Where were you on 9/11?

[Anonymous]

On the Hill. It was scary as we were evacuated, and I didn’t know exactly what was going on as we were quickly evacuated from the building. I wasn’t prepared for the crowds outside or the police and military presence as everyone flooded into the streets. Then people explained what had happened in NY and pointed out the smoke coming from the pentagon.

It was terrifying.

It took hours to get home after convincing a cab driver to drop me off at the border in PG County and I arranged for a ride to get me back to my home in MoCo.

I shared the cab with a stranger who recognized the logo on a bag I was carrying, said he was a lobbyist from out of state and wasn’t sure where to go, so he tagged along with me and I helped get him to a hotel in MD near a rental car agency so he could eventually drive home to TX the next day.

I wish I had been somewhere else that day. Today’s gorgeous weather is reminiscent of that day 20 years ago.

It turns out I sorta knew someone who died at the Pentagon (it was the spouse of a law school classmate).

I didn’t watch any of the replays of planes crashing or the Towers crashing to the ground into dust back then. I only saw the video footage this week for the first time.

I still remember the panic I felt in the crowd on the Hill. Mobile phones were jammed. People were speculating. Shoulder to shoulder crowds being yelled at by law enforcement to move quickly. Terrifying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In Chicago, having left DC the afternoon before after doing document review for the law firm I was work for, after a week. But it was weird. We were scheduled to leave Sept. 11, for a 9 am flight. But when we finished early, one of the attorney went online and said, "tons of seats on the 5:30 flights, let's get out of here." We scrambled, got to the airport, and changed our flight from the 11th to the 10th. But here's the weird part. No one asked for my I.D. So I said to the ticket agent, "wow, you can change tickets and you don't even ask to see my I.D.?" He just sort of laughed, still didn't ask for my I.D., I got on the plane and went home to Chicago. I met my sister for dinner that night and went on a weird rant about lax airport security is anymore....

Sorry for all the typos/missing words!

[Anonymous]

I was in my office in DC and was instructed to go home, as was my girlfriend who later became my wife. We spent the afternoon in bed comforting each other.

[Anonymous]

Driving our kids - ages 4 and 2 1/2 - to their first day of preschool in Alexandria. Listening to Bob Edwards on Morning Edition say that a plane had hit the WTC. Went in to drop the kids off, have some coffee and donuts with other parents, and when we got back to our car it was about 9:30am and we heard for the 1st time about the 2nd plane hitting the WTC. We headed toward home so DH could drop me off before he headed to the Pentagon for work. All of a sudden this huge, very loud and low plane flew by us. I'll never forget the sound. I said to DH, "What is that plane doing?" We got home a few minutes later and our next door neighbor was outside waiting for us - "You're OK! Did you hear about the Pentagon?"

[Anonymous]

Was in the US Capitol watching the second plane hit. The “evacuation” was a total mess. Spent the next three days in secured briefings.

The last plane was coming for the Hill. My entire family owes a debt beyond measure to the people on Flight 93.

The weather today feels a lot like it did that morning (it’s a bit warmer).

20 years. Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was in the US Capitol watching the second plane hit. The “evacuation” was a total mess. Spent the next three days in secured briefings.

The last plane was coming for the Hill. My entire family owes a debt beyond measure to the people on Flight 93.

The weather today feels a lot like it did that morning (it’s a bit warmer).

20 years. Wow.

+1,000,000 Don't know if you've paid your respects at Shanksville yet, but it's well worth a visit.

I do remember what a beautiful day it was - the clear blue sky.

[Anonymous]

Kids were off to school. Got phone call from a friend telling me that a (1) plane had hit WTC. Turned on television. Saw second plane hit. Knew it wasn't accidental. Then, received a phone call from DH telling me that a plane hit the Pentagon. I told him "no" a second one hit WTC. He said, "I SAW the plane hit the Pentagon." One of his former employees was killed. Of course, didn't find that out until later.

Big decision: pick up the kids or leave them at school. Hard to decide, but decided they were better off there--cannot send a message of fear.

DH did not get home until the wee hours of the a.m. because he was helping logistically with results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remembering those who died and sacrificed today. I'm always interested to hear people's stories about where they were when 9/11 happened. Feel free to share.

I'll start. It was my first week as a freshman in college in Hartford CT. I had just walked into my morning Psych 101 class and was mindlessly chatting up a friend about a party the night before. The room was eerily quiet, the professor came to the podium and asked us to return to our dorms. We got home, and turned the TV on just in time to see the second plane hit the World Trade Center in real time. It was the most surreal experience of my life. A floor up, someone started blasting "Bombs Over Baghdad" over their stereo.

We then spent the rest of the day lying on the quad (the weather was perfect) wondering if the smoke from Manhattan would drift east over our heads.

I was driving by the Pentagon as the first plane hit the WTC. Watched the news unfold from my office a couple blocks from the Capitol. I was evacuated (but in no real danger). Drove home to my apartment near the Pentagon and saw the unfolding scene of fire, smoke, etc. I can still smell it and I still wonder how I was able to get so close (the roads were not all closed).

Spent the rest of the day watching the news, crying here and there, making sure friends were safe, etc.

[Anonymous]

I was in b-school, in my apartment getting ready to go to class. Was watching the today show and have a distinct memory of Matt Lauer saying as they went to commercial, "When we come back, we have breaking news about a plane crashing into the world trade center." I always felt like that was the last time things were normal. They thought it was an accident and were talking to witnesses to try to figure out if it was a small plane or a big plane or what. Then of course they showed the second one hitting live. I actually think one of the witnesses thought that was ALSO an accident and maybe the pilot had gotten disoriented by the smoke... but the first replay showed that wasn't the case.

I drove into school and everyone was hanging out in the cafeteria watching on TV. Eventually they announced classes were cancelled so I drove to my parents house and hung out with them for the rest of the day.

[Anonymous]

I was in high school in the Midwest. I was a junior in all honors and AP classes and I already had a ton of freedom with my schedule - well for a HSer anyway. So I also remember going in the computer lab and trying to get information but all the news sites were crashing and I could only get onto some non-news related message boards.

[Anonymous]

Dropped off DC at preschool in Reston at 9am, got home. DH was at the old USA Today building. He got home fine. Best friend was at her appt in Battery Park city, getting ready for work next door to the towers. It took her 2 days to get to my place and almost 3 weeks to enter her appt again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was in b-school, in my apartment getting ready to go to class. Was watching the today show and have a distinct memory of Matt Lauer saying as they went to commercial, "When we come back, we have breaking news about a plane crashing into the world trade center." I always felt like that was the last time things were normal. They thought it was an accident and were talking to witnesses to try to figure out if it was a small plane or a big plane or what. Then of course they showed the second one hitting live. I actually think one of the witnesses thought that was ALSO an accident and maybe the pilot had gotten disoriented by the smoke... but the first replay showed that wasn't the case.

I drove into school and everyone was hanging out in the cafeteria watching on TV. Eventually they announced classes were cancelled so I drove to my parents house and hung out with them for the rest of the day.

The first 2 hours of Today Show coverage is on Youtube

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in b-school, in my apartment getting ready to go to class. Was watching the today show and have a distinct memory of Matt Lauer saying as they went to commercial, "When we come back, we have breaking news about a plane crashing into the world trade center." I always felt like that was the last time things were normal. They thought it was an accident and were talking to witnesses to try to figure out if it was a small plane or a big plane or what. Then of course they showed the second one hitting live. I actually think one of the witnesses thought that was ALSO an accident and maybe the pilot had gotten disoriented by the smoke... but the first replay showed that wasn't the case.

I drove into school and everyone was hanging out in the cafeteria watching on TV. Eventually they announced classes were cancelled so I drove to my parents house and hung out with them for the rest of the day.

The first 2 hours of Today Show coverage is on Youtube

This is the b-school PP. Thanks for posting it. I started watching... not sure how much I want to watch but my memory of Matt Lauer saying "we're going to commercial, we have a breaking story" was pretty accurate. It definitely makes me nervous just watching. I haven't gotten that far but I am remembering how that first witness was insistent that it was a big plane and Matt and Katie were like "no, it probably just seemed big..." until the second one hit on live TV.

[Anonymous]

It was a gorgeous day just like today.

[Anonymous]

I worked for LabCorp, and heard about the first plane on the way in. We were frantically trying to recall the drivers, many of whom were already in DC.