Where I was on 9/11

I was learning a new language

I was young. Only thirteen years old. I didn’t understand what was happening. Eventually our school’s principal spoke to us via the intercom. He told us that we would be leaving school early that day, and he asked our teachers not to discuss the events that had taken place so that we could go home and talk to our families about it. I went to my Spanish class in the last hour of the day and our teacher said to us, “I know we aren’t supposed to talk about this, but we have to. You need to know. Hubo un accidente en Nueva York, en las torres gemelas.” I was terrible at Spanish, so I wrote the sentence down in my notebook to later translate at home. I don’t have the notebook anymore, but I’ll never forget what it said.

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I was waiting in Colorado.

I was asleep (worked all night) and was awoken by a phone call from my husband asking if my sister was at work (she was, and still is, a flight attendant for American Airlines). I asked him why he was asking me that and he told me to turn on the television. For the next several hours as I watched the tv in horror, I attempted contact with my sister. I knew only that she was on a trip but didn’t know where her flight schedule had taken her. I eventually learned she was safe and grounded in Las Vegas. I thank God on a regular basis for her safe return home. The events of 9/11 had a huge impact on our great country, and I know it definitely impacted my sister in a way I will never fully understand.

I was in Germany.

At this time I was at my parents home in Cologne, Germany. It was their 20st marriage celebration. We were all ready to go out for a restaurant when my dad suddenly turned on the news on TV. The rest of the day we spend in front of the TV.

I was on my way to school, listening to the radio. It scared me so I went home and watched it all on tv live. We sat in front of the tv all day. It felt so sureal.

I was in Manila, Philippines.

It was a painful sight to see. Watching TV when they showed this headline that the twin tower was burning and then being hit by another airplane. I couldn’t believe my eyes, seeing the catastrophe.

I was in my first semester of college

Classes at Louisiana Tech had just started a couple of weeks earlier and I was still getting used to the whole experience of being away from home and on my own. That morning started normally, with me rushing to my 8am psychology class. The first clue that something was up was when my professor didn’t show up for class, then our TA came in and gave us the news. I remember rushing back to my dorm room to see a replay of the first plane hitting tower 1, thinking this was just a horrible accident. When I saw the second plane hit a few minutes later, I knew we were under attack. My classes were canceled for the rest of the day, so I just hung out with friends and watched the news coverage. I think that day was the quietest I ever saw the campus in my four years there. 

A hard day to weather

I was headed into into Philadelphia with my mom, crossing the bridge. The tollbooth operator told what was happening and we turned on the news. My mom remembered that my dad had a meeting at the Pentagon that morning, but he was fine.

No one at school knew what was going on.

I got to school late that day and no one really understood what was going on. People had heard bits and pieces, but not the whole story. They were really worried and just desperate to know something concrete. By the time school let out everyone knew. When I went home that day, I was alone. I couldn’t do much besides what the news replay again and again.

I was at Dillingham Intermediate in P.E. class when my instructor ended class early and said there was a terrorist attack, and we were shuffled to our home room classes. At first, I thought it had happened in our town and I was anxious thinking something exciting was happening here until I realized the gravity of the situation.

I was at TJ high school, in Spanish class. All in disbelief, we rushed to phones to check on our families, but all signals were busy. I was terrified my father had been hurt in the Pentagon crash.

My son saved my heart.

Anyone that knows me in person, knows that this Momma has a very soft spot for Patriot Day. Long story short, I have always been proud of my country, but 9-11-01 was a very scary day for me, never in my life up until that point have I ever been so scared or prayed so hard for people I had never even met. So scared in fact it sent me into labor with Derek, who was stubborn and spent the next 36 hours taking his time! Labor started as I sat in line to get gas, they feared would run out, but thankfully it did not. 

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I was in my senior year in high school and my first class was economics. As I walked into the room, i felt a dead silence and all of my classmates were staring at the TV screen with the twin towers on fire. That day will always be remembered!

I was in 6th grade

in ND, seemingly as far away from NY one can get. We were coming back from music class, and our teacher who normally joked and smiled with us was on the verge of tears. Told us to find our seats and that he had some news. We watched the TV until we were dismissed a few hours later.

It was very stressful… I just relieved my Hubby at work for a 12 hour shift and I was 3 months pregnant. We worked feverishly to put up 18 additional ambulances in San Bernardino County, because we were advised Los Angeles was possibly next. We were on lock down waiting to see what happened next, we could not leave, we could not call out and we could not use our cell phones, food was brought to us during the day and we had every mucky muck imaginable in our center trying to contemplate the next move. We handled every 911 call with pride and answered every phone call with a smile and compasion. All I wanted to do is cry, but could not because I had a job to do!!