September 11, 2001

[clww]

Tomorrow is the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States of America on 11 September, 2001.
I know that will be one of those days that I will always remember where I was when it happened.
Where were you, what do you remember hearing or watching on that day?

[thecfarm]

You first.  ;D

[WH_Conley]

Working under Beckjord power house, on the discharge flume, just east of Cincinnati. No radio, nothing. Went to work that morning, same as always. Came up the river bank that evening and couldn't believe it. The access roads were barricaded with coal trucks. Deputy Sheriff's with M16's and shotguns guarding the gates instead of security guards. That is when we were told what happened. Three of us just sat in the truck in the parking lot, listening to the radio in disbelief before starting back to the apartment.

[clww]

At that time, I was stationed at NAS Oceana, here in Virginia Beach, VA, in VF-102. We were known as the "Diamondbacks" and flew the F-14B Tomcat. I was working nights, getting ready for our scheduled deployment on 19 SEP in USS Theodore Roosevelt. At the time, our shifts were 12 on/12 off, so my workday was from 6 PM to 6 AM. On that Tuesday, I left work sometime around 0730 after getting things turned over to the day shift supervisor. I drove home to my house in Portsmouth, VA, shower, then in bed to watch "Imus in the morning" simulcast on MSNBC. It was a perfect morning: low humidity, temps in the low-60s and not a cloud in the picture-perfect blue sky. About 0845 they cut in with breaking news-"plane strikes World Trade Center in NYC". After watching this for awhile, on the wide-screen shot, I watched this other object enter the picture, then the south tower erupted in explosion and flames. At this point, I started thinking of a terrorism incident, probably like everyone else. After the Pentagon was struck in Virginia (not DC like so many seem to think), I called my mother and told her to leave the DC area and head to my house, as I feared another target would be in DC. United Airlines Flight 93 was the next missile that was brought down by that group of corageous passengers, Thank God!
After 2 hours of tossing and turning, I headed back to the base at 1400. After multiple high-security checks, I arrived at the hangar at 1930.
Fast forward to 19 SEP, we pulled out of Norfolk, headed to the Indian Ocean, spent 159 consecutive days at sea, and dealt the bad guys more than 190,000 tons of explosive ordnance from Carrier Air Wing 8. The rest is history.
It remains the single greatest personal accomplishment of my continuing Naval career.

[paul case]

thank you for your service to our country.

because you went  i was able to do what i wanted to. i recieved 100,000 new baby chicks that morning. that is what we were doing when it happened. we didnt really find oout what was up till we got to a cafe for breakfast in seneca mo. they set a tv on the counter and we all watched. wasnt much conversation in there that morning. it was a very somber and sorrowfull time for the whole country. pc

[Chuck White]

I was doing a little extra duty in the local School Bus Garage (for pay, of course) that morning, the supervisor came in and said come here, someone lost control of an airplane and flew into one of the twin towers!

Just as we got to where we could see the TV, the second tower was hit and we knew it wasn't an accident.

That was when both of my sons were just about 1/2 way through their military careers.

Kind of a gut-wrenching, helpless feeling.

They're both up for retirement now.

It's about the same thing as it was when JFK was assassinated.  I was in my homeroom in 7th grade.

[thecfarm]

I was at work. Bought a paper,on the way home,it was a special addition. A lot of people lost their lives for no reason at all. I think about what happened at times. I really think about flight 93. What those people was thinking when they realizes that no matter what they was going to die,but others were not going too. They was going to do something and and make sure the plane was not going to it's target.Yes,I remember.

[sandhills]

We were getting ready to start chopping silage at our neighbors that morning when I heard about it on the radio, went in and watched the tv for a while.  They kept talking about the tens of thousands of people that work in those buildings and kept hoping a lot of them weren't at work yet, so was I.  Once the second plane hit and we knew this wasn't and accident, I knew in the back of my mind there was no way those buildings would stand, I never dreamed they'd come down like they did though.  After hearing the stories of the people of flight 93, you know that they knew what had been going on, hard to tell how I would handle a situation like that because I've never been there, but I hope I would have that courage, they definitely went out with their boots on, what a tremendous end it would have been had they been able to retake the plane and get it on the ground. Who knows how many countless lives they saved by trying, in my mind they're right up there with all the fireman, police, servicemen and women, and every other "hero" of that day.  Thank you clww for your service and to all who have/are serving this country, my hats off to all of you.

[Patty]

Norm and I were running the sawmill when one of our sons called to say we were under attack. We drove home and turned on the tv and sat stunned. I cried that whole day, so much death and hatred and heroism. Overwhelming.


We will not ever forget.

[miking]

I was on a job running a saw. My co worker ran out of gas fist and when he was tanking up he got a call about it. He had 7 voicemails about it actually, but one got through and then he told me. Early on he thought it might be better to stay where we were if they were bombing cities and justifiably so, but we left and went home anyway. Surreal still.