24th Anniversary, where were you?

[jkernitzki]

At my age, it's getting hard to remember (and fairly tiresome, as well) where I was for many historical moments. From JFK until now, I remember each one vividly. In the case of 9/11/2001, I was in Chicago at a client site. When the news broke and we saw the second tower hit, the campus was shut down and I was left to my own devices.

I tool the train back to downtown, standing in the shadow of what was suddenly the tallest building in the nation and thinking I should keep moving. Took the Blue Line to ORD, but we were stopped at the Rosemont station (one shy of O'Hare) and told that the airport was already closed. Got a room at the Doubletree and tried to figure out my next move (if any).

Rental cars were completely sold out, so it was Amtrak to the rescue. Back downtown the next day (Wednesday), and got a seat to Flagstaff, where my wife drove up to meet me when we arrived on Friday afternoon. Three days in the same seat, same clothes, and no opportunity to shower. And a bar car we emptied by midday Thursday.

Spent the night in Flag and came home the next day. My schedule for the following week was cancelled (obviously), but I was back at the airport on Sunday the 23rd, on a very empty flight. Airports were like mausoleums for months.

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[cprcubed]

Working at Edwards AFB in California. Most of the guys I worked with started early (5 am) and we started getting calls from our wives about what was going on. Of course, the base threat level changed dramatically. At the time we had more than a few guys TDY out to the Pentagon and Wright-Patterson AFB who were stuck there with no air travel (and luckily no one we knew was actually at the Pentagon. Cheers!

 

[dwrufus53]

I was working and we had a user's group conference in Phoenix for the software platform that we supported. We had some 300 people from across the country in town for this event. We convened that Tuesday morning, we immediately adjourned the event and sat around the hotel ballroom trying to grasp what had happened. Obviously, all planes were grounded, and people were scrambling to find rental cars so they could get back home. Many of the locals (about 60 of us) "adopted" some of the out-of-towners and brought them into our homes until they were able to find ways back home.

The most surreal part of all was the lack of planes in the skies.

 

[Squier]

I was driving to work, just minutes away. The morning radio show on KQRS in the Twin Cities (MN) broke from their usual banter and said the WTC was hit by a plane. As soon as I walked in the door at work, I told my co-workers about it. We turned on a TV in the breakroom and watched on the Today Show as the second plane hit the other tower.

We were glued to the internet all day and got all the updates as the 2 other planes crashed and the twin towers fell. The most surreal day of my entire life.

 

[Robins21]

I was at work in northern NJ at a Ford dealership I worked at in the service department. When we heard what happened we were all glued to the TV in the conference room watching the news.

 

[jkernitzki]

I was working and we had a user's group meeting in Phoenix for the software program that we supported. We had some 300 people from across the country in town for this event. We convened that Tuesday morning, we immediately adjourned the event and sat around the hotel ballroom trying to grasp what had happened. Obviously, all planes were grounded, and people were scrambling to find rental cars so they could get back home. Many of the locals (about 60 of us) "adopted" some of the out-of-towners and brought them into our homes until they were able to find ways back home.

The most surreal part of all was the lack of planes in the skies.

When you mentioned a user’s group meeting, it reminded me of a user’s conference I was attending in March 2020 in New Orleans. Got out of that OK, but took a few days at home in Phoenix and got my flight back to Afghanistan cancelled the day before I was supposed to fly. Got stuck for months for global panic over essentially a case of the flu.

 

[robrain]

At work in London. Watching incredulous on the BBC News website.

 

[John J]

I was on patrol in the Binghamton NY area ( NY State Police - Troop C). We were recalled and told to pack our bags and Troop Cars. On the road and picked up more and more patrols as we headed south. Convoyed down the Palisades Parkway and crossed the GW Bridge at about 9PM, and headed straight to Ground Zero. Two photos......first is from the Troop car convoy on the Palisades, the second crossing the GW Bridge heading to Ground Zero.
NEVER FORGET my BS friends.

 

[jkernitzki]

I was on patrol in the Binghamton NY area ( NY State Police - Troop C). We were recalled and told to pack our bags and Troop Cars. On the road and picked up more and more patrols as we headed south. Convoyed down the Palisades Parkway and crossed the GW Bridge at about 9PM, and headed straight to Ground Zero. Two photos......first is from the Troop car convoy on the Palisades, the second crossing the GW Bridge heading to Ground Zero.
NEVER FORGET my BS friends.

All gave some, some gave All. I know you did what was asked of you and more. Don't ever think it wasn't enough.

 

[davidg4781]

I was at college majoring in Music Education. I was in the middle of a lesson when another professor came in and gave us the news. We just kind of sat there and my professor said we should cancel and finish up later.

I don't remember if I went to other classes or if they were canceled. I do remember they brought in a TV to the recital hall and let us go in and watch.

I guess my classes were over or canceled but I remember calling my work (I worked at a grocery store) and asking if they needed help. They told me to come in and fill up with gas on the way. Gas station was packed but I had enough for the 30 minute drive home. I worked that day and really didn't have time to process everything. I mean, I knew what happened, knew that this could take a turn for the worse, but it wasn't like I was too worried about anything. Being in South Texas, I felt we were safe if anything else were to happen.

 

[wireman]

Heading to work at 5 am (PST). Listening to Don Imus when the news broke.

After the 2nd plane hit I knew this country was going to do some damage to those responsible.

 

[TheX]

I was almost exactly 9 months into sobriety, building a UBB site. In 3 months I hit 25 years sober.

Never forget.

 

[wireman]

I was almost exactly 9 months into sobriety, building a UBB site. In 3 months I hit 25 years sober.

Never forget.

Congrats on the sobriety. Achieving that is a great accomplishment for you.

 

[Bronco III]

We were getting ready for work, in CA, and had the TV on. When all this started happening, we were just glued to the set.
The thing that impressed me the most in the days and weeks following was this feeling of unity and common concern of people you knew and people on the street. It was as though all the other BS that goes on everyday was not important and we all had this focus of having been attacked and ready to defend in whatever way we were capable of, even just in thought. It all mattered.

 

[Brent@ANParts]

It was my first day at a new school, and we had all traveled off-site for a kind of bonding, get-to-know event for the new students. I just really remember how quiet everything was. I lived near a few airports and there was always something flying around. Just dead quiet, like heavy snow.

The day is blurry but what I remember most is the incredible patriotism that followed, it really felt like we were a true united nation after that.

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