Where were you on Sept. 11, 9 years ago?

TennKnifeman

TennKnifeman

Joined
Jan 19, 1999
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248
Where were you on September 11, nine years ago today?

I was in Myrtle Beach on vacation. The night before we had all watched the 11 p.m. news out of Florence, S. C. because the anchorwoman there was the step-daughter of a South Carolina knifemaker.

I had met her earlier at the New York Custom Knife Show. Among the drab, dressed-down, dark-clad New Yorkers here came this vivacious cute Southern girl in a bright red dress. It was a striking comparison.

Dave Culpepper was guiding a group of friends, makers and their families around New York, through the South Street Seaport, and some other sites, and as we were seated the cute girl in the red dress was across the table from me. I discovered she was studying communications at Clemson, and as was my field, we enjoyed a nice conversation, and continued chatting as we followed Dave around New York that evening.

After that night I would usually ask the knifemaker’s wife how her daughter was doing, and from her I learned her daughter had graduated, gotten a job, and advanced her career until she was an anchorwoman in Florence, S. C.

So on Sept. 10 I was able to watch her on the 11 p.m. news.

It was still on that station the next morning. I walked into the room a few moments after the newsfeed started showing the smoke coming from the first tower.
I remember remarking, “That’s no accident, I’ve read too many Tom Clancy books to not know that this is some kind of attack.”

I was still watching when the second plane hit the building—and never left that room except to be sure we all topped off our auto gas tanks, just in case.

And as I sat there I recalled to everyone in the room about that long ago night in New York. I recalled about a night when after the close of the New York Custom Knife Show, how Ronnie Gaston, Russell Easler, Tom Clark, Joe Prince and his family, including his stepdaughter Nichole, and I has followed Dave to a place he knew would impress us.

And it did. As I watched those burning buildings on TV I recalled the night Dave had led us—to the observation deck—of the World Trade Center.
 
I had just gotten into my pickup truck to go to work, turned the radio on and they were talking about "a plane" hitting "a tower".

Then a guy live on the radio saw the second plane hit- and I still didn't know what they were talking about.

I had no idea what was going on and it took a few minutes for me to understand what they were talking about.


We Should Never Forget.
 
I was working at Beth Israel Hospital on 16 st. & 1 ave. a few miles away. The sectretary said a plane hit one tower. I walked over to 14 st. and saw so much smoke you could barely see the Trade Center.There were crowds watching in disbelief. Later we were watching TV and found out what happened. All the hospital workers were told to stay-no one could go home. We were expecting hundreds of patients. I was working in MRI. I think we got 2 patients covered with soot. Everyone in the hospital were in a sort of state of shock. The phone lines were flooded. Family members were trying to find out if everyone was OK. We were finally allowed to leave about 7:00pm. The subway was closed below 42 st. We had to walk there-that was the closest station opened. I remember Manhatten was like a ghost town. There was no traffic in the streets. It reminded me of some kind of apocolypse movie. I never seen Manhatten with no traffic.
The amazing part was how people were ready to help. There were lines going around the block for people donating blood. There were volunteers for everything. Construction workers showed up at the site to clean up so firefighters could go in.
I remember the next day seeing American flags everywhere. Even in the Bronx the Puerto Rican flags were replaced with American flags.
 
Hard to believe that was almost 10 YEARS ago! I remember it VERY clearly.

I was working a "split" shift and it was a non work day. Slept in that day, and turned on the "Today" show. The picture was the aftermath of the FIRST tower burning, and Katie Couric's voice trying to describe what was happening!

As I sat watching in disbelief, the second plane struck! As most, I couldn't comprehend what had happened and thought it must be some kind of "dramatization".

I'll NEVER forget that image!

Peter
 
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I was at work. Kind of reminded me of Orsen Wells radio show end of the world. We went to another office with TV and saw 2nd plane turn right into the other tower...we then new for sure the first was not an accident. Just then we felt it might be/or could be the end of the world; depending on who was responsible. I live in near D.C., neighbor lost a son at Pentagon. Friends in NY lost friends at the towers. Seems like everyone lost someone who is a friend, neighbor, friend of a friend.
Today is my mothers birthday...hard for her to have happy day and for all of those who have a special day today; anniversary, etc.
We are trying to rid the world of such people...I fear it is a loosing battle.
 
I was on my way to the local community college for a class when i heard about the initial attack. My professor canceled class and a few of us went to a restaurant to watch the news and thats when we watched the second plane hit live on tv. I'll never forget.

Jon
 
I just walked into a local breakfast place in the Catskills. The first plane had just hit the tower a few seconds before I walked in. Someone said it was an accident but the hair on my neck was standing up, it didn't smell right. Spent the rest of the day watching (like everyone else) trying to keep the rage down and trying to understand why.

I was in the USMC under daddy Bush in the first Gulf War. I had the same feeling in my stomach when I woke up one morning and saw the Iraq army entering Kuwait. A few hours later I was in formation being told to pack my gear. Its a different world, you can't think of this as a traditional war. They have been slaughtering each other in the name of one God or another since the beginning of time and I haven't seen a sign that it is ever going to end. The only difference is, the world got smaller and oil brings us closer together. Even as we headed home after Desert Storm we all knew this wasn't over. We will leave that region "only" when someone finds a better power source than oil...

Until then, keep your blades sharp, your groups tight and pray a lot!
Bill
Virginia
 
I was at work in NJ and an employee walked in and told us what had just happened. I fellow worker had a niece and nephew that worked in the towers, the nephew did not survive. It was a long, painful day at work.

"Never Forget",
Win
 
I was at home. It was the day after my wife's birthday, and she called me to turn on the tv(don't usually watch the news in the morning)....watched the second hit, and was just shocked.

Went to work, and spent most of that day doing nothing....but listening....went to work the next day, and nothing but listening then, either....The third day, we got cleaned out of American Flag merchandise in 20 minutes....this was enough stock to last 6 months, normally, and it was gone in 20 minutes.

I purchased my first new truck, a Dodge Dakota, that November(still have it)......American...American Pride....that Budweiser commercial with the Clydesdales bowing just floors me to this day.

A sad and horrific day remembered forever.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I was in the Dr's Office with my Wife Manuela. We were watching the feed from the Break room. All the patients, and staff were in there watching.

I couldn't believe the tower was hit. When the second plane hit, I without thinking, muttered to my wife, Were at War!

A lot of strange stares were directed toward me. But slowly, I saw many of them fill with tears.

M. Lovett
 
I was two blocks from ground zero. I had traveled down to NYC for a one day class for the bank I work for. Certainly the hardest day of my life. I was in the elevator going up to the 38 floor when the first plane hit the north tower so I didn't feel that one. We were all watching CNN on the conferance centers TV's when the second plane hit the south tower - the entire building shook and everyone knew America was under attack - there was screaming, panic and fear. I watched the south tower fall from the window of the 38th floor and everything went dark. We stayed where inside until the dust cleared. I walked from downtown to Grand Central Station because everything was shut down. I squeezed through the doors of the last train out of Grand Central otherwise I would have been stuck in the city. I made it almost all the way home to Connecticut before I realized how lucky I was to be alive and how many others were not going to be so lucky that day. I cried so hard I had to pull over to the side of the road. My wife and family was waiting in the driveway when I pulled in. I will never forget - ever. America is beautiful.
 
Ozrab, your story had me welling up.

Being on the west coast I was still in bed when a friend phoned to tell me to get up and turn on the news. He was a bit of a joker so I didn't believe him but I got up and did it and saw the first tower burning. Then the second plane hit... I sat stunned for hours watching the news..
That evening I went to a buddies for a few beers and the event was like a 3rd person in the room. We didn't only discuss the event but it was always there. Went out for a few more and a few games of darts knowing that today was "different". We almost beat the snot out of a couple pathetic "lefties" who callously sat drunkenly blaming the US for their foreign policy.. Told them to shut the f-#k up and show some respect for the people.. They were the type that being beaten would only deepen their self pity at the injustice of "the man". They did shut up.
Not a day I'll ever forget.
 
I was working in City Island NY and could see the Horror from across the Sound

Never Forget!!! :mad:
 
My unit was enroute to secure the pentagon and to start conducting search and rescure missions once the fires were out.
 
I was working on a huge project at work, after seeing the TV broadcast it didn't seem huge or even that important anymore.
 
I was working alone in the butcher shop with the radio on,it still seems surreal.
 
For people like me (younger than 50) it is the equivalent of "where were you when JFK was shot?" I was on my way to work and heard that a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers. I imagined it was a small Cessna or something equivalent and didn't think much of it. Then when I got to work, I saw the news coverage and watched the whole tragedy unfold. I will never forget that day. Truly tragic for us as a nation, but also a wakeup call. We just have to remember!

- Mark
 
I was high up a utility pole on the side of Interstate 85 in south carolina when the first plane hit ,one of the guys on the crew came over and told me to come down . We were all huddled around the trucks with the radio blaring when the second plane hit . The boss told everyone to load up and go home after that one . I picked up a large american flag sticker for my hard hat in the following days, stuck it right on the front. I still wear that hardhat everyday though I am a crane operator these days and no longer a lineman.and that U.S. flag sticker,though faded and rough is still there and reminds me every single time I look at it of that day. God bless america.
 
As I have said before, I live in Panamá, but at the time, I was in Denver, Colorado, in the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery. When I saw the news I thougth that I was watching some sort of movie; I couldn't believe that any sane person would do something like that; the sheer brutality of the attacks was beyond appalling. I remember seeing grown men crying.
As it happened, there where panamanian nationals killed in the attack. It's something that you just can't forget.
 
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