ILLINOIS
"Where were you on 9/11?" as remembered by those in Illinois that day.
Chicago resident Dilla remembers his encounter with the police during a road trip on 9/11.
1. "On September 11th, myself and two of my college buddies were traveling back from Georgia after a weekend of hanging out. Obviously we're feeling very sad about what had happened that morning. So, we were driving in a car we had no business trying to take on a road trip, like a '92 Cadillac or something. The battery died and we pulled the car to the side in the worst place ever for that to happen - we were in Cairo, Illinois. Cairo has a little bit of a checkered history as it relates to race relations so we were freaking out that our car had broken down there. Next thing you know, a state trooper pulls behind us and lights the car up. Now we're really freaking out.
A trick to keep us from getting tickets and worse was that I would usually wear my ROTC uniform whenever I drove. When the state trooper walked up to the side of the car and saw the uniform, he started to welp up. He let us know that he had a brother that was in the National Guard stationed in Paris, Illinois and he was probably going to get deployed after what happened. He said,
'I can't believe what they did to our country.'
Next thing we know, he pulls out a phone and he calls somebody. This person owned a battery shop and he got his bed at three in the morning. We got a battery, started the car, and were sent on our way. We couldn't believe that happened to us.
So as we're traveling back to eastern Illinois, the car starts to break down again. We soon discovered that it wasn't the battery, it was the alternator, so now we're stuck on the side of the road in Effingham. Same thing happens again, another state trooper pulls behind us. What we didn't know is that the first one had radioed ahead and told all the state troopers on the highway to keep an eye out for us and look out for us so this state trooper was doing exactly that. He didn't have a friend with a mechanic shop or nothing but he did get our car towed off of the road. He took us to McDonald's and stayed there until help arrived.
I couldn't believe that happened. For the first time in my adult life, I felt truly like an American despite the fact that somebody in my family has fought an American conflict since the Civil War"
- Dilla
A trick to keep us from getting tickets and worse was that I would usually wear my ROTC uniform whenever I drove. When the state trooper walked up to the side of the car and saw the uniform, he started to welp up. He let us know that he had a brother that was in the National Guard stationed in Paris, Illinois and he was probably going to get deployed after what happened. He said,
'I can't believe what they did to our country.'
Next thing we know, he pulls out a phone and he calls somebody. This person owned a battery shop and he got his bed at three in the morning. We got a battery, started the car, and were sent on our way. We couldn't believe that happened to us.
So as we're traveling back to eastern Illinois, the car starts to break down again. We soon discovered that it wasn't the battery, it was the alternator, so now we're stuck on the side of the road in Effingham. Same thing happens again, another state trooper pulls behind us. What we didn't know is that the first one had radioed ahead and told all the state troopers on the highway to keep an eye out for us and look out for us so this state trooper was doing exactly that. He didn't have a friend with a mechanic shop or nothing but he did get our car towed off of the road. He took us to McDonald's and stayed there until help arrived.
I couldn't believe that happened. For the first time in my adult life, I felt truly like an American despite the fact that somebody in my family has fought an American conflict since the Civil War"
- Dilla
Written Stories:
2. "I was in Kindergarten and clearly remember making paper bag puppets when the office. I was the first kid to be dismissed and I was confused since I didn't know why my father was getting me. I should have been able to tell how tense he was, but I was just too excited to spend time with my dad.
He brought me straight home and put me in my room with some snacks and my cartoons. I was content for a few hours, but by 2 pm or so, I grew restless and came to look for my dad.
He was in the living room, staring out the window, his rifle by his side. News coverage was on the TV.
I didn't understand as a kid, I was just upset that I couldn't watch Arthur. The only thing that let me know for sure that things were wrong was that my dad had his rifle. This rifle was always locked inside a safe in a place that I still don't know.
He told me that people attacked some buildings in New York and DC and explained this was like bad people attacking the Sears Tower and that things might happen around us. We need to be careful and alert.
He said I needed to know how to stay safe and protect myself.
In the months following, my dad taught me things like self defense and how to use a gas mask.
"You're a girl, so you need to know how to protect yourself"
I felt like I was learning fun things and I was elated to just spend so much time with my Dad. I felt like this was normal -- I was 6.
What happened on and after 9/11 gave me lasting anxiety for the rest of my life.
To this day, I always feel like I need to be alert and prepared."
- Rachel N.
He brought me straight home and put me in my room with some snacks and my cartoons. I was content for a few hours, but by 2 pm or so, I grew restless and came to look for my dad.
He was in the living room, staring out the window, his rifle by his side. News coverage was on the TV.
I didn't understand as a kid, I was just upset that I couldn't watch Arthur. The only thing that let me know for sure that things were wrong was that my dad had his rifle. This rifle was always locked inside a safe in a place that I still don't know.
He told me that people attacked some buildings in New York and DC and explained this was like bad people attacking the Sears Tower and that things might happen around us. We need to be careful and alert.
He said I needed to know how to stay safe and protect myself.
In the months following, my dad taught me things like self defense and how to use a gas mask.
"You're a girl, so you need to know how to protect yourself"
I felt like I was learning fun things and I was elated to just spend so much time with my Dad. I felt like this was normal -- I was 6.
What happened on and after 9/11 gave me lasting anxiety for the rest of my life.
To this day, I always feel like I need to be alert and prepared."
- Rachel N.
3. "My brothers and I were at our house in Chicago. We had the day off school for some reason and our dad was working at the museum. I can still hear my youngest brother's voice as he yelled from the living room,
"The Trade Center is on fire!"
Watching WGN Morning News, we all agreed it had to be an aviation accident...
Then we saw the second plane hit.
It was shock, disbelief, then fear. I was 16 and watched thousands of people lose their lives in real time. I swore the Sears Tower was next.
Looking back, that day decided the rest of our lives. One brother became a firefighter, two joined the military, another became a Catholic priest. Our Czech immigrant family became fiercely American that day.
God bless the USA, and God bless those who lost their lives."
- Autumn C.
"The Trade Center is on fire!"
Watching WGN Morning News, we all agreed it had to be an aviation accident...
Then we saw the second plane hit.
It was shock, disbelief, then fear. I was 16 and watched thousands of people lose their lives in real time. I swore the Sears Tower was next.
Looking back, that day decided the rest of our lives. One brother became a firefighter, two joined the military, another became a Catholic priest. Our Czech immigrant family became fiercely American that day.
God bless the USA, and God bless those who lost their lives."
- Autumn C.
4. "I was in youth football and in Junior High. I vividly remember going to football practice that evening. We all went pretty much solely because none of us were sure how to react to what had happened. Where we practiced was along a flight path for Midway Airport, so there were constantly planes overhead.
It was eerie how empty the sky was of flights."
- M. S.
It was eerie how empty the sky was of flights."
- M. S.
5. "I was in 7th grade and school started at 8:40 am, but I always got there early and would wait with my friends to be let in. My friend Rachael bounded into school that morning proclaiming,
'The Trade Center got hit by a plane and it's on fire!'
I had no idea what the Trade Center was and our little group certainly didn't understand the magnitude of the situation. When we went into our classroom, the TV was on... and it was on in each class that morning.
I remember being angry that I had to go to my math class in a room without a TV because I wanted to continue watching what was certainly very important history. When the towers collapsed my teacher went out to the hallway and you could hear him crying- I didn't know how to process what was happening. I can't remember if we just watched the news all day, but I remember feeling a sense of profound sadness for days. I collected all the Chicago Tribune pages about it and still have them."
- Elizabeth S.
'The Trade Center got hit by a plane and it's on fire!'
I had no idea what the Trade Center was and our little group certainly didn't understand the magnitude of the situation. When we went into our classroom, the TV was on... and it was on in each class that morning.
I remember being angry that I had to go to my math class in a room without a TV because I wanted to continue watching what was certainly very important history. When the towers collapsed my teacher went out to the hallway and you could hear him crying- I didn't know how to process what was happening. I can't remember if we just watched the news all day, but I remember feeling a sense of profound sadness for days. I collected all the Chicago Tribune pages about it and still have them."
- Elizabeth S.
6. "I was 15 years old and on CNN.com when the first video aired. I stayed at the computer until my mom came because my uncle worked in the North Tower. I remember waiting to hear from my aunt.
My uncle slept through the alarm that morning and his floor was where the plane hit. We got the call that he had just woken up at 2 pm CT to sirens. When my family sleeps we sleep deep."
- F. M.
My uncle slept through the alarm that morning and his floor was where the plane hit. We got the call that he had just woken up at 2 pm CT to sirens. When my family sleeps we sleep deep."
- F. M.
7. "I was in Kindergarten. Some of my classmates' mothers were with us that day for a class event set up in the hall and they all looked beyond spooked. The computer lab teacher was watching the news in her classroom and she stopped and talked to a few of the class moms. I don't think I'll ever forget the genuine horror on their faces.
Nobody told us anything. One of my classmates had somehow figured out that a plane hit the tower, but we all thought it was an accident or something. I didn't hear the word 'terrorism' until my mom explained it to me later that evening.
My memory is a little fuzzy, but I swear they sent us home early that day, even though we were in the generally safe rural Midwest."
- K. P.
Nobody told us anything. One of my classmates had somehow figured out that a plane hit the tower, but we all thought it was an accident or something. I didn't hear the word 'terrorism' until my mom explained it to me later that evening.
My memory is a little fuzzy, but I swear they sent us home early that day, even though we were in the generally safe rural Midwest."
- K. P.
8. "I was in 7th grade at a small, rural high school in central Illinois. My friends and I weren't exactly the most popular, so we hung out in our social studies classroom with the teacher before class. We walked in on September 11th, he already had the TV on.
We just sat there, not understanding what was happening, or why."
- A. F.
We just sat there, not understanding what was happening, or why."
- A. F.
9. "September 11th was the start of homecoming week for my senior year of high school. In western Illinois, that time of year is usually very nice, weather wise, and in 2001 it was a beautiful day to have your windows open and enjoy fresh air.
My first class of the day was Radio TV Speech, that morning we were going over our first project of the semester when another teacher knocked on the door and told Ms. Brown that she needed to turn on the news. All of us (Ms. Brown included) were confused as to what was going on until they replayed the second plane hitting and it became clear to me that this was a deliberate attack.
Next period was Sociology with Mr. Ritter in room 208. I took my normal seat five rows from the door three desks back, parallel to a window that looked out on the courtyard of my high school, and witnessed the South Tower collapse. I can still remember hearing gasps coming from other class rooms around that courtyard. The rest of the school day was a blur, almost like a zombie shuffle from class to class.
The high school had a very large front yard and during lunch, whey would allow some students to sit out front. Some of my class mates and I were out front when we all remarked how quiet it was, and how cloudless the sky was.
My dad worked for the US Army at the Rock Island Arsenal and during my lunch break I used the pay phone to call my mom. She informed me the Rock Island Arsenal has been shut down, no one allowed in, no one allowed out.
A rumor was circulating that our homecoming activities we going to be canceled. The Friday pep rally, game, and the dance all still happened but I did not go to any of them. After school I had rehearsal for our fall play, which I just remember us all speeding through.
The drive home from school was weird, the hand full of gas stations I passed had lines for the gas pumps. When I got home my mom was glued to the TV and my dad arrived home about the same time I did, which was about 2 hours after his normal time. My sister, who lived two cities over, was also at the house because she didn't want to be alone.
Dad had my sister and I come with him to get gas for the car, because gas prices were starting to go up exponentially. To this day I will never go to a Casey's General Store, due to how much they were gouging prices.
In the days following, a number of my classmates enlisted into the military.
September 11th, 2001 was unlike any day I've ever experienced and is seared into my brain."
- Jerome S.
My first class of the day was Radio TV Speech, that morning we were going over our first project of the semester when another teacher knocked on the door and told Ms. Brown that she needed to turn on the news. All of us (Ms. Brown included) were confused as to what was going on until they replayed the second plane hitting and it became clear to me that this was a deliberate attack.
Next period was Sociology with Mr. Ritter in room 208. I took my normal seat five rows from the door three desks back, parallel to a window that looked out on the courtyard of my high school, and witnessed the South Tower collapse. I can still remember hearing gasps coming from other class rooms around that courtyard. The rest of the school day was a blur, almost like a zombie shuffle from class to class.
The high school had a very large front yard and during lunch, whey would allow some students to sit out front. Some of my class mates and I were out front when we all remarked how quiet it was, and how cloudless the sky was.
My dad worked for the US Army at the Rock Island Arsenal and during my lunch break I used the pay phone to call my mom. She informed me the Rock Island Arsenal has been shut down, no one allowed in, no one allowed out.
A rumor was circulating that our homecoming activities we going to be canceled. The Friday pep rally, game, and the dance all still happened but I did not go to any of them. After school I had rehearsal for our fall play, which I just remember us all speeding through.
The drive home from school was weird, the hand full of gas stations I passed had lines for the gas pumps. When I got home my mom was glued to the TV and my dad arrived home about the same time I did, which was about 2 hours after his normal time. My sister, who lived two cities over, was also at the house because she didn't want to be alone.
Dad had my sister and I come with him to get gas for the car, because gas prices were starting to go up exponentially. To this day I will never go to a Casey's General Store, due to how much they were gouging prices.
In the days following, a number of my classmates enlisted into the military.
September 11th, 2001 was unlike any day I've ever experienced and is seared into my brain."
- Jerome S.
10. "High school Spanish class. I was talking to the girl I had a crush on when the room's phone rang. The teacher excused herself and moved over to her desk. I couldn't hear the conversation, but she then hurriedly moved to the T.V. and turned it on.
'America is under attack.'
The first image was just smoke pouring out of the building. We got absolutely nothing done that day. Every class had their television out and on the whole day. I'm fairly certain I saw people jumping.
I have memories of opening up the AOL chatrooms as soon as I got home, which were normally just people arguing. I entered a New York one out of curiosity and the entire chat was moving at the speed of light. People just kept spamming copy+paste "MISSING" messages over and over again. I felt kind of ashamed and left.
I kept thinking about the people I saw jumping. I cried. I remember falling asleep with the TV on that night just feeling absolutely exhausted.
In the coming years I knew so many people that enlisted, were sent off to war, and then came back completely different."
- D. U.
'America is under attack.'
The first image was just smoke pouring out of the building. We got absolutely nothing done that day. Every class had their television out and on the whole day. I'm fairly certain I saw people jumping.
I have memories of opening up the AOL chatrooms as soon as I got home, which were normally just people arguing. I entered a New York one out of curiosity and the entire chat was moving at the speed of light. People just kept spamming copy+paste "MISSING" messages over and over again. I felt kind of ashamed and left.
I kept thinking about the people I saw jumping. I cried. I remember falling asleep with the TV on that night just feeling absolutely exhausted.
In the coming years I knew so many people that enlisted, were sent off to war, and then came back completely different."
- D. U.
11. "I was nine when the 9/11 attacks took place, in fourth grade at the time. The day started like any other day. Class was boring. I was lucky enough to have a desk in the back, so I was more than likely goofing around or doodling on my homework assignment when there was a knock at the door from our principal. She always reminded me of an owl, with sharp features and frizzy white hair. In contrast, I remember my fourth grade teacher was a tall, incredibly kind woman, with soft features. She joined the principal in the hallway. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but the principal was deadly serious.
After a few minutes, they rejoined the class. The principal explained that the Twin Towers in New York had been hit, and we were going to have a half day. Our parents would be there soon to retrieve us. At nine years old, my ADHD brain registered, 'half day,' and didn’t fully process why. At that moment, it didn’t matter. I was getting to leave school early!
I only became worried when my mom came to pick me up and I saw she had been crying. She asked if I understood what was going on. I began to realize this wasn’t a half day where I’d get to go home and play. My mom is a brave woman, but I could tell she was afraid.
At the time, my father traveled a lot for work. He was in the sky when the first plane hit. In retrospect, this was a huge benefactor in the fear my mother was experiencing. I learned later that my father’s plane was grounded immediately after the attacks were reported. He would be delayed in getting home, but he was safe.
My mother and I arrived home and she marched me over to the television and flipped in on. For the first time, I saw it. The chaos of the day. Seeing the smoke, the flames. I’d never seen anything like it. The gravity of the situation finally clicked.
This would change the world forever."
- Tyler LeVan
After a few minutes, they rejoined the class. The principal explained that the Twin Towers in New York had been hit, and we were going to have a half day. Our parents would be there soon to retrieve us. At nine years old, my ADHD brain registered, 'half day,' and didn’t fully process why. At that moment, it didn’t matter. I was getting to leave school early!
I only became worried when my mom came to pick me up and I saw she had been crying. She asked if I understood what was going on. I began to realize this wasn’t a half day where I’d get to go home and play. My mom is a brave woman, but I could tell she was afraid.
At the time, my father traveled a lot for work. He was in the sky when the first plane hit. In retrospect, this was a huge benefactor in the fear my mother was experiencing. I learned later that my father’s plane was grounded immediately after the attacks were reported. He would be delayed in getting home, but he was safe.
My mother and I arrived home and she marched me over to the television and flipped in on. For the first time, I saw it. The chaos of the day. Seeing the smoke, the flames. I’d never seen anything like it. The gravity of the situation finally clicked.
This would change the world forever."
- Tyler LeVan
12. "I was just 5 years old when 9/11 happened. My childhood memories are vague, so I can’t quite describe how that day passed, or what was going on at the exact time 9/11 occurred. My mom had gone to a business trip in New York City so when I found out that a building in the city had been hit by a plane, I was instantly worried that my mom had been harmed. It wasn’t until late evening that my grandma was able to get a hold of my mom and tell me and my brother that she was okay. Once I heard she was safe, I didn't think too much of it after that."
- Heather M.
- Heather M.
13. "I was unemployed at the time due to the Dotcom-Bust, so I was staying up late and waking up even later. My alarm went off around 9:45 am and we're an hour behind NYC. The normal goofy morning radio show I woke up to was saying things like,
'The awful devastation this morning in New York City...'
... over and over. I was still groggy from sleep and confused so I turned on the TV and saw a graphic reading 'Both World Trade Center Towers Collapsed' and video of them going down. I was gobsmacked. I shook my boyfriend awake and slowly everything unfolded....the Pentagon....Flight 93.
We lived on the flight path to a major airport and later that day it was so strange to go outside and not see or hear planes overhead. I couldn't peel myself away from the news while my ex slept most of the day.
In the days/weeks that followed, I kinda went down a 9/11 rabbit hole. I didn't have anything else to do. I watched all the news and while the internet in '01 wasn't anything like it is today, I read everything I could on Bin Laden, terrorism, etc..."
- E. J.
'The awful devastation this morning in New York City...'
... over and over. I was still groggy from sleep and confused so I turned on the TV and saw a graphic reading 'Both World Trade Center Towers Collapsed' and video of them going down. I was gobsmacked. I shook my boyfriend awake and slowly everything unfolded....the Pentagon....Flight 93.
We lived on the flight path to a major airport and later that day it was so strange to go outside and not see or hear planes overhead. I couldn't peel myself away from the news while my ex slept most of the day.
In the days/weeks that followed, I kinda went down a 9/11 rabbit hole. I didn't have anything else to do. I watched all the news and while the internet in '01 wasn't anything like it is today, I read everything I could on Bin Laden, terrorism, etc..."
- E. J.
14. "I was working for a large insurance company on my 36th birthday and my new long-distance boyfriend (now husband) was visiting for the week. It was a really busy day with meetings, and the company I worked for dropped the firewall and everyone started watching the CNN videos on their computers. They never lost a beat. Meetings went on as scheduled. No statement was ever issued. It felt so surreal.
We had tickets to drive to Chicago for a concert and eat out that night. Everything in the city was canceled and shut down. We ended up going to a local pizza place and saw The Others with Nicole Kidman. I've been weird about my birthday ever since. I feel guilty for celebrating it. It was a b*tch for my husband to get back to California with most of the airline flights shut down."
- F. C.
We had tickets to drive to Chicago for a concert and eat out that night. Everything in the city was canceled and shut down. We ended up going to a local pizza place and saw The Others with Nicole Kidman. I've been weird about my birthday ever since. I feel guilty for celebrating it. It was a b*tch for my husband to get back to California with most of the airline flights shut down."
- F. C.
15. "I vividly remember the smell of sawdust in my 6th grade shop class as my teacher turned on the ancient TV that was usually only used for daily announcements. My other teachers gathered in a cluster and I heard them talk in the hallway about how they should discuss what was going on with us. They decided to let us view news coverage for the remainder of the day as it was a historic moment.
I remember seeing long lines at gas stations later in the day when my parents picked us up and took us home. I was very confused as to why gasoline was important and what it had to do with what had happened.
I remember the way it felt to grieve collectively. I don’t EVER want to go through what happened again. But man, being truly united, if only for a moment, is something I don’t know if we’ll ever get to experience again."
- H. H.
I remember seeing long lines at gas stations later in the day when my parents picked us up and took us home. I was very confused as to why gasoline was important and what it had to do with what had happened.
I remember the way it felt to grieve collectively. I don’t EVER want to go through what happened again. But man, being truly united, if only for a moment, is something I don’t know if we’ll ever get to experience again."
- H. H.
16. "I was working at the Hometown Post Office, running a letter sorting machine that Tuesday morning, when a co-worker said that a small plane had hit one of the twin towers. The office radio was on as usual, but couldn't be heard from where I was because of the machine noise. A couple of us went and asked management to turn it up, but they refused.
It was weird- we all KNEW something was happening. How, I have no clue. Nearly as one we shut our machines off, so we could hear what was happening. Moments after we shut down, we heard that the second plane had hit.
People abandoned their machines to go crowd into the one room that had a TV- the supervisors lounge. I watched both towers come down.
It was weird- we all KNEW something was happening. How, I have no clue. Nearly as one we shut our machines off, so we could hear what was happening. Moments after we shut down, we heard that the second plane had hit.
People abandoned their machines to go crowd into the one room that had a TV- the supervisors lounge. I watched both towers come down.
I TOLD my supervisor I was leaving- you have to understand how abnormal this was. Normally, we'd seek permission, but at that point, I just wanted to leave and go home. He basically hand waved me away- I'm sure he was in as much shock as I was. I don't even remember filling out the form to leave.
Our flag outside the PO was cut down by someone. To this day I've never learned who did it.
I spent the rest of the day between crying, and watching Stephen King's The Langoliers. I couldn't take the news anymore, so that was just what I put on. Weird choice, considering the airport setting."
- Marsha Moser
Our flag outside the PO was cut down by someone. To this day I've never learned who did it.
I spent the rest of the day between crying, and watching Stephen King's The Langoliers. I couldn't take the news anymore, so that was just what I put on. Weird choice, considering the airport setting."
- Marsha Moser
17. "I was 19 years old from Switzerland and had just spent two months in California to learn English. After that, I went to see family in Chicago.
On the morning of 9/11, I went to the kitchen to grab a yogurt for breakfast - it was Yoplait Vanilla - for some reason I remember that. I went to the basement where there was a TV and saw the news after the first plane hit. My initial thought was,
'Hm, that is odd but it might just have been an accident.'
Then shit hit the fan.
I will never ever, ever get those pictures out of my head. I was in tears and terrified, being fairly young and far away from home. Within a few hours my email flooded with messages from concerned family and friends - obviously I had no cell phone at the time that would have worked in the US. They briefly closed the cities, so Chicago was like a ghost town, eerily quiet.
A week later I flew back as was planned. I called the airline a few days before to confirm the flights and was asked,
'Well, do you actually want to fly?'
'Yes, I want to get out of here.'
I really thought, even at that time, that this was probably going to be the defining moment of my time, a real threat to the world, something that could lead to a world war. It thankfully obviously didn't (at least not at the scale it could have), but at the time it was beyond concerning.
- Samaire B.
On the morning of 9/11, I went to the kitchen to grab a yogurt for breakfast - it was Yoplait Vanilla - for some reason I remember that. I went to the basement where there was a TV and saw the news after the first plane hit. My initial thought was,
'Hm, that is odd but it might just have been an accident.'
Then shit hit the fan.
I will never ever, ever get those pictures out of my head. I was in tears and terrified, being fairly young and far away from home. Within a few hours my email flooded with messages from concerned family and friends - obviously I had no cell phone at the time that would have worked in the US. They briefly closed the cities, so Chicago was like a ghost town, eerily quiet.
A week later I flew back as was planned. I called the airline a few days before to confirm the flights and was asked,
'Well, do you actually want to fly?'
'Yes, I want to get out of here.'
I really thought, even at that time, that this was probably going to be the defining moment of my time, a real threat to the world, something that could lead to a world war. It thankfully obviously didn't (at least not at the scale it could have), but at the time it was beyond concerning.
- Samaire B.
18. "I was in middle school gym class, and one of the more popular girls had a cell phone. These of course weren't allowed, but she checked it in the locker room and had gotten messages from her dad that something bad was happening in New York. We didn't have any idea how bad and she didn't have the details. It was weird that she was sharing with me anyway since we weren't really friends.
The class period ended and we went into our next ones, back to a regular classroom. Teachers were talking in hushed voices and we didn't start with any lessons. They wheeled in TVs, the ones on those big stands with a large strap across the top to hold them in place. We didn't watch the news; I have zero recollection of what they put on, but it must have been something to keep us occupied while they figured out what to do with everyone.
We were sent home early and I took the bus home. The plan seemed like a safety measure, even though we were a small town in the middle of the country and had no reason to be a target. I let myself in and was home alone, but not for long; my mom left work early and came to be with me. She turned on the TV and we saw what happened, mom was crying so much. Everything on the news was still 'breaking' then; a lot of loudness and grey smoke on the screen, confusion and long quiet pauses from the news crew. The news got worse as we kept watching, and I think my mom felt too drained to watch more. We tried to find something on another channel, but every one had the same shot, the same updates. We shut off the TV to find something tangible to occupy our minds, and she called my dad again to urge him to come home soon.
- Stephy M.
The class period ended and we went into our next ones, back to a regular classroom. Teachers were talking in hushed voices and we didn't start with any lessons. They wheeled in TVs, the ones on those big stands with a large strap across the top to hold them in place. We didn't watch the news; I have zero recollection of what they put on, but it must have been something to keep us occupied while they figured out what to do with everyone.
We were sent home early and I took the bus home. The plan seemed like a safety measure, even though we were a small town in the middle of the country and had no reason to be a target. I let myself in and was home alone, but not for long; my mom left work early and came to be with me. She turned on the TV and we saw what happened, mom was crying so much. Everything on the news was still 'breaking' then; a lot of loudness and grey smoke on the screen, confusion and long quiet pauses from the news crew. The news got worse as we kept watching, and I think my mom felt too drained to watch more. We tried to find something on another channel, but every one had the same shot, the same updates. We shut off the TV to find something tangible to occupy our minds, and she called my dad again to urge him to come home soon.
- Stephy M.
19. "The first time I felt like an adult was when I was in third grade. It was September 11, 2001, and I was eight years old. I don’t usually have a very good memory for specific places and dates, but much like my Grandmom remembers the day that lives in infamy, I will remember September 11th.
There wasn’t anything special about the day to begin with. I remember looking out my kitchen window that morning and seeing a grey sky. It was early; it was probably only 7:30. My Mom drove me to school like she did every other day, kissed me goodbye, and drove to what I was later told was a game of racquetball with my uncle. I walked up the two flights of stairs to my yellow classroom in my red, white, and blue jumper and was ready to begin spelling class.
That’s when I knew something was wrong. Mrs. J was not collecting or going over the homework. She wasn’t saying good morning or leading morning prayers. Mrs. J was crying. The teacher was crying. It was the first time I had ever seen a teacher cry in my life. I knew she must have gotten some bad news. I thought maybe her mom was sick or maybe someone she knew had died. I had a bad feeling in my stomach. I remember Mrs. J using the phone in the classroom. That was something else I had never seen a teacher do. If you needed the phone, you got sent to the office. All the warning signs kept piling up, and I was desperate to know what was going on.
When Mrs. J finally spoke, she told us that her husband, who was a police officer, was going to bring a TV to the classroom. There was something important we needed to see. I didn’t need to be told that this was not an impromptu movie day. Something was shifting. I could feel something inside telling me that whatever I was about to see or hear was going to make everything different, even though I still had no idea what “it” was.
That’s when Mr. J walked into the room. I have always been very small in stature, but this man was a giant. He towered over us kids, sitting at our desks, waiting to see what he was here to show us. He was a huge man in a navy blue uniform with a ton of colorful pins on his chest, and he carried a small, black TV in his arms like it weighed nothing more than a loaf of bread. He set it down on the book ledge at the back of the room and plugged it in. All twenty-five of us children crowded around it to see what the screen was about to show us.
Fire. Smoke. Sirens screaming. People screaming. The top of a building I had never seen before was covered in orange and red fire and grey-black smoke. I don’t recall a newscaster’s voice, but I’m sure someone was speaking. A skyscraper in New York was burning, we later discovered. An airplane crashed into a Tower. Two airplanes crashed into two Towers. An accident, I told myself. It had to be. Something on the airplanes broke and made this terrible thing happen. I don’t remember anything else that happened at school that day.
My next memory is immediately cuts to my apartment. I still don’t understand what I saw in class, but I understand that it is very, very important. I made my own fake newspaper to remember the day. The headline I chose was “The Very Bad Crash” because I still have not been told that it was not an accident at all. Perhaps the adults in my life were trying to spare me, but I’m not sure from what when those images are still burned into my skull fifteen years later. I try to talk to my Mom about it, but she’s on the phone. I’m pretty sure every adult was on their phone that day. When I look out the kitchen window, it’s sunny outside. It’s sunny outside, but playing outside doesn’t feel right. My tree house doesn’t feel the same to me, and I keep wandering back inside to wait for my turn to talk to Mom. Mom tells me we’re going to Grandmom and Grandpop’s house.
The three of them are as glued to my grandparents’ television set as I was in class that morning. A lady is talking about vigils and rescues and hope and survivors. I get impatient and want Mom to let me change the channel. I feel worried and anxious without understanding why. Despite my desire to watch cartoons, I also recognize that what I’m seeing on-screen is significant. Everything is going to be different now, but I don’t see the reach of that impact until I’m in fourth grade.
As a ten-year-old in March 2003, I quickly get the picture that when people are silently gathered around a TV, that bad news is coming. This time, I’m already home from school, and my Mom and I are at our next door neighbor’s house. The TV channel is set to the news, and it is officially announced that America is at war with Iraq. I immediately begin sobbing. There are some things I know for certain now: the attack on the Towers was not an accident, more people were now going to die, and, along with myself, America was not going to be the same. Logically, I knew that I still had many years left in my childhood, but I knew I would never fully feel like a child again. It didn’t seem possible to go back to being blissfully ignorant when I knew there were people out there who wanted me and my countrymen dead.
I think this experience is why I take offense to comments about millennials. Even the millennials who don’t remember 9/11 still suffer the consequences of it. I’m not ignorant or lazy for seeking an escape through my phone and through social media. I’m tired. I’m depressed. I’m looking for a human connection. I’m seeking those carefree feelings again through both silly snapchat filters and meaningful hashtags. As I get older, I don’t notice adult moments very much because I’ve experienced them consistently since I was ten. If anything, as I get older, I notice my childish moments. I think adult moments are overrated. Embracing your inner child is far more rewarding."
- Lena D.
There wasn’t anything special about the day to begin with. I remember looking out my kitchen window that morning and seeing a grey sky. It was early; it was probably only 7:30. My Mom drove me to school like she did every other day, kissed me goodbye, and drove to what I was later told was a game of racquetball with my uncle. I walked up the two flights of stairs to my yellow classroom in my red, white, and blue jumper and was ready to begin spelling class.
That’s when I knew something was wrong. Mrs. J was not collecting or going over the homework. She wasn’t saying good morning or leading morning prayers. Mrs. J was crying. The teacher was crying. It was the first time I had ever seen a teacher cry in my life. I knew she must have gotten some bad news. I thought maybe her mom was sick or maybe someone she knew had died. I had a bad feeling in my stomach. I remember Mrs. J using the phone in the classroom. That was something else I had never seen a teacher do. If you needed the phone, you got sent to the office. All the warning signs kept piling up, and I was desperate to know what was going on.
When Mrs. J finally spoke, she told us that her husband, who was a police officer, was going to bring a TV to the classroom. There was something important we needed to see. I didn’t need to be told that this was not an impromptu movie day. Something was shifting. I could feel something inside telling me that whatever I was about to see or hear was going to make everything different, even though I still had no idea what “it” was.
That’s when Mr. J walked into the room. I have always been very small in stature, but this man was a giant. He towered over us kids, sitting at our desks, waiting to see what he was here to show us. He was a huge man in a navy blue uniform with a ton of colorful pins on his chest, and he carried a small, black TV in his arms like it weighed nothing more than a loaf of bread. He set it down on the book ledge at the back of the room and plugged it in. All twenty-five of us children crowded around it to see what the screen was about to show us.
Fire. Smoke. Sirens screaming. People screaming. The top of a building I had never seen before was covered in orange and red fire and grey-black smoke. I don’t recall a newscaster’s voice, but I’m sure someone was speaking. A skyscraper in New York was burning, we later discovered. An airplane crashed into a Tower. Two airplanes crashed into two Towers. An accident, I told myself. It had to be. Something on the airplanes broke and made this terrible thing happen. I don’t remember anything else that happened at school that day.
My next memory is immediately cuts to my apartment. I still don’t understand what I saw in class, but I understand that it is very, very important. I made my own fake newspaper to remember the day. The headline I chose was “The Very Bad Crash” because I still have not been told that it was not an accident at all. Perhaps the adults in my life were trying to spare me, but I’m not sure from what when those images are still burned into my skull fifteen years later. I try to talk to my Mom about it, but she’s on the phone. I’m pretty sure every adult was on their phone that day. When I look out the kitchen window, it’s sunny outside. It’s sunny outside, but playing outside doesn’t feel right. My tree house doesn’t feel the same to me, and I keep wandering back inside to wait for my turn to talk to Mom. Mom tells me we’re going to Grandmom and Grandpop’s house.
The three of them are as glued to my grandparents’ television set as I was in class that morning. A lady is talking about vigils and rescues and hope and survivors. I get impatient and want Mom to let me change the channel. I feel worried and anxious without understanding why. Despite my desire to watch cartoons, I also recognize that what I’m seeing on-screen is significant. Everything is going to be different now, but I don’t see the reach of that impact until I’m in fourth grade.
As a ten-year-old in March 2003, I quickly get the picture that when people are silently gathered around a TV, that bad news is coming. This time, I’m already home from school, and my Mom and I are at our next door neighbor’s house. The TV channel is set to the news, and it is officially announced that America is at war with Iraq. I immediately begin sobbing. There are some things I know for certain now: the attack on the Towers was not an accident, more people were now going to die, and, along with myself, America was not going to be the same. Logically, I knew that I still had many years left in my childhood, but I knew I would never fully feel like a child again. It didn’t seem possible to go back to being blissfully ignorant when I knew there were people out there who wanted me and my countrymen dead.
I think this experience is why I take offense to comments about millennials. Even the millennials who don’t remember 9/11 still suffer the consequences of it. I’m not ignorant or lazy for seeking an escape through my phone and through social media. I’m tired. I’m depressed. I’m looking for a human connection. I’m seeking those carefree feelings again through both silly snapchat filters and meaningful hashtags. As I get older, I don’t notice adult moments very much because I’ve experienced them consistently since I was ten. If anything, as I get older, I notice my childish moments. I think adult moments are overrated. Embracing your inner child is far more rewarding."
- Lena D.
20. "I was a first grader at an elementary school in the Chicago suburbs. It was my youngest sister's first birthday, so my grandparents had flown in from Pennsylvania to celebrate. My mom was walking me to school, and we made it halfway there before the neighbors told us what happened. They ended up giving us the day off from school.
I vividly remember my grandmother holding my baby sister and crying, watching the TV as the towers came down - I will never forget that. There was concern over Chicago being targeted next, so a lot of my neighbors that worked in the city rushed home. It's one of my strongest memories from that time period of my life, and the image of the towers collapsing on TV is seared into my brain."
- Meaghan Kelly
I vividly remember my grandmother holding my baby sister and crying, watching the TV as the towers came down - I will never forget that. There was concern over Chicago being targeted next, so a lot of my neighbors that worked in the city rushed home. It's one of my strongest memories from that time period of my life, and the image of the towers collapsing on TV is seared into my brain."
- Meaghan Kelly
21. "I was in 12th grade and didn't have a car, so I took the bus to school. The local morning show was playing on the radio so I was aware of them talking about a plane crash, but it sounded like it was a private plane accident. It didn't completely process.
The teacher was late for the first class and when she came in, she was very quiet and pale. She asked us to follow her to a room with a TV set up where a few other classes were combined. We saw the second plane hit.
There was apparently some disagreement between teachers on how to handle the day. Some of them went about class as normal, others had students meet in one of the rooms with a TV.
My final class of the day was US History. The teacher told us that we were experiencing history. We spent the class talking about what had happened and our thoughts. She said that it was important to understand what had happened, but the news can be scary when they don't have all the information. She preferred that we not watch TV that late in the day.
The rest of the week was very surreal. It was eerie not hearing or seeing planes fly over. One military plane flew by and it was startling. All of my classmates who also heard it had speculations - mostly that it was Air Force One.
My mom took advantage of the reduced ticket prices to buy us a round trip flight to visit my grandmother several states away in October.
I have derealization with anxiety attacks. It's difficult for me to attach feelings to that time because it was like I was outside of my own head, controlling my body like a puppet."
- Sara Shandrow
The teacher was late for the first class and when she came in, she was very quiet and pale. She asked us to follow her to a room with a TV set up where a few other classes were combined. We saw the second plane hit.
There was apparently some disagreement between teachers on how to handle the day. Some of them went about class as normal, others had students meet in one of the rooms with a TV.
My final class of the day was US History. The teacher told us that we were experiencing history. We spent the class talking about what had happened and our thoughts. She said that it was important to understand what had happened, but the news can be scary when they don't have all the information. She preferred that we not watch TV that late in the day.
The rest of the week was very surreal. It was eerie not hearing or seeing planes fly over. One military plane flew by and it was startling. All of my classmates who also heard it had speculations - mostly that it was Air Force One.
My mom took advantage of the reduced ticket prices to buy us a round trip flight to visit my grandmother several states away in October.
I have derealization with anxiety attacks. It's difficult for me to attach feelings to that time because it was like I was outside of my own head, controlling my body like a puppet."
- Sara Shandrow
22. "I was 11 years old, in 6th grade social studies in Plainfield. We had the coverage on TV and watched the last plane hit live. I had no idea what the Twin Towers even were and asked if they were important. I knew it was bad when the principal made all the teachers turn their TVs off and kids were getting picked up early by their parents. Chicago, which is about 35 minutes away, basically went on full lock-down.
I took the bus home as usual that day and rode my bike to my normal kid hangout spot with one of my friends after school. We sat on our usual bench and commented on how eerie it was that the world was silent. No planes, no cars, no birds even. It was dead silent out and kind of freaked us out. We went home to probably chat on AIM and play games."
- Stephanie Saldana
I took the bus home as usual that day and rode my bike to my normal kid hangout spot with one of my friends after school. We sat on our usual bench and commented on how eerie it was that the world was silent. No planes, no cars, no birds even. It was dead silent out and kind of freaked us out. We went home to probably chat on AIM and play games."
- Stephanie Saldana
23. "I had recently turned 24 and it was just another Tuesday at the office in suburban Illinois. On my elevator ride up, I heard people talk about a small plane crashing into a tower. I honestly didn’t pay it any mind. I was training a new member of the team as news trickled out - some of it accurate, some of it not. One of the rumors was that there was a bomb on a helipad at the Pentagon.
After a little while, it was clear that we wouldn’t be able to focus so we stopped trying. Eventually someone came by and said,
'The office is closing for the day - go home and be with your families.'
I packed my stuff up and drove to my apartment. While I was driving, the first tower fell.
At this time, I didn’t yet have a computer and obviously had no smartphones/tablets so I just sat and watched TV. Every channel was the same. After a couple of hours, it was just the same footage over and over. I eventually went to a grocery store to try to get a newspaper for my mom who collects newspapers for important days. During the drive, I was struck by the lack of airplanes in the sky. I lived on the flight path of a major airport so I was used to a ton of air traffic, but that day - none."
- Colin McBride
After a little while, it was clear that we wouldn’t be able to focus so we stopped trying. Eventually someone came by and said,
'The office is closing for the day - go home and be with your families.'
I packed my stuff up and drove to my apartment. While I was driving, the first tower fell.
At this time, I didn’t yet have a computer and obviously had no smartphones/tablets so I just sat and watched TV. Every channel was the same. After a couple of hours, it was just the same footage over and over. I eventually went to a grocery store to try to get a newspaper for my mom who collects newspapers for important days. During the drive, I was struck by the lack of airplanes in the sky. I lived on the flight path of a major airport so I was used to a ton of air traffic, but that day - none."
- Colin McBride
24. "I was 18 years old and had graduated high school months earlier in Lake Zurich. My girlfriend invited me to her parents house to watch TV and help look after her younger sisters while her mom was at work. A few hours went by and we made some food. While in the kitchen, we heard the TV station quickly change to other broadcasting and it was loud. We curiously went back into the living room to see what happened and that's when my eyes first saw one of those planes hit a building.
My heart sank while the events unfolded. The rest of the day was information coming in and George Bush addressing the nation at some point. It was hard to sleep that night. The next day, calls for blood to help victims came in and I signed up. Seems like everyone did because the hospitals had more than enough quickly. It's the one big event I don't think I'll ever forget."
- Tob Raham
My heart sank while the events unfolded. The rest of the day was information coming in and George Bush addressing the nation at some point. It was hard to sleep that night. The next day, calls for blood to help victims came in and I signed up. Seems like everyone did because the hospitals had more than enough quickly. It's the one big event I don't think I'll ever forget."
- Tob Raham
25. "I was in high school, stuck in US History class all day. They wheeled in the TV carts to each room and we watched the second plane hit live. I was a dumb kid and couldn't comprehend what was happening or why. I had been driving for three months and in the span of 24 hours, gas prices jumped from $2 to $5 a gallon! As a poor high school kid, that really pissed me off."
- Nathan L.
- Nathan L.
26. "The day before 9/11, I had driven to Galesburg, Illinois for work, got gas and went to a hotel. On my way to a local greasy spoon joint for breakfast the next morning, I heard something on the radio about a plane hitting one of the WTC buildings. Like most people, I assumed,
'Sad. Some Cessna pilot fell asleep.'
There was a little chatter at the restaurant about it, and by the time I was back in my car, reports were just coming in about the second plane. As someone who has always followed the news, I instantly knew it had to be Bin Laden.
I got to my work site (contractor for the railroad, Galesburg is a big railroad town) and was talking with a couple manager types I knew. The three of us somehow ended up in an empty conference room, arm-in-arm praying. After that, I was able to continue my work day. Some people had heard about it and others hadn't. It ended up being a busy morning for me, and I finally went to lunch at an Applebee's about 1:30. Back then, they'd still ask 'smoking or non?' when going to a sit-down place. I simply said,
'Anywhere I can see a TV.'
Later that afternoon, I got some photos of blocks-long lines at gas stations where they had jacked the price up to $4 a gallon. Several gas stations were investigated for price gouging.
Galesburg had an afternoon newspaper, so I picked up a few copies of it at a gas station and still have them. It is fascinating to look through them, as they probably went to press four or so hours after the planes hit. You can see how much was incorrect because it was still developing so fast.
By the time I got back to the hotel that evening, I just watched TV for several hours before drifting off to sleep."
- Andy Ringsmuth
'Sad. Some Cessna pilot fell asleep.'
There was a little chatter at the restaurant about it, and by the time I was back in my car, reports were just coming in about the second plane. As someone who has always followed the news, I instantly knew it had to be Bin Laden.
I got to my work site (contractor for the railroad, Galesburg is a big railroad town) and was talking with a couple manager types I knew. The three of us somehow ended up in an empty conference room, arm-in-arm praying. After that, I was able to continue my work day. Some people had heard about it and others hadn't. It ended up being a busy morning for me, and I finally went to lunch at an Applebee's about 1:30. Back then, they'd still ask 'smoking or non?' when going to a sit-down place. I simply said,
'Anywhere I can see a TV.'
Later that afternoon, I got some photos of blocks-long lines at gas stations where they had jacked the price up to $4 a gallon. Several gas stations were investigated for price gouging.
Galesburg had an afternoon newspaper, so I picked up a few copies of it at a gas station and still have them. It is fascinating to look through them, as they probably went to press four or so hours after the planes hit. You can see how much was incorrect because it was still developing so fast.
By the time I got back to the hotel that evening, I just watched TV for several hours before drifting off to sleep."
- Andy Ringsmuth
27. "I was at RTC Great Lakes (aka Navy boot camp) and the whole base went on blackout. No radio, no tv, no phone calls, and nobody allowed on or off the base. Around midnight, they finally started letting people who were from New York and New Jersey call home to check on their families. The base remained without access for a few days and then once reopened, we were told it took staff upwards of 6-8 hours just to get on base.
It wasn't until after graduation that I had any real sense of what happened. Formally, we were told there was a terrorist attack on the WTC and Pentagon, and through the rumor mill of the people who did get to call home, very vague bits and pieces of what had happened circled around."
- Anonymous
It wasn't until after graduation that I had any real sense of what happened. Formally, we were told there was a terrorist attack on the WTC and Pentagon, and through the rumor mill of the people who did get to call home, very vague bits and pieces of what had happened circled around."
- Anonymous