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University of Georgia wide receiver Terrence Edwards catches a pass during a September 29, 2001 game with Arkansas, their first after the attacks. Edwards was quoted as saying, "People were playing for a different purpose."
(Photo: UGA sports comm) |
University of Georgia students embrace after organizing a blood drive.
(Photo: The Red and Black) 
9/11 Memorial in Duluth, GA.
(Photo: DuluthGA) |
Written Stories
1. "I was a logistics supervisor at a Kmart distribution center in Forest Park, sitting at my desk when my wife called and asked me if I had heard what happened. I had not.
I informed my boss who informed his boss and the three of us went to the satellite TV in our conference room. The connection was not the best and we began to make out that one of the buildings seemed completely shrouded in smoke. The big boss asked out loud,
'Why does that building look like that?'
I will never forget when, a few seconds later, it dawned on me- 'It's because that tower is not there anymore.'
We watched until the the second tower collapsed.
That day, my boss and I had a lunch meeting with an import vendor, a very old man named Lamar. Lamar was something of a legend in his field and we were his only account. We ate lunch at Applebee's and, of course, all the TVs were showing live footage of the aftermath. Lamar shook his head and said,
I informed my boss who informed his boss and the three of us went to the satellite TV in our conference room. The connection was not the best and we began to make out that one of the buildings seemed completely shrouded in smoke. The big boss asked out loud,
'Why does that building look like that?'
I will never forget when, a few seconds later, it dawned on me- 'It's because that tower is not there anymore.'
We watched until the the second tower collapsed.
That day, my boss and I had a lunch meeting with an import vendor, a very old man named Lamar. Lamar was something of a legend in his field and we were his only account. We ate lunch at Applebee's and, of course, all the TVs were showing live footage of the aftermath. Lamar shook his head and said,
Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941.
(Photo: National Archives, Washington, D.C.) |
'This is just like when Pearl Harbor was bombed.'
I asked if he would tell us about that day. Lamar was a 30-something year old shoe salesman in Atlanta on December 7th, 1941. His memory was how of everyone sought out any radio they could find to hear the news and get information- much like we were already doing and would continue doing in the days after 9/11. The next day, we had a meeting at work around the flagpole and the big boss' secretary handed out small US flags for us to have. I still have that flag, sitting in my pencil holder on my desk almost 20 years and three jobs later." - Russell W. |
2. "I was running late to go to a computer class at University of Georgia and had the Today Show on. They interrupted the broadcast after the first plane hit then I watched the second plane hit live. The anchors were all stricken in disbelief.
For some reason I drove to class anyway. On my way there I turned on the radio and listened as the first tower fell. I was like 45 min late when I got to class. I walked in and said:
“Two planes have just hit the World Trade Center and one of the towers has fallen”.
I sat there, totally ashen, waiting on a reaction that I never got. They went back to working, it was surreal.
Their world hadn’t changed because they hadn’t seen it on TV yet. For the rest of that class, I was the only one living in a post-911 world."
- F. S.
For some reason I drove to class anyway. On my way there I turned on the radio and listened as the first tower fell. I was like 45 min late when I got to class. I walked in and said:
“Two planes have just hit the World Trade Center and one of the towers has fallen”.
I sat there, totally ashen, waiting on a reaction that I never got. They went back to working, it was surreal.
Their world hadn’t changed because they hadn’t seen it on TV yet. For the rest of that class, I was the only one living in a post-911 world."
- F. S.
3. "I worked nights in Marietta, so I usually slept until noon and I'm also not a morning person. That morning the phone rings. I ignore it- It rings again... and again. Finally I roll over and answer:
'Hello?'
'Dude, wake up!'
It's one of my friends,
'F*ck you.'
'No, seriously. Wake the f*ck up. We've been attacked by terrorists.'
'Whatever dude. I'm going back to sleep.'
'Wake the f*ck up and turn on the TV now!'
So I grabbed the remote...
'What channel?'
'ANY CHANNEL!! IT'S ON EVERY FUCKING CHANNEL!!'
... and turn on the TV.
'Holy shit... I need to call my girlfriend and let her know. I'm sure she's still asleep.'
My eyes were glued to that TV for the rest of the day."
- Scott
'Hello?'
'Dude, wake up!'
It's one of my friends,
'F*ck you.'
'No, seriously. Wake the f*ck up. We've been attacked by terrorists.'
'Whatever dude. I'm going back to sleep.'
'Wake the f*ck up and turn on the TV now!'
So I grabbed the remote...
'What channel?'
'ANY CHANNEL!! IT'S ON EVERY FUCKING CHANNEL!!'
... and turn on the TV.
'Holy shit... I need to call my girlfriend and let her know. I'm sure she's still asleep.'
My eyes were glued to that TV for the rest of the day."
- Scott
4. "I saw the second tower explode on TV as I was getting ready to go into the office.
My job at the time was in network security as a fraud analyst where I monitored international network activity in real time, for a private company that did work adjacent to law enforcement and other three letter agencies... So our office was always working 24/7, 365. This was a secured floor in a high rise building.
When I went in that morning to work, it was quiet, everyone was busy listening and watching what was happening. We were told by the management company of the building that they were evacuating the building. For the first time ever, my office closed and sent everyone home.
I walked down the block to my apartment and spent the rest of the afternoon with my neighbor, who also worked in the same high rise as me.
We sat around on my couch, talking and crying. I don't remember much of the rest of that day, but I am now married to that man. We've been a couple now for decades. I think 9/11 is when our friendship transcended into something more profound. We bonded over that trauma."
- Anonymous
My job at the time was in network security as a fraud analyst where I monitored international network activity in real time, for a private company that did work adjacent to law enforcement and other three letter agencies... So our office was always working 24/7, 365. This was a secured floor in a high rise building.
When I went in that morning to work, it was quiet, everyone was busy listening and watching what was happening. We were told by the management company of the building that they were evacuating the building. For the first time ever, my office closed and sent everyone home.
I walked down the block to my apartment and spent the rest of the afternoon with my neighbor, who also worked in the same high rise as me.
We sat around on my couch, talking and crying. I don't remember much of the rest of that day, but I am now married to that man. We've been a couple now for decades. I think 9/11 is when our friendship transcended into something more profound. We bonded over that trauma."
- Anonymous
5. "I was driving to work listening to the radio and flipping channels when I hear one of the radio shows talking about a plane hitting the World Trace Center. I thought to myself,
'This is really something they shouldn't be joking about because one day a terrorist could do something like that.'
I arrived at work a few minutes later and everyone is in shock, asking,
'Have you heard about the World Trade Center!'
I was in disbelief, the rest of the day everyone huddled together watching it on TV. I spent half the day contacting all of my friends in NYC."
- Michael Grossman
'This is really something they shouldn't be joking about because one day a terrorist could do something like that.'
I arrived at work a few minutes later and everyone is in shock, asking,
'Have you heard about the World Trade Center!'
I was in disbelief, the rest of the day everyone huddled together watching it on TV. I spent half the day contacting all of my friends in NYC."
- Michael Grossman
6. "I was a 21 year old surveyor. My partner and I were on our way to a construction site near the ATL airport. We were in an older truck listening to a tape, unaware of what was happening. A buddy of mine called me...
'Hello?'
'Dude... I just watched an airplane fly into a skyscraper on live TV...'
'What!?'
'You don't know?'
'Know what?'
'Turn on your radio.'
He hung up without another word and we turned on 96.1, '96 rocks'
It was the drive time comedy guys. There was no comedy. We listened in disbelief as everything was recounted and updated.
We got to our site, which we had been the week before. The previous week it had been hard to communicate because of airport noise. On the 11th, it was dead silent. Very unsettling. We left the radio on all day. It's burned so deep in my memory."
- Brent Spann
'Hello?'
'Dude... I just watched an airplane fly into a skyscraper on live TV...'
'What!?'
'You don't know?'
'Know what?'
'Turn on your radio.'
He hung up without another word and we turned on 96.1, '96 rocks'
It was the drive time comedy guys. There was no comedy. We listened in disbelief as everything was recounted and updated.
We got to our site, which we had been the week before. The previous week it had been hard to communicate because of airport noise. On the 11th, it was dead silent. Very unsettling. We left the radio on all day. It's burned so deep in my memory."
- Brent Spann
7. "I was in Kindergarten, just a few months after my dad joined the Army. We were stationed at Fort Benning for his training and other early military career stuff.
School sent me home early, everyone went on high alert and everything went on lockdown. Base entry past the checkpoints was really restricted with few exceptions. Life eventually got back to normal, but my parents, both Air Force brats, have talked about how easy it used to be to get on base. As I grew up, the only ways to get on base post-9/11 were if you lived there, were a veteran, or you had a reason (such as visiting family, a few military museums just inside some checkpoints, or the occasional event like the Blue Angels.) All of this still required paperwork!"
- Anonymous
School sent me home early, everyone went on high alert and everything went on lockdown. Base entry past the checkpoints was really restricted with few exceptions. Life eventually got back to normal, but my parents, both Air Force brats, have talked about how easy it used to be to get on base. As I grew up, the only ways to get on base post-9/11 were if you lived there, were a veteran, or you had a reason (such as visiting family, a few military museums just inside some checkpoints, or the occasional event like the Blue Angels.) All of this still required paperwork!"
- Anonymous