Where were you when the world...

[Biggems]

i never remember specific dates or what i was doing...so i find it strange that i do remember this.

i was living in corpus christi, tx. it was a gorgeous, and i mean gorgeous partly cloudy Tuesday morning.....a nice cool breeze, not hot at all......no stinch whatsoever eminating from Oso Bay....and if anyone knows anything about Oso Bay, it was funkier than a George Clinton jam....

I lived on campus and worked as a residential advisor....so I strolled on into the clubhouse between 8-9 am. I saw all my co-workers huddled around the TV. I thought they were watching some movie or something. I asked what was going on and they said someone flew a plane into the WTC....I was in complete denial, until I saw the second plane hit....I have never done drugs in my life.....but if I had done a hit of acid, I believe that is how I would have felt.....so surreal......like I was high and hallucinating.

Then I found out another plane hit the Pentagon, another landed in Pennsylvania, and I believe a 5th crashed farther south. Well, if you know Corpus, there is a Naval base right across Oso Bay from TAMU-CC. There is also one in Aransas Pass. There was also a military base in Kingsville. Then you have the San Antonio area full of military bases.

I was scared. I am not afraid or ashamed to admit it. I was worried they would attack our military bases. No one knew who or why. No one knew their true motives. I have never been so numb and dumbfounded in all my life. The school even talked about closing down and evacuating for the rest of the week, but never did. Even if it had, I leave one hot zone in Corpus for another in San Antonio.

Fast forward to today. I hate that this tragedy happened. But, what I hate more, is that we never built another WTC. Had this been a natural disaster or a building malfunction, we rebuild. I say we should have rebuilt a bigger, better, badder WTC at Ground Zero.....turn it into not only a working building, but also a memorial for 9/11. Oh, and when does the new WTC open its doors....on 9/11. Show Al Quaida that we are the USA and we will not bow to terrorist scum. IMO, leaving the area nekkid and void of a new WTC, it is as if the deaths of all our fellow Americans have not been honored, at least not in the American way. BTW, if it were me building it.....on the day it was opened....I would have a the blinds positioned where they were giving a middle finger in the direction of the middle east.... It would be a giant middle finger with a giant letter U under it....all in red, white, and blue.

Also, as far as that mosque.....H to the E double L NO. I am all for freedom of religion, but this one has political and cultural overtones......It is like they are purposely trying to give America and all those lost Americans a huge middle finger, a full on mooning, and Wilt Chamberlain sized slap in the face. I for one will have none of that. They want a mosque, go build it elsewhere, not withine a mile or two of ground zero.

God bless all those who lost their lives, those who had loved ones who lost their lives, and those who took time, energy, and money to lend a helping hand over the past decade.

BTW, if my post offends anyone, too bad. These are my memories and my feelings. I speak honestly and from the heart. I speak with great respect for all those who have fallen and continue to fall for the stars and stripes, in the name of patriotism, freedom, honor and the American way. I speak for all of my military family members spanning several generations. I am not PC and I never will be. And if you are offended...God Bless you.....and God Bless America land that I love stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam....God bless America my home sweet home.....God bless America my home sweet home.

 

[The30YardSlant]

I was getting ready for school. My most significant memory was sitting in second period and watching on TV as the towers collapsed live. My social studies teacher, a marine veteran and a classic "tough guy" broke down and cried right there in front of us. It was maybe the most unforgettable moment of my life, because I knew right then the world had changed forever.

 

[notherbob]

I was a ranch hand on my father-in-law's ranch at the time and spent the entire morning from first light out working on barbed wire fences and was in good spirits and didn't learn of it until I came in for the midday meal, which is called dinner out here and it's the big meal of the day.

Mother-in-law always prepared a big meal but nothing was made that day. I went home and cooked a burger made with our own beef and watch a little of the coverage and went through lots of emotions and turned the TV off and went back to work. My thoughts were certainly a lot different that afternoon than they had been that morning. It's hard not to be affected by the scenes they showed.

I was shocked but not devastated by it as I had been expecting something bad because there had been anti-American protests all over the world leading up to it and just days before there had been anti-American riots in South Africa. In the aftermath I have changed the ways I look at people, places and things.

 

[The30YardSlant]

In the aftermath I have changed the ways I look at people, places and things.

I think just about everyone did. How could you not? I'm sure it was the same for those who lived through Pearl Harbor. The world changes in moments like that, and people's outlook on it changes as well.

 

[Biggems]

I think just about everyone did. How could you not? I'm sure it was the same for those who lived through Pearl Harbor. The world changes in moments like that, and people's outlook on it changes as well.

Yes.....just as the actions of Japan caused so many hardships for all Asians who lived in the US after the Pearl Harbor attacks....I mean we put them in concentration camps and prisons out of fear.....Innocent Asian people were ostracized and dehumanized because of the actions of a few madmen.....

Now with these terrorist attacks both here and abroad.....the millions of peaceful Muslims suffer because of the actions of a minority of radicals. I cannot blame the American people for looking over their shoulders, for not trusting any Muslim, but it is sad really. There are thousands, probably millions of Muslims who love America and what it stands for and are willing to defend it.....but they get shunned, harrassed, and slammed because of those psychotic radicals.....and the sad part is, those very Muslims understand and except the burden.

I hate that the events of 9-11 have jaded me in such a way that I am very distrustful of any Muslim or Arab. The way a town full of white people felt when the 1st black family moved into their town in the deep south, is how I feel about Muslims and Arabs. I know it isn't right, I hate that I feel this way, I try hard not to be this way, I pray to not be this way.....But my fear consumes me.....and thanks to 9-11 and later Fort Hood, I am sorry, but I just have zero trust, understanding, and compassion. Take their war back to the Middle East and leave it there.

 

[The30YardSlant]

Yes.....just as the actions of Japan caused so many hardships for all Asians who lived in the US after the Pearl Harbor attacks....I mean we put them in concentration camps and prisons out of fear.....Innocent Asian people were ostracized and dehumanized because of the actions of a few madmen.....

Now with these terrorist attacks both here and abroad.....the millions of peaceful Muslims suffer because of the actions of a minority of radicals. I cannot blame the American people for looking over their shoulders, for not trusting any Muslim, but it is sad really. There are thousands, probably millions of Muslims who love America and what it stands for and are willing to defend it.....but they get shunned, harrassed, and slammed because of those psychotic radicals.....and the sad part is, those very Muslims understand and except the burden.

I hate that the events of 9-11 have jaded me in such a way that I am very distrustful of any Muslim or Arab. The way a town full of white people felt when the 1st black family moved into their town in the deep south, is how I feel about Muslims and Arabs. I know it isn't right, I hate that I feel this way, I try hard not to be this way, I pray to not be this way.....But my fear consumes me.....and thanks to 9-11 and later Fort Hood, I am sorry, but I just have zero trust, understanding, and compassion. Take their war back to the Middle East and leave it there.

Very true, sadly enough

 

[Faerluna]

I lived about 30 minutes north of NYC at the time. I was on the way to work and was listening to the radio, Scott and Todd on WPLJ, and they were talking about how a plane had hit the tower and as more news came in, it wasn't a small plane but an airliner.

As I pulled in to the parking garage, the second plane hit. Todd said, "This is not an accident! This is a terrorist attack!"

I got to the office in a daze, one of the women trying to get ahold of her husband who was on the train into the city. I called my parents to let them know I was ok. My Dad knew that the company I worked for had offices in Lower Manhattan and didn't know where exactly I worked, which was up by where I lived, not in the city, thankfully.

I tried calling my friend, Jennifer, who lived in Midtown. At this point, we didn't know if there would be more planes and what if Manhattan would end up being a mass of burning rubble.

Of course, I couldn't get her at home or on her cell. She was on her way out of the city for a meeting in Connecticut later that morning. She didn't even know what was going on because she hadn't turned on the radio until she saw that all entrances to Manhattan were blocked off and they were turning people away.

She finally got ahold of me and I filled her in on what was happening, knowing that she would be unable to get back home that night. We agreed to meet later when she could get through the traffic and up to my apartment.

I went downstairs to the gym in the building, the only place with a TV. I watched the towers fall as I sat on the floor.

Eventually, they told us to all go home and decisions about business for the next day would be made later.

My friend and I stayed up watching TV news all night, wondering, hoping, praying it was over.

I talked to her this morning and we went over what we were doing that day, how it all went down for each of us. It was very emotional for us both and much more raw today, 10 years later, than it was when it happened.

At the time, it felt like a slap in the face and we stood there, mouth hanging open at the enormity of the moment. Now, as we look back we can see how it changed everything and we can allow ourselves to have the kind of grieving that we just couldn't manage in those days, or even years, after.

 

[Eskimo]

Yes.....just as the actions of Japan caused so many hardships for all Asians who lived in the US after the Pearl Harbor attacks....I mean we put them in concentration camps and prisons out of fear.....Innocent Asian people were ostracized and dehumanized because of the actions of a few madmen.....

Now with these terrorist attacks both here and abroad.....the millions of peaceful Muslims suffer because of the actions of a minority of radicals. I cannot blame the American people for looking over their shoulders, for not trusting any Muslim, but it is sad really. There are thousands, probably millions of Muslims who love America and what it stands for and are willing to defend it.....but they get shunned, harrassed, and slammed because of those psychotic radicals.....and the sad part is, those very Muslims understand and except the burden.

I hate that the events of 9-11 have jaded me in such a way that I am very distrustful of any Muslim or Arab. The way a town full of white people felt when the 1st black family moved into their town in the deep south, is how I feel about Muslims and Arabs. I know it isn't right, I hate that I feel this way, I try hard not to be this way, I pray to not be this way.....But my fear consumes me.....and thanks to 9-11 and later Fort Hood, I am sorry, but I just have zero trust, understanding, and compassion. Take their war back to the Middle East and leave it there.

I don't want to say anything too political but until you have true energy independence, you will always be linked to events in the Middle East.

In response to the thread topic, I had just come into the hospital and we sat down and watched the carnage unfold in the residents lounge for about two hours.

I found out my staff was trapped in NY with no way to get out and I had to run the medical service for the next two weeks until he could find a way to get back home. It was a stressful time for me as I was only a first-year resident and had only about two months experience in the role when this all transpired.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I was at work when it all happened so like BDC I knew what had happened but didn't get to see any of the footage until I got home. Once I saw it I just sat in stunned silence with my jaw on the floor. Well I did once the power company fixed my power. The was something wrong with the transformer on the pole behind my house.

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

Flew home from the Dallas game the day before. We're on the West coast and didn't have the TV on that morning. As we were leaving for work mother in law came over to watch the baby and told us about it. Spent the ride to work listening to Howard Stern talking about it, then the rest of the day on CNN.com trying to make sense of it all.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

Junior year in high school, right in the middle of English class.

That's where the president was too.

 

[Jenky]

That's where the president was too.

Ouch. :laugh2:

 

[urface59]

Me and my older brother were home alone from school sick. Our mom called and was like "America's getting bombed everywhere turn on the news!". We tuned in about a minute before the second plane hit. We both literally sat there on the bed watching the news all day.

 

[CowBoyRod]

I was 10 years old, I woke up, went to school, and did the usual school stuff, around 9 am, the intercom went on and told all classes that we were not allowed to go outside to play that day. Everything went the same the rest of the school day.

When we were kids, we werent allowed to watch cartoons until we did our homework. So when we got home, I remember changing the channel to KidsWB, but that day, it was not KidsWB. They were broadcasting the attacks of the towers. My first thought was "What if my mom was in NYC?" But i knew she wasn't as she lives in Del Rio, TX

That night, we lit candles.

 

[rkell87]

i was in mrs goodins 8th grade English class(only reason i remember her name) I remember seeing teachers go from room to room and briefly talking to each other and then going to another room and doing the same thing during the in between class period and i thought it was odd. anyway somebody got a text and that person asked the teacher what was going on and she said she heard something happened but she wasnt sure what(lying) and that we should focus on the lesson. after that basically everybody started texting their parents or whoever to find out what was going on and people started getting little bits of info and we were all whispering about what we heard then a girl yelled out OMG two planes hit the WTC and the news is saying we are under attack by terrorists! the teacher knew she had lost us at that point so we turned on the tv right past 930 and they replayed the second tower falling. half the school got checked out because the rumor mill was full force and the oil refineries in the area were supposedly a target.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

i was in mrs goodins 8th grade English class(only reason i remember her name) I remember seeing teachers go from room to room and briefly talking to each other and then going to another room and doing the same thing during the in between class period and i thought it was odd. anyway somebody got a text and that person asked the teacher what was going on and she said she heard something happened but she wasnt sure what(lying) and that we should focus on the lesson. after that basically everybody started texting their parents or whoever to find out what was going on and people started getting little bits of info and we were all whispering about what we heard then a girl yelled out OMG two planes hit the WTC and the news is saying we are under attack by terrorists! the teacher knew she had lost us at that point so we turned on the tv right past 930 and they replayed the second tower falling. half the school got checked out because the rumor mill was full force and the oil refineries in the area were supposedly a target.

I was living in Post Road Place apartments, the building closest to the road that backs up to Post Road Villas. Third floor, apartment facing the parking lot that's closest to Post Road itself. First bedroom when you walk in the door.

 

[rkell87]

I was living in Post Road Place apartments, the building closest to the road that backs up to Post Road Villas. Third floor, apartment facing the parking lot that's closest to Post Road itself. First bedroom when you walk in the door.

i think ive been to a party there lol, but on 9/11 i was living in the nasa area

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

I was working in Tyson's corner outside of DC in the tall building outside of the Tysons Mall. We were watching what had just happened in NY in disbelief when we felt a tremor. One of the who was in the office we were watching from looked up and said, "OMG, isn't that smoke coming from where the Pentagon is at?". We were evacuated shortly after and were told to stay home the next day as well.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

Ouch. :laugh2:

Sad, but one of the many truths people seem to forget about that day.

 

[vta]

Sad, but one of the many truths people seem to forget about that day.

That the President was reading a book to a bunch of kids? Seems kind of irrelevant.