Memories from Belgium
1. "Came home from school. Grandparents were staying over since my parents were on holiday. As I entered the living room, I saw there was a Space Shuttle launch on TV. Lots of smoke and a big white needle on top. I even commented how weird it was because those things normally weren't broadcast live.
Both my grandparents were just silent. Then the picture on the TV zoomed out and I recognized this building from somewhere.
'Hey that's a building from Sim City! What's it called, a World Trade Center?'
Still more silence. Then I realized what was happening.
What I really remember was the silence in the house. My grandparents didn't say anything. These people grew up as teenagers during World War II. Pretty much the same age as I was on 9/11
I'll never forget that silence."
- Reddit user /u/gb864
Both my grandparents were just silent. Then the picture on the TV zoomed out and I recognized this building from somewhere.
'Hey that's a building from Sim City! What's it called, a World Trade Center?'
Still more silence. Then I realized what was happening.
What I really remember was the silence in the house. My grandparents didn't say anything. These people grew up as teenagers during World War II. Pretty much the same age as I was on 9/11
I'll never forget that silence."
- Reddit user /u/gb864
2. "It was my 15th birthday and I was super excited to get home from school to my grandparents' house. I entered the living room and no one congratulated me or even acknowledged my presence, which was super weird.
Then I looked at the TV and saw the burning towers."
- Reddit user /u/sennzz
Then I looked at the TV and saw the burning towers."
- Reddit user /u/sennzz
3. "Cycling home form school with a school buddy. Buddy wants to stop at Krefel to buy something. The news was on on dozens of TV screens, showing the burning towers."
- Reddit user /u/ikeme84
- Reddit user /u/ikeme84
4. "I was 11 and in the final year of elementary school. I recall it was a Tuesday because we had a special French class at the end of the day so the school day ended for everyone at around 4 PM and then this additional class would start at 4:30 for about half an hour.
We were sent out to the playground at 4. There was a sort restlessness in the school parking lot. People were gathered around cars listening to the radio and teachers and parents alike were clustered together. 4:30 came and went and finally at around 4:45 some teacher likely realized we were still there and gathered us into the dining hall. This usually meant a 'movie' and we were pretty excited about that.
The TV turned on and nobody said anything as the New York skyline came into view. Smoke was rising all around it and for a young child it seemed almost like the city was aflame.
There wasn't much said or explained. I don't think anyone really knew enough of it to do so. Least of all the teachers who were playing catch-up.
I drove home on my bike with some classmates. Some were just shocked that this was the result of two airplanes. The destruction as seen on TV seemed a lot more. A teacher also returning home on his bike stopped and said we should probably get home in case our parents were worried. But he did clarify some things for us. Which was helpful.
By the time I got home my parents and grand-parents who lived with us, were watching the TV. I recalled nothing else being on. My dad got a call from his brother who had just landed from a business trip overseas and he said that the airport was chaos.
I wouldn't say there was much fear. It still was the other side of the ocean. One moment that did get placed into my memory was when a former minister of defense showed up on the evening news to speak about the impact of such an attack on American soil.
He said that we may have just witnessed the beginning of World War III.
School began the next day with a moment of silence and most of the curriculum planned that day was pushed aside to discuss the images we had seen on TV.
One thing I also recall was that we received these textbooks for history class at the start of each trimester. The first textbook was prehistory. By the end of the year the last textbook would be World War II to the current age. Eight months later that textbook had a picture of the burning World Trade Center on it. During a test one of the questions was to give the date of the attack on the World Trade Center.
Several of my classmates got the year significantly wrong."
- Sander F.
We were sent out to the playground at 4. There was a sort restlessness in the school parking lot. People were gathered around cars listening to the radio and teachers and parents alike were clustered together. 4:30 came and went and finally at around 4:45 some teacher likely realized we were still there and gathered us into the dining hall. This usually meant a 'movie' and we were pretty excited about that.
The TV turned on and nobody said anything as the New York skyline came into view. Smoke was rising all around it and for a young child it seemed almost like the city was aflame.
There wasn't much said or explained. I don't think anyone really knew enough of it to do so. Least of all the teachers who were playing catch-up.
I drove home on my bike with some classmates. Some were just shocked that this was the result of two airplanes. The destruction as seen on TV seemed a lot more. A teacher also returning home on his bike stopped and said we should probably get home in case our parents were worried. But he did clarify some things for us. Which was helpful.
By the time I got home my parents and grand-parents who lived with us, were watching the TV. I recalled nothing else being on. My dad got a call from his brother who had just landed from a business trip overseas and he said that the airport was chaos.
I wouldn't say there was much fear. It still was the other side of the ocean. One moment that did get placed into my memory was when a former minister of defense showed up on the evening news to speak about the impact of such an attack on American soil.
He said that we may have just witnessed the beginning of World War III.
School began the next day with a moment of silence and most of the curriculum planned that day was pushed aside to discuss the images we had seen on TV.
One thing I also recall was that we received these textbooks for history class at the start of each trimester. The first textbook was prehistory. By the end of the year the last textbook would be World War II to the current age. Eight months later that textbook had a picture of the burning World Trade Center on it. During a test one of the questions was to give the date of the attack on the World Trade Center.
Several of my classmates got the year significantly wrong."
- Sander F.