MONTANA
"Where were you on 9/11?" as remembered by those in Montana that day.
A hiker remembers his days in the wilderness, unaware of the terror the world had experienced.
1. "On 9/7 I drove from Eugene, Oregon to Missoula, Montana to stay the night before meeting up the next day at the Glacier National Park Ranger station with four others joining me on a five night-six day permitted loop hike through the Park.
On 9/11 we were sitting around our back-country camp for the evening, just relaxing in all that natural beauty when we heard what sounded like a woman in distress off in the distance. Our eyes followed the sound to a switchback trail up the mountain and with the aid of binoculars we could see a woman who was raggedly walking down the trail. We started walking towards her to see if she needed assistance, but she was mumbling trying to form her words. Her eyes were wild and I could tell she’d been crying quite a lot as tear streaks cut through the dust on her face.
On 9/11 we were sitting around our back-country camp for the evening, just relaxing in all that natural beauty when we heard what sounded like a woman in distress off in the distance. Our eyes followed the sound to a switchback trail up the mountain and with the aid of binoculars we could see a woman who was raggedly walking down the trail. We started walking towards her to see if she needed assistance, but she was mumbling trying to form her words. Her eyes were wild and I could tell she’d been crying quite a lot as tear streaks cut through the dust on her face.
She continued walking into the center of our camp where she then collapsed on the ground still wearing her heavy backpack. This is when she told us that America was under attack and tens of thousands are suspected dead in NYC, she had stopped at a back-country ranger station earlier in the day and heard the news over the rangers radio. We had a lot of questions she didn't have answers to.
None of us slept that night. Cell phones didn’t work out there so we had no way contact family of friends for more information. We had two more nights on the trail before reaching our vehicle. The mood of our group was altered drastically by the news, some were upset that the woman had even shared this info with us. Where once we were relaxing in the middle of absolute majestic mountains enjoying being disconnected from the world, we now were filled with anxiety of war and fear for friends and family who lived and worked on the East Coast.
We noticed right away that there were no longer airplanes flying overhead. We had commented on our first day of hiking that no matter how far into the back-country we went we could still be reminded of civilization due to airplanes. Now there were none, and the sky was eerily quiet.
We walked out of the forest into a changed America."
- L. D.
None of us slept that night. Cell phones didn’t work out there so we had no way contact family of friends for more information. We had two more nights on the trail before reaching our vehicle. The mood of our group was altered drastically by the news, some were upset that the woman had even shared this info with us. Where once we were relaxing in the middle of absolute majestic mountains enjoying being disconnected from the world, we now were filled with anxiety of war and fear for friends and family who lived and worked on the East Coast.
We noticed right away that there were no longer airplanes flying overhead. We had commented on our first day of hiking that no matter how far into the back-country we went we could still be reminded of civilization due to airplanes. Now there were none, and the sky was eerily quiet.
We walked out of the forest into a changed America."
- L. D.
Written Stories
2. "I was the airport director of Gallatin Field (now Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport) which is about an hour out from Big Sky Resort where the nation's emergency managers were holding a conference.
On 9/11, all of the response was here and it started here. We were tasked with getting the emergency responders back east and became one of the busiest airports in the nation at that point. I’m sure it was very difficult for them, all of them didn’t want to be here. They wanted to be there handling it. Everybody, including myself, was in shock, but we had a job to do." - Brian Sprenger |
3. "I graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in history in spring of 2001. My focus was Middle Eastern history and diplomacy. I took Arabic and hoped to join the state department after graduation and I took the foreign service exam and passed.
In August I flew to San Francisco for my interview and just missed out on getting hired. They told me to try again in a year or two and in the meantime beef up my resume.
A month later as my husband (also a history major) and I watched the towers falling, he said,
“You aren’t going to reapply to the state department, are you?”
Four years of college spent training for this opportunity and, as I saw the devastation...
I wanted no part in it.
I never used my degree. Currently I’m working for Apple. I don’t regret my degree, but as I do mourn the career that never was."
- Jamie Lawrence
In August I flew to San Francisco for my interview and just missed out on getting hired. They told me to try again in a year or two and in the meantime beef up my resume.
A month later as my husband (also a history major) and I watched the towers falling, he said,
“You aren’t going to reapply to the state department, are you?”
Four years of college spent training for this opportunity and, as I saw the devastation...
I wanted no part in it.
I never used my degree. Currently I’m working for Apple. I don’t regret my degree, but as I do mourn the career that never was."
- Jamie Lawrence
4. "Arrived to middle school to be shuffled into the gym where we all sat and watched the news... Hardly understanding what was happening."
- E. I.
- E. I.
5. "I was at home sleeping when my mom called me and told me.
The thing I remember most is from the next day- I went to Walmart and when I was leaving, a solitary plane flew far above the store and people ran outside to watch it. Cars started pulling over on the highway and the drivers were getting out to watch."
- O. U.
The thing I remember most is from the next day- I went to Walmart and when I was leaving, a solitary plane flew far above the store and people ran outside to watch it. Cars started pulling over on the highway and the drivers were getting out to watch."
- O. U.
6. "I was in 5th grade. I remember doing class stuff and suddenly our teacher shot up from her desk and turned on the TV. I think most of us where just confused. We were still a little too young to realize the weight of what we where seeing. I remember being upset by seeing people crying and hurt.
I didn’t understand what was going on, but I understood that a lot of people where being hurt."
- O. K.
I didn’t understand what was going on, but I understood that a lot of people where being hurt."
- O. K.
7. "I was in second grade, in Helena. Our class was shuffled into the next classroom, they stayed in their seats and the rest of us sat on the floor between desks. The teacher rolled the TV to the front of the room. During all of this it was quiet, the teacher's all looked extremely worried. They turned on the TV and we watched the plane hit the towers.
We didn't understand how grave it all was, just that it was very bad, and the teachers were doing their very best to stay calm and collected during this."
- V. R.
We didn't understand how grave it all was, just that it was very bad, and the teachers were doing their very best to stay calm and collected during this."
- V. R.
8. "I was sleeping, it was 7:30 in the morning. My sister phoned and woke me up,
'Sorry to wake you, but I think this might be important. Turn your TV on.'
I saw two skyscrapers in New York on fire and then a rerun clip of a huge explosion in one of the buildings. I said,
'There's an explosion, what is this?'
'It's the Twin Towers in New York City, they got hit by airplanes.'
I wondered how will they ever fight a fire that high up. I could not grasp what was happening. I've lived around airports and air bases all my life and just could not accept two airplanes separately having accidents in the same place. I kept scurrying around in my mind for any other explanation that could make any sense. Once I finally grasped the truth, I started thinking about where could we all go to escape an invasion.
I became quite terrified for awhile."
- B. A.
'Sorry to wake you, but I think this might be important. Turn your TV on.'
I saw two skyscrapers in New York on fire and then a rerun clip of a huge explosion in one of the buildings. I said,
'There's an explosion, what is this?'
'It's the Twin Towers in New York City, they got hit by airplanes.'
I wondered how will they ever fight a fire that high up. I could not grasp what was happening. I've lived around airports and air bases all my life and just could not accept two airplanes separately having accidents in the same place. I kept scurrying around in my mind for any other explanation that could make any sense. Once I finally grasped the truth, I started thinking about where could we all go to escape an invasion.
I became quite terrified for awhile."
- B. A.
9. "I was a senior in high school on 9/11. The previous summer, I was going through BASIC training for the Army Reserves.
I joined in peace time to help pay for school and all of a sudden I found myself afraid we were going to war and that I would be called up not to perform the job i signed up for, but to be plunked right into an infantry unit full time.
I had already signed the papers,
I had gone through basic training,
I was 'fresh meat.'
After hearing the news about the attacks, I shut down. I was a zombie that day. A group of friends showed up at my door after school to make sure I was okay. I wasn't but I appreciated them and their support."
- Nicholas Bishop
I joined in peace time to help pay for school and all of a sudden I found myself afraid we were going to war and that I would be called up not to perform the job i signed up for, but to be plunked right into an infantry unit full time.
I had already signed the papers,
I had gone through basic training,
I was 'fresh meat.'
After hearing the news about the attacks, I shut down. I was a zombie that day. A group of friends showed up at my door after school to make sure I was okay. I wasn't but I appreciated them and their support."
- Nicholas Bishop
10. "I was in sixth grade, and remember it being on TV and watching with my parents before going to school.
Went to school and in homeroom we continued watching, I believe that is around the time the first tower fell. I think that was when it hit most of us how extreme and different this whole thing was. Most of the rest of the day is a blur aside from one part, I had third period art and at that time my art teacher was one of two teachers I really liked. Her husband was on a flight on the east coast and she was a wreck. She tried to continue our lessons between sobs.
That was the only class we didn't watch the news in that day."
- Zack Gray
Went to school and in homeroom we continued watching, I believe that is around the time the first tower fell. I think that was when it hit most of us how extreme and different this whole thing was. Most of the rest of the day is a blur aside from one part, I had third period art and at that time my art teacher was one of two teachers I really liked. Her husband was on a flight on the east coast and she was a wreck. She tried to continue our lessons between sobs.
That was the only class we didn't watch the news in that day."
- Zack Gray