What were you doing 5 yrs ago today??

[carbonezone 0]

We were in a hotel just out of Dallas TX. We were on our way to visit Scotty’s mom in Colorado but my car broke down so hence the hotel. I woke up and turned the TV on. Barely awake I thought I was watching some HBO movie about a building fire or some shit. I starting clicking through the channels and I could not understand whey the same movie was on all these channels (duh but I was barely awake). Finally I stopped on a channel long enough to recognize news cast faces and voices……that is when I realized it was not a movie but real. I shook Scotty to get up and we just watched in horror as the 2nd plane crashed. We fixed the car and drove quite a ways away from Dallas (for obvious reasons) until we just couldn’t take it and we stopped to get a room again ONLY so we could watch the news.
Tami

[Katzeye 0]

My dog woke me up at 0515 PST that day, howling like his ass was on fire.

Odd.

Decided to get up and start my day. Got coffee, turned on the TV and saw the first tower in flames/smoke. WTF? Did I leave it on HBO? Realized that this in fact was real and unfolding.

About 15 min later the second tower was struck.

I was also unemployed and spent the rest of the day in shock watching TV.

Is a chicken omelette redundant?

[htrammel 0]

I was at work at United Airlines Maintenance Operations Center in San Francisco. It was so surreal. We knew flt 93 was still in the air. We could pull up certain flight parameters on the computer, we just couldn't figure out where she was. By the time she crashed the entire airport was locked down. Humvees with guns on top circling the perimeter. Kelicopter was still at our apartment in Alameda, and I called and told her not to go to her office in downtown SF, that I would be home as soon as we were allowed to leave.
Still seems so surreal, even today.
And we've spent all this money and all these lives in Iraq?
Ooops. That'll get me moved to SC.

[seekfun 0]

I was serving in the Navy, helping new recruits get processed-in to Boot Camp.

17 months later I was standing in the desert...

Right now, many of those recruits are probably serving overseas as we post whore.

Thank you to all who serve.

~ topher

"...there is a there out there..." - Tom Robbins

[micduran 0]

I was on my treadmill listening to the radio. I thought the DJ was joking. He kept talking about it. I turned on CNN just in the time for the 2nd plane.

I had lunch with a friend who was so self centered she didn't have a clue. I left her and was glued to the TV the rest of the day.

Stunned.

Be patient with the faults of others; they have to be patient with yours.

[jimmytavino 16]

.... a real good friend had been hurt in an aircraft.....a month earlier and I was preparing to head to her home to install a wheelchair lift unit.. ( mini-elevator) in her garage. ( it's what i do )
the news was on before I left for the 40 minute drive...
As I was on the road, the words came across the radio,,, " the tower has fallen " shortly thereafter, the other fell........When i arrived at the jobsite, I exited the truck and sat down on the ground, for a few minutes, stunned.... the rest of the day.. was little more than a mechanical dance through what it was we had to do to allow my friend to safely enter and exit her home...
a tiny tiny accomplishment on a day of great loss, sadness, and heroics.....
the dz was shut down the following weekend ... FAA orders......
and it seems nothing has been the same since.

[riggerrob 558]

I had the day off, so my girlfriend and I planned to take our kayak out on a local lake. When we were straping the kayak onto our car, a co-worker said that a plane had crashed in New York and all air traffic was grounded. My girlfriend wanted to ignore that bad news for the rest of the day, but it was spooky paddling around a lake with no airplanes over head.
Alouette Lake is under a standard approach to Vancouver International Airport.
Our skydiving school was grounded for an entire week!

[BillyVance 34]

I remember that day well. I didn't get anything done at work that day either. Kept going back to the conference room to watch the live TV reports. I actually caught the 2nd plane hit the tower live. Was in disbelief... Then I was sitting at my desk when my coworker told me one tower had just collapsed. Ran back to the conference room choked full of co-workers watching the news and saw repeated replays of the first tower going down. Then I saw the second tower collapse live. It was unbelievable...

Later I heard that there were 11 deaf workers who died in the WTC attack. The only close call among family members or friends that I know was my wife's aunt who had taken her friend to the roof of the WTC the afternoon BEFORE the attack. The aunt was a nervous wreck for weeks afterwards.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[goodnplentygirl 0]

It was my senior year of high school, and I was just leaving my first class. As I walked through the hallway, I noticed a mass of people pooling around my government teachers class (he always had CNN on the TV) so I looked in to see what the fuss was about. I couldnt beleive what I saw. I cant remember if it was that same day, or a few days later, but I was in my Theatre Arts class, and they were showing a picture of Osama Bin Laden on TV. I remember being so disguisted by his face that I said, "god that man is ugly", and my crazy teacher turned to me and said, "actually he is quite beautiful, his eyes are so mysterious blah blah blah..." and I freaked out on her and bitched her out in front of the whole class. She kicked me out and told me to go to the principles office and wait for her so we could "disscuss" what happened. So I left, went out the back door, hopped in my car and went to the record store I worked at and listened to some music until I calmed down. I ended up getting an in-house suspension, but it was well worth it.

She was a crazy fuckin bitch.

my body, my choice

[TheAnvil 0]

I was on a white water rafting/rapelling trip down the Zambezi river from Vic Falls, Zimbabwe into Zambia. Didn't find out about the attacks until 13 Sep. May all of the attackers be burning in hell next to Hitler and Pol Pot.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[matt1215 0]

I was still living with my parents in Cali and going to school. I got up and saw my folks glued to the TV. The first image I saw was people running from a huge cloud of dust.

My dad and I drove to the beach to run, as was our normal routine. I got my first glimpses of what was going on from a news radio program as we drove to and from the beach.

I went to school to find everyone leaving and the entrances blocked. I spent the rest of the day glued to the tv and went to my warehouse job that night.

[BillyVance 34]

Quote

She was a crazy fuckin bitch.

You got THAT right!

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[livendive 8]

My girlfriend woke me up to tell me the guy on the radio had just said something about a plane hitting the WTC. I layed there snoozing, half listening, then heard about the second strike. Got out of bed, went upstairs & turned the TV on. Watched the first tower fall. Stopped at the DZ on my way to work and watched a bit more TV with the DZO who didn't know anything was going on. Got to work a little late, spent less than an hour there before being sent home, watched TV, cried, and raged all afternoon. Tried to make it an enjoyable evening, as it was my girlfriend's birthday, but the wine shop we had planned a party at stayed closed, so we just had drank some good wine by ourselves.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[pirana 0]

Just getting into the days work, someone says a plane hit WTC. I asked what kind of plane, they didn't know. I just matter of factly stated that if it was small, it was probably an accident, but if it was a large commercial jet, that it was extremely unlikely to be an accident. She gives me a ghastly look as though if what I said was true that it would be partly my fault for saying so.

A few moments later someone else walks by and says it was a big jet, and almost immediately another person stands up and says another plane just hit the other tower. My boss almost cries out "What is happening?!" I said it is almost certainly a terrorist attack, we all scramble for the lunchroom and spend the rest of the morning watching the updates - including the buildings coming down. Most everybody was on their way home by about noon.

Leaving out the details on what I believe, I got some very nasty responses about my take on things that day and in the weeks that followed. Some reacted to my frank observations similar to what I described above - as if the fact that it happened is the fault of those who were not surprised by the event.

I think that if a person already has an answer they want to hear, there is no need to ask the question (unless they are just positioning or looking to manipulate people).

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[DJL 232]

Driving, on the way to work; just like this morning when they had a radio moment of silence at 9:37.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[crutch 0]

We were packing up from a skydive, a kid home on leave was trying to finish his AFF training. Had just done a level IV and was briefing him on a level V. Got a call to turn on the tv and watched as the second plane hit the tower. The kid was in the marines, he immediately said he had to go, never have heard back from him, hope he is well.

It was one of those moments i will never forget, we (Paul, David and I) just sat there in the room watching for hours as it all unfolded. It is unbelievable how much a few people on a single day can change the course of history.

[jheadley 0]

I was in 11th grade english class. We had a phone in the classroom and it rang and the teacher picked it up.

"Hello?"
....
"Ok Thanks..."
(Hangs up)

Announces to the class "A plane hit the world trade center"

[jraf 0]

Quote

I was on a white water rafting/rapelling trip down the Zambezi river from Vic Falls, Zimbabwe into Zambia. Didn't find out about the attacks until 13 Sep. May all of the attackers be burning in hell next to Hitler and Pol Pot.

Fuck you Vinny...I have paid dearly for the seat between Hitler and PolPot!

I was overseas. My Mom called me to tell that someone was bombing NY. Then all lines went bezeerk and there was no more communication with my family. Pretty scarry.

I then was on one of the first planes from Europe to the US. The moronic security screener at Schipol airport was asking me question that I suppose were to confuse me and make her find out my true identity. She kept asking why I am flying to the US. Finaly I answered politely: "I'm going home bitch, so fuck off"

jraf

Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui.
Muff #3275

[Katz 0]

I'd been at work since about 6:00am that day. When the rest of the team came in and told me, I thought that they were joking. I quickly logged onto MSN and watched the buildings go down. It was eerie. My dad, brother and I had just been there a few days before. That really freaked out my mother. Anyway, most of us spent the day going back and forth to the cafeteria watching the events on the big screen. Those of us with family in the NY/NJ area spent a good deal of time trying to contact them.

PMS #330 MB #4014

"Be who you are and say what you feel...Because those that matter...don't mind...and those that mind...don't matter."

[littleskycrab 0]

I was sitting at my desk, working on the 9am closing, when my assistant came in and told me that a plane had hit the WTC. My first thought was "huh?". I kept working...................

A short time later, she enters my office, looking strangly pale, and quietly states that another plane has also hit the WTC. My first thought "OMG, this is intentional!"

Everyone huddled in the Firm waiting room, mouths hanging open as we watched the towers collapse. I remember crying silently. I was horrified at the enormous loss of life. My soul hurt and I wanted nothing more at that moment than to wrap my arms around my babies.

I immediately collected my children. We sat in a church (a random church that we stopped at) and prayed. I felt hollow and was somewhat glad that my son, who was only 5, and my daughter, who was 9, were too young to fully understand the horror that we witnessed that day.

I sat glued to the tv, in tears, for the rest of the evening. It was one of the few times I've ever seen my husband cry.

Typing this, I still get that dreadful sadness that weighs heavy on my heart. I'll never forget that day.

Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing and listen as heaven whispers, "Do you like it? I did it just for you."

[normiss 622]

I was standing in the elevator lobby at Charles Schwab and Co. in Maitland, FL..working...noticed on the tv that one of the towers was on fire...we had a tv set up in our conference room in seconds...just in time to watch the second tower hit. man what a day
I was monitoring the network when the towers collapsed, my network alarms went crazy as we lost the branch office in the towers.
within 2 weeks we were laying off people...

[jumpergirl 0]

I was on my way to work when I heard only a portion of the news. I thought there had been a natural disaster, like an earthquake or something, but I didn't know where. All I knew was the president was speaking and something bad had happened. When I got to work I asked the other girl in my office and she said she didn't know anything. We turned on the radio and found out about the first plane. Then our boss put a tv in our room and we all sat glued to the tv for the rest of the day.

I've got goosebumps and a lump in my throat right now.

[skybytch 259]

Woke up to the radio announcing the first hit. Drove to work and posted on dz.com for most of the morning since the phones weren't ringing. We all got sent home before 1 pm. IIRC, I spent the afternoon posting on dz.com.

Didn't have a TV at the time; I didn't see any of the video until the next day.

[lauraliscious 0]

2nd day at my new job at the FAA, 1st "real" job out of college. Had just driven down to Atlanta from Cincinnati that Sunday and was staying in a hotel. We can see the planes landing at Hartsfield Jackson from our office, and they were coming in quick. They evacuated our building, and sent me back to Cincinnati for the rest of the week. I guess they weren't quite sure what to do with me. One of the women I work with told me "it isn't usually like this around here". No kidding.

Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

[jlmiracle 7]

I was at work. We have CNBC on all day. Heard that the first plane crashed and assumed it was a student pilot in a cessna (or at least a cessna), then as I was walking to the copy room and was looking at one of the TV's the other plane hit. We had direct lines to Cantor and their line rang, picked it up and nothing.

We tried calling our New York office and all the people we talk to in the WTC and surrounding buildings.

I don't need to see the pictures anymore. I can handle the memorials, but the media can put away the pictures of people jumping away now.

I will never forget.

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.