This is a long one, sorry, and I’ve posted it before.
I was actually behind in hearing about the attacks.
It was a gorgeous day. Apparently gorgeous everywhere up and down the East Coast.
I worked in a defense plant literally right next to a major airport (500 ft from an airstrip), not too far from the DC area. At the time, my group had been displaced to an outbuilding for office space as our normal area was being renovated. Tuesdays my program had weekly status meetings at 9:00 in the main building. 2 other of my co-workers strolled back from our temp area to the main building, not far from the airstrip on a gorgeous, idyllic day. We went in the main building and had our regular meeting, which threatened to be (as usual) longer than the allotted official hour. It may have been had it not been for our test man who had to go to the bathroom. And even he only found out thanks to his wife e-mailing him on his Blackberry device while he was out. Rich came back around 10:00 and mentioned rather matter-of-factly, that a plane had hit a WTC (note he didn’t say 2) and the Pentagon. The fact he mentioned 2 different places with 2 planes stunned us all, and we all adjourned then.
My 2 co-workers and I strolled down the hall and found a woman in our dept. who had a small radio TV. People were gathered outside her cubicle watching and wondering. The woman herself was crying, as were a couple others. I was stunned at what I was seeing, as I think most people were – just dumbfounded. Around 10:30 we saw 1 of those WTC starting crumbling. By then, mostly what I was feeling was just anger. Seething anger.
The word was out that all aircraft were being grounded.
Soon I walked back to my temp building (BTW, it’s a permanent 4-storey structure, just often used as an extra space for rotations), and planes of all sizes were landing 1 after another not 500 ft from me as I walked by. The noise was deafening. It was odd, and knowing why, it was tension-building.
I don’t recall the details of what news came through, but when I went back to my temp building, there was a man listening on his radio and we were all quite sure it was Moslem-related. I was just angry and the hatred seethed out. I told my co-worker and another woman with us (who is 1 of those loving Christians filled with equanimity) that it was Moslems and that they’re hateful, evil people; I don’t care how PinC it was to say so. And they looked shocked I could sound so hateful myself and vengeful. You’re damn right. I hate them and I wanted us to bomb the hell out of every such place on earth. (How could a woman have such hostility? You know, because we’re so above it all! Hah!)
Our company did not yet call off for the day. I was thinking surely a defense plant 500 ft from a major airstrip would shut down in no time. But no call. So we all stood around speculating, philosophizing and staring into space.
OK, they weren’t quitting so I had to go to lunch. I had to go out because I had no lunch at work. So I walked all the way out to my car – by now, it is perfectly QUIET! Absolutely NO noise. The planes are mostly finished. Quite eerie. Not used to hearing absolutely nothing from the airport.
But I got in my car and went to the nearest fast-food place, McDonald’s, which is also about the closest to the airport. Talk about eerie. A normally busy lunchtme at McD’s was completely empty. They had given up so completely that 1 could see they had stacked chairs on the tables, and everyone was gone.
So, so much for that. I did get lunch a bit further away, and drove back to work expecting to eat it in my car (as usual), definitely listening to what was transpiring. When I come back – the parking spots are virtually empty but there is a huge line of cars criss-crossing the lot trying to get out.
There was another car in front of me also slowly driving back in, along with me unsure what to do. I saw a man I know in the car line and he said we now had voluntary leave (i.e., leave if you want; obviously everyone wanted). Well, the other man and I parked next to each other and we went in together figuring there’s no point getting in line now when it’s so crowded, and we both had lunches to eat and didn’t have to leave. So we walked back in and decided to basically eat our lunches then come out again, when surely the crowd would all be gone.
As we walked to the tunnel guys were loading the trash cans and newspaper dispensers on pick-up trucks. (6 years later, we still weren’t allowed dispensers or trash cans at the entrance portals.)
I went all the way back to the temp building – again, and even moreso now with no workers – NO NOISE from outside, just the birds and bugs. Extremely eerie. It was like a ghost town next to another ghost town.
I got to my 4th-floor office area; everything was empty except an open office door with light coming out. So I yelled out, “Any stalwarts still here?” Then almost immediately 1 of our supervisors storms out of the lighted doorway and starts going hysterical; Brian starts yelling at me like a madman,
“What the hell are you doing here, get the hell out! You don’t know what could be going on here there could be biochemical s#$@ in the air!” Taken aback I stuttered that I was told we had optional leave; Brian insisted it was mandatory! Then he stormed out of the office area altogether (without me!).
Well, I ate my lunch and began calling, primarily worried about where everyone was (especially children in school). My dad also worked for this plant but close to the McD’s. I tried to call him but he didn’t answer. I called home and my sister’s, because not only was she having to worry about her own 3 children, but she usually went to get my other nephew (he came from CA to live with us for a year) from his school. Didn’t know where my dad was, but I called my sister’s house and 1 of her friends answered, saying they already got Justin (my CA nephew) from school. My sister was getting her own son. Just then my dad walked into her house, and the friend relayed that I was on the phone.
To which he yelled, “What the hell is she doing there? Get back home!”
So I finally trekked out. Driving home I noticed a few parallel contrails in the sky, heading to DC. Fighters patrolling the region.
Soon we were almost all in the right places and things were OK, but tense. My dad and my cousin (who also lived with us) and I sat outside on a beautiful day listening to the total silence (we’re not far from that airport), and speculating, and waiting for my mom to make it home (she was a teacher on the other side of the city, getting around the beltway is always a challenge). I was fearful soon the West Coast would be hit, fearful for my brother in L.A. (father of Justin). But it was just so eerie, that weird beautiful idyllic day with such horror – and OUTRAGE.
It wasn’t a “tragedy”, it was an ATROCITY.
I live in upstate NY. I was on my way to work at Xerox in Webster NY. I was listening to Howard Stern (ducking) and Baba Bouie came running in saying the first tower was on fire and had been hit by an airplane.
I was working helpdesk in a call center and the jumbo trons that counted calls in queue showed zero for the next few hours as the world watched in horror. I took my kids to NYC a couple years earlier...just before Princess Di was killed and we went to the observation tower. They were beautiful buildings. I looked over to the 2nd tower and saw a brave soul working on the cell equipment!
I remember turning on the TV, which was left on ABC from Monday Night Football the previous night. Ed McCaffrey from the Denver Broncos broke his left the night before and I wanted to find out how he was doing. Turned on the TV and the first tower had already been hit. I called my dad and he came into the living room. Then I went into the kitchen and my dad yelled that the second tower had been hit. At that moment we knew it was a terrorist attack.
I had a day off and that was rare for Me. Slept till about 10:00am, got up and got right in the shower because I was hungry for breakfast (rare also) , dressed and headed to the car. I didn't even turn on the TV (very rare it's even off). As I'm locking the house something isn't right but not sure what. I got in the car and started it up and the radio was on My music station. The First thing I heard was the DJ saying "All Aircraft Nationwide are Grounded" and then it hit Me "not right" was no Aircraft noise and I was right in the Flight Path for the Austin, TX Airport and always busy Bergstrom AFB as well. I was raised in the Airline Biz so I'm scanning My brain for the reason everything is Grounded when the DJ says 2 Planes have crashed into the Both of the WTC Towers. I knew it was the muzziescum...
I hauled ass to work (bar/restaurant) 5 minutes away where I was going anyway to eat although now I wasn't thinking food anymore.
When I walked in everyone was glued to the TV. That's when I first saw the replay. I just stood there in ANGER shaking My head.
Then it sank in that We were CST and I'm seeing reruns. Then I see about the Pentagon and Pennsylvania as I'm calling My Sister to find out if My Uncle is at work- the Pentagon, He's not because He and My Aunt are on vacation.
Spent the rest of the day on FR. I did finally remember to eat a few hours later.
I'm highly disappointed in the fact that the politicians won't let Our Military run this War. This should be a no nonsense kick ass operation. No games, no prisoners, no get out free cards. Just wipe the muzzeiscum all off the Planet, EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM !!!