Memories from Canada
1. "I was at the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec. They were nice enough to open the bar in the backroom for Americans and set up a lot of big screen TVs.
I had bought a lot of illegal Cuban Coffee on the 10th and tossed it at a rest stop because of what we thought may happen at the border.
Coming back on the 12th and listening to the radio---we were headed back to Connecticut-- we missed the turn to New Hampshire. Somewhere above western NY we decided Buffalo would be the best place to cross given the situation."
- P. C.
I had bought a lot of illegal Cuban Coffee on the 10th and tossed it at a rest stop because of what we thought may happen at the border.
Coming back on the 12th and listening to the radio---we were headed back to Connecticut-- we missed the turn to New Hampshire. Somewhere above western NY we decided Buffalo would be the best place to cross given the situation."
- P. C.
2. "I was in 10th grade science class in Toronto. During the morning announcements, they told us that two planes had collided over top of the World Trade Centre in New York, and we said a prayer for them...
Second period was English class. My teacher was holding it together, but on the verge of a break down. We had a portable TV on in the room and watched the replays of the Towers falling... We watched the coverage come in from the Pentagon... We heard the news of the crash in Pennsylvania...
At lunch, and after school, I remember walking around outside with friends and commenting on how quiet it was. We lived on the flight path for planes landing at YYZ. For three there was nothing. The only other time I remember it being that quiet was the Blackout in 2003.
We watched CNN that night and saw President Bush speak. I remember comparing the fact that previous generations had the moon landing or the fall of the Berlin wall as a defining event - And my generation was going to get 9/11...
I'm a teacher now. I try to explain to my students every year what it was like before, and during, and compare it to after. I don't feel that I ever do a very good job - And as the years go on fewer and fewer students know anything about it. They don't know why they've always had extra security at airports or what it was like to live in a world where terrorism wasn't really a thing that kids thought about or a word that children had in their vocabulary. Sure, it happened when I was a kid - But it was always some far away story that I had no connection to...
It still makes me sad."
- S. N.
Second period was English class. My teacher was holding it together, but on the verge of a break down. We had a portable TV on in the room and watched the replays of the Towers falling... We watched the coverage come in from the Pentagon... We heard the news of the crash in Pennsylvania...
At lunch, and after school, I remember walking around outside with friends and commenting on how quiet it was. We lived on the flight path for planes landing at YYZ. For three there was nothing. The only other time I remember it being that quiet was the Blackout in 2003.
We watched CNN that night and saw President Bush speak. I remember comparing the fact that previous generations had the moon landing or the fall of the Berlin wall as a defining event - And my generation was going to get 9/11...
I'm a teacher now. I try to explain to my students every year what it was like before, and during, and compare it to after. I don't feel that I ever do a very good job - And as the years go on fewer and fewer students know anything about it. They don't know why they've always had extra security at airports or what it was like to live in a world where terrorism wasn't really a thing that kids thought about or a word that children had in their vocabulary. Sure, it happened when I was a kid - But it was always some far away story that I had no connection to...
It still makes me sad."
- S. N.
3. "I ran the website for a small town newspaper in Canada. When I came into work that morning, I was a little hung over because a friend stayed over the night before. I walked into one part of my office, and heard about the first plane which sounded like an accident. When the second plane hit, we started taking it really seriously, and watched the story start to unfold online.
For all you young'uns, you need to understand that dynamic load balancing for websites was nonexistent back then; CNN and other main news sites had to completely change on the fly because the traffic they received was unbelievable. CNN reverted to a super-simple design of their main page just to keep it online.
Ironically, Slashdot (where I got a lot of info at that time) was able to keep up to the load because of its page design. We wound up mirroring a lot of information that day from major news sites. Our traffic that day was unreal -- easily 10-20x what it usually would be, but we were able to keep our site up. I'm still proud that our team was able to be a source for news on what was happening that day, when we couldn't get CNN or other major news site pages to even load consistently all day long.
It was in a comment thread on Slashdot that day that I saw the first mention that this could be an Al Qaeda/Osama Bin Laden action, and the reasons for it. Had never heard of either at that point, and it was fascinating in the following weeks to see the validation of comments by one user."
- Lincoln Dunn
For all you young'uns, you need to understand that dynamic load balancing for websites was nonexistent back then; CNN and other main news sites had to completely change on the fly because the traffic they received was unbelievable. CNN reverted to a super-simple design of their main page just to keep it online.
Ironically, Slashdot (where I got a lot of info at that time) was able to keep up to the load because of its page design. We wound up mirroring a lot of information that day from major news sites. Our traffic that day was unreal -- easily 10-20x what it usually would be, but we were able to keep our site up. I'm still proud that our team was able to be a source for news on what was happening that day, when we couldn't get CNN or other major news site pages to even load consistently all day long.
It was in a comment thread on Slashdot that day that I saw the first mention that this could be an Al Qaeda/Osama Bin Laden action, and the reasons for it. Had never heard of either at that point, and it was fascinating in the following weeks to see the validation of comments by one user."
- Lincoln Dunn
4. "I was going to a screening of the Johnny Depp film From Hell at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was early in the morning, and I was running late. When I got to Yonge and Bloor, there was a crowd of people watching the giant TV screen that used to be there, but I didn’t pay any mind to it, I had to get in and get a seat.
Once I got into the theater and got a seat, everybody was talking about how a plane had crashed into the WTC. I thought it was just a terrible accident, but then people started talking about a second plane hitting the other tower. The movie started, and when it was over the programmers came out and informed everyone the rest of the screenings that day had been cancelled. So I headed to work, I wasn’t scheduled, but I didn’t know what else to do and it was kinda close to where the screening was. Me and my co-workers sat in the back room and cried and listened to the news."
- Christoph
Once I got into the theater and got a seat, everybody was talking about how a plane had crashed into the WTC. I thought it was just a terrible accident, but then people started talking about a second plane hitting the other tower. The movie started, and when it was over the programmers came out and informed everyone the rest of the screenings that day had been cancelled. So I headed to work, I wasn’t scheduled, but I didn’t know what else to do and it was kinda close to where the screening was. Me and my co-workers sat in the back room and cried and listened to the news."
- Christoph
5. "I was in high school. It was a really hot day, which can be rare in September in Newfoundland. I remember my teacher was sweating through his dress shirt as he taught us. When recess came my friend and I decided to skip class and buy some pot. We walked across the street to the bank to take out some money.
As I stood in the bank, I glanced at a TV that had a news channel on. It showed the smoke coming out of the first tower. Nobody else was really paying attention to the screen. I asked my friend to have a look and a few other people at the bank heard me, and looked over. Then the second airplane hit. At this point everybody in the bank gathered to see what was going on. It was weird, and I remember wondering if it was real, or some kind of movie.
We left the bank and went outside and noticed all the airplanes landing.
One after another, planes kept flying over, to land at the nearby airport.
I’ve never seen so many airplanes in my life."
- Susan A.
As I stood in the bank, I glanced at a TV that had a news channel on. It showed the smoke coming out of the first tower. Nobody else was really paying attention to the screen. I asked my friend to have a look and a few other people at the bank heard me, and looked over. Then the second airplane hit. At this point everybody in the bank gathered to see what was going on. It was weird, and I remember wondering if it was real, or some kind of movie.
We left the bank and went outside and noticed all the airplanes landing.
One after another, planes kept flying over, to land at the nearby airport.
I’ve never seen so many airplanes in my life."
- Susan A.
6. "I was 9 years old and the day started out as any other. We were just sitting down to eat breakfast before school when the phone rang. My dad was phoning to tell my mom to turn on the news.
We sat there silently watching the first tower. I can remember my mom asking how such a terrible accident could happen and immediately the second plane hit. Immediately she said,
'This has to be terrorism.'
It was really the first time that I experienced that concept. I was naturally afraid and uncertain what would happen.
My mom made us stay home from school that day. The rest of the day had a weight over it, such an indescribable mood was in the air. So many were angry, confused and sad. It was such a complex emotional environment."
- C. F.
We sat there silently watching the first tower. I can remember my mom asking how such a terrible accident could happen and immediately the second plane hit. Immediately she said,
'This has to be terrorism.'
It was really the first time that I experienced that concept. I was naturally afraid and uncertain what would happen.
My mom made us stay home from school that day. The rest of the day had a weight over it, such an indescribable mood was in the air. So many were angry, confused and sad. It was such a complex emotional environment."
- C. F.
7. "I was 11 and getting ready to go to school while my mother and grandmother were sitting in the living room, watching the news in horror.
I came into the room and watched a bit too, but I didn't quite understand what was happening. I could tell it was something big, so I asked to stay home and watch. I was told no and went off to school.
That day was a friend's birthday and we were supposed to go to her house after school. Not long after I got into the class, the second plane hit. My teacher was notified and she tried to keep the class going on, but briefly touched upon the fact that there was a tragedy going on in the USA.
I guess due to our age, she chose not to talk much about it.
After class, we gathered to go to my friends birthday. Her mom showed up and explained to us that the party was postponed and we should all go home and talk to our parents about the events of the day."
- L. I.
I came into the room and watched a bit too, but I didn't quite understand what was happening. I could tell it was something big, so I asked to stay home and watch. I was told no and went off to school.
That day was a friend's birthday and we were supposed to go to her house after school. Not long after I got into the class, the second plane hit. My teacher was notified and she tried to keep the class going on, but briefly touched upon the fact that there was a tragedy going on in the USA.
I guess due to our age, she chose not to talk much about it.
After class, we gathered to go to my friends birthday. Her mom showed up and explained to us that the party was postponed and we should all go home and talk to our parents about the events of the day."
- L. I.
8. "I was in my late 30s, living in Toronto and teaching a technical class to IT professionals that morning. As I finished my first lesson and we were about to start the hands-on lab, one of my students was checking the internet on his class computer. He told me there had been a big terrorist attack in the US. I then checked the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's website and saw what was happening.
Honestly, our response was more muted than that of Americans. We were shocked but not surprised, if that makes sense, knowing that as the only remaining superpower, the US had a lot of hostility directed at it simply for being that powerful. I could see the people in that class following the story as it unfolded with morbid fascination but a certain level of detachment. We didn't call off the week-long class, not that day nor the rest of the week. The overall feeling wasn't panic, or even fear, more a growing trepidation about what direction the world would go afterwards."
- S. T.
Honestly, our response was more muted than that of Americans. We were shocked but not surprised, if that makes sense, knowing that as the only remaining superpower, the US had a lot of hostility directed at it simply for being that powerful. I could see the people in that class following the story as it unfolded with morbid fascination but a certain level of detachment. We didn't call off the week-long class, not that day nor the rest of the week. The overall feeling wasn't panic, or even fear, more a growing trepidation about what direction the world would go afterwards."
- S. T.
9. "A coworker came through looking quite panicked and told us the States are under attack. We got our secretary to turn on the radio and at that point it was thought to be an accident. Then the second plane hit and we all looked at each other.
'What the hell is happening?'
Our secretary was from Texas and still had two daughters in the States. She started to cry and got on the phone to call them. The whole day was just so strange. Downtown was evacuated and my mom was sent home from work (Ernst & Young). They did a lot of business with people in the Trade Centre that she spoke to on a daily basis, some she never spoke to again after that day.
When I finally got home, I sat with my parents in the family room and finally watched what I had only heard throughout the day. I couldn't believe it! Even after seeing the footage of the planes hitting the towers ten times, I still could not comprehend how this could happen, all of the loss. It took a few days for my brain to wrap itself around the magnitude of what happened and how things were different now.
A close family friend was a border officer on the Canadian side at the Canada/U.S. They were told to have their guns on them at all times during their shifts, and to shoot to kill if necessary. He said that he had never felt so uneasy at work in all of the 28 years of working there. He retired the following year. I too watch the memorials every year and light a candle in memory of such a loss of life, and the loss of how life was pre-9/11.
- C. S.
'What the hell is happening?'
Our secretary was from Texas and still had two daughters in the States. She started to cry and got on the phone to call them. The whole day was just so strange. Downtown was evacuated and my mom was sent home from work (Ernst & Young). They did a lot of business with people in the Trade Centre that she spoke to on a daily basis, some she never spoke to again after that day.
When I finally got home, I sat with my parents in the family room and finally watched what I had only heard throughout the day. I couldn't believe it! Even after seeing the footage of the planes hitting the towers ten times, I still could not comprehend how this could happen, all of the loss. It took a few days for my brain to wrap itself around the magnitude of what happened and how things were different now.
A close family friend was a border officer on the Canadian side at the Canada/U.S. They were told to have their guns on them at all times during their shifts, and to shoot to kill if necessary. He said that he had never felt so uneasy at work in all of the 28 years of working there. He retired the following year. I too watch the memorials every year and light a candle in memory of such a loss of life, and the loss of how life was pre-9/11.
- C. S.
10. "I was in grade 7 home room when we got an announcement that morning on the PA. We were told that an 'incident' had happened and assured that we were safe here at school.
This was at a time when nobody my age had a cell phone so it wasn't until after lunch, when the kids that left to go home for lunch came back, that the news started to filter in. We then had an assembly about it.
My biggest memory of it was that the teachers felt that at 12-13 years old we couldn't handle this news. I wonder if today, God forbid something similar ever happened again, if kids that age would still be kept from hearing about it. I suspect the prevalence of cell phones would mean that teachers would have no way of preventing them from learning about it."
- Anonymous
This was at a time when nobody my age had a cell phone so it wasn't until after lunch, when the kids that left to go home for lunch came back, that the news started to filter in. We then had an assembly about it.
My biggest memory of it was that the teachers felt that at 12-13 years old we couldn't handle this news. I wonder if today, God forbid something similar ever happened again, if kids that age would still be kept from hearing about it. I suspect the prevalence of cell phones would mean that teachers would have no way of preventing them from learning about it."
- Anonymous
11. "I remember waking up strangely early, probably around 5 or 6 am to go use the washroom. I opened my door to see the lights from the TV illuminating the room down the hall. Dad was usually up early to go to work, but he would be long gone by the time I got up for school so it was unusual. I groggily asked him what was wrong and he said that airplanes flew into skyscrapers in New York and to go back to bed for now. That day was solemn and grey, and my dad’s demeanor changed from then on. I couldn’t really grasp what was wrong and what had happened, but I knew things had changed and something awful had happened."
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
12. "I was six years old and my family and I had just immigrated from Hong Kong to Vancouver in February of that year. September 11th became the day I learned of New York City.
I will never forget mother waking me up for the second week of second grade that morning. The weather was warm and beautiful in Vancouver. I was still in bed when she tried to explain that the World Trade Center was hit by airplanes and had fallen. Being on the west coast, we saw the news on television a few hours after the first plane hit. We walked out together to the living room and the first images to hit me were the debris and smoke that shrouded the screen.
Mother reiterated what she had just learned about the events that were unfolding, but I simply just did not understand. I asked her what the Twin Towers were and where New York City was. I had no idea that this catastrophic event would be my very first introduction to the city that would eventually go on to capture my heart.
She proceeded to tell me that New York City was closer to Toronto, Canada on the east coast, where my father was that week on a short business trip. Looking back, this may not have been the best approach. Fear immediately struck my heart and I stubbornly ordered him to never board an airplane ever again during our telephone conversation that same afternoon. I was very worried at that time and rightfully so, I still think. He expressed that he wanted to come home and be with us as soon as possible.
Mother and I then got me ready for the day after breakfast and grooming. We walked the short distance to school and I remember being preoccupied all day. I wanted to ask my teacher if she knew what went on before class that morning, but we only spoke briefly about the events of the day before dismissal. I was very confused. Why did no one seem to care about what had happened? The fact that my teachers were trying to shield us from the trauma of that day was lost on me.
In the following days and weeks, I kept asking mother whether or not anyone knew who was behind such a horrific act. This was my only question to her. Why? How could anyone do this? She showed me the headline of a local Chinese-language newspaper that covered the events, but could not really elaborate as the world was still reeling and in shock.
This day that changed the world has stuck with me so deeply ever since. It was a defining moment of my childhood and I have always felt the need to hear the stories of that day for those around me because of how profoundly we have all been affected.
Years later in university, a political science professor of mine asked our class how old we were and what we remembered of that day. She was concerned that a new generation after mine would soon and inevitably walk into her lectures and not have personal recollections of that day. I, too shared her uneasiness in that moment. The events of that day will forever live on as an impactful memory in my mind, rather than as a piece of history I would come to learn about in textbooks.
I have always wanted to see the site in person and take in the spirit and magnetic pull of the city. Grandfather and father had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the Twin Towers in the 90s. They both subsequently shared photographs of their respective trips and reminisced on the joys of their travels and journeys. Mother and I took our time walking through the museum, observing the memorial and reflecting on our own memories. Most important of all, we got to witness how the city and its people came together to heal, rebuild and move forward with resilience, courage and strength."
- Anonymous
I will never forget mother waking me up for the second week of second grade that morning. The weather was warm and beautiful in Vancouver. I was still in bed when she tried to explain that the World Trade Center was hit by airplanes and had fallen. Being on the west coast, we saw the news on television a few hours after the first plane hit. We walked out together to the living room and the first images to hit me were the debris and smoke that shrouded the screen.
Mother reiterated what she had just learned about the events that were unfolding, but I simply just did not understand. I asked her what the Twin Towers were and where New York City was. I had no idea that this catastrophic event would be my very first introduction to the city that would eventually go on to capture my heart.
She proceeded to tell me that New York City was closer to Toronto, Canada on the east coast, where my father was that week on a short business trip. Looking back, this may not have been the best approach. Fear immediately struck my heart and I stubbornly ordered him to never board an airplane ever again during our telephone conversation that same afternoon. I was very worried at that time and rightfully so, I still think. He expressed that he wanted to come home and be with us as soon as possible.
Mother and I then got me ready for the day after breakfast and grooming. We walked the short distance to school and I remember being preoccupied all day. I wanted to ask my teacher if she knew what went on before class that morning, but we only spoke briefly about the events of the day before dismissal. I was very confused. Why did no one seem to care about what had happened? The fact that my teachers were trying to shield us from the trauma of that day was lost on me.
In the following days and weeks, I kept asking mother whether or not anyone knew who was behind such a horrific act. This was my only question to her. Why? How could anyone do this? She showed me the headline of a local Chinese-language newspaper that covered the events, but could not really elaborate as the world was still reeling and in shock.
This day that changed the world has stuck with me so deeply ever since. It was a defining moment of my childhood and I have always felt the need to hear the stories of that day for those around me because of how profoundly we have all been affected.
Years later in university, a political science professor of mine asked our class how old we were and what we remembered of that day. She was concerned that a new generation after mine would soon and inevitably walk into her lectures and not have personal recollections of that day. I, too shared her uneasiness in that moment. The events of that day will forever live on as an impactful memory in my mind, rather than as a piece of history I would come to learn about in textbooks.
I have always wanted to see the site in person and take in the spirit and magnetic pull of the city. Grandfather and father had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the Twin Towers in the 90s. They both subsequently shared photographs of their respective trips and reminisced on the joys of their travels and journeys. Mother and I took our time walking through the museum, observing the memorial and reflecting on our own memories. Most important of all, we got to witness how the city and its people came together to heal, rebuild and move forward with resilience, courage and strength."
- Anonymous
13. "I was living in Ottawa, sitting in school. I was 9 years old, about to turn 10.
The teacher was told something in secret and looked distraught. She said the principal would be making an announcement. All the principal said was that she was dismissing everyone from school early and that it was up to our parents and guardians to decide how they wanted to explain. I remember being extremely excited and ran outside to find my mom waiting in her SUV to pick me up. I jumped in and was super happy until I saw she was crying and freaking out. She explained to me that some very bad men had hurt a lot of people, and that she would show me the news when we got home. I didn't understand terribly well and sat quietly thinking about the video games I would play.
I felt fidgety and... unbothered, watching the news at home. I knew everyone else was upset, so I stayed quiet and I watched. I expressed sadness because it was expected.
I excused myself and spent the afternoon playing Pokémon.
As the years went on, I found it harder and harder to be sad. At this point, Most of my life has been post-9/11. It's barely real to me, just this hazy point somewhere behind me that people point at when explaining why things are the way they are. But the way things are is my normal, and I can hardly remember a 'before.'"
- Morgan Null
The teacher was told something in secret and looked distraught. She said the principal would be making an announcement. All the principal said was that she was dismissing everyone from school early and that it was up to our parents and guardians to decide how they wanted to explain. I remember being extremely excited and ran outside to find my mom waiting in her SUV to pick me up. I jumped in and was super happy until I saw she was crying and freaking out. She explained to me that some very bad men had hurt a lot of people, and that she would show me the news when we got home. I didn't understand terribly well and sat quietly thinking about the video games I would play.
I felt fidgety and... unbothered, watching the news at home. I knew everyone else was upset, so I stayed quiet and I watched. I expressed sadness because it was expected.
I excused myself and spent the afternoon playing Pokémon.
As the years went on, I found it harder and harder to be sad. At this point, Most of my life has been post-9/11. It's barely real to me, just this hazy point somewhere behind me that people point at when explaining why things are the way they are. But the way things are is my normal, and I can hardly remember a 'before.'"
- Morgan Null
14. "I woke in our bed and breakfast in Niagara Falls. It was a trip my girlfriend planned to celebrate OUR birthday. We were both born on September 11. We woke up, had coffee and croissants in bed and I got my first surprise. An en-suite massage my girlfriend arranged. The masseuse asked me if I wanted TV or music in the background and thankfully I chose music. An hour later the knots in my shoulder were gone and I felt brand new.
We went down to breakfast at the B&B and everyone was talking about 'the tower.' We were quickly caught up and the television was turned on moments before the second plane hit. We all watched in silence and confusion.
Later, we drove to the falls to see no one at all on the American side. Went to a record store and unironically bought, 'Bleed American' by Jimmy Eat World, which had been released a couple months before, and became the soundtrack for the rest of the trip. We spent a day wandering like zombies, catching glimpses of updates in tourist shops, restaurants, and pubs. We finally decided to go home, as we weren't sure how long the borders would be open.
Drove home without seeing a plane in the sky, and very few cars on the road."
- Anonymous
We went down to breakfast at the B&B and everyone was talking about 'the tower.' We were quickly caught up and the television was turned on moments before the second plane hit. We all watched in silence and confusion.
Later, we drove to the falls to see no one at all on the American side. Went to a record store and unironically bought, 'Bleed American' by Jimmy Eat World, which had been released a couple months before, and became the soundtrack for the rest of the trip. We spent a day wandering like zombies, catching glimpses of updates in tourist shops, restaurants, and pubs. We finally decided to go home, as we weren't sure how long the borders would be open.
Drove home without seeing a plane in the sky, and very few cars on the road."
- Anonymous
15. "Our entire town of Whitehorse, Yukon was evacuated on September 11th because an international flight, redirected to land in Whitehorse instead of its US destination, broadcast a code that it was hijacked.
I was in high school at the time, and had woken up to the news of the planes hitting the World Trade Center. But like so many other things we saw on the news up north, it felt so far away from us.
We were watching the news at school when local radios broadcast evacuation orders because a hijacked flight was enroute to land at our airport, which sat on a cliff right above town.
Kids were loaded onto buses but traffic was snarled and we found ourselves stuck beneath the cliffs with the airport above us. I remember the sound of the massive jet easing down from the sky overhead, its huge shadow passing over us, and I wondered if what seemed so far away from us in the morning had somehow reached us too.
Later we learned fighter jets from Canada and the US had been scrambled to escort the jet, snipers were positioned on the airport rooftop, and our Prime Minister had been informed and could have given orders to have the jet shot down. The hijack code the airliner had broadcast had of course been in error."
- Anonymous
I was in high school at the time, and had woken up to the news of the planes hitting the World Trade Center. But like so many other things we saw on the news up north, it felt so far away from us.
We were watching the news at school when local radios broadcast evacuation orders because a hijacked flight was enroute to land at our airport, which sat on a cliff right above town.
Kids were loaded onto buses but traffic was snarled and we found ourselves stuck beneath the cliffs with the airport above us. I remember the sound of the massive jet easing down from the sky overhead, its huge shadow passing over us, and I wondered if what seemed so far away from us in the morning had somehow reached us too.
Later we learned fighter jets from Canada and the US had been scrambled to escort the jet, snipers were positioned on the airport rooftop, and our Prime Minister had been informed and could have given orders to have the jet shot down. The hijack code the airliner had broadcast had of course been in error."
- Anonymous
16. "I was in line at stand easy to get a hot bowl of soup. Something that every sailor looked forward to in order to break up the monotony of a morning working alongside. Stand easy meaning the 15 minute break and alongside meaning we were tied up at the jetty and not at sea so our workdays were pretty much limited as to what we could do. As I approached the steam line to get my piping hot bowl of soul warming soup, I could hear the lunchroom erupt into laughter and confusion. I turned to see what was so funny and asked what was going on.... someone had said a Cessna (small personal plane) just flew into the World Trade Center... of course they weren’t laughing because they thought it was funny as much as confusion as to how you could not see the building right in front of you. They are a bunch of rough and tough sailors after all.
As I was carrying my soup to the table where I could watch the news story unfold, the second plane hit the tower. There was no laughter then, only silence and the sounds of soup bowls hitting the floor, including mine. We knew, we all knew, it was no accident and our worlds were about to change. Forever.
We were alongside going into refit as our ship was due for much needed repairs. We went into lockdown, the jetties were closed and nobody was coming in or going out. Later that afternoon we found out that our refit was cancelled and we had 10 days to get our affairs in order because we were going to join the US in the hunt for Bin Laden.
I was never more scared and never more proud in all my life. Seven months later, I came home and 1 week later I met my husband. Six months after that we were married. There is something to be said for not waiting for when the time is right because 9/11 taught me that there is never a perfect time for anything, nothing is promised and and in an instant everything you know will change."
- Paula-lynn Duke
As I was carrying my soup to the table where I could watch the news story unfold, the second plane hit the tower. There was no laughter then, only silence and the sounds of soup bowls hitting the floor, including mine. We knew, we all knew, it was no accident and our worlds were about to change. Forever.
We were alongside going into refit as our ship was due for much needed repairs. We went into lockdown, the jetties were closed and nobody was coming in or going out. Later that afternoon we found out that our refit was cancelled and we had 10 days to get our affairs in order because we were going to join the US in the hunt for Bin Laden.
I was never more scared and never more proud in all my life. Seven months later, I came home and 1 week later I met my husband. Six months after that we were married. There is something to be said for not waiting for when the time is right because 9/11 taught me that there is never a perfect time for anything, nothing is promised and and in an instant everything you know will change."
- Paula-lynn Duke
17. "I was 9 years old at my best friends house at, and we were flipping through channels on the TV. His mom was in the kitchen preparing food and she had no sight of the TV itself. We tried communicating to his mom that an airplane had run into a building, but she didn't fully comprehend/believe what we had told her. We were just young kids and this isn't a situation that happens everyday, we probably left out important details, and so of course she had some level of disbelief.
I didn't fully understand it either, I remember just being confused and being unsure if what we were watching was real. I remember her initially brushing off our comments with a laugh, asking us what type of TV show we were watching and that it was odd. We must have kept commenting on it, and she finally came to see what we were watching. Based on her reaction seeing the news and the emotion on her face, I knew at that point that the situation was very real."
- Nicholas P.
I didn't fully understand it either, I remember just being confused and being unsure if what we were watching was real. I remember her initially brushing off our comments with a laugh, asking us what type of TV show we were watching and that it was odd. We must have kept commenting on it, and she finally came to see what we were watching. Based on her reaction seeing the news and the emotion on her face, I knew at that point that the situation was very real."
- Nicholas P.
18. "I had just left a job in the financial district in Toronto when 9/11 happened. It was a week before I was to start work at Research In Motion (BlackBerry) in Waterloo, Ontario.
I was planning on spending the entire week preparing for my new job at BlackBerry by brushing up on my C+ programming skills and reviewing software development documentation and I had bought a training book that would have taken the full week to get through working all waking hours.
I gave myself Monday off to relax as I was a little anxious about the new job but Tuesday I got up at a good time, made myself a cup of coffee and put on CNN to get a little news before starting my day. Instead, other than sleeping, I did not leave that couch all week. I was glued to the TV right up until my job started on September 17th.
I was enjoying my coffee, wondering how an accident like that could happen with a plane. Then just minutes later, the second plane hit. It was surreal. And quite obvious at that point a truly insane terrorist attack on America.
I sat and watched while the bravest people I had ever seen, the police and firefighters of New York City, ran into the buildings and up the stairs working to get people out as quickly as possible.
I sat there and watched the horror. The people fleeing the streets, footage of people jumping out of the buildings, the first tower falling (unimaginable) and then the second tower falling, hell on Earth.
The rest of the week I spent every minute of every day glued to the TV cycling between the major news networks, CNN, BBC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS and the major Canadian stations CTV, CHCH TV, City TV and so on. Trying to get different perspectives on what was happening and trying to understand what had happened.
A week later when I showed up for my first day at work, I will never forget what I experienced. The company had teamed me up with a consultant who was flown in from the Twin Towers a week earlier (the day before 9/11). Taking that job literally saved his life but he lost most of his colleagues and some of his closest friends who were working in the top floors of one of the towers. He was numb, like a zombie. He did the work that we asked of him and he did an exemplary job. He was professional, and a gentleman. But he was dead inside.
That day is the day that forever changed the trajectory of the World as I knew it. Honestly, before that day I never really paid too much attention to terrorist attacks as they were smaller in scope and weren't that relevant to me. But when this happened, it was clear that there were enemies of the USA and the Western World and our ways of life that still shake me to my core to this day.
As if it couldn't get any worse, the same terrorists who were part of the fabric of the whole movement against the West started taking hostages and beheading them in 2014. It didn't stop. It continued for two years.
This barbary and the shocking videos which were party shared in the media shook me to my core again.
I have never been the same since. My world view and optimism was forever altered and I felt as though whatever innocence I had left was lost forever that day.
I remember watching "The Jetson's" when I was a kid thinking that we will get there in my lifetime.
Is all hope lost? I hope not. But something major will have to happen. There will need to be a reckoning. And I just don't see it happening anytime soon."
- Clark Murdoch
I was planning on spending the entire week preparing for my new job at BlackBerry by brushing up on my C+ programming skills and reviewing software development documentation and I had bought a training book that would have taken the full week to get through working all waking hours.
I gave myself Monday off to relax as I was a little anxious about the new job but Tuesday I got up at a good time, made myself a cup of coffee and put on CNN to get a little news before starting my day. Instead, other than sleeping, I did not leave that couch all week. I was glued to the TV right up until my job started on September 17th.
I was enjoying my coffee, wondering how an accident like that could happen with a plane. Then just minutes later, the second plane hit. It was surreal. And quite obvious at that point a truly insane terrorist attack on America.
I sat and watched while the bravest people I had ever seen, the police and firefighters of New York City, ran into the buildings and up the stairs working to get people out as quickly as possible.
I sat there and watched the horror. The people fleeing the streets, footage of people jumping out of the buildings, the first tower falling (unimaginable) and then the second tower falling, hell on Earth.
The rest of the week I spent every minute of every day glued to the TV cycling between the major news networks, CNN, BBC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS and the major Canadian stations CTV, CHCH TV, City TV and so on. Trying to get different perspectives on what was happening and trying to understand what had happened.
A week later when I showed up for my first day at work, I will never forget what I experienced. The company had teamed me up with a consultant who was flown in from the Twin Towers a week earlier (the day before 9/11). Taking that job literally saved his life but he lost most of his colleagues and some of his closest friends who were working in the top floors of one of the towers. He was numb, like a zombie. He did the work that we asked of him and he did an exemplary job. He was professional, and a gentleman. But he was dead inside.
That day is the day that forever changed the trajectory of the World as I knew it. Honestly, before that day I never really paid too much attention to terrorist attacks as they were smaller in scope and weren't that relevant to me. But when this happened, it was clear that there were enemies of the USA and the Western World and our ways of life that still shake me to my core to this day.
As if it couldn't get any worse, the same terrorists who were part of the fabric of the whole movement against the West started taking hostages and beheading them in 2014. It didn't stop. It continued for two years.
This barbary and the shocking videos which were party shared in the media shook me to my core again.
I have never been the same since. My world view and optimism was forever altered and I felt as though whatever innocence I had left was lost forever that day.
I remember watching "The Jetson's" when I was a kid thinking that we will get there in my lifetime.
Is all hope lost? I hope not. But something major will have to happen. There will need to be a reckoning. And I just don't see it happening anytime soon."
- Clark Murdoch