Where were you?

[fma08]

For me, 8th Grade History class. Another teacher walked in and whispered to our instructor. We then followed him out to another room to watch the news. I saw the towers fall that day.

Where were you on 9/11?

 

[dmc2007]

5th grade gym class. 4th and 5th grades were escorted into the auditorium where we were told there had been "a few plane crashes." No one was to go home without a parent picking them up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvj6zdWLUuk

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

18 y/o. Just finished upy my MFR and was in EMT and taking Rope Rescue Courses when it happened... At that time I was working as a Vet Tech an I woke up that morning to go to work and it the first attack was on the news... by the time I got to work the second tower was hit... We had a radio in Surgery, where I spent most of my time... and I was listening as the towers fell...

 

[Akulahawk]

I was at home that morning. I saw the 2nd hit live. I knew then that this was no ordinary event. I got dressed, and headed into work... over the protests of my better half. It wasn't until a while later, after I got to work, that it was realized that only 4 planes were involved, and all were accounted for.

NEVER FORGET

 

[guardian528]

at home, eating breakfast, getting ready for school. dad was in the bathroom getting ready for work and i shouted something to him to the extent of "some building just got hit by a plane!"

went to school and we just sat in the classroom and watched the news all day. . .

 

[Pudge40]

I was in 4th grade. Was there about 45 minutes before the first plane hit. We also then watched the news the rest of the day. Not that I understood what was going on at that time though.

 

[surname_levi]

10th grade in english class. other than the tragic incident, i remember people hyped up on the Nostradamus nonsense

 

[berkeman]

Just arrived at work in Silicon Valley, Cali (rode in on a sportbike, no radio). I'm one of the principle leads of our work volley ERT group, so I was contacted pretty quickly. We were far enough away from the focus of the attacks that we didn't need to activate, but the news and that day changed everything.

RIP, firefighters, LEOs, and other public servants who lost their lives. It could have been us. It will not be us going forward.

 

[Ridryder911]

Laying in bed, girlfriend (another flight nurse) called and exclaimed of the initial going ons. I told her to calm down Cessna type planes routinely crashed into tall buildings. Turned on the t.v. to witness the second crash. She asked me what I thought... I exclaimed.."war".

We were grounded for two days and then were allowed to fly at Lifeguard status. I remember how eerie the skies were as there was no radio traffic or jet flumes from other planes and no other aircraft lights in the skies.

My pilot was Italian but had a Russian type brogue dialect and asked if we would talk on the radio for him, as he thought as well it might not be in our best interest to have a deep foreign accent on the radio as well.

Nothing like an F-14 pulling beside you fully loaded and a AWAC above you describing that you have 3 souls on board and demanding your SSN now! Afterwards, being cleared (which seemed like an eternity) knowing & grasping the seriousness and surveillance our country has.

R/r 911

 

[VCEMT]

Quite honestly, I was asleep.

 

[medichopeful]

When it happened, I was in school. I was only there for half a day, as that was how my schedule was.

I actually found out when my father picked me up. He asked me if I knew what was going on. I hadn't found out yet, but if I remember correctly, I answered that we were at war. Somehow I just knew.

 

[mikie]

Middle school; was taking those standardized tests everybody dreaded.

 

[Epi-do]

I was at the firehouse. I had worked the night shift on the medic and was getting off shift. We had turned the TV on right after the first plane hit. Everyone at the firehouse was mesmerized by what was happeneing on the TV in front of us. Some of the guys were members of Task Force 1 and were rushing to get their stuff together and leave so they could see their families before being deployed to Ground Zero.

After I got home, I woke my husband up, who had been sleeping and told him what happened. At first he didn't believe me, and I had to convince him to get up and come to the television. We sat in front of the TV together until he had to go to work that afternoon, and I then continued to watch by myself.

One of the things I will never forget was going back into the firehouse on my next shift and how quiet/subdued everyone there was. There was absolutely none of the horseplay and joking around that typically would go on around the firehouse.

 

[Dominion]

I was in 10th grade, classes were about to change. I was in Military History, part of our Marine Corps ROTC program. Me and another classmate had just changed from our charlies to our dress blues for a honor guard service. Major (the lead 'instructor') came into the room and just turned on the news for us. We sat and watched in silence for nearly an hour before they had us change to next class. Watched news all day till we went home, we ended up canceling the honor guard service.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

I find it interesting the number of people here that were in grade school and such when 9-11 happened... hard to believe it was 8 years ago... Makes me wonder if 9-11 holds the same meaning in the eyes of the younger ones here and around the nation... It would be like any of us feeling extreme pain over Pearl Harbor... It was so long ago and none of us witnessed it personally... Speaking personally, even at the age of 18 and in College, 9-11 didn't have the impact on me that it did just a few years latter... On the other hand, how can anyone in emergency services not review that day and reflect on the bravery and inner strength of those rescuers there and then actually forget what that sacrafice means?

 

[fma08]

I find it interesting the number of people here that were in grade school and such when 9-11 happened... hard to believe it was 8 years ago... Makes me wonder if 9-11 holds the same meaning in the eyes of the younger ones here and around the nation... It would be like any of us feeling extreme pain over Pearl Harbor... It was so long ago and none of us witnessed it personally... Speaking personally, even at the age of 18 and in College, 9-11 didn't have the impact on me that it did just a few years latter... On the other hand, how can anyone in emergency services not review that day and reflect on the bravery and inner strength of those rescuers there and then actually forget what that sacrafice means?

I think that for now, it's kind of our generation's Pearl Harbor or Kennedy Assassination.

 

[Dominion]

I think that for now, it's kind of our generation's Pearl Harbor or Kennedy Assassination.

I agree. While my mom can remember where she was when Kennedy was assassinated she doesn't have as deep of a response as others because she was young. It's similar to how many young people (myself included) who witnessed it and weren't attached to it in someway don't have the same emotional response as someone who was older or already working in EMS and Fire. Additionally I didn't start into EMS until I was 20 so much of that interaction was already gone by the time I got into it. It's just not as emotionally impacting to me. I recognize the magnitude of the situation but it doesn't go much beyond that.

 

[Cory]

Hmm, well, I was in second grade. Had just had gym class. I got outside, and my dad met me to drive me home. I got in the car and he asked meif I knew what the World Trade Center was. I said no, and he explained that it was a big building in New Yourk, and it had been hit by planes. I stayed up watching the news all night totaly mezmorized by it all, somehow understanding it ver well, and I blabbed to everyone about it the next day (the school wasn't going to mention it even on the day after)

A few months later, at Christmas we went to New York. We visited ground zero, we went all over. My parents were extremely open about it, I even remember saying to them that I didn't want them to keep things from me.

I still remember looking at ground zero that year, we got close to the WTC subway, everything was so destroyed. It fascinated me, and only now does it really haunt me.

 

[rescue99]

For me, 8th Grade History class. Another teacher walked in and whispered to our instructor. We then followed him out to another room to watch the news. I saw the towers fall that day.

Where were you on 9/11?

On duty. We had been ordered to our stations to stock MCI containers.
The entire metro area was put on high alert then assigned to street corners for almost 2 weeks. Although we've been put on orange alert more times than I can recall, the area here has always been pretty quiet.

My partner was from Jersey, right across the bridge. Poor guy was an upset wreck until he made contact with his folks that day.

 

[medicp94dao]

i was woke up by my sister yelling we were being attacked.... ( i had just recently re-enlisted in the Army ) and thought she was messing with me... I turned on the tv and at that same moment my Company First Seargent called and told me i needed to come in......