FLORIDA
"Where were you on 9/11?" as remembered by those in Florida that day.
Florida resident John remembers being an off duty pilot on 9/11.
1. So, on 9/11 I was in Weston, Florida down in south Florida. I was Boeing 767-747 captain domestic that had just returned from a 3 day trip and I was watching CNBC at the time. Then, it was one body blow after the other with the towers coming down and the Pentagon.
It was amazing how much that one day affected the airline industry, affected our crews, affected our security, and affected all of us. Thinking back, I wish we could have done something sooner. I even remember flying with one group of the hijackers. They approached my aircraft about two months prior and got onboard. The reason I remember it is they had some suspicious activity before they got on, nothing that would signal anything at that time but certainly would throw up some red flags nowadays.
- John
It was amazing how much that one day affected the airline industry, affected our crews, affected our security, and affected all of us. Thinking back, I wish we could have done something sooner. I even remember flying with one group of the hijackers. They approached my aircraft about two months prior and got onboard. The reason I remember it is they had some suspicious activity before they got on, nothing that would signal anything at that time but certainly would throw up some red flags nowadays.
- John
Written Stories
2. "I was a bartender and worked nights, so I was still asleep when the first plane hit. I was woken up by the HR manager calling to tell me not to come in that night. I was still groggy and asked if I was in trouble. The manager was obviously stressed and scared, and yelled,
'Wake up and turn in the TV! There are bombs going off all over the nation!' And then she hung up on me.
Stunned, I walked to a coworker neighbor’s house because I didn’t have a TV at the time. The city was eerily still and the news station was sounding out of every window and open doorway.
The whole memory is very surreal and dreamlike. I remember staring at the TV and crying, and my coworker asked me if I was worried about somebody there. I said,
'I’m worried about everybody there!'"
- Anonymous
'Wake up and turn in the TV! There are bombs going off all over the nation!' And then she hung up on me.
Stunned, I walked to a coworker neighbor’s house because I didn’t have a TV at the time. The city was eerily still and the news station was sounding out of every window and open doorway.
The whole memory is very surreal and dreamlike. I remember staring at the TV and crying, and my coworker asked me if I was worried about somebody there. I said,
'I’m worried about everybody there!'"
- Anonymous
3. "I was only five years old, living in Pompano Beach. I had stayed home from school that day and my grandmother was home to watch me while my parents went to work.
She turned on the news and it all was fairly normal from what I remember, nothing that particularly stood out to my young mind. I was in the living room eating breakfast when I saw BREAKING NEWS headlining across the TV. I then saw the first tower, with smoke and fire already billowing out. Shortly thereafter, the second plane struck.
I didn't know what to feel because I thought I didn't feel the direct effects. I didn't know this at the time, but my uncle was one of the first responders to Ground Zero. He wasn't in either tower when they collapsed, but there were many people he had known for years, and that I only have a vague memory of, that were climbing the stairs in the towers in an attempt to save people."
- Chris Varner
She turned on the news and it all was fairly normal from what I remember, nothing that particularly stood out to my young mind. I was in the living room eating breakfast when I saw BREAKING NEWS headlining across the TV. I then saw the first tower, with smoke and fire already billowing out. Shortly thereafter, the second plane struck.
I didn't know what to feel because I thought I didn't feel the direct effects. I didn't know this at the time, but my uncle was one of the first responders to Ground Zero. He wasn't in either tower when they collapsed, but there were many people he had known for years, and that I only have a vague memory of, that were climbing the stairs in the towers in an attempt to save people."
- Chris Varner
4. "I was in the 5th grade and remember our teacher was on the phone for a long time. She turned the classroom T.V. on to the news briefly before shutting it off.
We were in school for the full day like normal, but some kids' parents came to pick them up early. Everyone knew something was going on, we just didn't know what. At the end of the day, my mom came to get me in person and told me what had happened.
Even though that's pretty far from NYC, President Bush's younger brother, Jeb, was Florida's sitting governor... living and working in Tallahassee. Everyone was wondering if we'd be next for like a month at least. It was wild."
- S. V.
We were in school for the full day like normal, but some kids' parents came to pick them up early. Everyone knew something was going on, we just didn't know what. At the end of the day, my mom came to get me in person and told me what had happened.
Even though that's pretty far from NYC, President Bush's younger brother, Jeb, was Florida's sitting governor... living and working in Tallahassee. Everyone was wondering if we'd be next for like a month at least. It was wild."
- S. V.
5. "I was in high school and it was extremely upsetting. My swim meet was cancelled for that day, and I spent the evening on the phone with a friend discussing everything that had happened.
I strongly felt that someone important to me was in NYC, but I didn't know anyone there. Turns out my future husband was living in Brooklyn at the time and watched the second tower fall in person."
- Lily M.
I strongly felt that someone important to me was in NYC, but I didn't know anyone there. Turns out my future husband was living in Brooklyn at the time and watched the second tower fall in person."
- Lily M.
6. "I was eleven. A Cuban-American in Miami. My family had visited NYC before and always considered it a symbol of America: capitalism, democracy, the mix of cultures.
On 9/11, my class and I had returned from P.E. to our classroom in the portable. The TV was on and our teacher didn't acknowledge us. Everyone was being very quiet. We asked each other questions in whispers. The memory is hazier now than it used to be, but I remember my teacher and some students were sobbing--some quieter than others. I thought it was a movie.
At the time, I thought it was the strangest thing that everyone was being picked up early (except for me) and that we had a free day.
I was too naive to understand what I witnessed, but things did feel different to me. For years I thought I was alone in feeling that way. I didn't know that the pre/post 9/11 world was a collective thing."
- Francisco Companioni
On 9/11, my class and I had returned from P.E. to our classroom in the portable. The TV was on and our teacher didn't acknowledge us. Everyone was being very quiet. We asked each other questions in whispers. The memory is hazier now than it used to be, but I remember my teacher and some students were sobbing--some quieter than others. I thought it was a movie.
At the time, I thought it was the strangest thing that everyone was being picked up early (except for me) and that we had a free day.
I was too naive to understand what I witnessed, but things did feel different to me. For years I thought I was alone in feeling that way. I didn't know that the pre/post 9/11 world was a collective thing."
- Francisco Companioni
7. "I was a sophomore in high school. I found out when I came into third period and a girl was insisting to our teacher that she needed to turn on the TV because the Pentagon was on fire. I hadn’t seen any coverage of the Towers yet, my second period teacher never turned on the TV for morning announcements because she thought it was a waste of time. We turned on the TV in third period just to watch the South Tower collapse minutes later and we all sat there stunned, knowing we had just watched thousands of people die.
The thing that still stands out to me to this day is the airspace shut down . My whole life, I had lived in the flight path of the Orlando International Airport. The sound of planes going over had become background noise to me and there was hardly a moment I didn’t look up and see a blinking light in the sky from an airplane. On 9/11, I was walking home from the bus stop, clear beautiful blue skies, and there was nothing.
No sounds, no lights, no planes to see.
It was so eerie.
I still live in a heavy air traffic area and sometimes have momentary flashbacks to the second plane hitting when I see an airplane. It just plays in my head for a couple seconds before I shake it off."
- C. K.
The thing that still stands out to me to this day is the airspace shut down . My whole life, I had lived in the flight path of the Orlando International Airport. The sound of planes going over had become background noise to me and there was hardly a moment I didn’t look up and see a blinking light in the sky from an airplane. On 9/11, I was walking home from the bus stop, clear beautiful blue skies, and there was nothing.
No sounds, no lights, no planes to see.
It was so eerie.
I still live in a heavy air traffic area and sometimes have momentary flashbacks to the second plane hitting when I see an airplane. It just plays in my head for a couple seconds before I shake it off."
- C. K.
8. "I was 25, recently married. My husband was in special ops and we were situated between three military bases. On September 11th, he was out of state at the time and I was watching the early coverage of the first plane and then watched the second plane hit live.
I called my mom first, she worked in Manhattan frequently and stayed at the Millennium Hotel across from the Trade Center plaza. She was fine and not in New York that week.
I tried to reach my husband but could not. I knew where he was before the attacks, but I had no idea where he was once they happened. Because he was special ops, he could have been deployed to the scene within hours and there would have been no notification. Some of his squadron was sent to both New York and some to the Pentagon, but he was not.
I went to work around the time the towers fell. I, along with everyone else that day, sat silently at work listening to the news and openly crying. We had no idea if there were other attacks planned; rumors were rampant. We were in high profile target areas. We just waited. I remember going to the grocery store on the way to work the following day to buy a newspaper and magazine to save every memory. I still have them and I showed them to my kids last year for the first time.
We were used to planes flying in and out of the bases and the airports all day long at low altitudes. It all stopped and it was very eerie and quiet for the next several days. Within a couple of weeks the stores filled up with military members buying travel supplies. Deployments were swift, to secret locations, and for an unknown duration. We weren't allowed to talk about it and we weren't able to hear from our service members once they left.
They came back different people, but that's another story for another day."
- Elle
I called my mom first, she worked in Manhattan frequently and stayed at the Millennium Hotel across from the Trade Center plaza. She was fine and not in New York that week.
I tried to reach my husband but could not. I knew where he was before the attacks, but I had no idea where he was once they happened. Because he was special ops, he could have been deployed to the scene within hours and there would have been no notification. Some of his squadron was sent to both New York and some to the Pentagon, but he was not.
I went to work around the time the towers fell. I, along with everyone else that day, sat silently at work listening to the news and openly crying. We had no idea if there were other attacks planned; rumors were rampant. We were in high profile target areas. We just waited. I remember going to the grocery store on the way to work the following day to buy a newspaper and magazine to save every memory. I still have them and I showed them to my kids last year for the first time.
We were used to planes flying in and out of the bases and the airports all day long at low altitudes. It all stopped and it was very eerie and quiet for the next several days. Within a couple of weeks the stores filled up with military members buying travel supplies. Deployments were swift, to secret locations, and for an unknown duration. We weren't allowed to talk about it and we weren't able to hear from our service members once they left.
They came back different people, but that's another story for another day."
- Elle
9. "I was in the 3rd grade and remember it being a normal boring routine morning getting to school, nothing special or memorable on the way to school. After news of the second plane hit, several parents stormed into my classroom to come to pick up their child. From the perspective of a child, grown-ups are supposed to know everything. They had panicked faces and I did not know what to think of it.
None of the parents said anything about what was happening in New York so I was really puzzled as to why so many were coming into the classroom. Finally after about 20 minutes, my dad came to pick my sibling and I up and we drove straight home. I thought,
'Thank God, I can get a day off to just play video games at home.'
On the way home we drove past a police station and there were two police officers in the front standing guard with pump-action shotguns. That's when I knew something was up... Dad didn't say anything on the way home other then 'don't turn on the news.' My dad played a CD instead of the radio in order to shield us from the news.
When we got home, I went straight to my room to play video games for the day, totally oblivious to the events of 9/11. I don't think I learned about the planes hitting until about the next day. I don't know how I would've reacted as a child. Its a whopper of a thought for a child's brain to grasp really."
- Anonymous
None of the parents said anything about what was happening in New York so I was really puzzled as to why so many were coming into the classroom. Finally after about 20 minutes, my dad came to pick my sibling and I up and we drove straight home. I thought,
'Thank God, I can get a day off to just play video games at home.'
On the way home we drove past a police station and there were two police officers in the front standing guard with pump-action shotguns. That's when I knew something was up... Dad didn't say anything on the way home other then 'don't turn on the news.' My dad played a CD instead of the radio in order to shield us from the news.
When we got home, I went straight to my room to play video games for the day, totally oblivious to the events of 9/11. I don't think I learned about the planes hitting until about the next day. I don't know how I would've reacted as a child. Its a whopper of a thought for a child's brain to grasp really."
- Anonymous
10. "Active duty airman attending Airman Leadership School on Hurlburt Field. My duty station is an Air Force Special Operations Command base, and I was part of their communications squadron. I stopped by my office on my way to class when my E-8 informed me,
'Some jack ass flew into the World Trade Center.'
I logged on to my PC, but streaming video was limited at that time and the only news articles available were very scant.
About the time I got to class, I went to the break room and everyone was gathered around the TV. The second plane hit. The combat controllers, pararescue jumpers, TAC-P, EOD, Security Forces, and Red Horse personnel were called back to their work centers to prepare to go to war. I stayed in class for another week and was eventually sent to Jordan, Egypt, Oman, Diego Garcia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan. Before this I have never been out of the country.
It was amazing. I got to piss on Mohammed Omars house in Khandahar.
- D. B.
'Some jack ass flew into the World Trade Center.'
I logged on to my PC, but streaming video was limited at that time and the only news articles available were very scant.
About the time I got to class, I went to the break room and everyone was gathered around the TV. The second plane hit. The combat controllers, pararescue jumpers, TAC-P, EOD, Security Forces, and Red Horse personnel were called back to their work centers to prepare to go to war. I stayed in class for another week and was eventually sent to Jordan, Egypt, Oman, Diego Garcia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan. Before this I have never been out of the country.
It was amazing. I got to piss on Mohammed Omars house in Khandahar.
- D. B.
11. "I was only 3 years old at Disney World. I remember riding several rides and then leaving early. My mom first overheard someone talking about it in the bathroom. We went to watch the Country Bear Jamboree and an employee came out and told us what happened. He said we could watch the show but they were evacuating the park to be safe.
Us children didn't understand the situation and just enjoyed the show, but the adults had to sit there in shock."
- Y. R.
Us children didn't understand the situation and just enjoyed the show, but the adults had to sit there in shock."
- Y. R.
12. "I was 21 years old and living on my own in a trailer on Little Torch Key (about 30 miles north of Key West, FL). I am from New Jersey and all my family was there at the time.
My mom called and woke me up after the first plane hit, and said,
'I think we’re getting bombed.'
She was at work at a nursing home and couldn’t talk for very long. She said she thought I’d be safe living in a pretty remote location and told me to stay home.
I had a friend staying with me and we turned on my tiny TV/VCR combo and saw the second plane hit in real time.
Then the Pentagon got hit, and the towers collapsed. The whole thing was just surreal; we were glued to the TV. I remember how shocking and strange it was that every single channel switched to news coverage. There were no commercials. Even the home shopping network, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon. The Spanish channel kept replaying the videos of the jumpers and their commentary, while I didn’t understand it, conveyed their emotions clearly.
The aftermath in the Florida Keys was an interesting time. September is hurricane season, so it’s typically slow then anyway, but it was a ghost town without any tourists coming in. I was going to the community college there and classes were cancelled for a couple of days.
I remember thinking how the terrorists were probably satisfied that, by controlling our media for several days, it halted our economy. No one saw any commercials to remind them to go buy hot pockets and pop tarts. Everyone just lived in an awful shocking reality... terrorist TV.... for days on end. In that regard, they won."
- S. P.
My mom called and woke me up after the first plane hit, and said,
'I think we’re getting bombed.'
She was at work at a nursing home and couldn’t talk for very long. She said she thought I’d be safe living in a pretty remote location and told me to stay home.
I had a friend staying with me and we turned on my tiny TV/VCR combo and saw the second plane hit in real time.
Then the Pentagon got hit, and the towers collapsed. The whole thing was just surreal; we were glued to the TV. I remember how shocking and strange it was that every single channel switched to news coverage. There were no commercials. Even the home shopping network, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon. The Spanish channel kept replaying the videos of the jumpers and their commentary, while I didn’t understand it, conveyed their emotions clearly.
The aftermath in the Florida Keys was an interesting time. September is hurricane season, so it’s typically slow then anyway, but it was a ghost town without any tourists coming in. I was going to the community college there and classes were cancelled for a couple of days.
I remember thinking how the terrorists were probably satisfied that, by controlling our media for several days, it halted our economy. No one saw any commercials to remind them to go buy hot pockets and pop tarts. Everyone just lived in an awful shocking reality... terrorist TV.... for days on end. In that regard, they won."
- S. P.
13. "I was a sophomore in high school. When the first plane hit, they told all the teachers to turn the news on. My English teacher couldn't get the TV to work and suddenly the school secretary was on on the PA telling all the teachers to turn the TVs off.
By lunch time, all the kids knew what was happening. Parents started coming to pick up their kids. I tried to call my mom but she wouldn't answer. I can still remember the look on my friend's little sister's face as she broke down in the hallway at school.
When I got home, I found out my mom and stepdad had unplugged the TV and phones as we were packing to move. They didn't believe me when I told them what happened until they plugged the TV back in. I heard some of the hijackers lived about thirty minutes from where we all lived. It's scary to think we could have crossed paths with them at any time and not known it.
I also remember standing out on my front lawn watching a plane fly by after they finally allowed air travel again. I still stop and watch planes when they fly overhead because I remember what it was like when they didn't. I remember how scary and disconnected from the world it made me feel."
- N. C.
By lunch time, all the kids knew what was happening. Parents started coming to pick up their kids. I tried to call my mom but she wouldn't answer. I can still remember the look on my friend's little sister's face as she broke down in the hallway at school.
When I got home, I found out my mom and stepdad had unplugged the TV and phones as we were packing to move. They didn't believe me when I told them what happened until they plugged the TV back in. I heard some of the hijackers lived about thirty minutes from where we all lived. It's scary to think we could have crossed paths with them at any time and not known it.
I also remember standing out on my front lawn watching a plane fly by after they finally allowed air travel again. I still stop and watch planes when they fly overhead because I remember what it was like when they didn't. I remember how scary and disconnected from the world it made me feel."
- N. C.
14. "I was 10 years-old, home sick from school with my mom in West Palm beach. I remember watching the attack and running to hide in my closet because I was scared. My mom was sitting in shock and crying.
I don't have a good memory, but I can never forget that day and how scared I was."
- M. B.
I don't have a good memory, but I can never forget that day and how scared I was."
- M. B.
15. "I was 17 years old, a high school senior in photography class when a student ran in and said,
'The country is under attack!'
My teacher turned the television on, both planes had already hit. We watched the towers fall behind the journalists as they reported.
After school I had to work front checkout at Walgreens. They had a small TV set up broadcasting the news. At the end of the night I locked the doors and a few minutes later I heard a man knocking on them.
'Please, I just need one thing, I know right where it is, can I come in?'
I remember feeling irritated after a long, heavy day as I unlocked the door. He quickly grabbed what he needed - shaving cream - and as he was paying, he looked at the tv and said,
'My son works in one of the towers and I haven’t been able to get a hold of him yet.'
I didn’t know how to respond. It hit me so deep, my annoyance at being barely inconvenienced as this man was living through his worst nightmare and still managing to be polite. What a profound lesson in the necessity to be kind. I don’t know how his story concluded, whether he found his son alive or not. If that man in Wellington, Florida ever sees this, I think of you often, and pray that your son made it out that day."
- F. T. W.
'The country is under attack!'
My teacher turned the television on, both planes had already hit. We watched the towers fall behind the journalists as they reported.
After school I had to work front checkout at Walgreens. They had a small TV set up broadcasting the news. At the end of the night I locked the doors and a few minutes later I heard a man knocking on them.
'Please, I just need one thing, I know right where it is, can I come in?'
I remember feeling irritated after a long, heavy day as I unlocked the door. He quickly grabbed what he needed - shaving cream - and as he was paying, he looked at the tv and said,
'My son works in one of the towers and I haven’t been able to get a hold of him yet.'
I didn’t know how to respond. It hit me so deep, my annoyance at being barely inconvenienced as this man was living through his worst nightmare and still managing to be polite. What a profound lesson in the necessity to be kind. I don’t know how his story concluded, whether he found his son alive or not. If that man in Wellington, Florida ever sees this, I think of you often, and pray that your son made it out that day."
- F. T. W.
16. "I was in fourth grade in Miami and I don't recall why, but we were all in the cafeteria. They quieted everyone down and wheeled one of those TVs that teachers would bring out for movie days, and the principal came up. I don't recall her exact words, but they were along the lines of,
'A terrible tragedy has happened - It's a very sad day - There is no reason to be scared, your parents are coming to pick you up."
They didn't tell us exactly what happened, so while we waited for our parents, everyone was making up all kinds of nonsense. One kid told me that there was a meteor heading for Earth.
When I finally got home, my mom was visibly upset but excited and relieved that I was home. I remember seeing the news on TV, but before i could understand what they were talking about, my mom pulled me away and told me that there is no need to watch that. Not long after, I get a call from my dad who was an international representative for an insurance company and traveled weekly. I don't remember much of what he told me, but it was basically,
'Don't worry son, I'm okay. I love you very much, I just want you to know I'm safe.'
At this point, I still had no idea what was happening. I was told just years later that he was on a flight when the attacks happened, and ended up being grounded in Amsterdam. Of course none of that was told to me at the time, nor was anything else, really. I was just so confused about why everyone was panicking.
I just pieced bits of what I heard around throughout the years until I basically understood that terrorists attacked a building and a lot of people died. Fast forward some years later to my mid-teens and I catch this coffee table book that my parents had out in the living room. It was on 9/11 and featured graphic images I'd never seen before. That was the first time I actually saw the destruction and images of the planes. It was shocking and jarring to actually see the devastation I had only learned somewhat about over the past six years or so. It is wild to me that I was in the dark for so long on such a horrific tragedy that happened during my lifetime."
- G. R.
'A terrible tragedy has happened - It's a very sad day - There is no reason to be scared, your parents are coming to pick you up."
They didn't tell us exactly what happened, so while we waited for our parents, everyone was making up all kinds of nonsense. One kid told me that there was a meteor heading for Earth.
When I finally got home, my mom was visibly upset but excited and relieved that I was home. I remember seeing the news on TV, but before i could understand what they were talking about, my mom pulled me away and told me that there is no need to watch that. Not long after, I get a call from my dad who was an international representative for an insurance company and traveled weekly. I don't remember much of what he told me, but it was basically,
'Don't worry son, I'm okay. I love you very much, I just want you to know I'm safe.'
At this point, I still had no idea what was happening. I was told just years later that he was on a flight when the attacks happened, and ended up being grounded in Amsterdam. Of course none of that was told to me at the time, nor was anything else, really. I was just so confused about why everyone was panicking.
I just pieced bits of what I heard around throughout the years until I basically understood that terrorists attacked a building and a lot of people died. Fast forward some years later to my mid-teens and I catch this coffee table book that my parents had out in the living room. It was on 9/11 and featured graphic images I'd never seen before. That was the first time I actually saw the destruction and images of the planes. It was shocking and jarring to actually see the devastation I had only learned somewhat about over the past six years or so. It is wild to me that I was in the dark for so long on such a horrific tragedy that happened during my lifetime."
- G. R.
17. "I was teaching math to over forty 8th graders in a portable classroom among the avocado groves surrounding Redland Middle School. I got a knock at the door, and opened it to find the School Security Guard handing me a piece of paper on school letter head. I read the sentences,
'There have been two planes that have crashed into the World Trade Centers in New York City. We believe it is terror related.'
It was signed by my principal. I remember looking at the security guard and our eyes were both heavy. He closed the door and I continued to teach for the next twenty minutes. I released the students after the bell rang and immediately turned on the TV.
Life was changed forever. I still have that letter."
- Brandi Givens
'There have been two planes that have crashed into the World Trade Centers in New York City. We believe it is terror related.'
It was signed by my principal. I remember looking at the security guard and our eyes were both heavy. He closed the door and I continued to teach for the next twenty minutes. I released the students after the bell rang and immediately turned on the TV.
Life was changed forever. I still have that letter."
- Brandi Givens
18. "I was in the 3rd grade in musical class in Naples, our teacher had rolled out the TV for us to watch a Beethoven movie and when she turned it on, it was on Fox News I think. We sat there watching the North Tower burning before she turned it off and went into the office. I realized something was going on but wasn't yet old enough to really understand it until I got home later that day. My mom was watching replays of the plane hitting and the towers collapsing with short bits of the Pentagon. I didn’t know it at the time but what happened that day altered the course of my life. My career in the military all stems from that day."
- David Fillmore
- David Fillmore
19. "I was a 7th grader at Safety Harbor Middle School. I walked into my first class, World History, and my teacher Ms. Sullivan was sitting at her desk, crying. I looked over and saw the television was on. The image of the second plane crashing into the South Tower caused an anxiety in me that I had never felt before. Ms. Sullivan was quiet, didn't greet us as we filed in, and dabbed tears from her cheeks. One of our classmates who was sort of the 'class clown' marched on in a bit later than the rest of us. All our eyes were locked onto the TV. He quickly glanced at it and said something to the effect of,
'Cool video! What are we learning about today?'
Ms. Sullivan spoke her first words and just said something like,
'This is happening now. You are seeing history live. This is a terrorist attack.'
The remainder of the day, each class we went to, the attacks were being played over the TV. Each of my teachers were glum, some of them crying. Something about seeing all the adults you rely on, crying and broken, creates a very profound realization as a child. I was only 12, but I will never forget that day."
- Heather N.
'Cool video! What are we learning about today?'
Ms. Sullivan spoke her first words and just said something like,
'This is happening now. You are seeing history live. This is a terrorist attack.'
The remainder of the day, each class we went to, the attacks were being played over the TV. Each of my teachers were glum, some of them crying. Something about seeing all the adults you rely on, crying and broken, creates a very profound realization as a child. I was only 12, but I will never forget that day."
- Heather N.
20. "I was in a Catholic high school and a girl came into second period late, mentioning how people in the office were watching TV and a plane hit a building in New York. The teacher didn’t think it was a big deal and class went on as normal.
Third period comes and the teacher has a tiny portable black and white tv on. It was during this period that we saw the towers collapse. Afterwards, the entire school spent the rest of the day in the gym to have mass/pray."
- Trac Hadlett
Third period comes and the teacher has a tiny portable black and white tv on. It was during this period that we saw the towers collapse. Afterwards, the entire school spent the rest of the day in the gym to have mass/pray."
- Trac Hadlett
21. "I was in 5th grade. It was still early in the day, so we were in homeroom. Our teacher got a phone call and then told us we all had to go to the social studies teacher Mrs. Jones' room. It was a relatively small school, but the whole 5th grade class of about 100 kids were crowded in her room. The teachers thought that we should see what was happening - A plane had hit the World Trade Center!
I remember watching the news anchors talk about how a plane had hit the Empire State Building before. And then, we watched live as a plane hit the second tower. We were confused, we were only 10 years old! We didn't understand the magnitude of the events unfolding before us.
I looked at my teacher, Mrs. Bishop, and saw the horror on her face. I saw what was happening, but I didn't really understand what was happening. We kept watching and saw the towers collapse on live TV.
The phone calls began, as the front office was calling the room to tell the teachers that parents were there to pick up their kids. The images of the towers collapsing are the last thing I remember. I couldn't tell you if my parents picked me up or if I rode the bus home. I don't remember. I only remember watching the towers fall."
- Chas Carpenter
I remember watching the news anchors talk about how a plane had hit the Empire State Building before. And then, we watched live as a plane hit the second tower. We were confused, we were only 10 years old! We didn't understand the magnitude of the events unfolding before us.
I looked at my teacher, Mrs. Bishop, and saw the horror on her face. I saw what was happening, but I didn't really understand what was happening. We kept watching and saw the towers collapse on live TV.
The phone calls began, as the front office was calling the room to tell the teachers that parents were there to pick up their kids. The images of the towers collapsing are the last thing I remember. I couldn't tell you if my parents picked me up or if I rode the bus home. I don't remember. I only remember watching the towers fall."
- Chas Carpenter
22. "It was senior year of university in Miami and I needed a car, my lease had ended a few days prior. On September 10th, my parents called me to say,
'Do you drive stick?' We got you the cheapest car on the lot.'
Delighted, I made it home, picked up my Kia Sephia, and went out to celebrate with a couple friends. We slept at a friends' place before we'd drive back to university the next day. When we woke up, the first tower was already down. We looked to my friend Gabe, who lived in NYC, and asked,
'What's that?'
'It looks like the twin towers, but there's only one.'
'Do you drive stick?' We got you the cheapest car on the lot.'
Delighted, I made it home, picked up my Kia Sephia, and went out to celebrate with a couple friends. We slept at a friends' place before we'd drive back to university the next day. When we woke up, the first tower was already down. We looked to my friend Gabe, who lived in NYC, and asked,
'What's that?'
'It looks like the twin towers, but there's only one.'
Our bleary eyes watched it fall to the ground soon after. Gabe was visibly upset. September 11th was the day we were set to move into our brand new 1.3 milllion dollar fraternity house. We had a huge state of the art TV in the family room- but no cable. So, we went across the street to the drugstore to buy a bunny ear antennae. On this $10,000 TV with some $5 bunny ears, we watched developments.
We were accustomed to the planes constantly flying over because we were in West Miami where air traffic lines up to land at Miami International Airport. Now, there was not a plane in the sky. I noticed a lone passenger (or private 737 or similar) with a fighter jet escorting it heading south by south east. The hangover, the slow waking up, the new home, the static filled new TV with bunny ears, empty skies, emptying university, men moving in, and others just looking to be with others as we took this all in.
Some of the fraternity brothers already served or were near finishing their service. Some re-enlisted and others were stopped from finishing their service by Government Order. There was anger, there was patriotism, there was a sense of, 'somebody must pay.' I went on to serve my country through AmeriCorps."
- Daniel Brown
We were accustomed to the planes constantly flying over because we were in West Miami where air traffic lines up to land at Miami International Airport. Now, there was not a plane in the sky. I noticed a lone passenger (or private 737 or similar) with a fighter jet escorting it heading south by south east. The hangover, the slow waking up, the new home, the static filled new TV with bunny ears, empty skies, emptying university, men moving in, and others just looking to be with others as we took this all in.
Some of the fraternity brothers already served or were near finishing their service. Some re-enlisted and others were stopped from finishing their service by Government Order. There was anger, there was patriotism, there was a sense of, 'somebody must pay.' I went on to serve my country through AmeriCorps."
- Daniel Brown
23. "I was 9 years old and woke up with a fever, so my mother and father decided to have me stay home from school. I was laying in my bed, watching cartoons when all of a sudden I hear my father let out an agonizing wail from the other room.
'ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!'
Being so young, I wasn't quite sure what was going on and went on about my morning cartoons and Trix cereal. My father came through my door like a freight train. The horror in his eyes is something I will remember for the rest of my life.
He turned off my cartoons and put on the news. There, I saw one burning tower.
'Why is that building on fire? 'Where is this?'
My dad, who was a big man at 6'4 and just about 250+lbs, looked defeated as he sat on the edge of my bed, He turned to me and looked dead in my eyes,
'You might not understand what is happening right now, But this is history and this is something you will remember for the rest of your life. Under no circumstances do you turn this TV on any other channel for the rest of the day, I want you to watch and learn what is going on right now.'
Why? I thought, what's so important about this building being on fire? A little later, I saw a plane... and then I didn't, but I did see a big fire ball. I finally 'sort of' understood that this was no accident. This was meant to happen.
My Dad, a Navy veteran on the USS Enterprise during the Vietnam War, was heartbroken. That day was one of the first and last days I ever saw heartbreak in my dad's eyes. He passed away in January 2004.
9/11 will always be in the back of my mind, and one of the most vivid memories of my father. He used to go on and on about his war stories, about the Navy, about US history, some days until I fell asleep. Now, I would do anything to have those moments back.
Just one more conversation with him."
- Mary Blinkhorn
'ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!'
Being so young, I wasn't quite sure what was going on and went on about my morning cartoons and Trix cereal. My father came through my door like a freight train. The horror in his eyes is something I will remember for the rest of my life.
He turned off my cartoons and put on the news. There, I saw one burning tower.
'Why is that building on fire? 'Where is this?'
My dad, who was a big man at 6'4 and just about 250+lbs, looked defeated as he sat on the edge of my bed, He turned to me and looked dead in my eyes,
'You might not understand what is happening right now, But this is history and this is something you will remember for the rest of your life. Under no circumstances do you turn this TV on any other channel for the rest of the day, I want you to watch and learn what is going on right now.'
Why? I thought, what's so important about this building being on fire? A little later, I saw a plane... and then I didn't, but I did see a big fire ball. I finally 'sort of' understood that this was no accident. This was meant to happen.
My Dad, a Navy veteran on the USS Enterprise during the Vietnam War, was heartbroken. That day was one of the first and last days I ever saw heartbreak in my dad's eyes. He passed away in January 2004.
9/11 will always be in the back of my mind, and one of the most vivid memories of my father. He used to go on and on about his war stories, about the Navy, about US history, some days until I fell asleep. Now, I would do anything to have those moments back.
Just one more conversation with him."
- Mary Blinkhorn
24. "Junior year of high school, it happened while changing classes. When I showed up to my next class, we were watching live footage and watched as the second plane crashed.
It took less than 24 hours for the ignorant assholes in my backward redneck school to spray bomb 'Bomb Afghan' on their trucks, and 'Sand N*gger' on the car of a good friend who was Jordanian."
- Anonymous
It took less than 24 hours for the ignorant assholes in my backward redneck school to spray bomb 'Bomb Afghan' on their trucks, and 'Sand N*gger' on the car of a good friend who was Jordanian."
- Anonymous
25. "I was just out of school, working as an on-call substitute teacher in Jacksonville and still trying to find a full-time job. I didn't get any calls to sub that morning so since I was already up early, started playing a mod of the video game Half-Life called Firearms. In the game chat, people started talking about a plane hitting a tower, and then a second one. At first, I thought it was some kind of reference to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. I walked into our kitchen and my roommate was standing there in front of the tv, half dressed watching news footage of the smoking towers. The two of us stood their watching for a long time. The whole thing just felt surreal because nobody knew what was really going on or what it meant."
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
26. "15 years-old, at home sick and watching TV when I saw it live. I knew this was bad and my parents had an immediate plan to send me to Canada with family so I wouldn’t get drafted. My cold went away immediately, but I didn’t go to school the next day. I stayed glued to the 34 inch Sony Trinitron for two days, you couldn’t walk away for thought you may miss something."
- A. P.
- A. P.
27. "I woke up and turned on the TV while getting ready to meet the property manager for a townhome I was looking to rent. The news about the first tower had just broke and was on the TV and I watched the second tower get hit. The property manager called me within ten minutes to see if we were still meeting. I went to look at the townhouse and we discussed what had just happened. She had family in NYC she was worried about and had not heard from.
As we were leaving, my grampa happened to be driving by and somehow noticed me. He pulled up to say hello and chat for a bit. He made me hug him before he left. Grampa died from a heart attack shortly after. Even though I did not lose family in 9/11, I have always been able to relate because it was the last day I saw my grandfather alive."
- W. B.
As we were leaving, my grampa happened to be driving by and somehow noticed me. He pulled up to say hello and chat for a bit. He made me hug him before he left. Grampa died from a heart attack shortly after. Even though I did not lose family in 9/11, I have always been able to relate because it was the last day I saw my grandfather alive."
- W. B.
28. "I was in 9th grade Spanish class. Another teacher came into our classroom and whispered something to our Spanish teacher. Unfortunately she insisted that we put on the Spanish news network. At this point, I don't think she understood the severity of what was happening as everyone assumed it had been an accident. That being said, this was a first level Spanish class so we had no idea what was going on and thought it was a movie so we were all marveling at how realistic the special effects were.
When the second plane hit, we were all laughing and so intrigued by the CGI. That's when she turned the TV off and told us all what she thought was happening, which was a terrorist attack. Very shortly after she finished explaining, the bell rung and I went to my next class, which was science. My teacher decided that nothing would disrupt his course and refused to turn the news on, so we spent the next hour or so listening to him go on about electrons and valence levels. Every once in a while a kid would beg him to turn the news on, including myself as I am from Brooklyn and most of my family still lived in New York.
We missed seeing the towers fall which I am at the same time grateful for but also bitter at that teacher for not recognizing that this was a defining moment in world history and insisting in continuing the curriculum. Thankfully, nobody in my family was killed or injured, but the horror and confusion is something that will be forever engraved in my mind."
- Daniel Nolan
When the second plane hit, we were all laughing and so intrigued by the CGI. That's when she turned the TV off and told us all what she thought was happening, which was a terrorist attack. Very shortly after she finished explaining, the bell rung and I went to my next class, which was science. My teacher decided that nothing would disrupt his course and refused to turn the news on, so we spent the next hour or so listening to him go on about electrons and valence levels. Every once in a while a kid would beg him to turn the news on, including myself as I am from Brooklyn and most of my family still lived in New York.
We missed seeing the towers fall which I am at the same time grateful for but also bitter at that teacher for not recognizing that this was a defining moment in world history and insisting in continuing the curriculum. Thankfully, nobody in my family was killed or injured, but the horror and confusion is something that will be forever engraved in my mind."
- Daniel Nolan
29. "I was in 2nd grade and I remember our teacher sitting us in the 'circle area' to play while she watched the TV. Mostly I was excited because... toys instead of schoolwork. I remember her crying and we saw what was on TV, but my 7 year old brain didn't quite comprehend the gravity of what was actually happening. I just don't remember freaking out seeing that on TV...I don't know what I thought was happening. One by one, parents started picking their kids up early. I don't know if people were doing it because they just wanted their kid home or because people were nervous since the President was in the state. Either way, a few hours go on and I'm the only one in my class that wasn't picked up. At this point, I'm just mad because everyone else got to go home and I'm still at school. I had a cool teacher and she sat with me, trying to keep me distracted.
What I didn't know at the time was that my mom was trying all morning to get in contact with my dad who was in DC for work, he frequently worked out of the Pentagon. All the lines were busy and she had no idea where my dad was. She did end up picking me up from school a little early, but she was inconsolable the whole day. She did eventually get in contact with my dad late that night and he was okay."
- Anonymous
What I didn't know at the time was that my mom was trying all morning to get in contact with my dad who was in DC for work, he frequently worked out of the Pentagon. All the lines were busy and she had no idea where my dad was. She did end up picking me up from school a little early, but she was inconsolable the whole day. She did eventually get in contact with my dad late that night and he was okay."
- Anonymous