In Remeberance of 9/11 (Tomorrow), Tell Us All How You Remember That Day...

Updated on September 11, 2010
S.B. asks from New York, NY
15 answers

What were you doing when you found out about the tragedy of 9/11? How did you feel? Did you lose someone you love?

Let's remember the families of those who lost their lives on the tragic day of 9/11. Remember to fly or wear your flags proudly tomorrow.

Bless you!

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P.W.

answers from Dallas on

I will fly my flag, and make a post on my FB page. And yes, I lost my most loved college professor in the pentagon. I will think of him and his family.

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L.C.

answers from Dayton on

It was the first deployment for my husband since we had been married. We had a 10 month old daughter at home and I was trying to get a handle on the day. I was talking to a friend and she told me to look on the news because a plain had flown into one of the twin towers. To be honest, I couldn't even process it - didn't know what it meant. So I turned on the TV and was just stunned.

My husband was in Saudi Arabia and I could not get ahold of him, he could not get ahold of me, the installation was on lock down and he couldn't tell me why, or what he was being told.

I think it's important to remember the men and women who died due to someone else's intollerance. I also think it's extremely important to remember that men and women are still dying. This has been the most deadly year in Afghanistan for our military men and women since the war started.

God bless those that died on 9/11, the families that have had to learn to live without them, and those that sacrifice today to ensure our safety. And most of all, God bless America.

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J.C.

answers from Lincoln on

I remember 9/11/01 as the day my husband and I got back together. We had been separated for 6 months, when I saw the planes crash the first thing I wanted to do was talk to my husband. I called him over and over again, when he finally woke up from his drunken stupor he answered the phone and asked me what was wrong. When I told him what had happened he said, "Come over.". I did and we realized our priorities were all messed up. We moved back in together immediately.

This year I'm remembering 9/11 by attending Freedomstock in IA. I refuse to let our country be destroyed by outside or inside forces!

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

it's my husband, his brother, and stepfather's birthday, so we have a birthday party.

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B.C.

answers from Dallas on

I was 18. My older sister called and woke me up. She was crying and saying to turn on the news. We watched the second tower fall together over the phone, both crying. I went to work that morning at Steak and Ale and we were all terrified. I was so worried about my baby daughter being away from me that morning. The place was empty anyway, so my boss let me go to her. She was only 9 months old. I never hugged anyone that tight in my life!
We will observe a moment of silence tomorrow and hang our American flag proudly!

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V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

I was less than 3 months postpartum with our 2nd child, and was trying to keep the 3 yr old and the baby relatively quiet so my husband could sleep. He is an air traffic controller and had just gotten home from a midnight (overnight) shift and was taking a nap. It was my birthday, so I was anticipating some spoiling after my hubby got up and wanted him well rested. I think I turned on the TV (which was always tuned to Fox News) to set up a movie for my son just before the 2nd plane struck. What I saw didn't seem real. How could it? My husband came home from work and went to bed just like normal... It took a little while before it started to sink in and my husband woke up and I told him what happened/was happening.

We found out later that a lot of his co-workers were "trapped" at work immediately after it all happened, as they locked down his ATC center and weren't allowing anyone in or out. And btw, all the ATC across the country did an AMAZING job getting every single non-emergency civilian plane in the USA and Canada down on the ground. Never done before, and hopefully will never have to be done again. The logistics of it are staggering... but they did it. Not to in ANY way diminish rescue work or the lives lost, but the ATC role in securing the air in the immediate aftermath is often overlooked and unacknowledged.

I sent my husband off to work everyday like lots of other wives... routinely (kiss and a smile and a "see ya later" or a "remember to _ on your way home"). It rarely occurred to me before, the weight of responsibility that rests on his shoulders every time he reports to work. He's not a doctor, a policeman, a fireman, a nuclear reactor specialist or a fighter pilot dropping missiles. So it never really crossed my mind until 9/11, that if he has a really bad day "at the office", HUNDREDS of people could die tragically. I developed a new measure of respect for my husband and the thousands of other controllers who manage the weight of that daily.

We started flying a flag at our home. And we encourage our son's interest in military service.

For any of you who are interested, here is a link that shows a time lapsed average day of air traffic across the U.S. Every red dot is a plane. I have never been able to find anything that stated how many actual planes were set down on the ground that morning. But I would be curious to know the actual number.

http://flightaware.com/analysis/allflights_movie.rvt

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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

I have no really special memories, but on significant days you remember the ordinary things.

I was at the computer in the basement family room when my husband left the house to go to his office. (He prefers to do his own thing in the mornings; my job is rather to stay out of his way.) I don't listen to radio or watch TV first thing in the morning, so it was nice and quiet. My husband came back in, stopped at the top of the stairs, and called down, "An airplane just crashed into one of those big buildings in New York City." And I responded, "On purpose??" He nodded. Then I turned on the television and learned what was happening.

I didn't know anyone who died, but my sister was concerned about her sons' dad, who worked in that part of Manhattan. He was safe, though.

Of course, as you remember, New York wasn't the only place where the terrorists struck. A couple of weeks later I purchased a book on eBay. Back then one could pay by snail mail, but that payment slipped through the cracks of my brain! So the buyer e-mailed to ask why I hadn't paid, and if I still wanted the book. I responded that I did and apologized profusely, because he could have canceled the sale and given me bad feedback. His response to my message was: "It's all right. If you forgot about this book, I'm not going to be upset. I live just outside Washington, D.C., and I was on my way to work when I saw the plane crash right into the Pentagon. It has turned all my priorities around."

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L.T.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I am from Pgh but was living in northeastern PA at the time. I worked in a health care facility that had a tv in one of the waiting rooms. A co-worker who viewed the first news reports came around to tell others what had happened. I took a break to catch some of the news report then headed back to my desk. The next hour was more of the same - info from her, trips to the wating room to watch the tv. I was just turning to walk out of the tv room when the first tower fell. I thought I surely had not seen that happen and asked out loud, "Did that tower just crumble?" Still can't get that picture out of my mind and it still give me chills and brings tears to my eyes. When the report of the plane downed in Shanksville came through we knew it was "close" to Pgh but didn't know the exact location. Having family in Pgh, I was worried. I tried to call all of my family members but couldn't get in touch with anyone all morning and afternoon. As more news reports came in with more detailed information I figured they were alright and was glad to finally reach them later that day.

On 9/11 we say a prayer for those who died and their loved ones, for those of us who mourn even if we weren't directly impacted and for better relations among all people. I no longer work at the place I did on 9/11 but we used to hold a short vigil every year on the anniversary. We support veteran groups through the year and keep our flag up all year long.

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G.W.

answers from Orlando on

On 9-11-01, my family was on a cruise and about to get off the boat for a day in Nassau, Bahamas. The ship's captain came over the intercom and made a very brief but haunting statement saying "Due to the events happening in the US, we are connecting all TV's to news sattelite". We ran back to our cabin and watched in horror as the second plane hit and the buildings fell. We did eventually disembark for our day tour of the city but it was not enjoyable at all. It was very surreal going in all the shops and listening to the radios that were run by the people of Bahamas and getting thier "view" on the events. Like nearly everyone, the horror of the events deeply effected me and my husband will tell you that for weeks after my mood was very grimm. So tomorrow, I will respectfully remember those living and dead whose lives were forever changed by the unmerciful cruelty of others. And now that I think about it, I will make a point to enjoy my day, complain about nothing and appreciate the life and good health that God has blessed me and my family with. It is an honor to be an American....

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

I was in Okinawa being kept at home due to a typhoon. My husband was set to deploy but the storm had moved the leaving date back. We watched in shock as the events unfolded.

I use this as a day to teach about religious tolerance, that not one religion is better than another, and that every path is just as valid and should not be judged. I think that throwing around the ideas that God has blessed us over others because we have a Christian majority simply spreads the same kind of hate and intolerance that lead to that day. It should be a day for teaching about equality and mutual respect for all living things.

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

Great question!

I grew-up in the DC area and have all my family still there. I was in high school during the first Gulf War when people thought a scud missile would take out DC. That's where our diplomats are - it would never happen, right? Well, it did. My family wasn't directly impacted, but it hit too close to home.

We've always kept an American flag sticker in our front door transom window since that day. When my husband's cousin sent his Army-issued flag to us from Iraq, we hung it, replaced it when it tore, and we never take our American Flag down - it's there until the wars are over.

I watch all the footage and try to support our troops. We try to send a care package around Christmas with books, magazines, DVDs, etc., and we try to donate all our items to Veteran-related organizations such as AmVets to support them in any way possible.

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D.L.

answers from Kansas City on

i was working at a hotel in the kc area at the time and heard it on the radio. My co-workers and I then turned on the tv and just watched in shock. There was a group that was scheduled for meetings all week at the hotel and were supposed to be arriving that day and the next however there were some people in the group that had already arrived. It just happened to be a Army/Military group - some of the group that was already there worked at the Pentagon. We had to find tv's for them to keep updated on the events happening. It was a hard time for them and others as they were happy to be there but yet worried about their friends and co-workers. I personally had no connection but just seeing them at the hotel and their fear and concern made you feel connected with them. It is definately a day that I will never forget.

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T.B.

answers from New York on

I returned home from dropping off my child at her first day of pre-school. I turned on the tv and a few minutes later got a phone call from my best friend hysterical telling me that she was talking to her sister on the phone and a plane hit her building and she ha to hang up to get out of the tower. I spoke with my friend to keep her calm. My cell phone rang and it was my dad ( just newly retired NYC firefighter at the time) telling me the city is closing down bridges, tunnels and tourist areas and to stay home and that he is "almost there" to help out ( he was walking over the Brooklyn Bridge to get there). Selfishly I yelled, "No, don't you dare go to the Trade Center! You're retired now!" I knew I wasted my breathe. A firefighter is a lifestyle--not just a job. I was still on the line with my friend and watched in horror and listened to her screams as the tower her sister was in collapsed. My dad did not perish in the attack, but my friend's sister did. No remains were found. From eyewitness accounts of those who saw her last and were lucky to go down the safest way--she was in an area where she burned to death. A former co-worker and several of my dad's former "brothers" perished. As someone who actually worked for a period of time in one of the towers, I visualize the interior of the buildings and play over and over in my mind what happened, where people were or could have gone. I think about those who made the unthinkable decision of whether to jump to their death or be burned or crushed to death. NYC local news broadcasting the 911 calls from people inside knowing they will die are the most heart wrenching things I have ever heard. Every anniversary I pray and remember those who were murdered, their loved ones, the heroes, the 911 operators, the first responders, passengers of Flight 93, everyone at the Pentagon, former Pres. Bush (can't imagine having to make decision about war), former Mayor Guilani (from what I was told he saw and experienced is unimaginable), my dad (who always has nights when he wakes up in a sweat after nightmares of seeing burning bodies crash to the ground), our soldiers (defending our freedom and way of life), and yes, I even pray for the SOB's behind this (I pray that the evil in their hearts are overcome by peace so that no one anywhere has to experience another 9/11. In memory of Sue Bochino, Richard Kelly, Scott McGovern, Denise Benedetto, and our fellow Americans.

V.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

I was in 3rd or 4th grade (I think 4th) when it happened. School had barely just started and all the teachers were watching the news, while us kids sat at our desks talking. We were all sent home early, and I just remember thinking how cool it was to go home early.

Looking back I realize how stupid it was to be happy about going home from school early when it was caused by such a tragic event... But I was only in 4th grade.

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K.P.

answers from New York on

I was in a graduate class, about 15 minutes from the CIA training campus in VA. The class started at 8:30, so we were blissully engaged in a dialogue when the secretary came into the room crying with a note for the professor who immediately read it and sat down. She simply said "someone has bombed the Pentagon and the World Trade Center" and turned on the t.v.

Most of the students in the program were local and/or from the DC area. After watching in stunned silence, she dismissed the class so that we could all go home and try to get in touch with our families. The entire campus shut-down due to it's location (exactly in the between a Naval base, Coast Guard base and the CIA- the whole town essentially stopped functioning and went into lock-down.

We all gathered in my apartment and watched the t.v. until we couldn't watch anymore. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get ahold of friends/family who worked at the Pentagon or near the Trade Center. That night, a large group of us went to church together to pray and share our grief.

The events of 9/11 have changed our society in so many tangible and intangible ways. It sometimes scares me to think that my (our) children will never know what this country was like before the threat of terror hit our precious soil.

Take care of eachother and treat the day with the commemerative solemnity it deserves.

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