September 11 2001

[BPTactical]

The wife and I had just gotten back from Vegas @ 0600. I was planning on taking the day off seeing how we had taken the red eye and we were lounging in bed and watched as 9 News cut over to live feeds from New York. Just a couple minutes after the switch the second plane hit, we watched it unfold on live TV. About 5 minutes later I got a call from my boss wondering if we made it home OK and if so I had to go to the shed that I plowed snow out of @ 118th and Wadsworth. They gave the employees the option of going home but as I was a supervisor I was mandated to be on "Stand By". We were to take plows and such and close the highways if needed.
Now the old shed there was right across from Jeffco Airport and we spent the day watching the news for the most part. About 20 minutes after they declared all flights grounded we heard a small plane and went out to see what was going on. The small plane had barely cleared the runway and out of nowhere there was a F-18 right on top of this Cessena or what ever it was, standing on its tail and escorting the puddle jumper back to the airport. As soon as the puddle jumper was down the F-18 hit the afterburner and was gone.
Kinda eerie how he just came out of nowhere and essentially sat right on top of the light aircraft.
When I went home probably the strangest thing was the silence. I am right on the western flight path for DIA and used to hearing and seeing commercial A/C landing and taking off.
Not a single one for 4 days.
The silence was deafening.

Eerie stillness.

[DSB OUTDOORS]

I was sitting in my office listening to the radio when I heard about the first plane. Anyone walking into the office talking I told them to shut up and listen to this!! I turned up the radio hoping that someone was playing a sick joke. Then the second plane hit, and it was dead silent as we were all glued to the radio. I will never forget or forgive what happened that day!! God Bless Everyone in the USA! And pray that something like this won't happen again!!

[mopar]

The wife and I had just gotten back from Vegas @ 0600. I was planning on taking the day off seeing how we had taken the red eye and we were lounging in bed and watched as 9 News cut over to live feeds from New York. Just a couple minutes after the switch the second plane hit, we watched it unfold on live TV. About 5 minutes later I got a call from my boss wondering if we made it home OK and if so I had to go to the shed that I plowed snow out of @ 118th and Wadsworth. They gave the employees the option of going home but as I was a supervisor I was mandated to be on "Stand By". We were to take plows and such and close the highways if needed.
Now the old shed there was right across from Jeffco Airport and we spent the day watching the news for the most part. About 20 minutes after they declared all flights grounded we heard a small plane and went out to see what was going on. The small plane had barely cleared the runway and out of nowhere there was a F-18 right on top of this Cessena or what ever it was, standing on its tail and escorting the puddle jumper back to the airport. As soon as the puddle jumper was down the F-18 hit the afterburner and was gone.
Kinda eerie how he just came out of nowhere and essentially sat right on top of the light aircraft.
When I went home probably the strangest thing was the silence. I am right on the western flight path for DIA and used to hearing and seeing commercial A/C landing and taking off.
Not a single one for 4 days.
The silence was deafening.

Eerie stillness.

I bet the guy in the puddle jumper had to change his BVDs after he landed.

[trout_champ]

I was in my freshman year at Arizona State and I was working out at the rec center. I was watching SportsCenter and they cut to the news after the first plane crashed. Pretty soon plane number two and then I went back to my dorm and called my parents.

Randy

[BPTactical]

I bet the guy in the puddle jumper had to change his BVDs after he landed.

We wondered that as well not to mention the quizzing I am sure he got from the FFA.
If he didnt make a mess because of the F-18 I am sure he messed hisself then!

On a side note- one of the guys that worked for me at the time drove a limo on the side-he ended up taking some fat cat to Kansas City to the tune of $2K.

[Elhuero]

my clock radio was set to KILO and when it clicked on the DJs were talking, no music. Their tone and manner of speaking let me know instantly that something was going on.

They spoke about what was happening, but there were no specifics. After a minute or two I actually yelled "So what the hell is going on!"

Almost as if they heard me the DJ said "So, to recap what's happening..."

I went out in the living room and turned on the TV to see replays of the second plane. Like Ridge, I said "HOLY SHIT!"

That was the only thing I said, repeated several times, until I got to work.

It was a strange day. After work I drove to my parent's house. On the way I passed people standing on the side of the street, holding flags and waving at cars going by. The feeling in the air was like, well the air felt normal, but the feeling in my soul made the air feel thicker.

I sat on the porch at my folk's house and looked up at the sky that for the first time since before I was born (and probably the last time in my life) was empty of airplanes.

Watched the events unfold on the TV, and I am not ashamed to admit that I cried.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!

[sniper7]

yep, junior year of high school in physics class. announcement over the speaker, we watched plane 2 hit live, both buildings fall live.

I received a scholarship from the United 93 captain's family/foundation.

Day holds a special place in my heart because of the scholarship, because I fly for the airlines and because America was hurt severely that day.

Thanks to all those that gave it all on that day try to save others, prayers to those lost and their families and a special thanks to those who are and have fought those who intend to do us harm.

[ghettodub]

It was my day off, and I'm sure after a night of drinking and debauchery, I was hung over and tired. My plan for the day was to go return a movie to blockbuster, and then go to the shooting range. I turned on the television and then went to the shower, and not paying attention to the news that was on.

Showered, and walked through my room one last time to get my shoes and run out the door. Heard something briefly about a terrorist attack or something, but I didn't pay much attention to it since I wanted to get out of the house.
Drove up to blockbuster, which was a couple miles up the street (I lived off of Sante Fe and Mineral-ish). Got out of my car, without turning it off, and turned my movie in. Got back in my car, and then boom: it wouldn't start. Pushed my car in to a parking spot, and popped the hood. Couldn't get anything to work, so I started to try and call friends to pick me up. No luck.

Super pissed off, I walked the two miles home. Sat down on the couch, called AAA to have them tow my car. Then, I finally turned on the TV and saw what was happening. Sat there glued on the TV for quite a while after that.

All the comments about being in high school still. hah, makes me feel old, and I'm only in my 30s

[Inconel710]

Yeah, that was a surreal day for sure. I was on an SSBN at the time and we were pulling in that morning after a deterrent patrol. It was my second patrol and I was standing watch as the contact coordinator, hugging one of the periscopes. We heard the tug skippers talking about a terrorist attack, but stayed focused on getting up the channel to Kings Bay.

As we got to the pier (I could see the families waiting for us), the word came down from the squadron CO to turn around and head back out. We still didn't know what was really going on, but we made the fastest transit back down the channel ever. I'll never forget heading back out to the dive point, watching the ships in Mayport, FL sortie. I counted five Arleigh Burke DDGs, a Ticonderoga CG, and a couple Perry FFs headed out with us.

We got the DEFCON 3 message and that's when the rumors started running. We were ready to nuke someone that day. The Navy sucks at keeping you informed - we had get the Radiomen pipe AM radio into the ships announcing system to get news to the crew since there was so little coming across in message traffic. Listened to Bush give his address that night and didn't get much sleep. For the second time in my Navy career, I regreted my decision to stay in the Navy and not join the Marines.

[Ronin13]

I remember waking up to the radio and they talked about how breaking news had just come in, a plane had hit the WTC in NY. My first thought was a single engine cessna lost in the fog on it's way to Laguardia or JFK. Went upstairs and turned on the news and saw it was definitely not a small plane. Yelled for my younger brother to get up and see this. He entered the kitchen just in time to see the second plane hit live with me. Needless to say we didn't need any hints or anything, the writing was on the wall. On my way to high school (I was a junior), I heard news that the Pentagon had been hit, and there were rumors flying around that the National Mall and DC Mall of America had been hit as well, but the reporters were still confirming. All day we watched the news in every class. I was the first to utter the words "Osama bin Laden" as I was up on my "who the baddies are" list. When we watched the towers collapse live I cried knowing that many of my extra-extended family had just been murdered as my Dad, mom, and both grandfathers had been firefighters, and being raised in a firefighter family means you're family with all firefighters anywhere.
Never forget.