In my office in France. We were all Americans that day…
I had just walked into my office for work, and I saw all of my co-workers gathered in my manager’s office talking about a “small plane” having hit the WTC. The radio was on, and no more than a minute later they started shouting about another plane hitting. Everyone was stunned, and no work was getting done. We eventually found a TV that could only get a Spanish-language station, so between that and the radio we all watched in horror as both towers fell. The president of our company eventually made an announcement that we should all go home to our families. Life has not been the same since.
I was picking up groceries from the store. Attending Seminary at the time, I was the stay at home husband, taking care of the house and studying while my wife worked for Verizon Wireless.
The news came on about a plane hitting the WTC and I thought, what a hossible accident. After I returned to my care, the news was talking about a second plane hitting the second tower. I knew It could not be an accident.
After I returned home, I switched on the news and got the rest of the story, the Pentagon and the plane crashing in Pennsylvania. We lived in Maryland at the time and the whole state seemed like it was affected. People everywhere for the next few days were different as we mourned together.
I didn’t know it at the time but that day put me on the path to becoming an Army Chaplain.
It’s interesting that I had the same experience as stephanstrategy in that 9/11 also put me on the path to being a military chaplain. I was in seminary at Wycliffe College in Toronto. After my morning class I joined a throng in the tv lounge and heard that the city office towers were all closing early. I will never forget walking down University Avenue to Union Station, which by the time I reached it looked like a movie set, with thousands of people spilling onto Front Street looking for buses and an early ride home to the suburbs. There were rumours that some planes were still in the air and one was headed for Toronto. I remember looking nervously skyward at the CN Tower, those terrible images of the WTC exploding still in my head, unprocessed. That night my American wife and I put a candle in a jar at the foot of our driveway. It seemed a small thing, but gestures were important that day.
I was at work monitoring calls in a call centre. Someone came over and said a ‘plane had hit one of the towers – I asked,if it was a light aircraft and when told ‘no, an airliner’, I immediately said it must be a terrorist attack – it seemed obvious. I spent the rest of the day scouring news feeds and relaying the information to everyone else. Oddly enough, Pravda was my most reliable source – weird.
I was at home getting ready to go to work when a family member on the East Coast called and told us simply “Turn on your TV.” Since I had not answered the phone I did not know, but then someone called my name urgently. Now, other than the images, I don’t remember what the rest of that day was like. My employer later issued American flag shirts and I still have the shirt after 12 years.
Than you every one for sharing your experiences!
I was an eighth grade math teacher. I walked into the hall between classes and the teacher in the classroom next to me asked me if I had heard the news. He didn’t have the details right but it was about to be my conference period so I headed to the teacher’s lounge to see what was going on. A TV had been set up, so we all gathered around and watched the events unfold. Later, I went back to class and turned on the TV in my classroom (thanks to Channel One) – I had no desire to teach anymore that day. It wasn’t long before the principal came over the speaker telling us to turn off our TVs – she later told us that she was worried that our students would be alarmed and upset. It was a very strange and sad day in our middle school.
Arguing with the ex wife whilst packing to move to a new house..caught the burning building on TV out of the corner of my eye..argument stopped and we watched the horror unfold..Even today seeing those at the windows and jumping or hearing them hit the ground is heart breaking. Seeing those firemen in later documentary’s going towards the twin towers and you wish you could tell them not to go up..seeing them going towards their deaths..
the whole thing is a tragic waste to this day.
I was at work when a co-worker heard a report on the radio that a “small plane” had hit one of the twin towers in New York. Later when the second plane hit we all new it was a terrorist attack. I had recently been reading a Tom Clancy novel that began with a terrorist flying a plane into the Capitol building. That was kinda spooky. Then watching the coverage on TV when I got home was just devastating. Still very tough to watch.
In my office in France. We were all Americans that day…
I had just walked into my office for work, and I saw all of my co-workers gathered in my manager’s office talking about a “small plane” having hit the WTC. The radio was on, and no more than a minute later they started shouting about another plane hitting. Everyone was stunned, and no work was getting done. We eventually found a TV that could only get a Spanish-language station, so between that and the radio we all watched in horror as both towers fell. The president of our company eventually made an announcement that we should all go home to our families. Life has not been the same since.
I was picking up groceries from the store. Attending Seminary at the time, I was the stay at home husband, taking care of the house and studying while my wife worked for Verizon Wireless.
The news came on about a plane hitting the WTC and I thought, what a hossible accident. After I returned to my care, the news was talking about a second plane hitting the second tower. I knew It could not be an accident.
After I returned home, I switched on the news and got the rest of the story, the Pentagon and the plane crashing in Pennsylvania. We lived in Maryland at the time and the whole state seemed like it was affected. People everywhere for the next few days were different as we mourned together.
I didn’t know it at the time but that day put me on the path to becoming an Army Chaplain.
It’s interesting that I had the same experience as stephanstrategy in that 9/11 also put me on the path to being a military chaplain. I was in seminary at Wycliffe College in Toronto. After my morning class I joined a throng in the tv lounge and heard that the city office towers were all closing early. I will never forget walking down University Avenue to Union Station, which by the time I reached it looked like a movie set, with thousands of people spilling onto Front Street looking for buses and an early ride home to the suburbs. There were rumours that some planes were still in the air and one was headed for Toronto. I remember looking nervously skyward at the CN Tower, those terrible images of the WTC exploding still in my head, unprocessed. That night my American wife and I put a candle in a jar at the foot of our driveway. It seemed a small thing, but gestures were important that day.
I was at work monitoring calls in a call centre. Someone came over and said a ‘plane had hit one of the towers – I asked,if it was a light aircraft and when told ‘no, an airliner’, I immediately said it must be a terrorist attack – it seemed obvious. I spent the rest of the day scouring news feeds and relaying the information to everyone else. Oddly enough, Pravda was my most reliable source – weird.
I was at home getting ready to go to work when a family member on the East Coast called and told us simply “Turn on your TV.” Since I had not answered the phone I did not know, but then someone called my name urgently. Now, other than the images, I don’t remember what the rest of that day was like. My employer later issued American flag shirts and I still have the shirt after 12 years.
Than you every one for sharing your experiences!
I was an eighth grade math teacher. I walked into the hall between classes and the teacher in the classroom next to me asked me if I had heard the news. He didn’t have the details right but it was about to be my conference period so I headed to the teacher’s lounge to see what was going on. A TV had been set up, so we all gathered around and watched the events unfold. Later, I went back to class and turned on the TV in my classroom (thanks to Channel One) – I had no desire to teach anymore that day. It wasn’t long before the principal came over the speaker telling us to turn off our TVs – she later told us that she was worried that our students would be alarmed and upset. It was a very strange and sad day in our middle school.
Arguing with the ex wife whilst packing to move to a new house..caught the burning building on TV out of the corner of my eye..argument stopped and we watched the horror unfold..Even today seeing those at the windows and jumping or hearing them hit the ground is heart breaking. Seeing those firemen in later documentary’s going towards the twin towers and you wish you could tell them not to go up..seeing them going towards their deaths..
the whole thing is a tragic waste to this day.
I was at work when a co-worker heard a report on the radio that a “small plane” had hit one of the twin towers in New York. Later when the second plane hit we all new it was a terrorist attack. I had recently been reading a Tom Clancy novel that began with a terrorist flying a plane into the Capitol building. That was kinda spooky. Then watching the coverage on TV when I got home was just devastating. Still very tough to watch.