NORTH DAKOTA
"Where were you on 9/11?" as remembered by those in North Dakota that day.
A North Dakota Marine recruit remembers how September 11th quickly started his career in the Corps.
1. "I had enlisted in the marine corps after graduating in May and was set to go to boot camp in November. I was getting ready for work when I was watching the news and saw both reports of the planes hitting the Twin Towers.
I got a phone call the next day from my recruiter asking if I could go to boot camp early."
- A. N.
I got a phone call the next day from my recruiter asking if I could go to boot camp early."
- A. N.
Written Stories
2. "I was getting ready for my job as an assistant manager at a music store . My work day started at 9 am and typically I would turn on the television while I had breakfast to catch up with the news, but I had slightly overslept so in a rush I never even turned the television on.
As I walked up to the mall I passed one of the maintenance guys in the parking lot and I remember just trying to brush him off so I wouldn’t be late. I don’t remember his exact words other than,
“You have a TV in your back room, right? Just turn it on.”
I went to the back room and they were just replaying the second tower falling. It was a surreal day.
As I walked up to the mall I passed one of the maintenance guys in the parking lot and I remember just trying to brush him off so I wouldn’t be late. I don’t remember his exact words other than,
“You have a TV in your back room, right? Just turn it on.”
I went to the back room and they were just replaying the second tower falling. It was a surreal day.
The store was still busy as it was a Tuesday and new release day even though the mall was rather empty. I remember one bizarre release that day by the band Dream Theater titled “Live Scenes From New York”. The CD cover featured an apple with the NYC skyline atop it engulfed in flames. We were ordered to remove them from shelves and not sell any or we would be terminated.
Our third key holder was frantic all day and kept suggesting we needed to close the store and the mall should be shut down. After work I remember having to wait in line for 45 minutes to fill gas.
That evening my girlfriend and I just sat in front of the TV the rest of the night watching the reports. One crazy coincidence was I had a dream that my girlfriend and I were staying in NYC and our hotel had a glass ceiling. We could see through and there were five planes circling it."
- N. R.
Our third key holder was frantic all day and kept suggesting we needed to close the store and the mall should be shut down. After work I remember having to wait in line for 45 minutes to fill gas.
That evening my girlfriend and I just sat in front of the TV the rest of the night watching the reports. One crazy coincidence was I had a dream that my girlfriend and I were staying in NYC and our hotel had a glass ceiling. We could see through and there were five planes circling it."
- N. R.
3. "I was sitting in 10th grade English class. After we heard about the first plane, a TV cart was wheeled in and we all watched in horror as a second plane hit.
The two gas stations in our towns were filled with lines of vehicles as gas prices kept climbing. It was hysteria"
- S. K.
The two gas stations in our towns were filled with lines of vehicles as gas prices kept climbing. It was hysteria"
- S. K.
4. "I was a senior in high school, I remember walking into school that day and feeling like something was off as I entered the common room. I turned the corner and had to stop. It was almost dead silent in this room the size of a gym. Everyone was looking at the TVs mounted on the walls. I looked up at one and thought it was weird they were playing an action movie at school. It didn't take long to realize this was happening in real time.
We watched the news in classes throughout the day and everyone was pretty somber. What sticks with me the most was that feeling of unreality during the morning. I don't know if I've felt anything like it since."
- B. W.
We watched the news in classes throughout the day and everyone was pretty somber. What sticks with me the most was that feeling of unreality during the morning. I don't know if I've felt anything like it since."
- B. W.
5. "I was listening to the news on the radio in my car while driving to school, like I always did, and they were talking about how a plane just flew into the World Trade Center. I thought it was odd, got to school and went to sit in my first class to finish up some homework due later that day. A bunch of my friends came in about 15 mins later and were talking about it.
'Oh yeah, I heard that one flew into the building on my way here.'
'Dude, there was another one like 10 minutes ago.'
The second tower got hit just after I got to the classroom. I finished my homework and class started, we talked about it for a couple minutes, then the teacher began her lesson. About 30 seconds into the lesson the principal comes over the intercom and says that the Pentagon just had a plane fly into it and that they will have a TV set up in the library for those wishing to watch the news. My teacher said that we will go watch the news when she is done with her lesson in roughly 20 minutes.
Once the lesson finished, we walked around the corner into the library and about 20 seconds after getting in to watch, my class saw the south tower collapse on live TV. The commotion in the library drew the attention of other classes and they came in also to see what was going on. As our period was about to end, around 150 of us were in the library watching the north tower collapse. Every period after that, most of the school would pile into our tiny library after our lesson was done. That afternoon, my genetics teacher said the one thing from that day that I will remember verbatim,
'I feel so incredibly sad for you guys. You just witnessed the last minutes of your life that were without war.'
All these years later, he still stands correct."
- J. D.
'Oh yeah, I heard that one flew into the building on my way here.'
'Dude, there was another one like 10 minutes ago.'
The second tower got hit just after I got to the classroom. I finished my homework and class started, we talked about it for a couple minutes, then the teacher began her lesson. About 30 seconds into the lesson the principal comes over the intercom and says that the Pentagon just had a plane fly into it and that they will have a TV set up in the library for those wishing to watch the news. My teacher said that we will go watch the news when she is done with her lesson in roughly 20 minutes.
Once the lesson finished, we walked around the corner into the library and about 20 seconds after getting in to watch, my class saw the south tower collapse on live TV. The commotion in the library drew the attention of other classes and they came in also to see what was going on. As our period was about to end, around 150 of us were in the library watching the north tower collapse. Every period after that, most of the school would pile into our tiny library after our lesson was done. That afternoon, my genetics teacher said the one thing from that day that I will remember verbatim,
'I feel so incredibly sad for you guys. You just witnessed the last minutes of your life that were without war.'
All these years later, he still stands correct."
- J. D.
6. "I was a high school sophomore. In our school everyone would come in to the home room in the mornings for attendance, announcements, gossip, and such. Our home room teacher was a big Today Show fan so we would watch the Today Show while everyone did their thing. On 9/11, I walked into the class room and it was different. It wasn't dead quiet but I instantly knew something wasn't right. Everyone was watching the Today Show.
When I asked what was up someone told me that a plane flew into the WTC. Before 9/11, there was a major controversy of airline pilots that were getting busted flying while intoxicated. Because of that (and to my permanent shame as an American) I assumed a little Cesna or similar plane was piloted by a drunk and it crashed into the WTC and I laughed. I didn't know the severity of the situation. I'm so sorry.
I sat down and was watching this all unfold. We're speculating on what happened, how it happened, how they're going to fix the building, you know how it goes. And then I saw the second tower hit. I'll never forget that moment for the rest of my life. This was no accident. What was happening?
The reports of people jumping out of buildings, the people on the street watching, it was like a movie or a bad dream.
From when the first tower fell until September 12th, it was all a blur - that is, no specific memories but just the feeling of, 'Now what.'
We had twin sisters in my grade who's dad was flying from Algeria to the US on 9/11. Of course they couldn't get a hold of him and we were all scared because they were already speculating that it was an Islamic Extremist attack since they hit the WTC before. They eventually did get in contact with their dad and he was fine but he was stuck for a bit.
I was just another kid that watched it from far away. I don't know why this time of year is always hard for me. I didn't lose anyone. I didn't know anyone killed or wounded. I think maybe that's collective trauma or whatever they call it. During the summer between my junior and senior year I enlisted in the Marine Corps with 9/11 being my big reason for joining."
- Eric
When I asked what was up someone told me that a plane flew into the WTC. Before 9/11, there was a major controversy of airline pilots that were getting busted flying while intoxicated. Because of that (and to my permanent shame as an American) I assumed a little Cesna or similar plane was piloted by a drunk and it crashed into the WTC and I laughed. I didn't know the severity of the situation. I'm so sorry.
I sat down and was watching this all unfold. We're speculating on what happened, how it happened, how they're going to fix the building, you know how it goes. And then I saw the second tower hit. I'll never forget that moment for the rest of my life. This was no accident. What was happening?
The reports of people jumping out of buildings, the people on the street watching, it was like a movie or a bad dream.
From when the first tower fell until September 12th, it was all a blur - that is, no specific memories but just the feeling of, 'Now what.'
We had twin sisters in my grade who's dad was flying from Algeria to the US on 9/11. Of course they couldn't get a hold of him and we were all scared because they were already speculating that it was an Islamic Extremist attack since they hit the WTC before. They eventually did get in contact with their dad and he was fine but he was stuck for a bit.
I was just another kid that watched it from far away. I don't know why this time of year is always hard for me. I didn't lose anyone. I didn't know anyone killed or wounded. I think maybe that's collective trauma or whatever they call it. During the summer between my junior and senior year I enlisted in the Marine Corps with 9/11 being my big reason for joining."
- Eric