NEW MEXICO
"Where were you on 9/11?" as remembered by those in New Mexico that day.
A band student remembers practicing on their New Mexico high school field as 9/11 was happening.
1. "Early morning marching band practice. We were all goofing off a bit until the director stopped us, yelling,
'You all think you have problems?! A plane just flew into the World Trade Center.'
We all looked at each other, not really understanding what he had just said. He then continued one of the hardest morning rehearsals I ever experienced. The bell rang and I walked into French class, still confused. Thankfully, my French teacher turned the TV on. We all discussed what we were seeing and/or sat in contemplation that entire period."
- T. L.
'You all think you have problems?! A plane just flew into the World Trade Center.'
We all looked at each other, not really understanding what he had just said. He then continued one of the hardest morning rehearsals I ever experienced. The bell rang and I walked into French class, still confused. Thankfully, my French teacher turned the TV on. We all discussed what we were seeing and/or sat in contemplation that entire period."
- T. L.
Written Stories
2. "I was 10 years old in a 5th/6th grade combined public school class in Santa Fe. My teacher got called out of class first thing in the morning, and as middle school kids usually do when adult supervision leaves the room everyone went ape-sh*t. She was gone for about 45 minutes and when she came back inside she was sobbing.
The class went from 100-0 pretty quickly.
She wouldn’t tell us what had happened just that we were to pack our things and be quiet while they wait to dismiss us to our buses to go home. They told us when walking the hall to be very quiet and respectful and they tried to impress upon us how important it was that we were to go straight home and wait for our parents. There was a lot of speculation that Los Alamos National Labs would be targeted and they weren’t sure of our state's safety.
When I got home that day around 10-11 am and my Mom was home I was so confused!
“What the heck?! Why didn’t you come get me?”
She was just sorta sad and quiet, but not crying. My mom had previously worked in DC and knew people who worked in the Pentagon. I remember watching A LOT of TV in the next couple days. Back and forth between cartoons and VH1 with their non stop music videos and scrolling text of people looking for their loved ones or saying how much they loved America.
About two weeks after it happened my mom had a scare where a guy was following her home. She said she thought it was one of her old co-workers trying the flag her down to tell her a co-worker had died in the Pentagon attack."
- Arlana Murphy
The class went from 100-0 pretty quickly.
She wouldn’t tell us what had happened just that we were to pack our things and be quiet while they wait to dismiss us to our buses to go home. They told us when walking the hall to be very quiet and respectful and they tried to impress upon us how important it was that we were to go straight home and wait for our parents. There was a lot of speculation that Los Alamos National Labs would be targeted and they weren’t sure of our state's safety.
When I got home that day around 10-11 am and my Mom was home I was so confused!
“What the heck?! Why didn’t you come get me?”
She was just sorta sad and quiet, but not crying. My mom had previously worked in DC and knew people who worked in the Pentagon. I remember watching A LOT of TV in the next couple days. Back and forth between cartoons and VH1 with their non stop music videos and scrolling text of people looking for their loved ones or saying how much they loved America.
About two weeks after it happened my mom had a scare where a guy was following her home. She said she thought it was one of her old co-workers trying the flag her down to tell her a co-worker had died in the Pentagon attack."
- Arlana Murphy
3. "It was in the 1st grade in Los Alamos, at home from school that morning with an upset stomach. I was sitting at the table, eating a box of Kellog's Special K. I remember how blue the sky was and that it was getting a bit nippy as summer wound down. The doorbell rang.
When I finished up the cereal, I went to the front door where my mom was talking. They sounded very scared, talking about how the US had been attacked and that planes were crashing into buildings in New York City.
No one knew how many planes there were.
No one knew which places would be struck next.
I'd been on planes before and I know what they looked like up close. For the rest of the day, I thought about one coming down out of that bright September morning onto this quiet street and everything burning.
The next day, I think I finally understood what happened when the newspaper sat on the kitchen table. There was an american flag on a long piece of newsprint. For about a year, I marched around the yard with that flag taped to the end of a stick."
- Florence Kubic
When I finished up the cereal, I went to the front door where my mom was talking. They sounded very scared, talking about how the US had been attacked and that planes were crashing into buildings in New York City.
No one knew how many planes there were.
No one knew which places would be struck next.
I'd been on planes before and I know what they looked like up close. For the rest of the day, I thought about one coming down out of that bright September morning onto this quiet street and everything burning.
The next day, I think I finally understood what happened when the newspaper sat on the kitchen table. There was an american flag on a long piece of newsprint. For about a year, I marched around the yard with that flag taped to the end of a stick."
- Florence Kubic
4. "I was four years old on September 11th. My morning routine began as it always did, my mother put cartoons on while she fixed my breakfast. I recall sitting on the floor in front of our small TV, waiting for Clifford or Arthur or whatever PBS program was in store for me, only to be met with images I didn't quite understand. I could only assume it was a news broadcast of some kind which my child brain dismissed as 'grown-up tv', but I remember the fire and I remember my mom acting strangely. She assumed it was a movie or something at first, until she changed the channel and saw that it was on every one.
That's when the second plane hit. I don't remember much of what happened next, but I will never forget that fireball. She gave me my breakfast, called my dad at work, and the rest is history. It wasn't until much later that I realized the magnitude of what I had witnessed, but even before then the event had left a mark on me.
I raised concern in first grade because I was drawing the towers on fire in my notebook, I got to talk to the counselor about it and everything. I never connected any strong emotions to it at the time, I only drew what I remembered. When I talk to people around my age, many of them say that they can't remember 9/11 at all. I certainly remember. If I'm lucky enough to live to any extended age, I wonder if I may someday be one of the last people who remembers 9/11 from firsthand experience.
It's a chilly feeling."
- Ian Girdner
That's when the second plane hit. I don't remember much of what happened next, but I will never forget that fireball. She gave me my breakfast, called my dad at work, and the rest is history. It wasn't until much later that I realized the magnitude of what I had witnessed, but even before then the event had left a mark on me.
I raised concern in first grade because I was drawing the towers on fire in my notebook, I got to talk to the counselor about it and everything. I never connected any strong emotions to it at the time, I only drew what I remembered. When I talk to people around my age, many of them say that they can't remember 9/11 at all. I certainly remember. If I'm lucky enough to live to any extended age, I wonder if I may someday be one of the last people who remembers 9/11 from firsthand experience.
It's a chilly feeling."
- Ian Girdner
5. "We had marching band, and were called to Troop earlier than usual. We made it to Troop Circle, where our band director did announcements and reminders before we were allowed to pack up and go to our next class. Standing there at attention, our band director told us that two planes had flown into the Twin Towers. We were dismissed and rushed to put our instruments away.
The TVs were on, we watched the recorded video of the towers being hit. People were crying. Someone near me started quoting Revelation, another one said,
'This is the beginning of the end.'
Most teachers gave up on trying to teach anything for the rest of my day, but my chemistry teacher insisted on having class like nothing happened. Everyone was mad at her.
American flags began popping up everywhere. In windows, on chalkboards, pinned to backpacks."
- Anonymous
The TVs were on, we watched the recorded video of the towers being hit. People were crying. Someone near me started quoting Revelation, another one said,
'This is the beginning of the end.'
Most teachers gave up on trying to teach anything for the rest of my day, but my chemistry teacher insisted on having class like nothing happened. Everyone was mad at her.
American flags began popping up everywhere. In windows, on chalkboards, pinned to backpacks."
- Anonymous
6. "I was on my morning commute to Rio Rancho and had just pulled out of the driveway when my wife came running out of the house.
'Turn on the radio, something is happening!'
I put on NPR.
I was on Alemeda at a light when the second plane hit. Me and the car next to me sat through the light in shock. It was like a dream. I kept thinking I’d wake up, but never did.
I got into the office and everyone was gathered around a radio. No one was working or even talking much.
We all left at about 11 that morning.
I didn’t see the videos until I got home."
- Anonymous
'Turn on the radio, something is happening!'
I put on NPR.
I was on Alemeda at a light when the second plane hit. Me and the car next to me sat through the light in shock. It was like a dream. I kept thinking I’d wake up, but never did.
I got into the office and everyone was gathered around a radio. No one was working or even talking much.
We all left at about 11 that morning.
I didn’t see the videos until I got home."
- Anonymous
7. "I was in a sign shop in Santa Fe when the first video came on screen. I laughed and said,
'That’s terrible!'
I thought it was some disaster movie review. Later, I found out it was real and felt like an insensitive jerk."
- G. D.
'That’s terrible!'
I thought it was some disaster movie review. Later, I found out it was real and felt like an insensitive jerk."
- G. D.
8. "I was working at the New Mexico Boys' School as a case manager, driving from Springer to Albuquerque to attend a juvenile parole board hearing with a youth and correctional officer. We listened to it on the radio, and then watched the videos during lunch at Pizza Hut in Santa Fe.
I remember the CO telling me he didn't understand how the pilots could do that, and I told him that the pilots were most likely killed and the planes taken over (at the time all the info we had was that planes had hit the towers) by someone.
He could not wrap his mind around someone willingly doing that, and we had quite the discussion about fanaticism. We listened to the radio for updates the rest of the way back. Springer is about a three hour trip one way to Albuquerque.
It was a very quiet ride."
- Steven Brooks
I remember the CO telling me he didn't understand how the pilots could do that, and I told him that the pilots were most likely killed and the planes taken over (at the time all the info we had was that planes had hit the towers) by someone.
He could not wrap his mind around someone willingly doing that, and we had quite the discussion about fanaticism. We listened to the radio for updates the rest of the way back. Springer is about a three hour trip one way to Albuquerque.
It was a very quiet ride."
- Steven Brooks
9. "I was working at HP and around six months pregnant. Suddenly, I started getting email news alerts that planes were hitting buildings. I tried to get to news sites to find out more but they were all too busy, so I ended up on slashdot.com. Slashdot had an ongoing feed with continual information, which I stayed clued to most of the day.
I was pretty emotional. My very thoughtful sister called and told me that being emotional was perfectly normal and not just pregnancy hormones. The rest of the day was spent watching the clock until I could pick my daughter up, hug her, and know she was okay. I didn't want to worry her by getting her early and there was no reason why she wouldn't be okay, but I just really wanted to see her."
- Anonymous
I was pretty emotional. My very thoughtful sister called and told me that being emotional was perfectly normal and not just pregnancy hormones. The rest of the day was spent watching the clock until I could pick my daughter up, hug her, and know she was okay. I didn't want to worry her by getting her early and there was no reason why she wouldn't be okay, but I just really wanted to see her."
- Anonymous
11. "My Army unit was doing its weapons qualification at McGregor Range (Otero County) outside of Ft. Bliss. When it happened, our M16 range was ordered to go cold and to lower our Red flag which meant no firing and all soldiers had to be 'shook down' to make sure no rounds left the range. Everything came to a halt and, because some soldiers had snuck their cell phones onto the range, rumors started to spread that our country was under attack. I was one of my unit's armorers, so we were instructed to collect and inventory all remaining ammo and begin loading magazines for possible reissue. After a few hours, we were briefed on what was going on and that Ft. Bliss had locked down. They closed all gates and we had to wait where we were until further notice. We didn't get back on post until about 11pm and it was then that we first watched a news recording of the attack on the Twin Towers."
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
12. "I was in Las Cruces, driving to the airport in El Paso because I had just signed with the Airforce on the Friday before.
My dad had tried to get me to joined the military for years, and I always told him.
'The day I join is the day a war breaks out.'
Guess I was right."
- Anonymous
My dad had tried to get me to joined the military for years, and I always told him.
'The day I join is the day a war breaks out.'
Guess I was right."
- Anonymous
13. "I was living on White Sands Middle Range and remember air raid sirens going off as I walked to school. Class started with the teacher asking a bunch of us 6th graders,
'What’s the most important thing that’s happened today?'
No one answered that the twin towers had been attacked and she eventually turned on Channel 1 news for us to watch.
We were all shook.
Immediately after the news ended, our parents were called and we were told to head home immediately if we could. Everything felt like a movie and it was possibly the most somber day of my life."
- R. R.
'What’s the most important thing that’s happened today?'
No one answered that the twin towers had been attacked and she eventually turned on Channel 1 news for us to watch.
We were all shook.
Immediately after the news ended, our parents were called and we were told to head home immediately if we could. Everything felt like a movie and it was possibly the most somber day of my life."
- R. R.