Where were YOU 15 years ago this day?
I was 13 years old in Middle School. This was the era before ubiquitous cell phones and TV's in classrooms.
I had heard rumors throughout the day of a plane crash, then a plane crash into a building, then an Accident at the World Trade Center. Then the unthinkable.
So it wasn't until 5th Hour, History Class, that I got to a Classroom with a Television, just in time to see the Second Tower Fall.
As anger turned to fear, I was worried that the Terrorist would come to my school, because if I were a Terrorist, I would attack any all "soft targets" didn't matter where or why, just pick a school or Shopping Mall. Then as were prepared to leave School and my Mom came to pick up my Sister and I, I was terrified for my Dad, he worked for the Power Company and was leaving for work soon, If I were a Terrorist, I'd attack the power stations.
I spent the rest of the day in my Room watching the News, I remember seeing the Fall of WTC 7 and wondered what would happen next.
So here we are, 15 years and I can say for certain, everything changed that day.
This is also the First 9/11 where the Freshmen in High School will learn it as History, instead of Life like me when I was their age.
Guam. Active Duty. It was midnight there when all this happened. We didnt sleep for ‘a while’.
I was still watching when the second plane hit. I saw it flying in very low and within a few seconds I saw it hit the second tower. The sight of the flames shooting out of the tower on impact is one I will never forget.
I was sitting in my contractor work cubicle at Fort Hood. My co-worker sitting behind me stated that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. I knew that the likelihood it was an accident was pretty slim and it was probably terrorism. I walked downstairs to the Brigade conference room to watch Fox News on their big screen tv. There were already sveral officers and NCOs sitting there watching it all unfold. We watched the second plane hit. Surreal. We all looked at each other and knew we were at a state of war. Some of the men in that room with me that day would not survive their combat tour to Iraq.
I spent a good part of that day lurking (more than usual) on FR, reading all of the real time reports that I couldn’t otherwise get. I finally signed up to FR later in October.
Fort Hood went into lockdown that day. At the end of the workday, we were instructed to go home and work from home until entry security onto post could be established. When we finally did return to work several days later, it took hours to get on post. Things finally returned to a state of “normalcy” about a week later.
Like they said in the intro of the Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood, “...The 21st century is when everything changes. And Torchwood is ready.”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6_8u_1BCRsU
Are you ready?
Wife woke me up with a cup of coffee and the news that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. My first thought was of the B-17 which struck the Empire State Building during WWII.
I was getting ready for work and was almost late, because I couldn’t pull myself away from the images on the tv after seeing the live image of that 2nd plane slamming into the building. Then they closed the mall early, and I spend the rest of the day into the night glued to the news channel.
Where was I 15 years ago when this started?
At work getting ready to go home at the end of the shift.
Some one rushed in “ ***** have you got your radio on?”
“An Aircraft has just hit the Twin Towers in New York !”
My only response was : “And So it begins....”
We had just gotten home (Texas) the night before from a trip to Wisconsin for a job interview for my husband. He had been laid off so we were able to sit in front of the TV all day watching the news. Our daughter had just turned one and learned to walk that day. She had a mom and dad to stumble between all day long. Such a bittersweet memory.
I was coming home from bringing my son to school; listening to Mike Gallagher on an NYC radio station. He said something like they had been told to evacuate immediately.
The minute I got home, I put on the news. I called my Dad’s second wife (my Mom had passed), and I watched as the second plane hit, and then the first tower crumbling. I said to her, “How many people did I just see die?” I couldn’t stop crying.
At the time, my Dad worked in Chicago, and the authorities had told everyone there to leave, because they were concerned about the Sears Tower.
I couldn’t reach him at his office, and pretty soon there was no way to communicate with anyone; the phone lines were all busy.
I have had many dreams about 9/11 since then. Given the fact that I wasn’t even living in the U.S. at the time, or not a family member of a victim, I can only imagine what torture they have endured.
May God comfort them, forever.