9/11 - Where were you?

Where were you on 9/11?



I was driving to class at UVU (then UVSC) and Chunga was talking about there being a huge hole in one of the Twin Towers with fire and smoke billowing out of it. He said we don't know what is going on.



I went into class and when I got back to my car I found out the second plane had struck while in class.



I hurried up to work and found out that the people I worked for back East had been evacuated because of the terrorist attack. We were actually somewhat excited because it was going to be a great opportunity for our shop to show other shops back East that our virtual support was a great plus. Our shop was one of the few that stayed mission operational while back East was shut down.



I remember getting on the treadmill during lunch and just watching the news. I was on the treadmill when the first tower fell. There was another guy in the gym with me and we both stopped running. And stared at the screen in disbelief.



I was already in the Guard and then a year and half or so later was on the way to Iraq.



It has definitely affected the trajectory of my life and career.

I was a high school senior. When my alarm went off that morning, I heard reports that something was going on, but it did not register until I got to school. My first class was AFJROTC and we had a TV in the class room showing the news. There was a lot of worry in the room, as many of my fellow students were children of active duty Air Force personnel. I watched both towers fall in that class.



I also remember an announcement from the principle that teachers were not to show news coverage, as some parents might object. (Most teachers ignored this, seeing that this was a historical day.) There was only one class that I was actually taught in that day. All the others TVs were on showing the news.

I was a BYU freshman living in Heritage Halls. I saw the report on the internet and went to the next door neighbors since they had a tv and we watched the 2nd plane hit. Then I headed to Chem 105 where we watched the towers come down. I remember going to the devotional at the Marriott Center and President Bateman speaking. Class was cancelled the rest of the day. My roommate and I hung the flag from the balcony of the dorm building. The day ended with our bishop having a ward prayer which was emotional.

I was working in Huntsville AL as a government contractor for the DoD. I caught wind of something going on right after I got in to work. I went to a conference room where they had it on the TV. There was a live feed of the burning tower. A plane came into view and I thought that it was surveying the situation...then I watched as it flew into the second tower. that was the beginning of a long somber day.

I was teaching early morning seminary. On a lark, I had woken up early that morning and had on the news before leaving for the church building. I saw the first reports that did not know the size of the plane that had crashed, there was some thought of it being an inexpereinced pilot in a small plane. We prayed as a class for those involved,a nd it dominated our discussion that morning (again, thinking that it was an accident, and it was a small plane) After Seminary I went to work and watched just about 8 hours of coverage from our confernce room. The second plane hit while I was on my way to work, and the downed third plane as well.



I remember waking up the next morning and thinking "something bad has happend, what was it?" And then remembering "oh yeah... that"

I was driving to high school and when I turned on the radio, it wasn't the normal idiot DJ's, but instead news coverage of the crash of the first plane. In my early-morning class we saw the second plane hit and just didn't know what to think or how to process it as a bunch of adolescents. I'm pretty ashamed that I didn't recognize the significance or importance of the events at the time.



That day at football practice we were all so distracted that we ended up running gassers and up-downs for most of it. Looking back, I guess that was my coach's way of letting us know that we wouldn't let the attacks change our lives for the worse or keep us from doing the good, uplifting things that we loved to do.

On 9/11, I was at work, at my Fire Station checking out my equipt. and loading my gear - starting my shift - when the guys ran out and said to come look at the TV. We all stood there stunned to watch the Towers attacked and the events that occurred. We were all very quiet. I was assigned to a Federal Incident Mangt. Team at the time. I received a call around Noon that I was to be on a plane the next morning, that were were going to NY to work in the "pile" and look for survivors. It has deeply affected my life, my family has been affected, and my world view.



God bless the surviving members and families of 9/11. All the people who's lives were shattered and impacted. Along with all the military personnel who have fought, died, been maimed and had their lives hugely impacted, along with their families. The reach and affect go 9/11 is wide and long.



Probably because of the business I am in (Fire Fighter) I think of and reflect on 9/11 and it's impact regularly. Vigilance and prudence are eternal.

I was getting ready to go to a philosophy class at BYU. Being an International Politics major, we had just seen a video on Osama Bin Laden--I think it was in my American Foreign Policy class. As soon as I saw the second plane hit, I said to myself, "I bet Osama Bin Laden is behind this." Then I rode my bike to school. I was in the National Guard at the time, and there was a possiblity of being activated and pulling out of school. Luckily for me, I was not personally activated, nor was my unit...except for 10 days for the Winter olympics the next year in SLC. Those were very unsettling times for a college student in the Guard. My hats off to all who had to put their lives on hold to serve the call of duty.

I was in a dentist's chair. They were saying that it was like Pearl Harbor. It came to me that there was one big difference. The Japanese had their insignia on their aircraft and we know who they were immediately and declared war. They also attacked a military instillation not a civilian facility with no means whatever to defend themselves. WWII ended within 4 years and thereafter we became allies. These terrorists were a lot sneakier than the Japanese and we are still fighting them. Japan and their allies stood up to us, these terrorists wait until your back is turned.



I had a student in the Pentagon who's life was taken. He was a great kid and had served the Lord in the Canary Islands as one of His missionaries. I'm sure the terrorists were very surprised seeing Brady in a vastly better place than they were. I'm not too high on people with that much hate.

In a true twist of fate, I flew home from London on 9/10. One more day and I guess I would have been grounded for a while. I was back at work that next morning and sat at my desk as the news unfolded, astounded at the magnitude of what I was observing. Ignorant as I was, things had been so peaceful and "boring." I went home and we had a special family home evening. We prayed for the victims and their families. We prayed for our country. We prayed for peace. We are still praying for peace....

I was on my mission in Brandon, Manitoba (Canada). We got a call early in the morning from a less-active family that told us about the first plane. They told us we better get over there right away. Always looking for a chance to work with a family that needs us we went over, they had the news on and we watched the 2nd plane hit. We watched the coverage for some time and then realized that we would be needed to help out with the United Way who was helping all the passengers of the planes that were diverted to Canada.

Donetsk, Ukraine. Just getting done with zone conference and puking my guts out with a migraine.

Been off grid, so I'm late to the party, but wanted to share my experience.



I was living/working in Minnesota. I had come upstairs from my basement office to grab some breakfast and brush my teeth. My wife was watching the Today Show and playing with the kids. There was an awkward cut from local back to NYC feed and we saw the first tower with the smoldering hole. We thought, per the reports, that it was likely a small plane with an inexperienced pilot. I wondered whether there was damage on the street.



Wife stepped into the other room as the second plane hit the tower. I was brushing my teeth.



I walked downstairs to return a call and shortly thereafter, she called downstairs "The Pentagon just blew up!" I went upstairs and asked her to turn off the TV. I looked at her and said, "This is going to happen all day long. You are safe here." We were legitimately scared.



My customers had gone home. We listened to news all day long. I was so greatful when I heard that the FAA had grounded all flights. It was only then that I thought we might be spared more incidents in the immediate term.



I had been in NYC, Boston, Philly and DC 10 days earlier. Drove by the Pentagon on my way out of town.