It's one year later. Where were you then? Where are you now? How have you changed?

Fast Company ^ | September 2002

[TomSmedley]

BUMP

[McLynnan]

I was at home on the computer reading FR with the tv on Fox News and saw the first reports. Sat in absolute shock for a few minutes then called my husband. After the second plane hit, I did the most irrational thing -- I took my car and filled the gas tank. To this day I don't know what possessed me to do that. Later in the day I ran the freshman high school carpool and brought home a group of kids who had spent the day watching news coverage at school. Their reaction is when it really hit me. They asked me if we were going to war. I told them yes, something like this can't go unanswered. For the first time in their innocent lives they realized their world was not a safe place. I was an early teen in Dallas when JFK was killed, and remember the horror and sorrow. I think their reaction to 9/11 was similar, only more fearful because this time there is a real enemy who intends all of us harm.

Today I sit in McLennan County, Texas, not many miles from the President's ranch. Everytime the President visits we are reminded the danger is still there by the presence of F-16s patrolling our skies 24 hours a day. The pride the children in this area felt over living near the President has been replaced by an underlying fear when the F-16s return. The younger ones aren't sure they are safe anymore.

I still feel an incredible sadness over the loss of life on 9/11, and my anger has not abated. At the same time, I am heartened by this administration, by our country's pull together reaction to the attacks, I know that difficult times lie ahead, but feel that we are in good hands.

[Ditter]

We were in bed drinking coffee like we do every morning, watching the first building burn. Terrible accident, we thought. Then we saw the second plane hit the second building & I felt like I was watching a movie, like it wasn't real, but I knew it was. Strange feeling. Feeling shocked & stunned all day but also there was a bit of "I told you so" going thru my head, because I felt something awful would happen sooner or later. We, as a nation, had so many warnings the last 8 years. It was terrible but I am glad it was not nuclear.

[gunshy]

I'm still hiding in the basement. Is it safe to come out yet. Thank god for all that Y2K food and water.

[pt17]

I was in my office working when my daughter called from her cell phone saying a plane (the first one) had hit WTC. I rushed down to the building's exercise room to watch the TV and saw the second one hit.

Since it was the only thing on everyone's mind, I let my entire staff off around 11 am. The company followed suit and let everyone go shortly after noon. Over the longer term, our family got directly involved in helping a 9/11 family whose loss was especially difficult.

[ExSoldier]

I was in my classroom waiting for the tardy bell when the first kids came running in asking me if I'd heard. My first thought was some dummy in a Cessna on his first solo flight.

As soon as I got to the Social Studies Office and saw the TV (my portable classroom doesn't have a TV...to easy to break into and steal) I knew we were in a war and it might be fought on our home soil for the first time since the War of 1812 (not counting the War of Northern Aggression).

Then I thought of my few remaining buddies on active duty who were now senior officers and wondered if they could help me get my commission back. Within days I had long letters of recommendation from two full colonels, one lieutenant colonel, one congresscritter and the Governor of Florida. And the US Army said "no thanks." Then I remembered that war is an experience that belongs to the young....now isn't that sad?

This year on September the 11th I'll still be in an inner city high school classroom and I'll STILL have to watch what I say so as not to "offend" anybody and I'll tell the truth and pray they won't start hunting me for my job because I won't push the liberal agenda.....which will be the same situation I have experienced every day for the last fourteen years that I have taught in the public schools.

[cibco]

"I'm still hiding in the basement. Is it safe to come out yet. Thank god for all that Y2K food and water."

You too? I'm going to wait another month...

[RoseofTexas]

I was going to type MY 9-11 experience, but after reading every post, I'm sitting in front of the puter crying my eyes out! I for one WILL NEVER EVER FORGET the terroism our beautiful country experienced that day...NEVER! GOD BLESS AMERICA AND GOD GIVE US THE VICTORY TO CONQUER THOSE DEMON EVIL ISLAMIC B***ARDS!!

[Wolfstar]

Thank you for this post, mhking, and for the opportunity to share my own small story with other FReepers. I was born and raised in New Jersey (East Orange, Jersey City, Union City). My father's whole family had settled in New York City after emigrating from Italy, and my dad is buried in a cemetary on the Brooklyn-Queens border near the BQE. I rented an apartment upstairs from my Uncle Al in Flushing, Queens from 1971-1976. So my roots go deep there, even though I moved to L.A. in Oct. 1976 and have never been back east since.

As a youngster with a growing interest in photography, I used to go down to the Jersey City docks and take pics of the NYC skyline. Still have several I took of the WTC as it was being built. I have one shot in particular that now means a great deal to me. It was taken in 1970 from the Empire State Building observation deck at sunset looking south to the twin towers, which were then under construction. The lights of the city were coming on as evening fell. The lights, plus the glow from the sunset, cast a magical warmth on the scene.

9/11/01: I set my clock radio for 5:45a.m. That morning, it didn't quite wake me up, so I was still dozing here in L.A. when the urgency in the voice of someone on the radio saying, "This is huge," suddenly shocked me awake. I didn't know what the radio guy was saying, but there was sheer terror in his voice. I turned on the TV to see the twin towers in flames. To say that I was stunned doesn't begin to describe it. Like the rest of the nation, I sat glued to the TV, frantically switching channels trying to get as much news as I could. After the 2nd tower fell and the news from Washington and Pennsylvania didn't seem to be getting any worse, I dressed and went to work.

I thought it was very odd that no businesses closed that day. Unlike when Kennedy was shot, the nation pretty much stayed open for business on 9/11/01, except for air traffic, New York and DC. I still think that was odd. Anyway, I spent the rest of the day watching grainy TV at work along with most of my coworkers. I wanted to sit in my cubicle and read posts on FR while listening to the radio, but my cubicle mate nastily complained about having the radio on (for which I have never forgiven him).

It was the first, and only time since I moved from NYC that I wanted to be back there, because I wanted to help in some way. Any way.

That night, people in my locality spontaneously took flags and candles and went to the biggest commercial street here (Hawthorne Blvd.), and spent hours screaming "USA, USA, USA," waving the flags, getting motorists to honk their horns. Whenever a cop or fire truck went by, we cheered as loud as we could, and they would turn on their sirens in response. Big rig drivers would sound their deep-voiced horns. On the corner were I was, there's a Spires Restaurant. The restaurant people could't leave their jobs, so I took a candle they gave me out to represent them. As horrible as the day was, that night spent with others spontaneously defying the terrorists on our particular piece of American real estate was one of the best nights of my life.

How has 9/11 changed me? I don't know the full extent. I find myself much more willing to seek out and enjoy fluff like that silly American Idol series on Fox this summer. I find I want to do something different with my life, but haven't found what, yet. I find that family means more to me than ever. And that includes my dogs, with whom I've walked more this year. I find that material things don't mean as much, and I wish with all my heart there was some way to just drop out of the rat race. I am sadder, lonelier, full of anger at radical Islamists. I have less patience for the mindlessness of the political Left, and even less for the foolish intramural squabbling of my brothers and sisters who are anywhere right of center on the political spectrum.

I believe that the political right in this country may very well be the last bulwark against the very real and present danger radical Islam poses to our country and our way of life. I believe that President Bush knew immediately that morning that this issue trumps all others in importance. Overall, I think he's done a very good job. But I think he and the administration made one big mistake: they failed to engage the country in civil defense activities. There should have been an effort made to mobilize people in a way similar to civil defense during WWII. Coast watchers, airport perimeter watchers, sky watchers, watchers around the perimeter of potential targets like refineries, nuclear power plants, dams and the like. I don't agree the country should have been told to just go on about its business like nothing had happened.

We haven't been attacked in nearly a year. That's to the administration's credit. But I believe with all my heart that we will be attacked again. The nation needs to understand the danger.

[Militiaman7]

I was visiting my cousin just outside of Copenhagen, Denmark. We were watching the CNN (Europe) when it came on. Everyone was glued to the TV.

Back home now. Still pissed off. Wanting the US to Kick A$$ and Take Names.

More vigilant, more suspicious of Middle Eastern people (I think its alright to profile).

[muggs]

Reading the posts had the same affect on me. I have been crying since the post from Wimpycat.

I have trying to compose a post about my experience on 9-11 but first I will have to stop crying.

[Young Werther]

I was already at work CST. I was overworked and now am unemployed. I remember hearing the first report on the radio and thought that another doofus had flown into the WTC just as that idiot Frenchman who had flown a parasail aircraft onto the Statue of Liberty!

High Tech's in the crapper and I feel like fecal matter!

[Wolfstar]

Oh, and one more thing. On 9/12/01, I put up a small flag above my cubicle. It's still there and won't come down until after 9/11/02. I also put up the cover of the Time special issue showing President Bush holding up the flag on top of the rubble pile at Ground Zero, bull horn in his other hand. The TIME title was in red, white, blue and black, and above the title is the headline, "One Nation, Indivisible." That will stay up on my cubicle wall as long as I have this job. In that moment, on top of that rubble, he ceased being just another politician and became a truly great, great man. I will love him always and follow him anywhere he leads.

[spodefly]

My birthday is 9/10, so I was getting a late start for work on the morning of 9/11 ... the TV was on, and I heard the story about a plane hitting the WTC. I knew (not that I am prescient or anything) that it was not an accident. The hole was too big to have been made by a private airplane, and there is no way that a commercial aircraft could have lost its way on a perfectly clear day and hit the building. It didn't really register until the second plane hit, which was broadcast live.

At that point, I had no idea how bad things were going to be. The rumors were rampant of other planes in the air, truck bombs, etc. I filled 3 - 7 gallon water containers, packed up canned goods, MREs, and portable propane stove, grabbed the M5 (corpman's med kit), put the 12 guage, 9mm, and several hundred rounds of ammo in a large black sport bag, tuned the scanners to the local police traffic, and watched the rest of the day unfold on TV.

The water, food, first aid, guns and ammo are still packed.

[rmlew]

At 8:45 in the morning I had just entered teh gymnasium of a local Junior High school to vote. (September 11th was primary day in NYC.) I was wearing my walkman (damn thing is almost an extension of me) but the poll watcher told me to put it away. She said taht radios were not allowed at the booths. I went tothe front desk and then to the appropriate line. I got to the front where a woman was checking voting rolls. I told here that I was here for the Republican primary, but she was a little dense and was still looking through the Democrat book. (I have been a registered Republican and Conservative, never a Democrat.) She finally got the point, only to realise that she didn't have any Republican ballots. Evidently, I was the first person in my district subsection to vote for the Republican primary. 2 minutes later, the machine was set up and I pulled the switch for Herman Badillo. (I suppose I have the honor of having voted 2 twice against Bloomberg in the primary and once in the general.)
I got out of line and there was some commotion outside. I figured some Democrat partisan of Green or Ferare had broken teh rules. (nothing new, I had done poll watching in 1997 and caught quite a few Democrat shenanigans.) I didn't pay attention until I heard someone yell "It's on fire. Tower 2 is burning"
I don't thinki I can explain the cold chill that went through my body as I turned my walkman back on to WABC. It was 8:59. I remember having two throughts in my head.
1. This was a reapeat of the 1946 accident at the Empire State building. I had written about the history of the Empire State building for a class and everything flooded back. I dismissed it pretty quickly, when i realised that it was a beautiful day with high visibility. I knew it was a purposeful act, I just didn't want to believe what I knew to be true.
2. I had this fleeting thought of crawling back to bed and then waking up withthis being a bad dream. It was silly and the notion was soon dispelled.

Like everyone else, I soon found myself running to a local bar where someone had turned on the TV. I had just got their when the second plane hit. It is difficult to explain the shock anger and greif that hit about 2 dozen of huddled around the TV. About one second into this wave of emotions, a glass fell. As if on que, everyone jumped. And then all I could here were two women crying. The anger I felt was nothing compared to the raw hatred evident in some people eyes.
I walked home. On the way I tried to call my parents to tell them what had happened and get the telephone number of some relative who worked near the site. All I got was a message taht the lines were full.

I got upstairs and turned on the TV.

About an hour later, I went to work to relieve a secretary who lived downtown. No one else made it. I just sat there streaming audio over the computer, desperately trying to call relatives.

[muggs]

It didn't really register until the second plane hit, which was broadcast live.

I still gasp whenever I see a video of the second plane crashing into the tower.

[angkor]

The water, food, first aid, guns and ammo are still packed.

Ditto on that, doubled-up. One kit here, another 20 minutes away.

[NewYorker]

Then and now I live in midtown Manhattan, just north of the U.N. I was late for an appointment on West 55th Street that day and had no idea what was going on until I left the building just before 10 a.m. Our elevator man told me that two planes had hit the trade center and I mentally pictured an accident between two small planes.

On 1st Avenue some construction guys had turned on the radio in their truck and people were hovering around listening to the news. As I stood there listening, feeling like I'd just been kicked in the stomach, I turned and looked south towards the trade center. There was an enormous cloud of debris - like a mushroom cloud - exploding over lower Manhattan. The first building had just fallen. At that point I didn't know that my next door neighbor was trapped on the 105th floor of the north tower.

That evening it was heartbreaking to see his footprints on the carpeting from when he left for work that morning and his mail waiting for him outside his door.

I like to think the legacy of September 11th is a greater spirit of community across America and a resurgence of patriotism.

[luckodeirish]

I am on the left coast. Was at work when we got the news. I cannot articulate how I felt then or now. But, to all you good folks from the right coast, not everyone in California has forgotten you.

God Bless America