Where were you when you heard?

between my ears | 9/11/03 | Self

[Blood of Tyrants]

There is often a poin in ones' life that one remembers so vividly that it simply cannot be forgotten. For our grandparents it was the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. For our parents it was the assassination of JFK.

For us it was the attack on the World Trade Center.

My question is this, where were you and what were you doing when you heard of the attack on the first and then the second WTC tower? What was your reaction?

[Blood of Tyrants]

I'll start first. I was in my car on my way to work, I was running about 45 minutes late because I had worked really late the night before. I thought the first plane MIGHT have been an accident. Before I got to work a few minutes later, the second plane hit and I KNEW that it was terrorists.

Then the terrible news that the Pentagon was hit and the anger began, as it did in many Americans.

After the anger and tension had worn me out I wept freely and openly.

When I was emotionally wrung out, I was filled with a steely resolve to do whatever I could to make sure that the haters of America who facilitated this would see justice.

I want everyone to have that resolve in their belly until the haters of freedom are all in their grave.

It won't be easy and many have already turned back to their pettiness and started throwing poisoned remarks at our president. The Nine Dwarves are just itching to get into the White House so that they can turn Bush's stunning and brilliant victories into shameful defeats.

This is a bit of therapy for me and maybe for you.

Where were you?

[hellinahandcart]

I was right here, two years and a couple of minutes ago.

[Corin Stormhands]

I was sitting right here. Checking FR for the headlines of the day.

I am no longer in mourning. I respect the losses and grieve their passing. But it is time for justice.

We've made great strides and it pi$$e$ me off how the RATS have sided with the terrorists. C'mon, let's tell it like it is.

[alisasny]

I was in car driving my kids the one half mile to school when WABC radio broke in that a small plane hit one of the Towers. I dropped kids off raced home to see the footage on tv. I came on FR watched TV got nervous made some calls and then saw the 2nd plane fly into the 2nd tower.

Rest of the morning was spent praying crying contacting friends and family. Many in NYC. Waiting to hear from my Brother in law working in the area who made it out.

[doc30]

I was in my office at work, taking a FR browsing break. Once the second plane hit, it was the only website where information was available. All the news sites were too busy. Freepers that did get in shared the aweful news here.

[hellinahandcart]

In another couple of minutes, it will be two years since I first heard the news on a local station. A plane flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Horrible accident. They went to a commercial and I started a thread here about it.

After the commercial they had live footage from the scene. It was worse than anything I had imagined.

It was the pattern for the day. Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, they did. All day long, over and over.

[alisasny]

One good and memorable moment was picking my kids up from bus-stop that Friday and in full NYFD fireman uniform was our neighbor( dad and father of 4 youngones) , tired but not beaten.

All I could muster up at that moment was, "Mike we are so grateful that you are OK." Mike lost his cousin that day, also a fireman.

Prayers to all who still suffer the loss of loved ones that day.

[capt. norm]

I was doing a weathercast at an NBC TV affiliate at the time and we were about to go back to network (Today Show) when we saw a replay of the crash in the network monitors.

Network audio was not up in the studio, so our imaginations were running wild. Most of us thought that there was a navigation problem with the plane or some terrible equipment failure that caused the crash.

When the second one hit, the awful truth became obvious.

[Skooz]

I was at work. We had a bigwig from Regional Office here for a little meeting, and the security guard interrupted to say that someone had crashed into the WTC. Then again when he heard that the Pentagon had been attacked.

The bigwig was a little bit of a blowhard and it took a while for him to conclude his talk. I then rushed to my computer and logged on to FR. I posted some and hit the refresh button dozens of times.

I went home for lunch, and Air Force One literally flew right in front of me as I was waiting at a redlight (Barksdale AFB was less than a mile away).

After lunch, I went back to work, but it was closed and everyone had gone home. I then went home and spent the rest of the day watching the news.

[alisasny]

OOPS make that FDNY ( I meant to get that right the first time but had a brain freeze thinking about that moment)

[AppyPappy]

I was right here, two years and a couple of minutes ago.

Same. Working on a program and bouncing in and out.

[Peach]

Home, alone. Husband was poll managing. Got a phone call right after the second plane hit and told to turn on the television.

It hasn't gone off much since. I put the flag outside at about 10:30 and called other family members, all of whom went to their children's schools to pick them up.

The parents had to fill in a reason for taking their child out of school early. EVERY ONE of them handwrote "Disaster".

[Xenalyte]

I was on my way to work (surprisingly early for me). Cantor Fitzgerald was one of our biggest business partners. There was a lot of crying on my floor.

[AppyPappy]

Last year, we had a campus memorial service. The ROTC cadets fired a cannon at the time when each plane crashed or a tower fell.

[sauropod]

Read this: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/980257/posts

[Constitution Day]

I was here on FR, but had gotten in early - at 7 am, I think.

I spent most of the morning diagnosing a faulty product tester's PLC program over the phone with another engineer.
He was at home with a sick child and I was talking to him when I saw the very first FR thread.

I immediately hung up and called my wife and my parents.
Our daughter was just 14 months old and all I could think about was her.

That day, not a lot of work got done here in our office.
Another vivid memory is that someone had went to a football game the weekend before and still had their portable TV in their car.
My boss was being a total a**hole and would not let people watch more than a couple of minutes of the most historic and tragic event of our lifetime.
So, I went back to my computer and got a streaming video feed from somewhere... probably a link on FR - and my co-workers had to clandestinely come to my office to watch the news.

I am still furious about 9-11, but no longer as full of sadness as I was that fall.
It seemed like my wife and I watched nothing but the news for months.

[ElectricStrawberry]

Work...immediately bailed an' beat the rush to donate blood.

[subterfuge]

Yep, Right here in cubicle land. After first jet hit I logged on to FR and it was a day of gut-wrenching sorrow mixed with anger.

God Bless

[hellinahandcart]

I was just about to shut down the computer and go vote, when they broke in with the announcement.

[sirchtruth]

I was in a conference meeting at work and someone came in and told the presenters the news and they did not tell us until the meeting was over two hours after it happened.

I was rip roaring POed!