MASSACHUSETTS
"Where were you on 9/11?" as remembered by those in Massachusetts that day.
Prudential Tower employee Chuck remembers what his Boston workplace was like following September 11th.
1. "At the time of 9/11, I was a general manager at a large firm in Boston and we were headquartered at the Prudential Tower - one of the two tallest buildings in the city - and our place went from glamorous to dangerous in the matter of minutes because people didn't want to come to work. They were terrified that we were going to be the next place that got bombed to Hell because we had planes that had left from Logan. We had an altercation at the Boston Westin Hotel tied to the terrorist attacks and people were literally vibrating when they came into work. We had five floors and over 500 people, the president and I were responsible for the safety of these people and we were really feeling for them and wondering when we were going to get out from this cloud of terror.
We evacuated three times within seven days because of news events and because of just general angst and people not being able to function at their desks. On day six, the big boss - the person that my friend the president and I reported to - sat us down and said,
'When in Hell are you going to get people back to their desks and get them back to work so we can get productive here?'
My friend and I looked at each other and when the big boss left the room we sat and said,
'Okay ,does this man have any blood? Is he pure android? Is he Spock?'
Like, who is this person? Where's the compassion? it was insane! We're like, what world are you living in and what planet are you walking on that you can walk in here during this week and say that? You know, it kind of gave us a role model for like how not to manage and how not to lead people."
- Chuck
We evacuated three times within seven days because of news events and because of just general angst and people not being able to function at their desks. On day six, the big boss - the person that my friend the president and I reported to - sat us down and said,
'When in Hell are you going to get people back to their desks and get them back to work so we can get productive here?'
My friend and I looked at each other and when the big boss left the room we sat and said,
'Okay ,does this man have any blood? Is he pure android? Is he Spock?'
Like, who is this person? Where's the compassion? it was insane! We're like, what world are you living in and what planet are you walking on that you can walk in here during this week and say that? You know, it kind of gave us a role model for like how not to manage and how not to lead people."
- Chuck
Written Stories
2. "I was the last dot on the radar arriving at Boston Logan Airport on 9/11. Our route from Nashville had us at 25K feet above NYC at 10 am. I remember waking just long enough to stare at the Lower Bay shoreline on the left side. I couldn't see anything from that angle, but the crew definitely knew what had happened as we landed and weren't allowed to tell us. They only told us to make sure we had our phones.
After landing everyone quickly started getting calls. My family was still asleep in a different time zone so I called my fiancee and left her a message that I was okay so she would know before finding out whatever had happened.
We were told to stay in the terminal, but they changed their minds and evacuated us so quickly I forgot my laptop bag in the restroom. They wouldn't let me back in to get it for security reasons.
I had been traveling to Burlington, MA to give a class for one day and then go to NYC for a meeting. If the trip had been one day earlier I would have been flying to NYC on 9/11. My boss in California couldn't reach me due to cell reception and was panicking as they'd heard reports that a 'Geoff' from Sun had been on one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center. There was, it wasn't me, but he was from the same office I had traveled to give the class to. I had no laptop, no rental car, and was stuck in a hotel a mile or so from where the class I was supposed to give was. Before the days of smart phones, I consumed a lot of CNN. A couple of days in I was very bored and the local buses were running again so I made a plan to visit downtown Boston. As I was heading out of the room the news blared that downtown was on lock-down after police figured out which building some of the terrorists had stayed at.
It took me a week before I could rent a car to drive back to Tennessee. I had to just sit at a Hertz center and request to rent the first car that came in, I didn't wait for them to clean it. The guy who had it before had just driven it straight to Massachusetts from Georgia. I bought a dozen CDs and drove straight through home.
- Geoff Baysinger
After landing everyone quickly started getting calls. My family was still asleep in a different time zone so I called my fiancee and left her a message that I was okay so she would know before finding out whatever had happened.
We were told to stay in the terminal, but they changed their minds and evacuated us so quickly I forgot my laptop bag in the restroom. They wouldn't let me back in to get it for security reasons.
I had been traveling to Burlington, MA to give a class for one day and then go to NYC for a meeting. If the trip had been one day earlier I would have been flying to NYC on 9/11. My boss in California couldn't reach me due to cell reception and was panicking as they'd heard reports that a 'Geoff' from Sun had been on one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center. There was, it wasn't me, but he was from the same office I had traveled to give the class to. I had no laptop, no rental car, and was stuck in a hotel a mile or so from where the class I was supposed to give was. Before the days of smart phones, I consumed a lot of CNN. A couple of days in I was very bored and the local buses were running again so I made a plan to visit downtown Boston. As I was heading out of the room the news blared that downtown was on lock-down after police figured out which building some of the terrorists had stayed at.
It took me a week before I could rent a car to drive back to Tennessee. I had to just sit at a Hertz center and request to rent the first car that came in, I didn't wait for them to clean it. The guy who had it before had just driven it straight to Massachusetts from Georgia. I bought a dozen CDs and drove straight through home.
- Geoff Baysinger
3. "I didn’t see the planes hit the tower, but I saw them taking off from the airport. My mom decided to take my sister and I to a park near the airport. We’d gone early, around 6 in the morning, because we were going to drop my dad off at work afterwards. My sister and I (age 6 and 5) sat in the grass and waved at the planes, and we would play this game where we’d guess who was on the plane:
'It’s the Queen’s plane!'
'It’s the President’s plane!'
'It’s Mr Rogers’ plane!'
When we were on the way home my dad called and told my mom not to put the radio on, drive straight home, and not to let the kids watch the TV.
We were all just upset we couldn’t stop for IHOP. When we got back home, we had just missed the second plane hitting. My mom was glued to the TV and we were sent to our rooms. Neither of us went to school the next day, and our parents told us something about bad guys attacking New York City. That’s all we knew until we we went to visit our grandparents that weekend, who wouldn’t change the channel off of Fox News."
- Rebecca Fisk
'It’s the Queen’s plane!'
'It’s the President’s plane!'
'It’s Mr Rogers’ plane!'
When we were on the way home my dad called and told my mom not to put the radio on, drive straight home, and not to let the kids watch the TV.
We were all just upset we couldn’t stop for IHOP. When we got back home, we had just missed the second plane hitting. My mom was glued to the TV and we were sent to our rooms. Neither of us went to school the next day, and our parents told us something about bad guys attacking New York City. That’s all we knew until we we went to visit our grandparents that weekend, who wouldn’t change the channel off of Fox News."
- Rebecca Fisk
4. "I was in 1st grade, hoping to celebrate my birthday in class that day. They didn't tell us what happened, only that we were going home early and to be extra nice to our parents because everyone is a little worried today.
I was excited to go home early on my birthday. My parents were very quiet about what had happened, didn't watch the news as far as I knew.
My following birthday in 2002 some of the kids who lost family members brought in photos. Everyone was sad on my birthday. After that I no longer celebrated my birthday on the 11th, I celebrate it on the 10th
I know that feeling bad because people were mourning on my birthday is kind of selfish, but I was only 7 years old."
- T. G.
I was excited to go home early on my birthday. My parents were very quiet about what had happened, didn't watch the news as far as I knew.
My following birthday in 2002 some of the kids who lost family members brought in photos. Everyone was sad on my birthday. After that I no longer celebrated my birthday on the 11th, I celebrate it on the 10th
I know that feeling bad because people were mourning on my birthday is kind of selfish, but I was only 7 years old."
- T. G.
5. "I was a college freshman in Massachusetts. One student arriving late to class said there was something on the news about planes hitting the World Trade Center, but that seemed really weird and she didn't know any details, so we just moved on and had the class.
Afterwards, I went to the building's lobby, which did have a couple TVs playing the news. It was surreal.
Dozens of students and staff were watching, but the footage looked like something from Hollywood, not real life. I probably watched for 45 minutes or an hour asking myself how this could possibly be real. All further classes had been canceled.
I still wonder what country we'd be living in if the twin towers were still standing."
- F. F.
Afterwards, I went to the building's lobby, which did have a couple TVs playing the news. It was surreal.
Dozens of students and staff were watching, but the footage looked like something from Hollywood, not real life. I probably watched for 45 minutes or an hour asking myself how this could possibly be real. All further classes had been canceled.
I still wonder what country we'd be living in if the twin towers were still standing."
- F. F.
6. "It was the first day of my upper year of high school (11th grade; my school had non-standard names for the years). There were televisions in the student lounge area that were always tuned to the news and I had a free period that started at 8:50, so I heard about the first plane immediately when I got out of my first class.
I assumed it was an amateur pilot who made a mistake in a light aircraft and the death toll was somewhere around one to five. Then I got to one of the TVs and saw what was happening, but it still took me a few minutes to believe it. I knew I was watching the news for the next 45 minutes, but I have no memory of actually seeing the second plane hit. I don't know if I looked away or deliberately forgot that image.
There were no more real classes that day, only discussions about current events. Especially in my American History class, the teacher was clearly aware that there was a new chapter of his subject being written that day."
- Scott Wilbur
I assumed it was an amateur pilot who made a mistake in a light aircraft and the death toll was somewhere around one to five. Then I got to one of the TVs and saw what was happening, but it still took me a few minutes to believe it. I knew I was watching the news for the next 45 minutes, but I have no memory of actually seeing the second plane hit. I don't know if I looked away or deliberately forgot that image.
There were no more real classes that day, only discussions about current events. Especially in my American History class, the teacher was clearly aware that there was a new chapter of his subject being written that day."
- Scott Wilbur
7. "I was a sophomore transfer student at UMass Amherst. There was a housing shortage, so most transfer students were temp living in an on-campus hotel.
That morning I walked to my first class only to find out it was cancelled. I headed back to the hotel, as I didn't have another class until that afternoon. The lobby TV was on showing looped footage of the twin towers being hit, and a large crowd had gathered around. It took a solid few minutes for me to register what was happening.
At the time cell phones were not commonplace, so many of us were taking turns on the pay phone trying to contact loved ones. It was a very helpless, scary day."
- M.
That morning I walked to my first class only to find out it was cancelled. I headed back to the hotel, as I didn't have another class until that afternoon. The lobby TV was on showing looped footage of the twin towers being hit, and a large crowd had gathered around. It took a solid few minutes for me to register what was happening.
At the time cell phones were not commonplace, so many of us were taking turns on the pay phone trying to contact loved ones. It was a very helpless, scary day."
- M.
8. "4th grade. Woke up and my mom was watching the news, the first tower had been hit. We weren't quite sure what was happening yet so I went to school that morning, for a couple hours at least.
My elementary school was in East Boston, the part of Boston that houses Logan Airport, the last bit of ground those planes touched before slamming into the towers. You could see planes coming and going all day every day, flying so close overhead that you feel like you can hit them with a rock if you had a good enough throw. I lived at the top of what we call 'Eagle Hill', my house literally under the air highways where every outgoing plane passed above us. They were such a part of our life that we didn't even notice them anymore. They'd scream by so loud that we stop conversation for a moment, and continue where we left off without missing a beat, never even acknowledging their presence.
My mom picked me up from school that day and I spent the afternoon outside our house just playing with my friend and my older brother.
It was silent.
My elementary school was in East Boston, the part of Boston that houses Logan Airport, the last bit of ground those planes touched before slamming into the towers. You could see planes coming and going all day every day, flying so close overhead that you feel like you can hit them with a rock if you had a good enough throw. I lived at the top of what we call 'Eagle Hill', my house literally under the air highways where every outgoing plane passed above us. They were such a part of our life that we didn't even notice them anymore. They'd scream by so loud that we stop conversation for a moment, and continue where we left off without missing a beat, never even acknowledging their presence.
My mom picked me up from school that day and I spent the afternoon outside our house just playing with my friend and my older brother.
It was silent.
We were so used to those thunderous engines day in and day out, literally every 10 minutes for our entire lives. That day though...nothing. The silence in the sky was more noticeable than any 747 that had shaken our windows and momentarily halted conversation.
I was 9 and I'll never forget it. Eerie, unsettling, confusing, and altogether too serious for me to grasp at the time, but tangible enough for me to realize that my every day life had been affected and everyone around me could feel it. Fighter jets occasionally broke the silence in a way that somehow made us feel less safe, because they weren't the engines we knew. They were engines that told us something very serious was happening, something too large for me to know at the time. I'll never forget that day."
- Cameron LeMoure
I was 9 and I'll never forget it. Eerie, unsettling, confusing, and altogether too serious for me to grasp at the time, but tangible enough for me to realize that my every day life had been affected and everyone around me could feel it. Fighter jets occasionally broke the silence in a way that somehow made us feel less safe, because they weren't the engines we knew. They were engines that told us something very serious was happening, something too large for me to know at the time. I'll never forget that day."
- Cameron LeMoure
9. "I had zero clue about what had happened until almost 6 pm that day.
I worked graveyards living on the South Shore of Boston. Usually asleep around 7:30 am - Awake at about 3:30 pm. On that day I needed to hit up the bank to deposit a check, and then the library to check my email.
When I get to the bank, there's a note on the door saying,
'The bank has closed at 12 pm this afternoon. We apologize for any inconvenience.'
So I shrug this off and walk to the library. On the front of the door for the library there's a note that says,
'The Library has been closed at 1 pm by order of the mayor.'
At this point I am puzzled, assuming it's some Bostonian holiday that I don't know about. I shrug that off too and go home.
I get to the apartment and turn on my TV to watch some wrestling I had recorded the night before, when I see a video of rubble on the TV with the caption 'Lower Manhattan' across the screen.
It took me a full hour of straight starring at the TV to catch up and absorbed what had happened. I didn't even realize the footage of the planes crashing into the buildings was real for a while. I was convinced that they were computer animations... until I heard the people swearing and crying in the background of one of them."
- I. F.
I worked graveyards living on the South Shore of Boston. Usually asleep around 7:30 am - Awake at about 3:30 pm. On that day I needed to hit up the bank to deposit a check, and then the library to check my email.
When I get to the bank, there's a note on the door saying,
'The bank has closed at 12 pm this afternoon. We apologize for any inconvenience.'
So I shrug this off and walk to the library. On the front of the door for the library there's a note that says,
'The Library has been closed at 1 pm by order of the mayor.'
At this point I am puzzled, assuming it's some Bostonian holiday that I don't know about. I shrug that off too and go home.
I get to the apartment and turn on my TV to watch some wrestling I had recorded the night before, when I see a video of rubble on the TV with the caption 'Lower Manhattan' across the screen.
It took me a full hour of straight starring at the TV to catch up and absorbed what had happened. I didn't even realize the footage of the planes crashing into the buildings was real for a while. I was convinced that they were computer animations... until I heard the people swearing and crying in the background of one of them."
- I. F.
10. "I was at work and the only one in our office that morning because my colleagues were in a meeting. I was working away happily when a friend in the UK emailed to say 'how horrible what’s happened in NYC is.' He gave me the info that was circulating at that point.
I tried to get on CNN’s website but there was too much traffic there so I wound up digging a boom box out of a closet and listening to the radio news. The scariest part was that they were saying any other plane currently in the sky could be in the same situation, crashing into some other landmark at any minute."
- I. C.
I tried to get on CNN’s website but there was too much traffic there so I wound up digging a boom box out of a closet and listening to the radio news. The scariest part was that they were saying any other plane currently in the sky could be in the same situation, crashing into some other landmark at any minute."
- I. C.
11. "I was 17 and had just started my first semester at community college. I woke up for class that morning and went and turned on the TV in my parents room. It was there I watched the second plane hit.
My stomach dropping- thinking about my family in NYC. Mom and our dog and the next door neighbor and her dog had just walked together and were standing at the bottom of our driveway talking. I leaned out and said,
'Two planes just hit the World Trade in New York!'
They both looked at me and there was a pause - the neighbor said what's the punchline? She thought I was telling some twisted joke.
I was shaking and my mom made me drive to school. There was no one else on the road, aside from truckers. When I got to school, National Guard were there in a line turning people back."
- B. B.
My stomach dropping- thinking about my family in NYC. Mom and our dog and the next door neighbor and her dog had just walked together and were standing at the bottom of our driveway talking. I leaned out and said,
'Two planes just hit the World Trade in New York!'
They both looked at me and there was a pause - the neighbor said what's the punchline? She thought I was telling some twisted joke.
I was shaking and my mom made me drive to school. There was no one else on the road, aside from truckers. When I got to school, National Guard were there in a line turning people back."
- B. B.
12. "I was working for a large bank in downtown Boston. We always had CNBC running on TVs mounted throughout the office. A bunch of us were gathered around watching footage of the first building on fire, then the second plane hit and people basically lost it. Very soon after that the phone systems went down from so many people trying to use them. By the time we learned about the Pentagon there was a panic going on.
By about 11 AM there was decision made to basically close Boston. By that time it had been discovered that a few of the flights originated here. I remember walking down about 20 stories and spilling into the Boston streets. Seems every building in the area had all emptied out at once and the streets were packed.
There was a very intense sense of dread.
I lived in South Boston and normally took the train in, as South Station was very close to my building. Well, with the amount of people heading towards South Station, I decided that wasn’t going to be a very good idea so a friend and I walked from my office to my house. It wasn’t a super long walk, maybe five miles but it seemed to take forever.
Living in Southie I was also in the direct path of the flights landing at Logan. It became so strangely quite."
- D. D.
By about 11 AM there was decision made to basically close Boston. By that time it had been discovered that a few of the flights originated here. I remember walking down about 20 stories and spilling into the Boston streets. Seems every building in the area had all emptied out at once and the streets were packed.
There was a very intense sense of dread.
I lived in South Boston and normally took the train in, as South Station was very close to my building. Well, with the amount of people heading towards South Station, I decided that wasn’t going to be a very good idea so a friend and I walked from my office to my house. It wasn’t a super long walk, maybe five miles but it seemed to take forever.
Living in Southie I was also in the direct path of the flights landing at Logan. It became so strangely quite."
- D. D.
13. "I was 32 and had finished a long overnight shift at a rehab facility near Boston. My car had a starting problem, so I was trying to pop start it in the parking lot when one of my coworkers approached and told me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I thought it was strange because the weather was so beautiful.
I called my ex to come help me get the car started and when he arrived, I asked him if he had heard about the plane. He just said,
'No, TWO planes have hit the WTC.'
'How the hell could it happen? The day is so clear!'
He just stared at me, 'It was no accident.'
On my way home, I was listening to Howard Stern when the first building collapsed. They were utterly devastated and I was freaking out... I drove to my 7 yr old son's school and signed him out right away and brought him home. We watched the insanity unfolding on the news and he asked me what was happening, why was it happening? I could only reply,
'I think we're at war.'
- R. M.
I called my ex to come help me get the car started and when he arrived, I asked him if he had heard about the plane. He just said,
'No, TWO planes have hit the WTC.'
'How the hell could it happen? The day is so clear!'
He just stared at me, 'It was no accident.'
On my way home, I was listening to Howard Stern when the first building collapsed. They were utterly devastated and I was freaking out... I drove to my 7 yr old son's school and signed him out right away and brought him home. We watched the insanity unfolding on the news and he asked me what was happening, why was it happening? I could only reply,
'I think we're at war.'
- R. M.
14. "It was the most gorgeous day - blue sky, sunshine, not a cloud to be seen.
I was walking up the steps to work in Boston and said, 'Beautiful day, isn't it?' to a coworker. She was serious and didn't respond, which I thought was a little odd until she told me about the news that a plane hit the WTC. I mentioned it to my office mate and the person she was meeting with, that person had a dear friend who was a flight attendant out of Logan. She dashed off to check on her friend who thankfully was not on the flight. We turned on a radio, still thinking it was an accident.
By that time the second crash had happened and it was frightening how scared he radio announcer sounded. I'd never experienced that before.
After the Pentagon, the announcer was talking about other potential targets, such as the Hoover Dam, and I remember feeling even more frightened. Not knowing what the hell was happening and what city or target would be next. It felt like The War of the Worlds but real. I remember getting to a point where I felt I needed to be safe at home with my husband. I called to let him know what happened, he turned on the TV, and I could hear by his gasp. It was much worse seeing it than hearing about it.
I was in shock for days, I couldn't go to work. I just watched it all unfold on TV over and over again. It felt like life was never going to be the same.
When I finally went back to work, I learned there were several coworkers stranded in different places unable to get flights home. One was stuck in an airport. She and a handful of other travelers pooled together and shared one of the last rental vans in the airport. Another one rented a car and drove from airport to airport thinking there would be flights resuming, but she ended up driving across the country. Her daughter had classmates who lost parents and she was desperate to get home. Other coworkers were stranded in other countries for weeks.
The thing I remember most about that time was expecting every day to hear about the rescue of more survivors....and never hearing that news.
Since my job was in the spa industry, I knew several massage therapists who went to Ground Zero to provide bodywork for the first responders. They were all having a hard time mentally, emotionally, spiritually. From what they told me it was a very exhausting and traumatic experience for everybody involved. There was no sense of pitching in for the greater good that usually goes along with natural disasters. It was 100% pain and suffering.
You could just feel that energy from everyone every day. They were sad and they had all lost someone, or knew someone who had lost someone. It felt like everyone was grieving.
There was a sense of everyone wanting to pitch in. Some people were angry, but it felt like there could have been a really peaceful and powerful coming together as a nation... which seemed to end the day the president visited Ground Zero and basically declared war. That seemed to shift the energy from grieving and coming together into anger and desire to lash out. I remember feeling confused as to why Iraq was the target, and thinking it was an emotional, personal, decision to finish what his father started - an excuse to go to war rather than a considered response to the people who were actually responsible."
- Anonymous
I was walking up the steps to work in Boston and said, 'Beautiful day, isn't it?' to a coworker. She was serious and didn't respond, which I thought was a little odd until she told me about the news that a plane hit the WTC. I mentioned it to my office mate and the person she was meeting with, that person had a dear friend who was a flight attendant out of Logan. She dashed off to check on her friend who thankfully was not on the flight. We turned on a radio, still thinking it was an accident.
By that time the second crash had happened and it was frightening how scared he radio announcer sounded. I'd never experienced that before.
After the Pentagon, the announcer was talking about other potential targets, such as the Hoover Dam, and I remember feeling even more frightened. Not knowing what the hell was happening and what city or target would be next. It felt like The War of the Worlds but real. I remember getting to a point where I felt I needed to be safe at home with my husband. I called to let him know what happened, he turned on the TV, and I could hear by his gasp. It was much worse seeing it than hearing about it.
I was in shock for days, I couldn't go to work. I just watched it all unfold on TV over and over again. It felt like life was never going to be the same.
When I finally went back to work, I learned there were several coworkers stranded in different places unable to get flights home. One was stuck in an airport. She and a handful of other travelers pooled together and shared one of the last rental vans in the airport. Another one rented a car and drove from airport to airport thinking there would be flights resuming, but she ended up driving across the country. Her daughter had classmates who lost parents and she was desperate to get home. Other coworkers were stranded in other countries for weeks.
The thing I remember most about that time was expecting every day to hear about the rescue of more survivors....and never hearing that news.
Since my job was in the spa industry, I knew several massage therapists who went to Ground Zero to provide bodywork for the first responders. They were all having a hard time mentally, emotionally, spiritually. From what they told me it was a very exhausting and traumatic experience for everybody involved. There was no sense of pitching in for the greater good that usually goes along with natural disasters. It was 100% pain and suffering.
You could just feel that energy from everyone every day. They were sad and they had all lost someone, or knew someone who had lost someone. It felt like everyone was grieving.
There was a sense of everyone wanting to pitch in. Some people were angry, but it felt like there could have been a really peaceful and powerful coming together as a nation... which seemed to end the day the president visited Ground Zero and basically declared war. That seemed to shift the energy from grieving and coming together into anger and desire to lash out. I remember feeling confused as to why Iraq was the target, and thinking it was an emotional, personal, decision to finish what his father started - an excuse to go to war rather than a considered response to the people who were actually responsible."
- Anonymous
15. "I was a bartender working nights mostly, but I was scheduled for a 10 or 11 am shift that day. I did what I normally did in my early 20’s and slept until about ten min before I needed to be there. I woke up after both towers had already collapsed.
I got in the car and flipped on the radio and the very first thing I heard was,
'Do you have any clue as to what the death toll could be?'
I knew something awful had happened, because the term death toll generally isn’t used for a three car pile up or apartment fire. I immediately think thousands when I hear that.
The reporter went on to describe the scene in lower Manhattan. He said the buildings were gone, tens of thousands were potentially dead. I remember him saying something to the effect of,
'It’s like all of a sudden, they just came out of the sky.'
That was the moment I began to think a meteor had hit New York. I spent the remainder of that fifteen minute drive totally thinking something huge from space had finally crashed into us, as was bound to happen eventually.
It was only when I got to work and saw everyone looking at the TV at the bar in silence that I was brought up to speed."
- T. F. C.
I got in the car and flipped on the radio and the very first thing I heard was,
'Do you have any clue as to what the death toll could be?'
I knew something awful had happened, because the term death toll generally isn’t used for a three car pile up or apartment fire. I immediately think thousands when I hear that.
The reporter went on to describe the scene in lower Manhattan. He said the buildings were gone, tens of thousands were potentially dead. I remember him saying something to the effect of,
'It’s like all of a sudden, they just came out of the sky.'
That was the moment I began to think a meteor had hit New York. I spent the remainder of that fifteen minute drive totally thinking something huge from space had finally crashed into us, as was bound to happen eventually.
It was only when I got to work and saw everyone looking at the TV at the bar in silence that I was brought up to speed."
- T. F. C.
16. "I worked on the 21st floor of an office building in downtown Boston, across the street from City Hall Plaza. I got an instant message from a friend that a plane had flown into one of the Trade Center towers. The two of us had just been for a visit in August. I ran to the cafe in the basement of my building to watch the TVs and was just in time to see the second plane hit. A woman screamed and dropped everything she was carrying. It was like a switch went off in the rest of us.
I suddenly realized we were very close to Logan Airport and in a tall building attached to an FBI field office. Across the street was City Hall and a federal courthouse, and a block away was the Statehouse! I bailed on work to the protests of my older coworkers. I still cannot believe they expected me to stay. I don't remember the walk to the train or anything until I was suddenly standing on the platform.
A woman next to me grabbed my hand while we waited for a train. Startled, I looked at her face and recognized her as one of my very good friends from college I hadn't seen in years. We grabbed each other and didn't let go until the train arrived. Another woman asked me for a tissue and collapsed, sobbing about her son in NYC. The Red Line was silent except for the sound of weeping. Imagine a packed subway car that is silent. This was around 10 am at the point.
I exited the train and that's when I heard the sirens. I was several miles outside the city but the sirens were everywhere. The juxtaposition of the silent stricken people with the screaming sirens will always stay with me. It felt like everything was screaming except the people. The subway car on its tracks, the sirens, the brakes on electric buses, the traffic; it was an overwhelming cacophony!
But the people were quiet.
I had to go back to work the next day. By that time the FBI had found the hijackers' hotel rooms and all of downtown Boston was full of sirens, cops and terrified looking people. My building and others around me had bomb threats for weeks. I still always watch planes as they fly over. If one looks too low I get that weird -I-forgot-to--lock-my-door drop in my stomach.
- J. K.
I suddenly realized we were very close to Logan Airport and in a tall building attached to an FBI field office. Across the street was City Hall and a federal courthouse, and a block away was the Statehouse! I bailed on work to the protests of my older coworkers. I still cannot believe they expected me to stay. I don't remember the walk to the train or anything until I was suddenly standing on the platform.
A woman next to me grabbed my hand while we waited for a train. Startled, I looked at her face and recognized her as one of my very good friends from college I hadn't seen in years. We grabbed each other and didn't let go until the train arrived. Another woman asked me for a tissue and collapsed, sobbing about her son in NYC. The Red Line was silent except for the sound of weeping. Imagine a packed subway car that is silent. This was around 10 am at the point.
I exited the train and that's when I heard the sirens. I was several miles outside the city but the sirens were everywhere. The juxtaposition of the silent stricken people with the screaming sirens will always stay with me. It felt like everything was screaming except the people. The subway car on its tracks, the sirens, the brakes on electric buses, the traffic; it was an overwhelming cacophony!
But the people were quiet.
I had to go back to work the next day. By that time the FBI had found the hijackers' hotel rooms and all of downtown Boston was full of sirens, cops and terrified looking people. My building and others around me had bomb threats for weeks. I still always watch planes as they fly over. If one looks too low I get that weird -I-forgot-to--lock-my-door drop in my stomach.
- J. K.
17. "I was in my fifth-grade classroom and the teacher had his feet up on the desk while we read. Another teacher came into our room and whispered something in his ear, which wasn't unusual. What was unusual was his response, which was to jump and yell,
'What?!'
He told us that we had been attacked on American soil, which meant absolutely nothing to a classroom full of fifth-graders. Then he turned the TV on, just in time to see a plane hit the second tower. We spent the rest of the day watching the news as far as I can recall, although I think they must have turned it off when the news started broadcasting images of people jumping from the windows. One student's father was scheduled to fly out of Logan that morning, but luckily his flight was later, so it was cancelled.
I remember being terrified all day. I ended up at the nurse's office toward the afternoon. When we were released, I walked down the hall to where the parents were waiting. Normally the parents were chatting, but that day it was silent and everyone looked terrified.
I don't remember much outside of school, but I do remember staring at my toys on the floor. My friends and I had played with them the previous day, and I thought to myself that we had no idea what was about to happen and how different everything would look a day later."
- Andrea Ray
'What?!'
He told us that we had been attacked on American soil, which meant absolutely nothing to a classroom full of fifth-graders. Then he turned the TV on, just in time to see a plane hit the second tower. We spent the rest of the day watching the news as far as I can recall, although I think they must have turned it off when the news started broadcasting images of people jumping from the windows. One student's father was scheduled to fly out of Logan that morning, but luckily his flight was later, so it was cancelled.
I remember being terrified all day. I ended up at the nurse's office toward the afternoon. When we were released, I walked down the hall to where the parents were waiting. Normally the parents were chatting, but that day it was silent and everyone looked terrified.
I don't remember much outside of school, but I do remember staring at my toys on the floor. My friends and I had played with them the previous day, and I thought to myself that we had no idea what was about to happen and how different everything would look a day later."
- Andrea Ray
18. "I was doing various chores around the house, when I heard on the radio that two airplanes had hit the WTC towers and caused them to collapse. At first I thought it was a hoax, but when I turned on my TV, I knew better. It was a bright, sunny September Tuesday.
Roughly a month later, some friends of mine who lived in NYC, called me to say that a special 40th-year Anniversary screening of my favorite film, West Side Story was being screened on Saturday, October 6th, at NYC's renowned Radio City Music Hall. I was excited and happy. After a bit of a snafu, the tickets were obtained.
Leaving Somerville, MA, shortly before seven that Saturday morning, I drove down to the Big Apple. I met my friends, who lived on Riverside Drive, after taking a livery cab down there, and we went to Radio City Music Hall together. We were briefly searched, and there was a huge line, but we all got in, and got plastic cups and t-shirts with the logo of the film West Side Story on them. Some were given blue shirts, others were given red shirts.
Roughly a month later, some friends of mine who lived in NYC, called me to say that a special 40th-year Anniversary screening of my favorite film, West Side Story was being screened on Saturday, October 6th, at NYC's renowned Radio City Music Hall. I was excited and happy. After a bit of a snafu, the tickets were obtained.
Leaving Somerville, MA, shortly before seven that Saturday morning, I drove down to the Big Apple. I met my friends, who lived on Riverside Drive, after taking a livery cab down there, and we went to Radio City Music Hall together. We were briefly searched, and there was a huge line, but we all got in, and got plastic cups and t-shirts with the logo of the film West Side Story on them. Some were given blue shirts, others were given red shirts.
West Side Story (1961) - "Killed by hate."
|
Radio City Music Hall was filled to capacity. It was an exuberant, friendly crowd, and there was much finger-snapping and applauding after each of the songs. What was really fantastic is that five or six thousand people were able to get together to share a wonderful evening and a spectacular movie, less than a month after the horrific events of September 11th, 2001.
The intensely brilliant Leonard Bernstein musical score seemed even more intense and brilliant. The various characters, ranging from the warring Jets and Sharks to the romancing Tony and Maria, seemed even more vital and alive. The beautifully-choreographed dancing by the late Jerome Robbins seemed even more vital and spectacular, as well. It had been a fantastic evening that I still remember." - Miki Polumbaum |
19. "I was at school in the 6th grade and, to my knowledge, the day was normal. My teachers didn't say a peep and if any parents got their kids I was not aware of it. My grandma picked me up from school as normal and drove me to my tutor's house. On the way, she broke the news.
'There has been a terrorist attack in New York.'
I asked her what a terrorist was. I cant remember her answer, but I understood more as the years went by."
- C. T.
'There has been a terrorist attack in New York.'
I asked her what a terrorist was. I cant remember her answer, but I understood more as the years went by."
- C. T.
20. "It was a gorgeous late summer morning and I was 26 years old, at work in Boston. While walking to the T that morning, I remember noticing the planes from Logan were taking off in our direction. Suddenly, my colleague came running into the office,
'A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center!'
At first I thought he was referring to the small building known as the 'World Trade Center,' in the Seaport area of South Boston and that a plane crashed on approach to the airport.
We ran into our conference room and put the TV on. Of course by then, both planes had crashed. I had a meeting off-site that morning and I called my mother to tell her that I was leaving my office, but that I had my cellphone with me. On my way back to the office, when we got to the Pru station on the Green Line, everyone suddenly started running around the platform. My heart sank, perhaps something had happened at the Pru. It turned out to just be a crazy guy attacking the train driver.
When I got back to the office, we were told to go home. There was some idea that Government Center might be a target because of the FBI office located there, and the City wanted people out of there.
At home, I watched TV non-stop for a week."
- Anonymous
'A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center!'
At first I thought he was referring to the small building known as the 'World Trade Center,' in the Seaport area of South Boston and that a plane crashed on approach to the airport.
We ran into our conference room and put the TV on. Of course by then, both planes had crashed. I had a meeting off-site that morning and I called my mother to tell her that I was leaving my office, but that I had my cellphone with me. On my way back to the office, when we got to the Pru station on the Green Line, everyone suddenly started running around the platform. My heart sank, perhaps something had happened at the Pru. It turned out to just be a crazy guy attacking the train driver.
When I got back to the office, we were told to go home. There was some idea that Government Center might be a target because of the FBI office located there, and the City wanted people out of there.
At home, I watched TV non-stop for a week."
- Anonymous
21. "I was in second grade just outside of Boston, and had just lost a tooth in class. I went to see the school nurse and on my way down to the office, I ran into my dad in the lobby. It was a local election day and the gymnasium was our neighborhoods voting station. He told me that Hebrew school was canceled because some planes had purposely hit the Twin Towers in New York City. Our teachers weren’t talking about it because of our age, I can actually visualize myself blabbing to my other Jewish friends in the bathroom about how and why Hebrew school was canceled. None of them believed me.
My neighbor and classmate had to come home with my twin sister and me because her dad was stuck in NY on business. We sat in front of the TV and watched the news for hours. From the backyard, I saw all kinds of military aircraft flying overhead. Boston being a major city so close by made things obviously pretty tense. A best friend's dad got stuck in traffic and missed his flight from Logan that morning.
That flight was United Airlines 175 - the plane that hit the South Tower."
- Jeb
My neighbor and classmate had to come home with my twin sister and me because her dad was stuck in NY on business. We sat in front of the TV and watched the news for hours. From the backyard, I saw all kinds of military aircraft flying overhead. Boston being a major city so close by made things obviously pretty tense. A best friend's dad got stuck in traffic and missed his flight from Logan that morning.
That flight was United Airlines 175 - the plane that hit the South Tower."
- Jeb
22. "I had just started my second year of graduate school. My mom didn’t have work that morning, and I usually left our house at around 7:45 to catch the city bus to school. All was well when I left home.
I was taking a beginner German class for a requirement. The class was a mixture of all college levels, and I happened to be the oldest person in the class. Class started at 9, the professor had pulled down a projector screen that was showing NBC’s coverage - that’s what greeted me as I walked in.
'What is it...?!'
My professor blinked a moment, then said in her halting English,
'Something has happened in New York.'
She and I kept watching in stunned silence, and I believe the rest of the class started arriving just as the second plane hit. Shock and a lot of silence. The newscasters started talking about where the planes originated, Boston to LA, and I felt sick. I went to undergrad in Boston, and my best friend had moved out to LA. A couple of weeks before, we were seriously talking about my coming out there to visit. That was fine, I said, I might fly up to Boston for a couple of days and then fly out to you. Could I have ended up on one of those planes?
One of the towers eventually fell, and a really 'tough guy' sort freshman suddenly burst into tears.
'We’re at war! And they’re all going to kill us and I don’t understand and WHY?'
The kids that I was closest to in the class looked at me as if I had the answer.
I don’t remember what I said, although afterward they came up and hugged me and told me they felt better. What I was thinking was,
'I am no more than five years older than you. Are my friends up there okay? Are we all in danger here? What is going to happen in our world? Does grad school even matter? How on Earth can I bring meaning to all of this for you?'
I had a shift at the writing center that afternoon. The internet wasn’t as robust then, but I had my Walkman with an FM radio. I spent most of the afternoon with my headphones on, relaying the news reports to fellow grad students and admins/professors passing through.
Ironically enough, my mother worked on a temporary basis for American Airlines. She got laid off shortly afterwards, and I had to leave grad school to help cover our bills."
- W. M.
I was taking a beginner German class for a requirement. The class was a mixture of all college levels, and I happened to be the oldest person in the class. Class started at 9, the professor had pulled down a projector screen that was showing NBC’s coverage - that’s what greeted me as I walked in.
'What is it...?!'
My professor blinked a moment, then said in her halting English,
'Something has happened in New York.'
She and I kept watching in stunned silence, and I believe the rest of the class started arriving just as the second plane hit. Shock and a lot of silence. The newscasters started talking about where the planes originated, Boston to LA, and I felt sick. I went to undergrad in Boston, and my best friend had moved out to LA. A couple of weeks before, we were seriously talking about my coming out there to visit. That was fine, I said, I might fly up to Boston for a couple of days and then fly out to you. Could I have ended up on one of those planes?
One of the towers eventually fell, and a really 'tough guy' sort freshman suddenly burst into tears.
'We’re at war! And they’re all going to kill us and I don’t understand and WHY?'
The kids that I was closest to in the class looked at me as if I had the answer.
I don’t remember what I said, although afterward they came up and hugged me and told me they felt better. What I was thinking was,
'I am no more than five years older than you. Are my friends up there okay? Are we all in danger here? What is going to happen in our world? Does grad school even matter? How on Earth can I bring meaning to all of this for you?'
I had a shift at the writing center that afternoon. The internet wasn’t as robust then, but I had my Walkman with an FM radio. I spent most of the afternoon with my headphones on, relaying the news reports to fellow grad students and admins/professors passing through.
Ironically enough, my mother worked on a temporary basis for American Airlines. She got laid off shortly afterwards, and I had to leave grad school to help cover our bills."
- W. M.
23. "I was 5 years old, at Target with my mom and I remember there was a TV on display that a bunch of people had gathered around. It was news about some towers. I was more interested in the giant lava lamp that was being sold directly next to the TV. We finished shopping and on the way home, my mom very nonchalantly explained that a plane flew into a tower in New York.
I don't remember if my sisters came home from school early or if my mom frantically called people to get them out, but I know little kid me didn't freak out."
- P.
I don't remember if my sisters came home from school early or if my mom frantically called people to get them out, but I know little kid me didn't freak out."
- P.
24. "I was working in Boston with my then girlfriend. Our job let us out at 10: 30 AM and we went straight to lunch so we could watch the news with everyone. Surreal looking back on it. Obviously going to lunch wasn’t the ‘right’ thing to do, but what else can you do? How do you understand the largeness of what is happening around you?"
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
25. My husband and I were living on Revere Beach, right under the flight path for Logan Airport.
My youngest child was finally in daycare, and I took an accounting job downtown. It had the great title of 'assistant controller' which I thought was funny since I didn’t control much except my inbox of bills and expenses. It was a regular Tuesday morning and I was hurrying to work, coming above ground at South Station to walk to my office near the waterfront. In Boston, the World Trade Center is a five story building with 100s of international flags around it, across the harbor from the airport. As I walked, I heard a young man yelling,
'An airplane hit the World Trade Center.'
He must have yelled it four or five times, I could hear his voice fading as I hurried away. I reflexively looked up and thought,
'What an idiot, someone must have crashed a plane near Boston Harbor and hit that poor five story building!'
My youngest child was finally in daycare, and I took an accounting job downtown. It had the great title of 'assistant controller' which I thought was funny since I didn’t control much except my inbox of bills and expenses. It was a regular Tuesday morning and I was hurrying to work, coming above ground at South Station to walk to my office near the waterfront. In Boston, the World Trade Center is a five story building with 100s of international flags around it, across the harbor from the airport. As I walked, I heard a young man yelling,
'An airplane hit the World Trade Center.'
He must have yelled it four or five times, I could hear his voice fading as I hurried away. I reflexively looked up and thought,
'What an idiot, someone must have crashed a plane near Boston Harbor and hit that poor five story building!'
I shook my head, and nearly forgot about it. I was at my desk five minutes after that and had just heard a radio in our conference room. Someone found a TV with an antenna that worked and we watched the aftermath of the first crash. Then, in shock, we watched the second tower get hit - live! There was dead silence in the room. I wanted to cry. Coworkers were in disbelief. All those people…. The towers hadn’t fallen yet, and we were thinking of the passengers.
I called my husband who worked four blocks away from me. He was being sent home and said the planes had both left Logan Airport here in Boston, all the tall buildings downtown were being evacuated. My whole company was gathered watching the TV by the time he made it to my work. We were scared.
I had family in western Pennsylvania and quickly went to my desk, using a landline, to my mom after I found out about Flight 93. She answered cheerfully, saying they had been out in the yard. The plane crashed about 100 miles south of her, but at the time we didn’t know the exact location.
'Mom, have you heard any explosions?'
She thought I was kidding.
'Look, we’re all safe in Boston. Four planes took off, from our airport and have crashed, get inside, and turn on the television. I’m glad you’re okay. I'll call you later. Love you, bye.'
I was crying by then. The news was starting to report all the dead passengers and many were from the nearby area.
My life changed, forever after that day. I was transferred to a government contract job in Cambridge where I worked with a team of first responders from all over the nation, giving safety talks on how government agencies should work together during times of natural disaster - or other 'irregular operations.'
We took lessons from the lack of communication in NYC between the police and fire departments - and asked transportation agencies to plan ahead. We called for preparation plans so people weren’t trapped again, in NYC or DC, in a fearful situation, unable to get home.
Years later, when my job moved again to working at Logan Airport. I felt the memories of the past.
New protocols were put in place, at all airports.
Everything changed.
There was really a time before TSA.
My kids only know about 9/11/01 because of stories we tell. Please, tell them."
- Yvette Hardie
I called my husband who worked four blocks away from me. He was being sent home and said the planes had both left Logan Airport here in Boston, all the tall buildings downtown were being evacuated. My whole company was gathered watching the TV by the time he made it to my work. We were scared.
I had family in western Pennsylvania and quickly went to my desk, using a landline, to my mom after I found out about Flight 93. She answered cheerfully, saying they had been out in the yard. The plane crashed about 100 miles south of her, but at the time we didn’t know the exact location.
'Mom, have you heard any explosions?'
She thought I was kidding.
'Look, we’re all safe in Boston. Four planes took off, from our airport and have crashed, get inside, and turn on the television. I’m glad you’re okay. I'll call you later. Love you, bye.'
I was crying by then. The news was starting to report all the dead passengers and many were from the nearby area.
My life changed, forever after that day. I was transferred to a government contract job in Cambridge where I worked with a team of first responders from all over the nation, giving safety talks on how government agencies should work together during times of natural disaster - or other 'irregular operations.'
We took lessons from the lack of communication in NYC between the police and fire departments - and asked transportation agencies to plan ahead. We called for preparation plans so people weren’t trapped again, in NYC or DC, in a fearful situation, unable to get home.
Years later, when my job moved again to working at Logan Airport. I felt the memories of the past.
New protocols were put in place, at all airports.
Everything changed.
There was really a time before TSA.
My kids only know about 9/11/01 because of stories we tell. Please, tell them."
- Yvette Hardie
26. "I was in college at UMASS Amherst on 9/11. My father was a financial planner at Morgan Stanly but he lived in Sarasota FL. He was in NYC that day taking his series 22 exam to be able to trade. As I left my 8 am class, we heard news of the first plane hitting the north tower. I went to the student union to see the story. I remembered that my dad was there and called my younger brother in Florida. He had not heard from him. As we watched, the other plane hit the south tower.
I got dizzy, tunnel vision... I realized my dad was in one of those building and I may have just witnessed his murder. I had no one to call, there was nothing I could do. I got on the bus and went home.
I finally heard from my brother about an hour later, he was ok. My dad lost all of his things in the building including his wallet. He went to a bodega, got a fake ID with all of his correct information, rented a car, and drove home with two coworkers. He went on to raise enough money to purchase multiple sets of Jaws of Life for local fire departments.
He was later diagnosed with fibrosis in his lungs from that day. It changed to cancer and he died in 2017.
His name was Alan H. Silva and he was my dad."
- Adrienne Silva
I got dizzy, tunnel vision... I realized my dad was in one of those building and I may have just witnessed his murder. I had no one to call, there was nothing I could do. I got on the bus and went home.
I finally heard from my brother about an hour later, he was ok. My dad lost all of his things in the building including his wallet. He went to a bodega, got a fake ID with all of his correct information, rented a car, and drove home with two coworkers. He went on to raise enough money to purchase multiple sets of Jaws of Life for local fire departments.
He was later diagnosed with fibrosis in his lungs from that day. It changed to cancer and he died in 2017.
His name was Alan H. Silva and he was my dad."
- Adrienne Silva
27. "I was in the first grade and walking the hallway to go to the bathroom. When news broke, I knew something was wrong because the hallway was empty and the classrooms were quiet. A teacher grabbed my arm, picked me up, and escorted me into her empty classroom, we both hid in the closet as she was afraid of something. She only told me we were on lockdown, nothing more.
Buses quickly came, and crying parents collected their kids. My mother being one of them. She wouldn’t tell me what happened and instead gave me my Gameboy to distract me. We got home, and we all hid in the basement. At the time, no one knew where or when the next attacks were going to occur, so everyone hid in fear. I did not attend school for the rest of the week.
My mother spoke in Spanish to her family, friends, and coworkers on the phone. Talking about the incident. I didn’t know enough Spanish then to keep up but I could translate the words plain, death, and crash. I was not allowed to visit the internet during this time. There was a new feeling in the pit of my stomach that even today I cannot describe. It’s deeper than fear but also had a nausea to it. I knew something dark happened, but I had no confirmation that anything occurred, so there was a dose of doubt. My feelings fluctuated between confusion and fear.
When I returned to school, all the kids returned to their normal everyday routine as if nothing happened. We were too young and too shielded to process such things, and thus I was taught about 9/11 year after year, learning more and more about the event on an annual basis when I was at an age to understand the magnitude of that day. I cried about it in 2006 when I watched dramatizations of that day for an assembly, because now I had a better grasp of what terrorism meant. My generation will always have a distinct memory of that day because it occurred during our fundamental stages of life. Today I work in schools, and we do give a moment of silence on 9/11, but it begins at 7:55am and ends at 7:56am. The kids now don’t think about it all day, the news doesn’t spend significant time on coverage anymore, the channels don’t broadcast dramatizations like they used to, and we don’t have extensive conversations about what took place that day like I had once a year.
Is that for better or worse? You’ll have to ask me in another 20 years. What was stamped onto my life is no longer stamped on the next generation. I can only hope it’s a step in the right direction."
- Anonymous
Buses quickly came, and crying parents collected their kids. My mother being one of them. She wouldn’t tell me what happened and instead gave me my Gameboy to distract me. We got home, and we all hid in the basement. At the time, no one knew where or when the next attacks were going to occur, so everyone hid in fear. I did not attend school for the rest of the week.
My mother spoke in Spanish to her family, friends, and coworkers on the phone. Talking about the incident. I didn’t know enough Spanish then to keep up but I could translate the words plain, death, and crash. I was not allowed to visit the internet during this time. There was a new feeling in the pit of my stomach that even today I cannot describe. It’s deeper than fear but also had a nausea to it. I knew something dark happened, but I had no confirmation that anything occurred, so there was a dose of doubt. My feelings fluctuated between confusion and fear.
When I returned to school, all the kids returned to their normal everyday routine as if nothing happened. We were too young and too shielded to process such things, and thus I was taught about 9/11 year after year, learning more and more about the event on an annual basis when I was at an age to understand the magnitude of that day. I cried about it in 2006 when I watched dramatizations of that day for an assembly, because now I had a better grasp of what terrorism meant. My generation will always have a distinct memory of that day because it occurred during our fundamental stages of life. Today I work in schools, and we do give a moment of silence on 9/11, but it begins at 7:55am and ends at 7:56am. The kids now don’t think about it all day, the news doesn’t spend significant time on coverage anymore, the channels don’t broadcast dramatizations like they used to, and we don’t have extensive conversations about what took place that day like I had once a year.
Is that for better or worse? You’ll have to ask me in another 20 years. What was stamped onto my life is no longer stamped on the next generation. I can only hope it’s a step in the right direction."
- Anonymous