Can't believe it's been 9 years... What were you doing when you found out about the attacks?




I was working at Adobe at the time and 21 years old... Every day I'd wake up to my television (rigged my old TV to turn on at a certain time). I carpooled with some folks so I'd wake up REALLY early (5:30ish). I remember the TV came on and there was a bunch of hysteria about how an airplane crashed into the world trade center tower... I woke up immediately and was glued to the TV. About 5-6 mins after I started watching (live footage) there was a second plane that struck the second tower! At first I thought it was an accident of some sort but when the second plane hit I knew it was terrorism or something of that sort. I lived with my parents at the time (right before I moved out) and remember running into their room and waking them up and telling them that two commercial jetliners just crashed into BOTH WTC towers! They woke up really quickly and turned on the TV....

When my carpool friends came by at around 6:45am, I remember running out to the car with my PJ shorts still on and telling them what happened... At first they didn't believe it, but I had them come into the house to see the news. We were all at a loss of words... I remember the silence of all 8 of us standing in the living room of my parents house in utter silence just watching the events that unfolded. We decided that we had to hit the road since we had to get to work by 9am, and had to go to the gym for 30mins prior to work... As we're riding in the car we had it on a news station just listening to the events that were unfolding. When we finally got to the gym that morning (which is usually PACKED at that time of morning, at around 8am), NO ONE, and I mean NOOOO ONE was working out. Everyone was GLUED to the TV's that were broadcasting the event. It wasn't until then that the room went from silence to a very distinctive gasping/grunting sound... It was the moment when the first tower started to collapse. I remember people were crying and some couldn't even watch... Everyone got on their cell phones when the first tower collapsed, and of course shortly after the second tower came down. Everyone was like a ghost... Like a deer caught in a car's headlights in the pitch black. We didn't know what to do, we had never experienced such horror (especially seeing the people jump out of the buildings, that was the WORST thing for me... It's hard even thinking about it now)...

We left the gym shortly after we arrived, there's no way we could work out after seeing the WTC towers come down... We made it to Adobe (which is about a block from the gym) only to find all the security guards outside of the building blocking all entry to the building. Adobe is in the direct flight path of the San Jose airport and they shut the entire building down for 3 days until they could determine if it was safe to reopen.

One thing I forgot to mention was, on the way to and on the way back to work, the freeways were EMPTY, like as if you were driving at 3am on a Monday night... Usually the traffic was so bad that it would take around an hour to get from Fremont to San Jose, but on that day we got to work in less than 20mins. I'll never forget that day, not until the day I die. May those who lost their lives rest in peace, and those who lost loved ones be in our thoughts.



Sorry for the long post, I couldn't sum that up without leaving out all detail. What were you doing on Sept 11th, 2001 when you first heard about the attacks? (How did you hear? Where were you? Etc)

 

never forget.....

i was getting ready for work, and my wife and i watched as the first tower came down. i can remember it like it was yesterday......

josh

 

Thinking about that day still gives me chills. I was about to start my 3rd year of college. Was sleeping until my sister woke me up around 6am to tell me that they were blowing up NY. Watched it on TV for the next few hours. Surreal.

 

i was getting ready for school, i turned the news on as i do each morning, to see the WTC had been hit by and airplane. Shortly after i saw a second plane hit, i dropped my spoon i was eating with and ran to tell my sister, and she thought i was BSing... That day was just so horrible, i couldnt believe what had just happen!

God bless the families of all the innocent people who have lost their lives due to this tragedy!!

 

Was leaving for work and my mom was watching in the living room. The first plane had hit. We all thought it was an accident, and I continued to for a while since I left before the second plane hit. Didnt find out about the second plane until about an hour later at work. What a slow, surreal day that was. On the way home, I watched two interceptor jets hit the 'burners over me in San Mateo catching up to a landing 'liner. Used to live on the flight path.

 

Getting ready for school. My father was in the pentagon, his office was incinerated but he was in a meeting on the opposite side when the plane hit. Waited all day and finally got a call from him. Most vivid memory of my life.

 

Had just woken up at my parents house to start getting ready for school.

Walk out into the front room because I heard my dad and he was normally already gone for work. Walk out to see him crying infront of the tv.. I was like wtf is going on...

Once we got to school almost every class just had the news on watching what was happening

 

I had a late night before. I was asleep. my roomate that did crew woke me up saying a plane hit the WTC. I yelled at him to get out. He came in again saying the second one hit, I gout out of bed for that

 

I was on liberty in Darwin, AU. Got woken up out of my rack in the middle of the night and was told to go muster with my division because we had just been attacked. It was the last time I was able to walk on land for 139 strait days

Thanks a lot Bin Laden!

 

Yea same here i was a freshman in school, and was just waking up seeing my mom glued to the t.v that's when i turned to to see what was going on and the second plane hit.

Yup the same with our school.

 

Had a similar story. My moms friend worked in Tower #1. For whatever reason she had an urge to stop and by tomatoes on the way to work. And that's what saved her.

 

Woke up for school and turned on the TV to check for the weather. Instead watching one tower burning, and while watching I saw the other plane hit. Got ready, went to school and everyone was watching it.

Sad day, but whether you like it or not, we're in another vietnam.

For the very first time in US history, the United States attacked another nation (sure he wasn't the greatest) Saddam and Iraq when they never attacked the United States.

This opens another chapter in US history, invading on a hunch without evidence. Sad day.

 

Sad sad day...I was in my american history class (ironic) in middle school and my teacher turned the TV on and we stayed watching the news didnt even go to the next class...it was quiet, really quiet.

 

I sleep with the tv on and I woke up to it thinking I was dreaming. Woke up the whole house and just sat there staring in silence and the tears just flew from my eyes watching people falling from the towers. I stayed glued to the tv for days feeling very numb.

 

Was sitting in my car before school.

I think it took at least half a day for it to set in, exactly how extremely insane the attack was.

Was still young.