IDAHO
"Where were you on 9/11?" as remembered by those in Idaho that day.
An Idaho student remembers how adults compared September 11th to the JFK assassination.
1. "I was in the 5th grade and remember barely being in class when another teacher ran in and told ours to come with her. They both left and my teacher came back while the other wheeled in a TV and turned it on. She said that we deserved to know what was going on and that this event will be like when she was a girl and they assassinated JFK.
I remember being confused about some building being on fire and who was JFK anyway. It was a few moments later we saw footage of the 2nd plane hit and the teachers screamed in horror. Some of the kids in class started crying either out of fear or from the teacher's reaction. When they saw the other kids start to get upset they shut the TV off and comforted them.
The principal called us all to the gym and when we got there he explained something very bad was happening and it would be best if we went home to be with our families. That day never seemed real to me. I remember asking my dad why people were jumping out of buildings and he didn't want to answer."
- Y. T.
I remember being confused about some building being on fire and who was JFK anyway. It was a few moments later we saw footage of the 2nd plane hit and the teachers screamed in horror. Some of the kids in class started crying either out of fear or from the teacher's reaction. When they saw the other kids start to get upset they shut the TV off and comforted them.
The principal called us all to the gym and when we got there he explained something very bad was happening and it would be best if we went home to be with our families. That day never seemed real to me. I remember asking my dad why people were jumping out of buildings and he didn't want to answer."
- Y. T.
Written Stories
2. "The morning of 9/11 started with a paper route after studying all night. The smell of Red Bull and newspaper still hung heavily in my car. I was 21 years old, exhausted yet exhilarated by the wonderful day that had begun to take shape.
It was a quiet morning christened with a beautiful sunrise. My brother and I arrived home from our route around 6:30 am.
He climbed into bed while I went to his couch and turned on the news. That's when I saw the first reports of a plane hitting.
It was confusing. The news anchor was sure it was an accident. My brain was struggling to decipher whether or not it was real.
Then the second plane hit. As I watched it approaching I screamed at the television and woke my brother up. He was upset that I had awakened him over a movie.
“It’s not a movie, this is happening right now,”
Now we both watched.
I saw people jumping. I had my first panic attack seeing the woman waving something white as someone else jumped. The news anchor seemed to have gone into shock and kept trying to explain away the people jumping.
“It’s just paper, it’s just paper.”
My mother was at the Boise Airport. She had a cell phone. I called her and begged that she not get on the plane. She had no idea what I was talking about. She said that the news wasn’t airing on any of the TVs.
She was going on a work trip she didn't think she could get out of. Someone at the airport confirmed my troubling words and after she got off the phone she left the airport before it was shut down.
Mom came home to me crying and watching the news. Video footage of people jumping, video footage that aired all day as the anchors droned on.
It was a quiet morning christened with a beautiful sunrise. My brother and I arrived home from our route around 6:30 am.
He climbed into bed while I went to his couch and turned on the news. That's when I saw the first reports of a plane hitting.
It was confusing. The news anchor was sure it was an accident. My brain was struggling to decipher whether or not it was real.
Then the second plane hit. As I watched it approaching I screamed at the television and woke my brother up. He was upset that I had awakened him over a movie.
“It’s not a movie, this is happening right now,”
Now we both watched.
I saw people jumping. I had my first panic attack seeing the woman waving something white as someone else jumped. The news anchor seemed to have gone into shock and kept trying to explain away the people jumping.
“It’s just paper, it’s just paper.”
My mother was at the Boise Airport. She had a cell phone. I called her and begged that she not get on the plane. She had no idea what I was talking about. She said that the news wasn’t airing on any of the TVs.
She was going on a work trip she didn't think she could get out of. Someone at the airport confirmed my troubling words and after she got off the phone she left the airport before it was shut down.
Mom came home to me crying and watching the news. Video footage of people jumping, video footage that aired all day as the anchors droned on.
I went to Moxie Java with my friends at 5 pm and smoked too many cigarettes and had too much coffee as we all cried. We discussed how much we all wished the movies were real and that James Bond would save us all.
The paper route the next day was harder. The weather was beautiful and I hated it. The front page of the paper was grotesque and hard to see over and over.
I felt hopeless and it is a hopelessness I still carry. I carry it for all that were lost and I carry it out of fear. How could anyone be so cruel? In the years since I’ve never come to terms with it.
I lost my faith in humanity.
I have anxiety in the airport and panic in tall buildings.
My decisions forward have been clouded by what I learned that day.
I quit smoking on 9/11/2010. To give myself a reason to have hope on that day. It has helped a bit but I still can’t take the smell of Red Bull and newspapers."
- Stephanie Scheffner
The paper route the next day was harder. The weather was beautiful and I hated it. The front page of the paper was grotesque and hard to see over and over.
I felt hopeless and it is a hopelessness I still carry. I carry it for all that were lost and I carry it out of fear. How could anyone be so cruel? In the years since I’ve never come to terms with it.
I lost my faith in humanity.
I have anxiety in the airport and panic in tall buildings.
My decisions forward have been clouded by what I learned that day.
I quit smoking on 9/11/2010. To give myself a reason to have hope on that day. It has helped a bit but I still can’t take the smell of Red Bull and newspapers."
- Stephanie Scheffner
3. "I was in my office, I had gone in early to do some paperwork in the peace and quiet. My mother is back East and I called to check on her. We chatted for a moment and she said,
'Oh my God! A plane has just hit the World Trade Center!'
I just assumed it was a small plane, maybe a Cessna. I flipped on the television in my office and I remember thinking that was a lot of smoke and damage for it to be a small plane.
A moment later the second plane hit. I was an Army Ranger and I left the service three years before. I knew right away that it was an act of terrorism and Osama bin Laden was behind it. I hung up the phone and called my wife. We watched the next few hours together on the phone.
After both towers collapsed, my wife and I decided that the church would be a great place to be. I was surprised to see we weren’t alone. Our century old church was packed with people praying the Rosary. It was breathtaking.
In the days and weeks that followed, people seemed to be more polite. American flags were everywhere. I re-enlisted and served ten more years in the army.
I always had wondered what it was like to be an American after Pearl Harbor. Now I know."
- LTC Daniel A.
'Oh my God! A plane has just hit the World Trade Center!'
I just assumed it was a small plane, maybe a Cessna. I flipped on the television in my office and I remember thinking that was a lot of smoke and damage for it to be a small plane.
A moment later the second plane hit. I was an Army Ranger and I left the service three years before. I knew right away that it was an act of terrorism and Osama bin Laden was behind it. I hung up the phone and called my wife. We watched the next few hours together on the phone.
After both towers collapsed, my wife and I decided that the church would be a great place to be. I was surprised to see we weren’t alone. Our century old church was packed with people praying the Rosary. It was breathtaking.
In the days and weeks that followed, people seemed to be more polite. American flags were everywhere. I re-enlisted and served ten more years in the army.
I always had wondered what it was like to be an American after Pearl Harbor. Now I know."
- LTC Daniel A.
4. "I was 21 and getting ready for my first day back to work from fishing on the Oregon Coast.
It seemed surreal seeing a jet liner smash headlong into the second tower, my dad said it had to be a mistake.
As the minutes passed, it became apparent it wasn't."
- James McGrane
It seemed surreal seeing a jet liner smash headlong into the second tower, my dad said it had to be a mistake.
As the minutes passed, it became apparent it wasn't."
- James McGrane
5. "I was getting ready for work, listening to an answering machine message about work being cancelled due to the 'terrorist attack on the Twin Towers.'
'That can't be for real!'
I turned on the TV and it was on every channels. All I could think was,
'There's gonna be a new parking lot where someone's country used to be, pretty soon.'"
- M. T.
'That can't be for real!'
I turned on the TV and it was on every channels. All I could think was,
'There's gonna be a new parking lot where someone's country used to be, pretty soon.'"
- M. T.
6. "Lived in Boise at the time. Woke up, did my regular morning routine which did not include TV or radio. Got to work at 8 AM MDT, which was 10 am in NYC. The receptionist told me to go to the break room to see the news. Whoa!
Our local news station broke in to say that all the streets around the state capitol building were closed until further notice and, of course, the airport was closed. Our airport was in the middle of a remodel, so the architects put pencil to paper to change the plans to include all the new security measures that were being put in place.
My brother-in-law lives in Queens and worked in a building across the street from the towers. We couldn't get in touch with him for days. When my husband finally got in touch with him, he said he hadn't left for work yet. It wasn't until four years ago that he told us that the first plane hit just as he got off the subway and he went running. He ended up walking home to Queens."
- S. B.
Our local news station broke in to say that all the streets around the state capitol building were closed until further notice and, of course, the airport was closed. Our airport was in the middle of a remodel, so the architects put pencil to paper to change the plans to include all the new security measures that were being put in place.
My brother-in-law lives in Queens and worked in a building across the street from the towers. We couldn't get in touch with him for days. When my husband finally got in touch with him, he said he hadn't left for work yet. It wasn't until four years ago that he told us that the first plane hit just as he got off the subway and he went running. He ended up walking home to Queens."
- S. B.
7. "I was 9 years old in 4th grade, the day started just like any other. I had stayed home from school the day before so I was getting caught up on everything I'd missed throughout our morning class. Once it was time to move to our next class, the news had broken about the attacks. Needless to say, the rest of the day was completely shot.
Not for lack of trying, they still had us move about our schedules for the day, but every TV in every classroom was tuned onto the coverage following the attack as student and teacher alike desperately tried to process what happened and what it could mean for the future.
The bit that sticks out to me the most was my English class following morning homeroom, partially because it just happened to be taught by my mom, but mostly because that's where I happened to be when the news broke. My mom said that the way the world just suddenly seemed to stop took her right back to 1963 with the assassination of President Kennedy, even though she would have been only five years old at the time. It became one of those memories."
- Aaron Cahoon
Not for lack of trying, they still had us move about our schedules for the day, but every TV in every classroom was tuned onto the coverage following the attack as student and teacher alike desperately tried to process what happened and what it could mean for the future.
The bit that sticks out to me the most was my English class following morning homeroom, partially because it just happened to be taught by my mom, but mostly because that's where I happened to be when the news broke. My mom said that the way the world just suddenly seemed to stop took her right back to 1963 with the assassination of President Kennedy, even though she would have been only five years old at the time. It became one of those memories."
- Aaron Cahoon
8. "I was installing fiberglass insulation at a sugar-beet processing plant somewhere outside of Boise. I heard the story on the radio and of course didn't believe it.
'What wacky story are they going to think of next?'
The radio just played music all day and I forgot about it. That evening, when we went back to our motel, they were playing more coverage of the event on the TV and that's when I realized it had actually happened.
That weekend, I went back to where I was living in Salt Lake City. I didn't have many T-shirts that hadn't been used for work (and thus been stained by something) so I put on a T-shirt that my aunt had brought back from her latest journey to Turkey - this shirt happened to have the Muslim crescent and star on it. I wandered up to UoU (University of Utah) and it turns out they were having some sort of flag rally/memorial. I think I was lucky that I wasn't attacked! I quickly went back home and changed my shirt.
'What wacky story are they going to think of next?'
The radio just played music all day and I forgot about it. That evening, when we went back to our motel, they were playing more coverage of the event on the TV and that's when I realized it had actually happened.
That weekend, I went back to where I was living in Salt Lake City. I didn't have many T-shirts that hadn't been used for work (and thus been stained by something) so I put on a T-shirt that my aunt had brought back from her latest journey to Turkey - this shirt happened to have the Muslim crescent and star on it. I wandered up to UoU (University of Utah) and it turns out they were having some sort of flag rally/memorial. I think I was lucky that I wasn't attacked! I quickly went back home and changed my shirt.
Wizards of the Coast, a publisher of fantasy games, had been running a worldwide Star Wars Living Force campaign and I had been playing a Mon Calamari character. The Mon Calamari culture is lightly based on the Arabic culture so my character was named Haqim Sabur Al'Haq. When we played online, we used the Yahoo! instant messenger because it had a built-in dicebot. So everyone created Yahoo! profiles with the same name as their character so that it would be easy to see what was going on.
Haqim Sabur Al'Haq rolled a 19 on 1d20.
Other than the name, that Yahoo! profile had no connection to Islam. But after 9/11, I received so much hate mail. Some mail wasn't so bad, it was just pleas to explain to them why 'my' religion had sponsored the events, or asking me to teach them more about 'my' religion. But some mail was just so vitriolic, just pure plain hate. I felt so bad for anyone that actually was Islamic and had to deal with that in real life. It wasn't fair to them."
- Bart Humphries
Haqim Sabur Al'Haq rolled a 19 on 1d20.
Other than the name, that Yahoo! profile had no connection to Islam. But after 9/11, I received so much hate mail. Some mail wasn't so bad, it was just pleas to explain to them why 'my' religion had sponsored the events, or asking me to teach them more about 'my' religion. But some mail was just so vitriolic, just pure plain hate. I felt so bad for anyone that actually was Islamic and had to deal with that in real life. It wasn't fair to them."
- Bart Humphries
9. "I was in sixth grade. Right before class started, a girl came up to me at the lockers and said somebody bombed a building. It didn’t really make sense to me so I brushed it off. When I got to class, they wheeled in a TV and we got together with a few other classes to watch it. It was eerily silent for a middle school class. Later in the day, a lockdown announcement was made. We later found out that a man was walking through the parking lot with a gun to 'go protect the cell tower' that was next to the school.
We had a sub and she didn’t know what a lockdown was so we just kept working instead of locking the door and hiding in the dark. My brother and I mailed our allowance money to the President to help with rebuilding efforts. I remember the Idaho Statesman newspaper printed full sheet flags in the paper that everyone hang in their windows for months."
- Kaitlin Johnston
We had a sub and she didn’t know what a lockdown was so we just kept working instead of locking the door and hiding in the dark. My brother and I mailed our allowance money to the President to help with rebuilding efforts. I remember the Idaho Statesman newspaper printed full sheet flags in the paper that everyone hang in their windows for months."
- Kaitlin Johnston