9/11 was my younger son’s first chapel at school where his classroom led the chapel, he was in elementary school, and we were getting ready to go to that. This was in Hawaii (at Obama’s school). Because of the time zone difference, the attacks had already happened on the Mainland before Hawaii was awake so we woke up to the full force of what was going on.
We woke up to the TV news showing the attacks and collapse of the Towers. The school still had the chapel but obviously it was a somber affair and not what was originally intended.
The main thing I remember is how eerily silent it was when we were standing outside the chapel, because all air traffic had been grounded—you usually hear some sort of commercial jet or airplane noise constantly in Honolulu. The only time it wasn’t silent was every once in a while when you heard military jet fighters who were patrolling the skies do a fly by around the city. Essentially Oahu was in a war status because we have such a heavy military presence, and the military at that point assumed we could at some point be under attack. It was all very creepy and scary.
“We woke up to the TV news showing the attacks and collapse of the Towers. The school still had the chapel but obviously it was a somber affair and not what was originally intended.”
Every time I watch “Mrs. Minniver” and the final church scene it brings back memories of that 9/11 chapel service we were at.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFy71uPSXwM