OREGON
"Where were you on 9/11?" as remembered by those in Oregon that day.
An Oregon insomniac remembers channel surfing on 9/11.
1. "I was at home, having a battle with insomnia. Without access to cable, I could only watch what was broadcast over the air on about four local channels. That night had been a particularly long one.. not much was on to watch. The local channels, of course, went to infomercials and 'mattress-land' static text screens. I think I'd ended up watching the Seventh-Day-Adventist channel's non-stop series of PowerPoint presentations over night, then switched over to Oregon Public Broadcasting in time for Teletubbies or something like it.
I never really liked the whole 'morning show' thing on the big networks, the super cheerful people with their perfect suits and perfect hair, flawless makeup and cups of coffee they never drank from. So I always started with PBS and usually stuck with it til the game shows started.
It was just before 6 am.
I remember I flipped around the dial several times.. commercials here, 700 Club there, and then I saw live video from New York's skyline with some smoke.
The chatty friendly morning folks who normally would be beginning their news shows were more stressed in their demeanor as they talked in hushed tones relaying the sad news that an airplane has crashed in New York City. 'What could have gone wrong on the plane that it would crash so uncontrollably into a building like that?' The reports were conflicted, and the smoke plume was very stark against that Tuesday morning sky. The words of my father rang in my mind..
'The whole world works on Tuesdays'
I flipped channels again, and of course it was everywhere now. The coverage would change over the next hour.. confusion mostly, as the situation begged belief. Nothing like this had really been seen in the collective mind of the nation.
I watched the news for days. I'd fall asleep watching the news, I'd wake up and watch the news. When the programming tried to return to normal, I'd switch around to try and find more news.
I watched as we declared war on Iraq for some reason.. as we got into Afghanistan.
I watched as reports came in of racist attacks on Mosques and other 'non-christian' places of worship, immigrant businesses, etc. I remember hearing of a Sikh gentleman who was murdered.
I spent a lot of time on that couch during those weeks. It was second-hand and smelled like a German Shepard."
- Z. G.
I never really liked the whole 'morning show' thing on the big networks, the super cheerful people with their perfect suits and perfect hair, flawless makeup and cups of coffee they never drank from. So I always started with PBS and usually stuck with it til the game shows started.
It was just before 6 am.
I remember I flipped around the dial several times.. commercials here, 700 Club there, and then I saw live video from New York's skyline with some smoke.
The chatty friendly morning folks who normally would be beginning their news shows were more stressed in their demeanor as they talked in hushed tones relaying the sad news that an airplane has crashed in New York City. 'What could have gone wrong on the plane that it would crash so uncontrollably into a building like that?' The reports were conflicted, and the smoke plume was very stark against that Tuesday morning sky. The words of my father rang in my mind..
'The whole world works on Tuesdays'
I flipped channels again, and of course it was everywhere now. The coverage would change over the next hour.. confusion mostly, as the situation begged belief. Nothing like this had really been seen in the collective mind of the nation.
I watched the news for days. I'd fall asleep watching the news, I'd wake up and watch the news. When the programming tried to return to normal, I'd switch around to try and find more news.
I watched as we declared war on Iraq for some reason.. as we got into Afghanistan.
I watched as reports came in of racist attacks on Mosques and other 'non-christian' places of worship, immigrant businesses, etc. I remember hearing of a Sikh gentleman who was murdered.
I spent a lot of time on that couch during those weeks. It was second-hand and smelled like a German Shepard."
- Z. G.
Written Stories:
2. "At 8:45 am eastern I was watching the news on Yahoo/reading the message boards on FARK and I went to check on a disabled neighbor friend. As we both watched the news thinking the worst, something hit outside his apartment.
It turned out to be his neighbor going into cardiac arrest. I rendered first aid as my friend called 9-1-1. This was all before 9:30 am.
His neighbor passed in the ambulance."
- L. D.
It turned out to be his neighbor going into cardiac arrest. I rendered first aid as my friend called 9-1-1. This was all before 9:30 am.
His neighbor passed in the ambulance."
- L. D.
3. "I was 10 years old in Oregon City, back then I woke up early every day long before my parents. I turned on the TV to watch my cartoons but instead I saw the first tower smoking next to never ending replays of the plane hitting. The reporters were talking about the World Trade Center and I had no idea what a World Trade Center was, but I knew this was something big.
I ran upstairs and woke up my parents, they were mad because I used to wake them up a lot. My mom yelled in shock when I told her a plane hit the Trade Center. I watched the first tower crumble as I left to go to school.
At school, an office secretary gave an intercom announcement telling us what had happened. She was sobbing through the whole speech. I remember for the next week there was 24 hour news coverage on every channel. Suddenly terrorism, Osama Bin Laden, and Afghanistan were household words. I had never heard them before that day. That day will forever be burned into my mind. Memories of it still pop into my head regularly for no apparent reason."
- P. L. J.
I ran upstairs and woke up my parents, they were mad because I used to wake them up a lot. My mom yelled in shock when I told her a plane hit the Trade Center. I watched the first tower crumble as I left to go to school.
At school, an office secretary gave an intercom announcement telling us what had happened. She was sobbing through the whole speech. I remember for the next week there was 24 hour news coverage on every channel. Suddenly terrorism, Osama Bin Laden, and Afghanistan were household words. I had never heard them before that day. That day will forever be burned into my mind. Memories of it still pop into my head regularly for no apparent reason."
- P. L. J.
4. "I picked up some proto-hipster at a bar in Ashland the evening of the 10th and took her up on the back of Mt. Ashland to camp for the night. We rolled into town the next morning totally worn out and stopped at the 7-11 on Siskiyou Blvd for coffee. When she came back outside she said a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.
I had her drop me off at home and got inside just in time to see the second plane hit."
- K. I.
I had her drop me off at home and got inside just in time to see the second plane hit."
- K. I.
5. "I got up around 7 am just like any other work day. My son was 9 months old at the time and his mother was doing the late night feedings so I was fresh for work. In the mornings I was always very quiet getting ready so I didn't disturb her.
When I came out the shower she was bolt upright watching TV. I caught the news images out the corner of my eye, but couldn't comprehend what she was watching.
'Why are you awake?'
She responds that something isn't right and there's the weirdest look on her face. I started to pay attention too and then the second plane struck. It was surreal, couldn't get a handle on it, just the oddest feeling while watching it unfold. I walked out the apartment to the car and at the same time my neighbor, who had just left the service, walks out to his car. We exchanged some small talk, but it was all too surreal for both of us. I got in my car and went to work, didn't get much done that day, it would be week or so before it would finally sunk in.
I passed through Lockerbie a few hours after Flight 103 crashed.
I was in Camden during the High Street Bombings
But 9/11 was on another level. To this day I still can't look at those images, it messes with my head too much."
- L.
When I came out the shower she was bolt upright watching TV. I caught the news images out the corner of my eye, but couldn't comprehend what she was watching.
'Why are you awake?'
She responds that something isn't right and there's the weirdest look on her face. I started to pay attention too and then the second plane struck. It was surreal, couldn't get a handle on it, just the oddest feeling while watching it unfold. I walked out the apartment to the car and at the same time my neighbor, who had just left the service, walks out to his car. We exchanged some small talk, but it was all too surreal for both of us. I got in my car and went to work, didn't get much done that day, it would be week or so before it would finally sunk in.
I passed through Lockerbie a few hours after Flight 103 crashed.
I was in Camden during the High Street Bombings
But 9/11 was on another level. To this day I still can't look at those images, it messes with my head too much."
- L.
6. "I worked for a call center. We started at 6:00 AM and calls were always non-stop back to back. Well the calls started as usual but quickly died down and it didn’t take us long to find out why. The rest of the day we all just sat in the office watching the news.
Calls were almost at 0 the rest of day."
- D. S. N.
Calls were almost at 0 the rest of day."
- D. S. N.
7. “It was my 18th birthday, my dad was driving our Chevy van the long 20 miles to drop me and my little sister off at high school. In the passenger seat was my aunt, dumbfounded and grieving, on her way to a job interview. We were all in tears and on auto pilot, but I remember my aunt the most. Her daughter lived in NYC and she was holding her prayer beads, reciting Buddhist chants, stopping every few minutes to call her daughter’s phone, only to get something other than a ring tone. In these current days, my thoughts have gone back to 9/11 so often."
- B. B.
- B. B.
8. "I was 19 and had just moved into my first apartment in downtown Portland. I didn't have my TV hooked up yet and I was struggling to fall asleep at night because of the change of environment. I had only been asleep for a couple hours when my phone rang. It was my Mom, she told me planes had flown into the Twin Towers and they think it's a terrorist attack. I was groggy and half asleep. In my stupor I couldn't remember what the Twin Towers were or what they even looked like.
I only had a radio and for two days everything I learned was from radio stations. It wasn't until day three that I stopped to buy a newspaper. On day four I went to visit my mom and saw the news for the first time. Everyone else had seen the footage for the last 96 hours, I was seeing it for the first time. It was a different perspective from radio and newspaper, it was like hearing about it for the first time all over again."
- K. Lane
I only had a radio and for two days everything I learned was from radio stations. It wasn't until day three that I stopped to buy a newspaper. On day four I went to visit my mom and saw the news for the first time. Everyone else had seen the footage for the last 96 hours, I was seeing it for the first time. It was a different perspective from radio and newspaper, it was like hearing about it for the first time all over again."
- K. Lane
9. "I was living in Hillsboro, the rest of my family who normally lived in Manhattan were in New Jersey. My mom called me early in the morning and just said
'We’re all okay, but you should turn on the TV.'
My dad was still planning to actually drive into Manhattan that day to vote for the primary election, my mom and sister had to talk him out of it - though I’m sure he wouldn’t have been able to get there even if he’d tried.
- B. B.
'We’re all okay, but you should turn on the TV.'
My dad was still planning to actually drive into Manhattan that day to vote for the primary election, my mom and sister had to talk him out of it - though I’m sure he wouldn’t have been able to get there even if he’d tried.
- B. B.
10. "My alarm clock went off and tuned to a news radio station rather than the beep mode. The first thing I heard was that cell phones weren't working in NY and something about a plane crash. I turned on my TV, seeing smoke and a tall building. I dressed in a daze, got on the bus and headed to work.
It was my first year working at Powell's Books in Portland. My dear friend Laura helped me get the bookstore gig working in what was then called "the phone room" where we took orders over the phone. As I got to work I realized Laura was in Manhattan. Between phone orders I ran down to the third floor employee area where a large TV was placed and watched the first building collapse. I became so scared for my friend that I could hardly breathe. For hours I tried to call her but there was no signal. Then it was just horror upon horror blasted across the TV screen all day and all night.
It was my first year working at Powell's Books in Portland. My dear friend Laura helped me get the bookstore gig working in what was then called "the phone room" where we took orders over the phone. As I got to work I realized Laura was in Manhattan. Between phone orders I ran down to the third floor employee area where a large TV was placed and watched the first building collapse. I became so scared for my friend that I could hardly breathe. For hours I tried to call her but there was no signal. Then it was just horror upon horror blasted across the TV screen all day and all night.
I finally heard from Laura three days later. She was alive and trying to help people there. She couldn't yet come home. She finally did a week later. With the trauma of her previous life troubles combined with 9/11... she killed herself about a year later.
I still miss my friend."
- F. Q.
I still miss my friend."
- F. Q.
11. "My 9 year old son and I had just moved from the San Francisco area to Portland. It was just the two of us and I hadn't had time to find a job or make friends.
I was up early and it surprised me to hear my phone ringing. It was my sister calling from CA. 'Good morning!' I answered. All she said to me was,
'Have you seen the news? They're attacking us!'
I couldn't comprehend what she was talking about until I turned on the television and I was terrified. I couldn't imagine being anywhere near the East Coast. I called my ex-boyfriend's mother in Hawaii, it was probably 4:30 in the morning there. She'd been scheduled to fly to DC that day to visit family, but her plans changed. As I drove my son to school, I told him,
'We're going to remember this day forever.'
- Brandy Christopher
I was up early and it surprised me to hear my phone ringing. It was my sister calling from CA. 'Good morning!' I answered. All she said to me was,
'Have you seen the news? They're attacking us!'
I couldn't comprehend what she was talking about until I turned on the television and I was terrified. I couldn't imagine being anywhere near the East Coast. I called my ex-boyfriend's mother in Hawaii, it was probably 4:30 in the morning there. She'd been scheduled to fly to DC that day to visit family, but her plans changed. As I drove my son to school, I told him,
'We're going to remember this day forever.'
- Brandy Christopher
12. "I was 21, my on again/off again boyfriend/best friend and I had been up all night playing video games which was pretty much what we always did. We were still awake when his mom came in saying to turn on the news. We did, of course, were completely shocked. I remembered watching the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center and couldn't believe it happened twice!
No one knew what was going on yet; it was utter chaos. Being young and rather dumb we were kind of excited rather than appalled or terrified. After a while we got tired and were ready to crash. I remember clearly stating before we turned off the television and went to sleep that the towers were too big to collapse. I don't even know why I said something like that because it again, seemed completely unimaginable. Well, while we were asleep, the towers collapsed. When we woke up and found out, I was gobsmacked. Honestly, it still feels unreal. Being on the West Coast did provide a huge cushion from the reality of the destruction. Even though I was alive and watched a lot of the footage happening live, it was more like watching a documentary.
I also remember hating how George W. Bush handled the situation but compared to modern times, he seems competent. It seemed incredibly odd and tone deaf to continue reading to little kids while NYC was being destroyed. Now that I'm older, it's very clear what he was doing was the appropriate thing."
- S. S.
No one knew what was going on yet; it was utter chaos. Being young and rather dumb we were kind of excited rather than appalled or terrified. After a while we got tired and were ready to crash. I remember clearly stating before we turned off the television and went to sleep that the towers were too big to collapse. I don't even know why I said something like that because it again, seemed completely unimaginable. Well, while we were asleep, the towers collapsed. When we woke up and found out, I was gobsmacked. Honestly, it still feels unreal. Being on the West Coast did provide a huge cushion from the reality of the destruction. Even though I was alive and watched a lot of the footage happening live, it was more like watching a documentary.
I also remember hating how George W. Bush handled the situation but compared to modern times, he seems competent. It seemed incredibly odd and tone deaf to continue reading to little kids while NYC was being destroyed. Now that I'm older, it's very clear what he was doing was the appropriate thing."
- S. S.
13. "My family didn't watch TV that much, so my day started the same way it always did. I woke up and grabbed my stuff to go to school. Mom was already at work and sis was at school. I liked talking to teachers before school, so I always arrived early.
The school looked the same from the outside, cars in the parking lot, a few people moving about the grounds. It was not until I entered the building that the world was different. It was so quite that I thought I had arrived on a late arrival day. The second office was empty and quite. I did not even hear the clocks ticking (although I'm sure they had to have been).
I went looking for someone, anyone to find out if I had missed something. I found my freshmen teacher with a few of his early students with shocked looks on their faces, listening to his radio. I asked him what was happening and in a hushed voice he said,
'The Trade Center towers in New York had been attacked.'
The announcement that morning was that we were going to try to continue classes as usual but there was no way we could. The talk was that we were at war, that we had to kill all those that had planned this attack! Well our first period teachers tried, but all we could think about were the attacks. Teachers brought in TVs so we all could watch it. Our US governments teacher had us discussing what was happening and how it might effect us going forward.
We saw the second tower fall and we heard the talk of the other planes and that we might be next since Portland had a World Trade Center (which shut down for just that reason.) The administration sent us home before lunch.
There was talk days later that some terrorist had been caught at the Canada border trying to come in and take off from PDX to hijack more planes but I don't know if that is true. All I know is that that day was the most quiet day I have ever experienced. It seemed that even the animals were holding their breath waiting for the other shoe to drop."
- Mary Patton
The school looked the same from the outside, cars in the parking lot, a few people moving about the grounds. It was not until I entered the building that the world was different. It was so quite that I thought I had arrived on a late arrival day. The second office was empty and quite. I did not even hear the clocks ticking (although I'm sure they had to have been).
I went looking for someone, anyone to find out if I had missed something. I found my freshmen teacher with a few of his early students with shocked looks on their faces, listening to his radio. I asked him what was happening and in a hushed voice he said,
'The Trade Center towers in New York had been attacked.'
The announcement that morning was that we were going to try to continue classes as usual but there was no way we could. The talk was that we were at war, that we had to kill all those that had planned this attack! Well our first period teachers tried, but all we could think about were the attacks. Teachers brought in TVs so we all could watch it. Our US governments teacher had us discussing what was happening and how it might effect us going forward.
We saw the second tower fall and we heard the talk of the other planes and that we might be next since Portland had a World Trade Center (which shut down for just that reason.) The administration sent us home before lunch.
There was talk days later that some terrorist had been caught at the Canada border trying to come in and take off from PDX to hijack more planes but I don't know if that is true. All I know is that that day was the most quiet day I have ever experienced. It seemed that even the animals were holding their breath waiting for the other shoe to drop."
- Mary Patton
14. "I was in first grade, getting ready for school. As I came downstairs to leave, my mom watched the second plane hit. She immediately told me I wasn’t going to school; and in fact, I didn't go to school anymore after that. We had just recently bought a boat so the next day we loaded it up and set sail in the Pacific, along the West Coast. I was homeschool on the boat."
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
15. "My grandfathers birthday is September 11th, 1940. I remember my mom waking me up early to watch the news that morning, as she knew it was going to be a learning experience about the world. I tried to grasp my tiny, 11 year-old mind around what was happening when the doorbell rang. My grandpa stood at the door, with a goofy smile on his face and holding his own birthday cake.
It was an hour drive to our house, he had no idea yet.
I didn't know what to do, so I just cried and gave him a hug. It sucked that his birthday was momentarily ruined by that event, but he played it off like a champ."
- Elias
It was an hour drive to our house, he had no idea yet.
I didn't know what to do, so I just cried and gave him a hug. It sucked that his birthday was momentarily ruined by that event, but he played it off like a champ."
- Elias
16. "I was moving from Bend to Ashland that day. Got the call at sunrise, woke up and watched the news. During the drive to Ashland, we stopped at a diner along the Upper Rogue.
Nobody there had heard about it yet, we had to tell that the world just changed."
- Anonymous
Nobody there had heard about it yet, we had to tell that the world just changed."
- Anonymous
17. "I was working the graveyard shift at a restaurant, 6 PM -2 AM. I showed up for work unaware, then heard some bartenders joking,
'What should we have for a drink special tonight, kamikazes?'
'Not cool. Not cool at all.'
I had to ask what the joke meant - what the big deal was."
- D. K.
'What should we have for a drink special tonight, kamikazes?'
'Not cool. Not cool at all.'
I had to ask what the joke meant - what the big deal was."
- D. K.
18. "Lived in the Valley, I was a child and getting ready for school. I could hear my adopted mother crying and running around the house as she called my adopted father at work. I creped upstairs to see what all the commotion going on was. Peaking into the living room, I saw the news was on.
Live feed to the towers, the first plane had just hit.
It didn’t seem real. My mom came back in the room, crying to my dad on the phone. She wrapped herself around me and bawled as I watched the second plane hit. I just watched it silently while my mother cried and told me she’s not letting me go to school that day.
I already had Childhood-PTSD so I just internalized it, shutdown and felt like I was going to throw up or faint."
- Anonymous
Live feed to the towers, the first plane had just hit.
It didn’t seem real. My mom came back in the room, crying to my dad on the phone. She wrapped herself around me and bawled as I watched the second plane hit. I just watched it silently while my mother cried and told me she’s not letting me go to school that day.
I already had Childhood-PTSD so I just internalized it, shutdown and felt like I was going to throw up or faint."
- Anonymous
19. "I was 20, working during harvest on a hop farm my cousins owned.
It was our last day of summer break before returning to college and I headed in early. I decided to switch CDs in my truck and the radio turned on - the DJ was crying on air! I paused for a second, but couldn't make out what exactly was going on. I just ended up going into work confused.
Later in the day, the farm owners brought a TV out to the baling room after second tower was hit for us to watch. It was surreal grasping what was going on in between the manual labor. I will never forget the radio coming on and the DJ crying on air."
- A. K.
It was our last day of summer break before returning to college and I headed in early. I decided to switch CDs in my truck and the radio turned on - the DJ was crying on air! I paused for a second, but couldn't make out what exactly was going on. I just ended up going into work confused.
Later in the day, the farm owners brought a TV out to the baling room after second tower was hit for us to watch. It was surreal grasping what was going on in between the manual labor. I will never forget the radio coming on and the DJ crying on air."
- A. K.
20. "I lived in Monterey, California with my husband, a Marine infantry officer attending the Naval Postgraduate program, but was in Oregon visiting family on 9/11. I was pregnant and had our one-year-old on my lap when I saw the news."
- P. M.
- P. M.
|
21. "It was my third day of high school in Eugene. I was a young freshman, mostly excited for a new school with new classmates. I was adjusting to the fact we took different classes on different days, unlike in middle school.
I had a TV which I used it as an alarm clock, going off around 6:45. It went off, The morning song on 9/11 was 'Ugly' by the Southern rapper Bubba Sparxxx. My grandmother told me in passing, 'A plane hit the World Trade Center.' Unable to really wrap my head around it, I had figured a Cessna or something had collided with the building. Upon getting dressed and leaving my room, I looked at the living room TV a minute or so before the first tower fell. |
My first instinct was nervousness and fear, as though whoever did this was right behind me. A very weird fear, but being 13 and still figuring out a lot about yourself, it was what happened. I had intended to walk to school that day, but I asked my Grandmother to drive me.
The day was very somber, with lesson plans ignored, and TVs in nearly every classroom tuned into the news. We spoke about what we heard. I was a fan of maps, and would hear them mention locations (the airports that the planes took off from, NYC, Washington, and the city in PA where Flight 93 crashed). I would go over and just stare at the map, trying to piece it all together somehow. We didn't do any actual gym-related activities in gym classes, instead we sat around a TV in a mirrored room that served as a dance-class studio and light aerobics room. During that class, WTC 7 collapsed.
I had yet to really make a lot of new friends, and everyone seemed to be both acclimating to how high school worked and to this bizarre, scary incident."
-Z.P.
The day was very somber, with lesson plans ignored, and TVs in nearly every classroom tuned into the news. We spoke about what we heard. I was a fan of maps, and would hear them mention locations (the airports that the planes took off from, NYC, Washington, and the city in PA where Flight 93 crashed). I would go over and just stare at the map, trying to piece it all together somehow. We didn't do any actual gym-related activities in gym classes, instead we sat around a TV in a mirrored room that served as a dance-class studio and light aerobics room. During that class, WTC 7 collapsed.
I had yet to really make a lot of new friends, and everyone seemed to be both acclimating to how high school worked and to this bizarre, scary incident."
-Z.P.
22. "My girlfriend and I had partied at a friend's house the night before and crashed in their guest room.
That morning, they rushed in and woke us up after the first strike.
'You have to see this!'
We were just barely woken up in time to see the second plane hit. It was unreal...
After watching, all I wanted to do was go home. Like I would feel safer there."
- S. H.
That morning, they rushed in and woke us up after the first strike.
'You have to see this!'
We were just barely woken up in time to see the second plane hit. It was unreal...
After watching, all I wanted to do was go home. Like I would feel safer there."
- S. H.
23. "I was working a soul crushing temp job for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, calling people to talk them into volunteering or donating money. When we came in, everyone was still business as usual - asking people for money while we watched the towers fall."
- M. M.
- M. M.
24. "I was sleeping at my parents house on the coast when my mother called,
'There's been an accident in New York.'
When the second plane hit, she called back,
'We're under attack!'
I drove to her office for the answering service she operated. When I walked in, the phones were silent and there were 15 contractors all huddled around the TV playing CNN. Most of them stayed there all day watching the news."
- Steve
'There's been an accident in New York.'
When the second plane hit, she called back,
'We're under attack!'
I drove to her office for the answering service she operated. When I walked in, the phones were silent and there were 15 contractors all huddled around the TV playing CNN. Most of them stayed there all day watching the news."
- Steve
25. "I was living in Newport, getting my child was ready for school. After I found out, I wasn't sure if he should even go. We stopped in Walmart to buy some notebook paper for school and that's where I found out about the Pentagon.
Over the next few days, you could hear air defense bombers flying over the coastline for protection. It was eerie."
- C. R.
Over the next few days, you could hear air defense bombers flying over the coastline for protection. It was eerie."
- C. R.