Where Were You on 9/11 and How'd You Learn About it? - Page 4

RWW · 09-11-2009, 10:20 PM

Flew into Cherry Point NC at 0200 as part of the "early crew" coming back from an exercise at 29 palms. It was about 10 or so of us. Had to be at the Squadron at 0800 to debrief pilots in the ready room which should have taken about 2 hours. There was always a TV with the news on. Needless to say the debrief stopped and everyones heart sank. Within minutes of the second plane crashing the "special" phone rang in the ready room with instructions to load every available jet with sidewinders and get in the air... The base got locked down and when we were not refueling we were taking turns standing guard duties.

The rest of the squadron that was supposed to come home that day had to stay out at 29 Palms for another week.

ADDfishing · 09-11-2009, 11:08 PM

I woke up around 8am for my wildlife management class at 9:30. I was listening to Howard and when Robin said a plane hit the North tower, I turned on the tv as well. I saw the second plane hit from live coverage and my mind went into WTF! mode. .When I got to class, I could tell that nobody knew what was going on, I could not concentrate in the least. By the time I got back in my truck at 10:45, the North tower had collapsed. Howard was unbelievable with his coverage of the event. I was locked to the radio – I felt more comfortable listening to Howard for some reason. All my neighbors were outside, in shock. I think classes were cancelled for a couple days by 11am. There’s a LOT of kids from New York at the University of Delaware, it seemed like everyone was worried about a loved one.

I had a part time job in a soils/concrete lab and was at work by 2pm, obviously, that was pretty much a waste. By 4pm, I was on the roof putting up the biggest American flag the president of the company could find (which was enormous). I was amazed at how many people drove by on the highway with horns blasting and a fist in the air. It became almost a steady flow of horns from passers-by and took me a few minutes realize that they were showing a little solidarity toward my actions and, more importantly, the flag.

That was the day that EVERYONE was an AMERICAN. You weren't Black, White, Asian, Hipanic or whatever. You were AMERICAN.

Capt. Stu · 09-12-2009, 08:46 AM

Tuesday, 9/11/01: I was on Capitol Hill. Witnessed the terror & panic. DC was in absolute horror. They closed down the Metro & I decided to walk back to VA (via the 14th Strret Bridge). Got sidetracked at a friend's house where 3 or 4 of us watched the events unfold. I knew it was the work of Bin Laden & felt my ire arise at all things muslim. They reopened the Metro around 3pm & I ride the yellow line back to Alexandria. When the train rose over the Potomac you could see the Pentagon in flames. Very sad. It was still smoldering the next morning. National Airport was shut down for many weeks after 9/11 & those who rode the Metro to work each day (as I did from 1998 to 2002) were saddened by the empty parking lot, terminal & tarmac. I'll don't expect I'll ever trust a muslim, just as my father's generation would ever trust a jap.

Stuart

FishDancer · 09-12-2009, 09:51 AM

Having grown up watching the towers rise above the NYC skyline from our football field, having been in the crowd scene at the foot of the towers in the remake of King Kong and having enjoyed many evenings at Windows on the World, I developed a special attachment to the WTC. On 9.11 I was in Texas at a business meeting when the first plane struck. The meeting was postponed and we all went back to our hotel rooms to watch in horror. Luckily someone rented the last few buses in the area and we made the long ride back to Georgia the next day. I was saddened to learn a friend of the family, Wanda Green -- a United airlines flight attendant, was on United 93 and was killed in Shanksville, PA. A sad day for the US of A and one I will NEVER FORGET. It still pisses me off when I see the footage.....

Jeff
FishDancer
>>))))))">
http://www.FishDancer.net

Big Fish Billy · 09-12-2009, 11:05 AM

At work in my office, First Church in Boston, when our shipper came running in and said "turn on the tv, a plane just hit the Twin Towers in NY." Fumbling around for the controller, the batteries were dead, got some new ones, turned it on just in time for the second plane to hit. I remembered thinking, how could someone get that far off course as to hit a building, figuring it was a private plane with a pilot with a medical condition. When the second plane hit, I knew it was a plot. I can remember mentioning to my buddy, "I wonder what they are going to do with the buildings now?" and he said "probably take them down"...and then they fell down. What horror. Most of the folks on the first plane were Boston area residents, one of my wife's daycare parents, a mother, was one of the victims aboard. Amost everyone I know in the area lost someone they knew. We had some boating friends, a nice young couple that used to have a custom cabin boat. I hadn't seen them in a while and asked my TowBoat friend about Sunbeam. "Bob was lost in the 911 crash he reported." They had been surfing pals. Being an ex-excavator operator I, and a few friends went down soon after to see if we could help out. We were working within sight, when President Bush was there and the Steel Worker said "don't let me down." Well it took Bush a while longer than it would have taken me...but he didn't....

peterk814 · 10-08-2009, 10:04 AM

At the time, i was attending high school at stuyvesant high school not even 2 blocks from the twin towers. I was sitting in english class when a message came calmly over the loudspeaker saying " a plane has struck one of the twin towers" No other information was given and the information was a bit surreal. We all quickly went back to studying and back to class. About 5 minutes later another message came over the loudspeaker asking everyone to return to their home rooms. Upon arriving to my homeroom through the chaos of 3200 students, we quickly turn on the tv showing one of the towers on fire and smoking. We then heard a loud boom when the second tower got hit. At this point we were all still a bit nonchalant. Looking out the window I saw the first tower fall. i saw what I believe to be small bodies falling, perhaps it was my imagination, who knows. When the tower fell is when it struck for a lot of people, we quickly saw a cloud of smoke and debris making its way over to the school, we quickly rushed out the backdoor and up the west side highway.

It was hard to comprehend what had just happened, some people were screaming and crying, others were without words. Some just did not care.

I made my way over to a friends restaurant by midday and eventually when the LIRR trains were running around 5 I made my way home.

The events of that day are forever burned into my memory.

Flatdog · 10-08-2009, 02:24 PM

It's odd that we remember these days...
I was in South Africa Delivering some dive cylinders back to a Dive school in Benoni After testing and refilling them, pull into a roadhouse late in the afternoon, for a burger sat there like an Idiot waiting for someone to take my order eventually got out the car and walk to the window to place the order and watch in horror as the second plane hit through the crowd of staff watching a little black and white portable TV. I had never had the radio on in the car all day just listened to tapes.

09-11-2009, 11:08 PM	#32
ADDfishing Bite me Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lewes, DE Posts: 220 Boat: 27 "Outboard Skiff"	I woke up around 8am for my wildlife management class at 9:30. I was listening to Howard and when Robin said a plane hit the North tower, I turned on the tv as well. I saw the second plane hit from live coverage and my mind went into WTF! mode. .When I got to class, I could tell that nobody knew what was going on, I could not concentrate in the least. By the time I got back in my truck at 10:45, the North tower had collapsed. Howard was unbelievable with his coverage of the event. I was locked to the radio – I felt more comfortable listening to Howard for some reason. All my neighbors were outside, in shock. I think classes were cancelled for a couple days by 11am. There’s a LOT of kids from New York at the University of Delaware, it seemed like everyone was worried about a loved one. I had a part time job in a soils/concrete lab and was at work by 2pm, obviously, that was pretty much a waste. By 4pm, I was on the roof putting up the biggest American flag the president of the company could find (which was enormous). I was amazed at how many people drove by on the highway with horns blasting and a fist in the air. It became almost a steady flow of horns from passers-by and took me a few minutes realize that they were showing a little solidarity toward my actions and, more importantly, the flag. That was the day that EVERYONE was an AMERICAN. You weren't Black, White, Asian, Hipanic or whatever. You were AMERICAN. Last edited by ADDfishing; 09-11-2009 at 11:37 PM.

09-12-2009, 11:05 AM	#35
Big Fish Billy I think Admin is going to let me have this space Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mass. Posts: 2,126 Boat: 40' Jersey Dawn Home Port: Newburyport Best Catch: 1180 Blue Fin Occupation: Production Manager	I was... At work in my office, First Church in Boston, when our shipper came running in and said "turn on the tv, a plane just hit the Twin Towers in NY." Fumbling around for the controller, the batteries were dead, got some new ones, turned it on just in time for the second plane to hit. I remembered thinking, how could someone get that far off course as to hit a building, figuring it was a private plane with a pilot with a medical condition. When the second plane hit, I knew it was a plot. I can remember mentioning to my buddy, "I wonder what they are going to do with the buildings now?" and he said "probably take them down"...and then they fell down. What horror. Most of the folks on the first plane were Boston area residents, one of my wife's daycare parents, a mother, was one of the victims aboard. Amost everyone I know in the area lost someone they knew. We had some boating friends, a nice young couple that used to have a custom cabin boat. I hadn't seen them in a while and asked my TowBoat friend about Sunbeam. "Bob was lost in the 911 crash he reported." They had been surfing pals. Being an ex-excavator operator I, and a few friends went down soon after to see if we could help out. We were working within sight, when President Bush was there and the Steel Worker said "don't let me down." Well it took Bush a while longer than it would have taken me...but he didn't.... Last edited by Big Fish Billy; 09-12-2009 at 11:08 AM.

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09-12-2009, 08:46 AM	#33
Capt. Stu I just got squirted with ballyhoo poop Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Virgina Beach Posts: 44	Tuesday, 9/11/01: I was on Capitol Hill. Witnessed the terror & panic. DC was in absolute horror. They closed down the Metro & I decided to walk back to VA (via the 14th Strret Bridge). Got sidetracked at a friend's house where 3 or 4 of us watched the events unfold. I knew it was the work of Bin Laden & felt my ire arise at all things muslim. They reopened the Metro around 3pm & I ride the yellow line back to Alexandria. When the train rose over the Potomac you could see the Pentagon in flames. Very sad. It was still smoldering the next morning. National Airport was shut down for many weeks after 9/11 & those who rode the Metro to work each day (as I did from 1998 to 2002) were saddened by the empty parking lot, terminal & tarmac. I'll don't expect I'll ever trust a muslim, just as my father's generation would ever trust a jap. Stuart

09-12-2009, 09:51 AM	#34
FishDancer Just bought a 65' hat! Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Fernandina Beach, Fl Posts: 78 Boat: FishDancer Contender 33t Home Port: Fernandina Beach Best Catch: 61.1 pound king mackerel, 450 pound Pacific Blue Marlin, 180 pound tarpon Occupation: Executive	Having grown up watching the towers rise above the NYC skyline from our football field, having been in the crowd scene at the foot of the towers in the remake of King Kong and having enjoyed many evenings at Windows on the World, I developed a special attachment to the WTC. On 9.11 I was in Texas at a business meeting when the first plane struck. The meeting was postponed and we all went back to our hotel rooms to watch in horror. Luckily someone rented the last few buses in the area and we made the long ride back to Georgia the next day. I was saddened to learn a friend of the family, Wanda Green -- a United airlines flight attendant, was on United 93 and was killed in Shanksville, PA. A sad day for the US of A and one I will NEVER FORGET. It still pisses me off when I see the footage..... Jeff FishDancer >>))))))"> http://www.FishDancer.net

10-08-2009, 10:04 AM	#36
peterk814 #1 Lurker Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 2	At the time, i was attending high school at stuyvesant high school not even 2 blocks from the twin towers. I was sitting in english class when a message came calmly over the loudspeaker saying " a plane has struck one of the twin towers" No other information was given and the information was a bit surreal. We all quickly went back to studying and back to class. About 5 minutes later another message came over the loudspeaker asking everyone to return to their home rooms. Upon arriving to my homeroom through the chaos of 3200 students, we quickly turn on the tv showing one of the towers on fire and smoking. We then heard a loud boom when the second tower got hit. At this point we were all still a bit nonchalant. Looking out the window I saw the first tower fall. i saw what I believe to be small bodies falling, perhaps it was my imagination, who knows. When the tower fell is when it struck for a lot of people, we quickly saw a cloud of smoke and debris making its way over to the school, we quickly rushed out the backdoor and up the west side highway. It was hard to comprehend what had just happened, some people were screaming and crying, others were without words. Some just did not care. I made my way over to a friends restaurant by midday and eventually when the LIRR trains were running around 5 I made my way home. The events of that day are forever burned into my memory.

10-08-2009, 02:24 PM	#37
Flatdog I think Admin is going to let me have this space Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: London England Posts: 1,021 Boat: Fallen in love with Strike 37 walk around though the 44 would be the best option Home Port: weymouth Best Catch: 210kg cat fish rio de morte brazil Amazon delta Occupation: At the moment sales	It's odd that we remember these days... I was in South Africa Delivering some dive cylinders back to a Dive school in Benoni After testing and refilling them, pull into a roadhouse late in the afternoon, for a burger sat there like an Idiot waiting for someone to take my order eventually got out the car and walk to the window to place the order and watch in horror as the second plane hit through the crowd of staff watching a little black and white portable TV. I had never had the radio on in the car all day just listened to tapes.