in the small town of Ste. Genevieve, MO. I noticed everyone had gathered around a radio and it wasn’t break time, so I went over there and asked what was going on. The first plane had hit. It wasn’t obvious that it was terrorism then, seemed to be an aviation accident. It wasn’t long before it was obvious what it was.
I finished my day and filled up my work truck at the first station I saw. The farther I got from the job and closer to home in So. IL the gas station lines got longer and the prices got higher. Stations were already raising their prices! I remember a few got prosecuted for it.
The thing that sticks with me from that day is that for a few minutes I was so happy that my children weren’t anywhere near that and were safe. Then I felt guilty because I was the lucky one and thought of all the people who weren’t and all their suffering and grief.
A little late to this post, but I was in ORD - Chicago-Ohare airport watching this go down. I got on my cell phone and called Avis and reserved a car. Just figured that flights were going to be locked down and they were. And yeah I was gobsmacked. I got out of the airport and drove to the project I was working on, extended my hotel because I wasn’t sure we’d be flying by then. And then I went to the bar and drank. A lot.
On that day I was teaching middle school in Sarasota, FL. The president was reading to children at a nearby school. We watched the towers on the TV and kids were asking me if we were going to war. I asked them back; who do we fight? At that point we didn’t know. The kids were scared and I was trying to calm them down. Later I called friends who I knew worked in NYC and fortunately they were not in the WTC. A short time later I moved to Texas were I joined the Texas State Guard. Our job was to secure the home front and respond to natural and “man caused” disasters while the front line troops went overseas. Even though I wasn’t confronting terrorists I felt like I was helping in some meaningful way.
