IOWA
"Where were you on 9/11?" as remembered by those in Iowa that day.
Iowa community college soccer coach Daniel remembers inspiring his team following the attacks.
1. "I was at work in Davenport when the attack started. My wife called me to tell me a plane had hit one of the towers. I thought she was talking about a Cessna or something, certainly not an a airliner passenger plane. I went to our office building and all the office workers were in the large meeting room watching it happen on the conference room TV. All those people in there and it was so quiet. No one was crying but it seemed like most of them were in shock. When the second plane hit, people started crying.
My wife wanted me to come home and cancel soccer practice (my second job as a small community college soccer coach) but I told her,
'No, we'll keep doing what we are supposed to do.'
When I went to practice all the kids were kind of in shock as well and understandably so... I called them together and we circled up and held hands, got down on one knee and we prayed for moment. I told them,
'Whoever these people were who created this horrid tragedy, they wanted to disrupt the American way of life. They wanted to strike fear into our hearts and make us question the safety and security of our country. Well, I'm not going to let them do that to us. We will endeavor to persevere and we will not let them influence our routines or schedules because that is what they want. We will not give them the satisfaction.'
So, we practiced to our normal schedule and I feel it helped us to have a great season. At the end of the season we won our state tournament and defeated a team who we couldn't even carry a candle against during the regular season."
- Daniel V.
My wife wanted me to come home and cancel soccer practice (my second job as a small community college soccer coach) but I told her,
'No, we'll keep doing what we are supposed to do.'
When I went to practice all the kids were kind of in shock as well and understandably so... I called them together and we circled up and held hands, got down on one knee and we prayed for moment. I told them,
'Whoever these people were who created this horrid tragedy, they wanted to disrupt the American way of life. They wanted to strike fear into our hearts and make us question the safety and security of our country. Well, I'm not going to let them do that to us. We will endeavor to persevere and we will not let them influence our routines or schedules because that is what they want. We will not give them the satisfaction.'
So, we practiced to our normal schedule and I feel it helped us to have a great season. At the end of the season we won our state tournament and defeated a team who we couldn't even carry a candle against during the regular season."
- Daniel V.
Written Stories:
2. "I was 6 years old and in 1st grade on 9/11/2001. The day for me started out like any other. The first plane hit right after my mom dropped me off, but I was unaware.
We had gym after the beginning of the day and our teacher had us start every class by running five laps. While we did the laps he went to his office. On the fifth lap he didn’t come out so we did a sixth and then a seventh. After that everyone stopped and I decided to see what happened to our teacher.
He was standing in his office watching the little TV in the corner. I saw smoke billowing out of buildings, I thought it was a movie and it must be his favorite to be watching it in class. When he noticed me he shut it off and came out and said we would have free gym, where he’d unlock the gym equipment and the kids could play whatever they wanted.
It was around that time that kids started to go home. I wondered why they were leaving and if my mom would be picking me up too. During lunch and recess the 5th graders were all quiet. I learned later they had watched the news and were asked not to talk about it.
By the end of the day there were maybe eight kids left in my class of 30. My mom picked me up and through tears explained that America had been under attack. Listening to the radio on the short drive home and watching the footage on TV later, all I could feel was fear. I didn’t know America could be attacked up till that point.
War and acts of terror became a very real fear for me as a young child, on the flip side I grew a deep respect for the men and women who put on uniforms every day to save lives that I’ve carried with me to this day. I haven’t forgotten those we lost."
- Joshua M.
We had gym after the beginning of the day and our teacher had us start every class by running five laps. While we did the laps he went to his office. On the fifth lap he didn’t come out so we did a sixth and then a seventh. After that everyone stopped and I decided to see what happened to our teacher.
He was standing in his office watching the little TV in the corner. I saw smoke billowing out of buildings, I thought it was a movie and it must be his favorite to be watching it in class. When he noticed me he shut it off and came out and said we would have free gym, where he’d unlock the gym equipment and the kids could play whatever they wanted.
It was around that time that kids started to go home. I wondered why they were leaving and if my mom would be picking me up too. During lunch and recess the 5th graders were all quiet. I learned later they had watched the news and were asked not to talk about it.
By the end of the day there were maybe eight kids left in my class of 30. My mom picked me up and through tears explained that America had been under attack. Listening to the radio on the short drive home and watching the footage on TV later, all I could feel was fear. I didn’t know America could be attacked up till that point.
War and acts of terror became a very real fear for me as a young child, on the flip side I grew a deep respect for the men and women who put on uniforms every day to save lives that I’ve carried with me to this day. I haven’t forgotten those we lost."
- Joshua M.
3. "I was standing on a ladder, scared to death due to fear of heights, painting the second story exterior of my house as a surprise for my hubbie who was deployed with the military. As I was up there I heard the radio being interrupted with news of the first tower..."
- A. E.
- A. E.
4. "I was living at home while I went to college. My parents woke me up to tell me we were under attack, just in time for me to see the second plane hit.
Campus was weird. Professors tried to carry on like it was any other day but it wasn't. I made it through two classes before I just couldn't pretend anymore that everything was normal.
Work was quiet. I booked hotel rooms and of course there was no travel. We wheeled a TV out onto the call floor so we could stay updated. I took a few calls from people who were feeling lost and just wanted to hear a voice."
- K. B.
Campus was weird. Professors tried to carry on like it was any other day but it wasn't. I made it through two classes before I just couldn't pretend anymore that everything was normal.
Work was quiet. I booked hotel rooms and of course there was no travel. We wheeled a TV out onto the call floor so we could stay updated. I took a few calls from people who were feeling lost and just wanted to hear a voice."
- K. B.
5. "I was in 8th grade and before going to the bus stop for school, my friends and I would meet up at one kids house. His mom would make us breakfast sometimes. This particular day when I walked in everyone was sitting around the TV eating Ramen noodles. I thought,
This is weird, Ramen noodles aren’t usually a breakfast food'
Then I looked at what they were watching and I said,
'Oh my God, what movie is this?'
Nobody even looked at me. They just said,
'This is the news. It’s happening right now.'
We didn’t learn anything at school that day. Every class just had TVs in their rooms and we watched the coverage. I kept trying to call my mother because she was working across the street from the capital building in Indianapolis and I was afraid all major cities would be attacked. I couldn’t get a hold of her because her building had been evacuated, but she called us when we got home from school. Our parents never came to get us, I suppose because we knew our tiny little Iowan town wouldn’t be attacked, but there was more love than normal at home and between friends. For at least a year though, there was fear every time I saw a plane in the sky."
- Jessi S.
This is weird, Ramen noodles aren’t usually a breakfast food'
Then I looked at what they were watching and I said,
'Oh my God, what movie is this?'
Nobody even looked at me. They just said,
'This is the news. It’s happening right now.'
We didn’t learn anything at school that day. Every class just had TVs in their rooms and we watched the coverage. I kept trying to call my mother because she was working across the street from the capital building in Indianapolis and I was afraid all major cities would be attacked. I couldn’t get a hold of her because her building had been evacuated, but she called us when we got home from school. Our parents never came to get us, I suppose because we knew our tiny little Iowan town wouldn’t be attacked, but there was more love than normal at home and between friends. For at least a year though, there was fear every time I saw a plane in the sky."
- Jessi S.
6. "I was in college and my mom called to wake me up.
'Your brother said something big is happening and we should turn on the news.'
I could hear her rolling her eyes (my brother is dramatic). I laid in bed and turned on the news. After a while, I went out into the main area of my apartment and my three roommates were going about their days like it was nothing. I told them to turn on the TV- so they did and we all just sat and watched. We eventually made a horseshoe of sofas and chairs around the TV and watched non-stop with our boyfriends.
We would walk to the gas station next door for food, but that was our only reprieve from the news for a few days. Up until that point, I had never had a nightmare, but I had one in the following days- I was trapped in the mall under the towers and couldn’t get out. Terrifying stuff."
- Lindsey E.
'Your brother said something big is happening and we should turn on the news.'
I could hear her rolling her eyes (my brother is dramatic). I laid in bed and turned on the news. After a while, I went out into the main area of my apartment and my three roommates were going about their days like it was nothing. I told them to turn on the TV- so they did and we all just sat and watched. We eventually made a horseshoe of sofas and chairs around the TV and watched non-stop with our boyfriends.
We would walk to the gas station next door for food, but that was our only reprieve from the news for a few days. Up until that point, I had never had a nightmare, but I had one in the following days- I was trapped in the mall under the towers and couldn’t get out. Terrifying stuff."
- Lindsey E.