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The security checkpoint at Blue Grass Airport on 9/11 after all flights in the United States were grounded. (Photo: Joseph Rey Au)
9/11 Memorial in Greenville, KY
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Written Stories:
1. "Due to renovations going on at my grade school, my first day of Kindergarten was pushed back to September 11th. While I understandably don't remember much, I do remember the teacher from the other class abruptly coming in and pulling my teacher out of the classroom.
One by one the kids were pulled out of class by their parents until my mom eventually got me. I asked,
'Why did I have to leave after just getting there'
She cried, watching the TV."
- Colin S.
One by one the kids were pulled out of class by their parents until my mom eventually got me. I asked,
'Why did I have to leave after just getting there'
She cried, watching the TV."
- Colin S.
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2. "It was my birthday. I had taken the week off of work to just chill and celebrate properly. My friend and I went to see the Mark Wahlberg movie Rockstar the night before. We went back to her apartment afterwards, drank, and I slept on her sofa.
Woke up the next morning and when I flipped on her TV within a few seconds I saw the fist tower on fire. I did not think it was an attack or terrorism or anything - just thought it was a terrible accident. I returned to my apartment across the street, made some coffee and when I turned on my TV the second plane hit. I met my Dad for lunch and we were almost the only people in the restaurant which was absolutely silent except for the TV's in the bar. My Mom was taking me out to eat that night for my birthday, but the mall was closed and only place still open was Outback. - D. T. |
3. "I was in medical school at University of Lexington (surgery). All personnel were called into the hospital. As a Trauma 1 Center, we were told victims would be incoming. Air time is only about two hours.
No one came.
That's when I knew how bad it was.
The wait was eerie and when the realization hit that there would be no one to treat a wave of incredible sadness came over us all."
- Anonymous
No one came.
That's when I knew how bad it was.
The wait was eerie and when the realization hit that there would be no one to treat a wave of incredible sadness came over us all."
- Anonymous
4. "I was in 7th grade and could tell something was going on at school because word spread classes weren’t doing any work. Pretty soon the teachers quit trying to keep it from us and turned on the TVs in every classroom.
I was in gym class and some people were playing basketball while the rest of us watched the second plane smash into the tower. That was when our gym teacher quickly shut off the TV and went to ask the principal if it was appropriate to let us watch more.
Soon after, they let us all go home.
My mom was glued to the TV at full volume so I had no choice but to watch or hear it all day."
- L. C.
I was in gym class and some people were playing basketball while the rest of us watched the second plane smash into the tower. That was when our gym teacher quickly shut off the TV and went to ask the principal if it was appropriate to let us watch more.
Soon after, they let us all go home.
My mom was glued to the TV at full volume so I had no choice but to watch or hear it all day."
- L. C.
5. "I was up at early because it was the first week of college classes and I was nervous about not knowing my way around campus. I saw the attacks on the morning news and decided in that moment to suspend my university studies.
On 9/12 I was in a recruiter’s office asking to enlist.
It was shoulder to shoulder in there with kids just like me. The recruiters were ashen-faced and somber and didn’t play it up like they normally did, they told all of us what we were in for because they knew a lot better than we did what was coming.
A lot of people left - I stayed.
Not because I wasn’t scared, I was, but more because I’m an immigrant and it felt like the right thing to do. This country did so much for my family and it felt like a way to express that gratitude.
I ended up deploying in support of operation Iraqi freedom five times, and after a career-ending injury in Baghdad, used the GI Bill and returned to service in a different capacity.
Now I help other injured veterans get the medical care they need. It makes me feel useful."
- C. C.
On 9/12 I was in a recruiter’s office asking to enlist.
It was shoulder to shoulder in there with kids just like me. The recruiters were ashen-faced and somber and didn’t play it up like they normally did, they told all of us what we were in for because they knew a lot better than we did what was coming.
A lot of people left - I stayed.
Not because I wasn’t scared, I was, but more because I’m an immigrant and it felt like the right thing to do. This country did so much for my family and it felt like a way to express that gratitude.
I ended up deploying in support of operation Iraqi freedom five times, and after a career-ending injury in Baghdad, used the GI Bill and returned to service in a different capacity.
Now I help other injured veterans get the medical care they need. It makes me feel useful."
- C. C.
6. "I was ten years old, being home schooled. As part of my home schooling my aunt would take me to the library once a week to check out a book and I’d do a little report on it. As I was getting ready to head out my mom said,
'I’m trying to figure out what happened. It looks like this building is on fire.'
She did not know what the twin towers were.
I get back from the library and I’m eating a subway cookie and mom says,
'Oh my God, a plane flew into that other building!'
My aunt says, 'A plane? I thought it was on fire.'
I sat down to do my work at the kitchen table and mom kept the TV on. She left the room, I looked up as the tower was falling and said,
'Mom, that tower fell..'
Mom was always afraid that being home schooled would put me behind somehow so I was rarely given 'days off,' but we took this one off and watched"
- L. P.
'I’m trying to figure out what happened. It looks like this building is on fire.'
She did not know what the twin towers were.
I get back from the library and I’m eating a subway cookie and mom says,
'Oh my God, a plane flew into that other building!'
My aunt says, 'A plane? I thought it was on fire.'
I sat down to do my work at the kitchen table and mom kept the TV on. She left the room, I looked up as the tower was falling and said,
'Mom, that tower fell..'
Mom was always afraid that being home schooled would put me behind somehow so I was rarely given 'days off,' but we took this one off and watched"
- L. P.
7. "We were outside as a class. One of the students had to go inside to the office and saw it on the news. He came running back outside to tell everyone.
The teachers got all of us back inside and we sat and watched the news for the rest of the day.
It was strange not having any planes in the sky. There was a lot of confusion -- practically from every parent was calling the school, nobody knew if we were going to be sent home early or stay in the building.
As the hours passed and more planes went down (United 93 and the Pentagon), nobody knew who was next. Students who had family in New York, DC or other effected areas were allowed to call home."
- C.
The teachers got all of us back inside and we sat and watched the news for the rest of the day.
It was strange not having any planes in the sky. There was a lot of confusion -- practically from every parent was calling the school, nobody knew if we were going to be sent home early or stay in the building.
As the hours passed and more planes went down (United 93 and the Pentagon), nobody knew who was next. Students who had family in New York, DC or other effected areas were allowed to call home."
- C.
8. "I'll never forget watching on a tiny 15" screen TV at the law firm where I worked when the second plane hit. Surreal- Almost everyone in the firm was gathered around this tiny set except for the attorney I worked for most directly.
I went into his office to tell him. He was on the phone, but cupped the receiver to hear what I had to say. When I told him the Pentagon had been hit he began laughing uncontrollably.
This was a man that fled a war torn country, came to America, became a successful attorney and had just finished a brutal divorce that he didn't want. I think the absurdity of that moment broke him.
Later that day me, a few other paralegals and clerks went to lunch at one of the busiest lunch places in town. It was empty. There was literally not another table of patrons.
Only time I ever ordered a drink over lunch at that job."
- S. I.
I went into his office to tell him. He was on the phone, but cupped the receiver to hear what I had to say. When I told him the Pentagon had been hit he began laughing uncontrollably.
This was a man that fled a war torn country, came to America, became a successful attorney and had just finished a brutal divorce that he didn't want. I think the absurdity of that moment broke him.
Later that day me, a few other paralegals and clerks went to lunch at one of the busiest lunch places in town. It was empty. There was literally not another table of patrons.
Only time I ever ordered a drink over lunch at that job."
- S. I.
9. "Freshman year of college, I was watching Golden Girls before an am class. Went to take a shower, came back and Golden Girls was preempted by the second tower being hit."
- H. S.
- H. S.
10. "I was in 3rd grade and they made an announcement over the intercom about what had happened and that parents were being contacted to come pick us up. Being young and dumb, I thought they were talking about the one skyscraper that was in my hometown. My uncle picked me up and we had the radio on listening to the news broadcasts, that’s when I learned about the second plane and started getting really confused on what exactly was happening.
Two grades later when the Iraq invasion began, they took us into the school’s library to watch videos of the invasion. All I remember was watching a mostly dark TV screen that occasionally lit up with bombs going off.
It didn’t register with me that this was war."
- B. B. N.
Two grades later when the Iraq invasion began, they took us into the school’s library to watch videos of the invasion. All I remember was watching a mostly dark TV screen that occasionally lit up with bombs going off.
It didn’t register with me that this was war."
- B. B. N.
11. "I was in the first grade in Paintsville. I remember it being a normal elementary school morning, until another teacher entered the room and took our teacher into the hall. A television was pulled into the classroom, and the news was shown for the rest of the day, but no one really understood what we were seeing.
When my dad picked up my sister and I from school, he explained more. I was shocked that what I had seen that day was an intentional act, and that other people wished real harm upon others, especially in that kind of magnitude. As a 6-year-old, I guess you don’t think that some people can be inherently evil. I sobbed the rest of the way home, and I vividly remember my dad quickly turning the radio off in his truck because of how profoundly upset I was getting. I was terribly confused, wondering if an airplane would crash into my house or my school. My world view changed that day, as did that of millions across the country.
I consider 9/11 my loss of innocence."
- Kelsey Gray
When my dad picked up my sister and I from school, he explained more. I was shocked that what I had seen that day was an intentional act, and that other people wished real harm upon others, especially in that kind of magnitude. As a 6-year-old, I guess you don’t think that some people can be inherently evil. I sobbed the rest of the way home, and I vividly remember my dad quickly turning the radio off in his truck because of how profoundly upset I was getting. I was terribly confused, wondering if an airplane would crash into my house or my school. My world view changed that day, as did that of millions across the country.
I consider 9/11 my loss of innocence."
- Kelsey Gray